The Thomas Jefferson Building!!

Within the Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C.,

is the very beautiful and very ornate
Library of Congress.

 

Established in 1800, the original building was burnt to the ground

by invading British troops.

Rebuilt and reopened again in 1897,

between 1984 and 1997, the building was restored to it's original

nineteenth-century beauty.

 

All of the structures, statues and paintings

have very significant meaning,

lucky for you guys I don't remember any of it.

Let's just enjoy the pretty pictures!!

 

 

Can you believe this building does not have air conditioning?

It is the major reason I remember so little.

These images were taken on April 11, 2014,

during our trip to Washington, D.C.

 

Sweet Spring Surprises!!

The hubs is in charge of planting the Spring bulbs.

Every year, in the Fall, he plants the "all important"

tulip and daffodil bulbs.

 

I hope you did not miss that entry in November but just in case you did,

you can read all the dirty details here.

 

I promised a Spring reveal, so here it is!!

 

Drum roll...drum roll please...

 

  The big picture...

 a close up of the center garden.

The little boy at the beach...he has a pail and a shovel.

 Around the mailbox, out by the street.

It's just gorgeous!!

The dogwood tree and azalea's are starting to wake up as well!!

On a side note, the hubs built this house back in the early 1980's.
We were married maybe 5 years when he came home and told me he
had purchased a piece of property.
One acre, on a winding river, in a cul-de-sac.
He said he was going to build our dream home. He did.
We have been calling this place home for 29 years.

 

And on another side note, doesn't the new roof look a little wavy?!

I'm not sure why it looks that way in the pictures.

In real life, it looks great!!

The hubs will be reading the comments, don't go over-board!!

 

A Blurr!!

Is photography always about the perfect image?

Does it have to be brilliant...with perfect focus, light and perspective.

Sometimes I think, it's more about those magical moments.

Being among nature, looking...hoping...discovering.

It's more about the magic you feel, when you discover something...

something very unexpected.

 

The hubs and I discovered a beautiful Mute Swan, sitting on her nest.

Her head popped up as she acknowledged my presence.

And then she went right back to the work of protecting her eggs.

 

The brush was thick, there were soooo many trees and branches.

I was very surprised I was able to get any image at all.

So for me, these are really special, because for me,

it was all about the moment.

This moment,

and having these blurry images to remember my special encounter

with this pretty Mute Swan.

 

Godfrey Lake April 26, 2014

 

Saturday Critters ~ 21 ~

On April 6th, I put some black oil sunflower seeds on the peanut "platter".

I was hoping to attract and feed some of my smaller birds.

The peanut "platter" really belongs to the Blue Jays,

I always fill that up with peanuts for them.

 

The Jays came that day and they looked somewhat baffled...

 

 What in the word is this??

What's it doing on my "platter"...

and how am I suppose to fill my belly with it?? 

 There was a little squealing..."umm Debbie, have you lost your mind"??

But in the end, he made due!!

This is what they prefer, this clever guy had three peanuts

lined up in his beak.

He leaves with nothing less then three, two in the beak,

and one in the chamber!

I am super excited to be joining in with Eileen over at

Viewing Nature With Eileen

for Saturday Critters.

Stop by and consider joining in, any critter will do!!
 

Six Words Friday ~ Flower ~

A flower cannot blossom without sun!

Sharing these pretty Apple Blossom blooms with
Adrienne at My Memory Art ~ Six Words Friday

Please stop by and share Six Words with my dear friend Adrienne.

Many thanks Adrienne for hosting Six Words Friday,

it's both challenging and fun!
 

Good Fences ~ Edition 5 ~

 A beautiful gate...

 

and lots of protective fencing at this picturesque spot on the

Potomac River,

 

 at The National Harbor in Washington, D.C.

 The view was breathtaking...

 with a pretty stone fence!!

Fencing...to keep us safe and keep us in!!

These images were taken on April 10th,
while we were in Washington for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

 

I am super excited to be sharing my non-traditional
gate and fencing with

Theresa at The Run*A*Round Ranch

for Good Fences.

Stop by and consider joining in the fun, any fence or gate will do!!
 

Picking the Perfect Nut...

It's an art you know...

 

...one this little Titmouse has mastered completely!!

 

Images taken on April 6, 2014

 

The Bird Book...

I developed a love for bird watching at a very young age.

I would sit for hours and hours at Aunt Dot's dining room window

watching the birds come and go from her feeders.

Dining on her homemade suet and special seed mixes,

Pop always kept everything filled.

This is a story about a book, a very special book.

 

Have you ever held something in your hands,

something so special, it makes you smile from the inside out?

 

 Something so meaningful that just the sight of it evokes a wonderful memory?

 This was her bird book...

 The book she shared with my sister and I.

We would mark the page with a small "x",

once a bird had been spotted and identified.

Copyrighted in 1949

 it is one of the few things I have from this very special woman.

 Another peak inside, the book is just beautiful.

 

Only 4 x 6 inches, it has a hard cover...it is old, faded and worn.

But for me, it could not be more special, it could not hold more love.

I spent much of my childhood with my Aunt Dot and Pop,

I really loved them.

 

I didn't know that my sister had this book.

When she told me she did, I asked if I could have it.

I think that was a little selfish of me, but I really wanted it.

 

My sister Kathy reads my blog everyday, it's how she starts her day!!

So, I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart,

for sharing this book with me.

I will treasure it always.

 

And if I "go" first, you can have it back!!
(wink)

 

The Easter Gift...

It was a quiet weekend, filled with little joyful moments.

 Chuck made crepes for breakfast...

nutella, banana's, caramel syrup, walnuts and powdered sugar.

The hubs thought they were "too sweet"...

he's too sweet,

I thought they were perfect!!

I saw this bird house in my favorite little family owed bird shop,

Wild Birds Seeds and Such.

I feel in love with it.

The hubs went back the next day and bought it for me,

and saved it for an Easter gift.

 

We went out to the garden and picked some more beautiful daffodils,

to bring inside...

they look so pretty along side my Easter Card.

 

I talked to my boys on the phone, both are out of state,

both sounded great!!

 

We had delicious Chinese food for dinner, then watched a

not so good movie we had rented from Redbox!!

 

We recorded The Amazing Race and watched that before turning in.

My life dream is to run The Amazing Race.

One day Phil...I'm going to meet you on the mat!!
 

Happy Easter...

To all my faithful, loving, kind, fun 

and supportive followers and commentors,

Thank You!!

I don't say thank you often enough!! 

 

Don't eat your whole chocolate bunny at once

and don't put all your eggs in one basket...(smile)!!

 

Comments are off, have a Sunday Funday!!

 

Saturday Critters ~ 20 ~

A Little Blue Heron at The Smithsonian National Zoo

I didn't take these pictures, the hubs did.

It was about 150 degrees in the bird house, I was wilting.

I handed the camera off...with instructions...
he followed them to the letter,

he takes his job seriously.

 

When I viewed these on the camera screen, I thought they were duds.

But when I viewed them on the computer screen,

it was love at first sight.

 

There is something about the pictures,
perhaps it is because Chuck took them, I just love them.

I am super excited to be joining in with Eileen over at

Viewing Nature With Eileen

for Saturday Critters.

Stop by and consider joining in, any critter will do!!  

 

The Cherry Blossom Parade

On the final day of The Cherry Blossom Festival, they have a parade!

Did someone say parade, oohhhhh that's my favorite.

The hubs, not so much, but he was so happy to arrange for a special car,

to take us right to the area and pick us up afterward,
only a few blocks away.

 

Good thing we had our own "chariot", the parade area was crowded...

and when I say crowded,

you have never seen a crowd like this.

 

But....I loved it.

Two hours of amazing colors, music, funny and happy peeps.

 

Did I take a lot of pictures,
you bet I did.

Sit back, relax and enjoy...it was such a happy parade.

The End!!
Wasn't that a beautiful parade??