Stops Along The Way

If you know me, or have ever driven in a car with me, Leanne,

you know I am famous for shouting out "stop the car..turn it around..I saw something really good".

Sometimes, that is true, sometimes, not so much.

Or sometimes, getting a picture, a good picture, is nearly impossible.

But this post is dedicated to the hubs, 

the man who stops for and turns around for nearly everything.

The first three were taken on the same, cloudy, crappy day this past fall.

They aren't very good but since the hubs stopped for me, I think they are worth sharing.

Each of the rest were taken on different days!

Great Blue Heron

White Tailed Deer

Red Shouldered Hawk 

Maybe a Red Tailed Hawk with the white bib in the front

We found this little guy walking around a piece of vacant land we were thinking about buying!

White Tailed Deer

This picture is from the summer.

This big guy was walking around on the new concrete around the pool, 

thank goodness it was dry.

I think he was contemplating a swim.

Yarn Along

The Farm Girl Shawl
I finished it last night, well sort of...
I have to add the "fringe" but I do not have enough yarn left to do that.
I purchased this as a kit, yarn, pattern...buttons, everything you need to make the shawl -
except, there is not enough yarn.
The shop is closed this week, I am hopeful I will be able to purchase more yarn to put the fringe on.
To me...the fringe makes it "farm girl"!






The last three rows were this pretty edge.




Liz got a lot of text messages from me last night, and she answered every one in record time.
I'm not sure I could have done it without her help.
It takes time to recognize the stitches, their abbreviations, and to be able to read a pattern.

I am so happy with the end result...and I am ready to make another!!

The Great Blue Heron

Spotting this big beautiful bird behind the tall grasses was a thrill...




Watching it walk out into the open was so exciting for the bird lover in me.

When I first spotted it, 
I thought, no way it will come out from hiding,

But it did!

With one eye fixated on me at all times...

it stood proudly out in the open,

almost as if it was as curious about me as I was about it.

After several minutes, it flew off to another part of the lake that was not frozen.
We watched it and followed it in the car.

There was a bit more posing but quite frankly, all the pictures look the same.

When I got too cold to take more pictures, my wonderful hubs took over and captured these
"amazing to me" flight images!

I couldn't get over the "splash" image in the water that was the shape of the Heron.

This big bird does not migrate in the winter.
They have a long neck and legs and a dagger like bill.
A mostly blue/gray bird, with black and white streaks down the center.
If you look closely, my flight images show off it's reddish trousers.

It's feet were black when walking, yellow in flight, so I assume the underside of it's feet are yellow.

I also saw some Long Tailed Ducks, not here, but at the inlet, a first for me.
I will be sharing those pictures soon, I may save them for Saturday's Critter Party.

Lake Of The Lilies

After a stop at the beach on Saturday, we drove over to my favorite lake,

Lake of the Lilies, in Point Pleasant Beach.

Ninety percent of the lake was frozen, offering only small areas for the ducks to hang out.

Lucky for me, 

those areas were close to the shoreline, but unfortunately, 

it seems most of the ducks left when the lake froze over.

There were hundreds of seagulls, who did not seem to mind the ice at all.

The hubs said I should name this "Walking on Water"!

Ruddy Ducks

I think pictured here are two males and one female.

There was an American Coot convention, all traveling close together.

That was it, American Coots and Rudy Ducks...
During my last visit, I saw a much greater variety of ducks,
even the Mallards and Canadian Geese were gone.
As were both of the Wood Ducks.

Then from behind the grasses...

a Great Blue Heron emerged.

what a thrill!!
I took about 50 pictures of this beautiful bird and once I was frozen solid, 
the hubs stepped in to help out.

Lots more pictures of this beauty tomorrow!!

Howe Street Beach

Every so often, I need to see the ocean.

I need to hear the waves crash against the shore, and the seagulls screeching, 

to breathe in the salt air...

and feel the kind of breeze that only the ocean can simulate.

I always close my eyes, I want to feel it first...a sense of calm comes over me, 

it becomes quiet, even gentle and I know exactly where I am.

I am where I am suppose to be.

We didn't walk on the beach, I just took a few pictures and we left.

It was so pretty, the colors in the water were crisp and clear, a light shade of green...

the sky was a beautiful shade of blue.

There was one surfer out, trying to catch a wave.

Howe Street Beach, where some kind soul decorates the area for each season and holiday!

Soon, it will be decorated for Valentines Day!

January 26, 2019

Saturday Critters ~ 267 ~

The hubs and I were sitting in our home office, I was doing paperwork, he was on the phone.

I glanced over at him and noticed he was looking out the window,
his eyes had grown wide as plates.

I turned and looked out the window, but I did not see anything...

I waited until he got off the phone to hear the story of what I had missed,

he couldn't wait to tell me...

It was the hawk, "a big hawk" he said "and it was carrying an animal".

He said "it's wing span was huge and it flew right toward the house and then flew into the trees".

We were able to see part of it, sitting in one of our trees,

eating whatever it was carrying, then it flew off towards the front yard.

So the hawk is still here and there is no mystery as to why I am not seeing many of my little birds.

When I do see them, they always seem to keep one eye to the sky...

I have not gotten any pictures of the hawk, but it's not for lack of trying!!

Sharing today with

Eileen at Viewing Nature With Eileen 

The Northern Flicker

A beautiful woodpecker, that only visits my feeders occasionally.

If fact, I don't think I have seen one in years.

It has a very distinctive call which I remembered, I knew it was here before I saw it.

I saw a flash of yellow as it flew in to feast on the suet.

To me, it appears their entire undercarriage is a pretty bright yellow.

It has a small red heart shaped spot on the back of it's head,

a buffy/whitish breast with black spots, and a wide black necklace.

According to my bird book, it is a year round visitor in this area,

but when I do see it, it is only in the winter.

My memory of this encounter is far better than my pictures...

I saw it all day on Tuesday and have not seen it since.

I must have taken 50 pictures, 47 are worse than these.

I'll talk about the hawk tomorrow, it is still very present!

Choose Joy!

Love the message...and look at that face!!

Yarn Along

The topic of conversations around here on Wednesdays has always been knitting
 - all you need are two sticks and some string -

Now that I am crocheting, yes I am crocheting
 - it's one hook and some string -

This is what I am making...

The Farm Girl Shawl by my good friend Liz

Liz designed this pattern and she taught the class I took on Friday.

This is the yarn I am using, hand dyed, it is beautiful!!

So...how am I doing you ask...


not bad.


The stitches themselves and the base of the shawl are easy, peasy,
the ends, are tight and difficult.
It's not that I don't know what to do, it's just so tight and so difficult to see the stitches,
I am really struggling...with that part only!!


So I am grateful to have come this far already.
Liz is an amazing teacher, so patient and kind, she even sent me a text later that night.

"You did great today! 
Just take your time with it, and I am confident that you can do it!
Don't hesitate to ask me questions"

I'm so lucky to have such kind people/friends in my life!