An Unusual Sighting

Good morning everyone! 

I'm sure I am not the only one who has experienced the sighting of a bird or water fowl 

where you "think" that bird or water fowl may be new to you.

A bird that is somewhat familiar but it may not be acting the way you would expect.

This sighting goes back to April 8th and at first sight I thought it was a common seagull.

It behaved differently than the seagulls I am use to seeing,

it seemed much smaller than a seagull, and it was behaving like a diving duck.

I took many pictures, hoping that when I read my book I would find that it was "new to me".

It is!

I think, I hope...I hope I have identified it correctly.

A Bonaparte's Gull

According to my books it is a common small gull but I have never seen one in this part of New Jersey.

Perhaps because also, 

 according to my book, their territory only extends as far north as Cape May in New Jersey.

And they are only there during the winter.

So maybe, this was a rare sighting, as they are generally seen south of my area of New Jersey.

I'm so happy I took these pictures, as I do believe this is a sea gull that I have never seen before!

I also saw quite a few turtles on this day, this is a favorite spot for them.

The area around the lake was filled with pretty Robins...always surrounded by branches or sticks. 

It was such a beautiful day, we drove up and down Ocean Avenue,

stopping at this spot in Belmar for a picture.

If you didn't notice on your own, look at the hubs expression as he is being "eaten by a shark"!

He is so fun to be with, I had no idea he did that until I loaded the pictures on my computer.

- sometimes the best therapy is a long drive and a great song -

Happy Memorial Day From The Jersey Shore

 

Enjoy your Memorial Day

- if you want to thank a soldier, be the kind of American worth fighting for -

Wise Words On Sunday

Saturday's Critters #441

 On my spins around Lake of the Lilies, 

I am usually on the lookout for large birds and unusual ducks.

Finding an Egret or Heron makes me feel like the trip was really worthwhile.

On this day, I was feeling a little down as the lake was quiet,

no special ducks, the Heron was missing in action and there was only one Egret,

out of the reach of my lens.

Then I saw a yellow flash of color, a tiny, all yellow bird which was definitely not a goldfinch.

I was so excited...

it was a Male Yellow Warbler, here only during the winter, I had never seen one before.

After spending much time parked at the open shrub it emerged from,

I came to realize there were maybe 6 in total fluttering around in the shrub.

These pictures were taken on May 3rd, just before they left for the summer.

After spending time with the Yellow Warbler,

 I noticed a Yellow-Rumped Warbler, another bird we see here only during the winter.

Yellow-Rumped Warblers visit the feeders in my yard during the winter,

 I have shared many pictures of them here on my blog.

- there is always one stick -

The Turtles are back and I saw so many on this day...

2 here in this picture!

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

Dining Out

 We have been feeling a little more comfortable eating out lately.

We have not dined out a lot, I am still receiving my Home Chef meals,

but we have tried a couple of "new to us" restaurants that we have enjoyed.

The Tulip Tree Cafe'

is attached to a garden center and gift shop that I love,

Calgo Gardens

I have wanted to stop and eat at the cafe' forever, I'm glad we finally did.

The interior is so quaint and cute and the sandwiches were very good.

The people sitting next to us had hamburgers, they looked, and smelled really good also.

The BLT was the winner, the hubs ordered it, and it was excellent.

I know that because I ate most of it, 

I did not love what I ordered...

So there was a switch, he is always so kind in that way.

If I don't like what I order, he always switches with me.

I ordered a Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Onion

It could have been good but the bread was toast, not buttered bread like the grilled cheese I make.

The sandwich's came with one side, we each had coleslaw.

This old cabinet was so sweet, I think it was was very old.

One other restaurant that we visited for the first time was...

The Brown Stone Pancake Factory

This place was huge, I think it is a chain restaurant, and the food was delicious.

I had Pasta with Pesto, Bacon and Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

The portion was huge and it was delicious.

The hubs had Lemon Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

just as huge, 2 pieces of Chicken, a generous portion of Rice and

the Broccoli was cooked crisp tender.

It was perfect.

You are able to eat inside the van but when we arrived, there were people at the table inside eating.

Had it not been small children, well...you know, I may have booted them out.

I'm just kidding of course, I think it is just for the little ones anyway.

This place is famous for their milkshakes.

They run around $ 10.00 and they looked to be worth every penny.

We were too full,

we are going to go back and just get milkshakes.

I have enjoyed several "Butterfly Lemonades"

at one of my favorite sandwich shops,

The Beanery Cafe'

And...

I had my first Rita's ice in late April.

I enjoyed Watermelon, they did not have my favorite which is Juicy Pear.

If you ever go to Rita's, get the Juicy Pear, it's amazing!

I have lots of nature, bird and wildlife pictures to share.

I made a list and have organized my thoughts,

I am excited to share it all in the way I have in the past.

I Have Been Away So Long...

 Hello to everyone...

It has been several weeks since I have posted and I have missed you all.

I think/hope, my computer is fixed...

I can now log into Hotmail and Google and it seems the problem was a pretty simple fix.

Simple for "Bijoy" that is, he was able to resolve the issues by having me use Google Chrome.

A few taps on the keyboard and it was all resolved.

Everything looks a little bit different now, but I am confident I can make the adjustment.

We were having other problems, 

with other computers in the house and a printer we use for work.

Everything is fixed.

It has been a couple of busy weeks, 

I will need to get "organized" in order to share all of the happenings around here,

but it will be exciting and fun...I have a lot to tell you!

The Carousel At Pier Village

One of my favorite childhood memories are riding carousels on the boardwalk at 

The Jersey Shore.

Carousels have a long history here,  

since as early as 1909, there has always been a carousel at the pier in Long Branch, NJ

The pier and carousel were destroyed by a storm in 1944, then only two remained at the Jersey Shore.

In 1970 new interest developed in the carousels of yesteryear 

 and this hand carved carousel was unveiled in 1999 at the rebuilt pier at Pier Village.

As you can see from the photographs, not only can you ride a horse but also sea themed animals,

like a dolphin, a fish, a pelican, a sea horse and more.

- uninvited guest -

- the paintings atop the carousel are sea themed, colorful and show the kite festival we just attended here -

I have turned the comments off, until I get my computer problems resolved,

there are too many blogs I cannot comment on!

The Wizard Of Oz

 I purchased tickets for The Wizard of Oz, two years ago for a performance in May 2020.

It was rescheduled due to Covid for May 2021.

May 2021's performance was rescheduled for May 2022 now it was finally time to

"follow the yellow brick road"

and boy was I ready.

We had great seats, the first row of the first mezzanine in

The Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ

We have been here before and the theater is so elegant.

They never announced no pictures, I gave it a go but was quickly tapped on the shoulder.

I had already taken these two, everything was so colorful and the sets were beautifully made.

Emily, the girl who played Dorothy was amazing.

Blessed with an extraordinary voice, 

she looked the part and her acting talent was beyond impressive.

Emily's family was sitting directly behind us, I was thrilled...and felt so lucky to meet them.

We became "fast friends" and had a lovely conversation.

I just happen to mention my blog, you know, so they could see my post about the show.

Emily's mom has already reached out to me, it seems we have a bit in common.

She too is living with MS and has written a book about treating MS and its "annoying" symptoms.

I met Dorothy, Emily...she is adorable and will be a super star one day.

I met Toto too, well kind of...

it was so difficult to get past those little ones with their phones.

I was so touched by the extreme talent in this production of The Wizard of Oz...

and also reminded of why I love this story so much.

- somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true -