Saturday Critters #572

When we go out for a drive, we often end up at Spring Lake, we really enjoy the area.

On this day, 

we stopped to survey the ducks to see if there were any "out of the ordinary" ducks.

A huge group of Mallard Ducks came out of the water to greet us, I am sure they thought we had food.

I keep duck food in the car but many people frown upon feeding the ducks, so I usually don't.

After a few snaps, 

these beautiful Mallards realized they were not getting fed and headed back into the lake.

This duck in the center... 

and this one that would not come out of the water appear to be Hybrids.

- let me know what you think -

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

Happy Turkey Day

I hope these friends of mine made it out alive!

 

Have a wonderful day!

I Love Having Mike Home

It is so nice to have his younger spirit in the house, 

some noise, fun chatter...the house feels a little more like a home.

I made these as he was traveling home from the airport.

The house smelled like cookies when he got home and I love that.

They are a family favorite, the hubs loves them too and he is celebrating his birthday.

We play games when Mike comes home...

I may be the only one who loves games but he humors me and plays and that makes me very happy.

This is my winning hand at Racko, I only won once.

We took a walk around the Reservoir, and we are still in a severe drought.

If you look closely at the second picture, 

you can see the water line on the rocks where, under normal conditions, the water is filled to.

I have never seen it this low before.

We did have a little rain which enabled the town to pump some water in from a nearby pond.

We ended this day at the beach at Pier Village, 

Serena's on the beach, the hubs favorite restaurant.

Celebrating our special someone, I hope you had a nice day!

2 Needles and Some String

 Hello friends, 

I am still knitting some, no big projects like that crazy sweater I knit.

I finished a headband/earwarmer for one of my nieces as part of her Christmas package.

The center is twisted and it looks a bit like a bow.

It is difficult to see in this picture.

I started a second one for her sister, 

she's a redhead, I thought the cream color might be better with her hair color.

I have been knitting washcloths to gift with homemade soap for Christmas gifts.

One or two will look pretty in a small gift box with this homemade soap.

Here are two more that I finished.

You have to use 100% cotton yarn for these, 

I really like the green yarn that came from one of the Dollar Stores.

My KC Chiefs won again on Sunday, but the game was not televised in my area.

 I could have gone to a sports bar but I really don't enjoy that.

This picture is from the week before, Patrick throwing a nice touchdown pass that put us ahead.

We ultimately lost that game which gives us a record of 10 - 1, and first place in the AFC West.

Youngest son Mike is in the air right now, flying home for the holiday week.

I did not drive to the airport with the hubs, instead I stayed at home to bake some cookies.

I can't wait to see him!

Wise Words On Sunday

 

Saturday Critters #571

 The hubs cleaned all of the windows, washed the bird feeders and filled them up.

The leaves fell gently from the trees, 

and there you have it, a clear view of the birds that call my home, their home.

- Male House Finch - 

- Chickadee - 

- Male House Sparrow -

- Male Cardinal with a female in the background -

- Tufted Titmouse -

- Male Downy Woodpecker -

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

The Boss

 Bruce Springsteen put Asbury Park on the map.

Growing up in Freehold, New Jersey and living in this house in Belmar as a young adult, 

he sang about where he lived.

Belmar is slightly south of Asbury Park, where all the clubs and The Stone Pony were.

 He lived on the corner of E Street and 10th Avenue...

He named his band the "E Street Band" and sang a song, "10th Avenue Freeze Out", 

which he wrote while living in this house.

"Greetings From Asbury Park" was the name of his first album.

Across the street is the Library, with this Fender Guitar on display.

He started his singing career at the Stone Pony.

To this day, he will make surprise appearances here and sing for hours.

He also sang at and makes surprise appearances here at the Wonder Bar.

These 2 Bars are 2 blocks from each other.

This statue of Bruce is located right by the

Stone Pony

Asbury Park is trying to make a come back.

It is rich with tradition, music is a huge element...it has such a cool vibe.

It has awesome beaches, a beautiful boardwalk,

and both elegant and casual dining.

We live about 20 minutes away and visit often.

Fall Is Still In The Air

The days are getting shorter and the night's are colder...true signs we are nearing the end of November.

Here in New Jersey, 

leaves are still falling and we still have some days with warmer temperatures. 

On our "Sunday Drive" you can still see some trees that have all of their leaves.

On the bike path at Allaire State Park, all of the leaves have fallen.

On our drive Sunday, we stopped by the ocean, just to make sure it was still there, it was.

The smell of the salty air was so refreshing, the wispy clouds were delightful.

Back at home...take a look at our front lawn. 

We do not have one single tree in the front yard and our lawn is covered in leaves.

 And our Lawn Maintenance Company has already cleaned up our leaves once. 

I'm sure many people can relate!

The Christmas Trees At Barlows

As promised in yesterdays post, here's a look at the Christmas trees at 

 Barlow Flower Farm

This family owned and operated farm has a great story,

if you are interested you can read about it here.

 

 

I always love seeing Santa in his truck.