Spring....In July

We have had some very 'springlike' weather in July...and June...and May....and who knows....maybe in August.

It seems our feathered friends are taking advantage of it as another nest of babies await mom to return with their next 15 minute meal.

Wish I could have gotten closer for this one but it stands 12 feet tall outside my kitchen window...so I shot through the window the best I could in afternoon overcast lighting.

'Sentimentally' Speaking

I am an avid bird watcher and lover. They...make me feel free. I used to...dream a lot about having the ability to fly. Not...in a plane.... I would dream of soaring up above the world. I can still feel what it felt like...so real those dreams seemed.

I stopped having those when I started flying glider planes. Strange? Coincidence? A little of both? And it was about this time that I got really involved in bird watching. Yes, I have my favorites...but truthfully...it would probably be easier to mention the ones that don't overly excite me when I see them.

But. These? These. Well. They mean a lot to me. I've always had a fancy for the Pelicans. Brown Pelicans I knew quite well. And one day...on a camping trip in Texas during spring break....my sister (who is no longer with us) joined us. We went for a bike ride on one of the trails. There was a cove that we passed....that was 'white'. Completely. Covered. White. Pelicans. Hundreds. Breathtaking. Awesome. No Camera in site. ggggggrrrrrr....

We weren't to far from camp so I went back to get the camera. Of course, they were gone by the time I got back. A. Dream? A. Mirage? A. Vision? No...it was real. A memory that is very sentimental to me. A memory that is brought back to life each and every time I see a White Pelican. A memory...that is brought back when I think of her.

Thank you, sis. For being there with me...then....and now.

Mr. Robin Redbreast

Is there something in this world that to you, every time you see it, experience it, maybe just even smell it...it brings back memories?

Robins do that for me. When I lived in the Houston area....Robins meant winter to me as they migrated there during the 'cooler' months of that southcentral city.

Now that I am in the northern portion of the MidWest...seeing a Robin means spring. For the most part, they migrate south during our cold winter months...although you might see a brave one hang around throughout the colder months.

But regardles of winter , spring, summer or fall....Robins represent my grandpa to me...on my Mom's side. Grandpa used to feed and watch the birds all the time. That is one of the most important traits I remember about him. So...why not the sparrows or the blue jays or the cardinals? Maybe because to relate it to Grandpa....I remember the Robins from here. When I was growing up.....we moved every couple of years and I only remember the abundance of them here...not anywhere else. All the others...Blue jays, Cardinals, Sparrows, etc etc....were just about every where else I could be...but Robins...Robins represented my home away from....home of my parents...the one constant thing I could relate to during those youthful, less complicated years. To me they are peace, love....not to mention....fat night crawlers.

They will always hold a special place in my heart. Each and every one of them are sent my way by Grandpa...to make me smile...to make me feel the love and peace that life has to offer.