Summer Evening on the Lake

While at a recent birthday party for my grandson, I stole some moments away to view the surrounding lake area. It was a sweltering hot, humid afternoon with temperatures in the mid-upper 90's in Tupelo, Mississippi.  Droplets of perspiration trickled from my forehead as I walked on the grassy banks of the lake and observed the local wildlife. 

On the opposite bank, I observed a Canadian goose sitting in a brush of thin green shrubs. She must have noticed I was staring at her because she began moving more, nervously turning her head east to west. I turned my attention away from her and walked toward a beautiful large weeping willow tree centered west on the lakes edge. I appreciated the gracefulness of the willow where it stood with limbs outstretched  and long sunlit fringes of leaves which lightly swept the ground below.  The tree provided nice shade for the birds and other creatures.  A large Canadian goose took advantage of the shade as it foraged the ground for bits of food.  Moments later, a  Great Blue Heron was spotted on the opposite side of the tree.  I wanted to try and capture a closer shot of him so I quietly crept toward him, holding my camera in a ready position.  He sensed my presence and suddenly escaped across the lake, leaving me the opportunity of one more shot of him with flight wings spread a few feet above water.  

The goose from the opposite bank decided to come into the water and was soon joined by the goose from the willow tree shade.  Together they waded through the cool water, sometimes dipping their beaks into it for refreshment.  I enjoyed watching reflections of lake homes and other trees shimmy across the lake's surface, giving it a colorful sheen. Beautiful!  

As dusk approached, orange, yellow and purple hues painted the sky.  I stood in awe as I watched the beautiful transformation of day into night.  I felt grateful for this perfect ending to a very hot summer day. Goodnight Sun.  Hello Moon...it's good to see you.  

I took a deep breath...there could never be too many beautiful sunsets in my life :) Each is as tranquil as the one before...

Thank you for reading my first post on  Our World Tuesday.

Come on over and read some interesting stories of other places,

with wonderful images included :)

My Little Corner of the World

A place tucked away in the corner of our front porch-

an old homemade wooden cabinet, once abandoned, 

now holds upon it a trove of beauty...

colorful spring blooms, green plants and bright garden ornamentals.

I feel blessed when I look out of my bedroom window to see this...

Sometimes I stand there, watching life flutter by in shades of red, yellow, black, blue, brown, and more. Flashes of color as birds skip from one branch to another or tango in mid-flight. Bees buzz by and sometimes hover above the spring blooms or feeders filled with sweet nectar.  Often there are a few dozen feathered beauties gathered in this area of our front yard. I've taken numerous photos while standing behind the glass of my bedroom window...

This little corner is my spring sanctuary-

on my days off, I'm often found here...sitting in my brown lawn chair.

A small, inexpensive wooden table holds a cup of fresh coffee, 

my eyeglasses and my camera.

Pots and ornamentals frequently get moved around...

forward, back some, a little to the left or more to the right.  

The same routine stands for the bird feeders as well.

I can spend hours upon hours in this space on a beautiful spring day...

sitting in silence, except for the sound of birds singing or bees buzzing.

"Ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being."  Job 12:8-10, NRS

I appreciate God's creations, silent moments and tranquil days :))))

American Goldfinch: Winter Photo Group #4

It was another beautiful day yesterday...nearly perfect, in fact.  Skies were cloudy in the morning, but the sun made an appearance in the afternoon.  I've done much of nothing all weekend and really enjoyed it ;)))  I spent more time on the front porch than indoors, taking plenty of photos using a variation of camera settings. I'm experimenting...attempting to learn more about lighting and exposure.  I recovered an older camera lens from my bag and tried close up shots with it.  It's actually been years since I've used it because my previous experience with it has resulted in blurry photos.  I didn't take the time to examine the reasons for blurry photos, so the lens remained in my camera bag, neglected until now.  

While taking practice shots with it, I found that the lens worked better with action shots and close ups.  With a zoom up to 300 mm, it has the ability to get really close to most objects within the confines of our front yard.  The photos I shot with it still have some blur, but I didn't use a tripod with these.  The lens are standard rather than image stabilizers so the results would have been better if I had used a tripod.  I just didn't want to...I used the "lazy method" yesterday- sat in my lawn chair, sipped on coffee, and took random shots of birds that came within about 10 to 20 feet of where I positioned.  The photos aren't bad considering what little effort I put into them ;)))  I enjoyed just sitting and watching the birds, using the close up on my lens to focus in on their movements.  They are really cute, and funny too.  At the same time, they were observing me closely.  Their little heads bobbing around and giving me curious looks.  I knew why they questioned me...they wondered why I was trespassing on their feeding territory and staying so long. 

I did take enough time to prepare french toast at everyone's wish.  Tyler asked me specifically if I would make him some french toast.  Of course, Tyler...I'll be glad to.  It was delicious- I could hurt myself eating some french toast, oh goodness!  I also did some light housework...mostly washing the stacks of dishes that seem to accumulate when the boys are here.  Cherie does her share of dishes too...seems to take both of us to keep up.  

All in all, it was a relaxing weekend for me and it was long overdue.  It felt great to not have anything planned and just hang out at home for a couple of days.  I'll be on my long week of work starting tonight.  

According to weather reports, south Mississippi will get snow and icy rain beginning Tuesday morning and lasting into Wednesday morning.  Some say there could be up to 6 inches of snow accumulation in some places...imagine that!!!  It's been many years since we've seen snow like that.  It will be interesting to see just how much snow we actually get.

More later....