Shades of Spring

From beautiful sunrise to subtle but lovely sunset, our world has awakened in soft, fragrant shades of spring. I hope you enjoy the photos below, along with the humour of Jarod Kintz, Wallace Stevens and Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts.

The morning always has a way of creeping up on me and peeking in my bedroom windows. The sunrise is such a pervert.

~ Jarod Kintz

On this May morning, Frank's two wonderful sisters, Lisa and Theresa were sleeping under our roof. It was the first time they came up to visit and we enjoyed their company immensely. I hope they'll return before too long. On that day, I awoke early to see shades of pink spilling into my bedroom. Outside, the sun was rising and a duck was having a peaceful swim alongside the dock.

The grackles crack their throats of bone in the smooth air. Most spiss oh! Yes, most spissantly. They sing right puissantly.

~ Wallace Stevens (taken from two of his quotes)

Despite their cold eye... despite their raucous call.. despite how they appear to be a simple black bird, grackles, when viewed in the right light - are beautiful, colourful birds.

My two favorite colors of the rainbow are gold and leprechaun.

~ Jarod Kintz

Given the right conditions, it's almost impossible for me to resist looking for and photographing a rainbow. They're always such a visual treat. Bring on more sun showers!

I bet the sparrow looks at the parrot and thinks, yes, you can talk, but LISTEN TO YOURSELF

~ Jack Handey

Another little cutie who comes to visit us is the chipping sparrow. Isn't that a sweet little face?

Whenever I hear the sparrow chirping, watch the woodpecker chirp, catch a chirping trout, or listen to the sad howl of the chirp rat, I think: Oh boy! I'm going insane again.

~ Jack Handey

Here's a closer look. Was I wrong?

Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that, I'll be over here, looking through your stuff.

~ Jack Handey

Daffodils look quite pretty from any angle - especially after a rain.

We like to praise birds for flying. But how much of it is actually flying, and how much of it is just sort of coasting from the previous flap?

~ Jack Handey

Stepping outside on the deck, I inadvertently spooked a great blue heron. They sure are graceful for such a gangly, awkward-looking bird.

Instead of casting my fishing line into the lake, my hook got caught on a passing cloud. It's OK, because I ended up catching a bird.

~ Jarod Kintz

When I saw this cloud, I immediately thought of the old Irwin Hasen comic strip Dondi. To me it appeared as if he was glancing up to the left and whistling a carefree tune. Can you see it? You probably have to be over forty to remember Dondi.

As I walked through the woods, I looked up and saw a squirrel. I smiled and he smiled. At least I think it was a smile. My teeth were showing and my cheeks were pulled up. That's a smile, isn't it?

 ~ Jack Handey

So now that spring is here, it would appear that this red squirrel probably has some little ones to feed. No more calling her Rufus. She has now been dubbed "Rufette."

If I could lick the sunset, I'll bet it would taste like Neapolitan ice cream.

~ Jarod Kintz

Aside from its location, there are some days that our dusk is quite similar to our sunrises. We do face east and if anything is going to explode into colour it will be the dawning sun. But occasionally, the reflective sunset gives us some colourful moments, as well. Just imagine how this might have looked on a western waterfront.

I want to be the first and second man to dance on the moon. No, I won't moonwalk. But I will Cha Cha-with my clone.

~ Jarod Kintz

The clear evening sky revealed a partial moon. When moonrise happens before sunset, you still get to enjoy some of the blueness in the sky.

More photos coming up before too much longer.