For the Birds and Remembering

What's dumb and pretty and struts around with a feather on its nose? Only a mourning dove could be this lovely and this dopey. After her preening session, she carried that feather around with her for the next half hour - possibly longer but she flew away. For all I know she has it still.

Now this is a very smart bird. Her name is Lucy and she belongs to Frank. I've never seen her walk around with a feather on her nose. She does however walk around with a question in her voice. That question is "Wanna peanut?"

Now don't be fooled. Lucy isn't really offering a peanut. She's hoping upon hope that her repeated offers will convince one of us to get one for her. As you can tell by the victorious look in her eye, she's usually successful.

One afternoon, while sitting on my front deck, I noticed the goldfinch high atop a tree branch a couple of houses away. Frank's nifty 100-400 lens allowed me to take this shot from where I sat.

Much closer to me, but in Frank's back yard this time, this lovely little chickadee flew in to dine at the birdie café. Frank sets seed out every evening for them to enjoy and she's about to fly down to partake. I like the way her feathers are backlit by the sun.

One evening, at my local pond, this mallard struck a lovely pose, bowing its head as if in silent remembrance. I didn't realize it until I noticed the date upon scheduling this post, but I find this to be a fitting image with which to end this post on September 11 - ten years after.

This was a scheduled post.

With the Moon in Her Hand

"The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand." Frederic Lawrence Knowles

Last night's full moon was a super perigee moon. It appeared bigger and brighter as it traveled closer to Earth than usual. If you're interested in reading about this event which last happened in 1993, you can find some information here. If you just want to see some photos, read some quotes and a bit of my blather, skip that link and just scroll down.

"I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day." Vincent Van Gogh

Awaiting the full moon, I sat atop a picnic table in the park and snapped a few photos of my surroundings. The view is of my local pond. To the right is the dock, well lit by lamp posts all along the path.

"I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it." Albert Einstein

When the moon did rise, my view from just about anywhere in the park was obstructed by trees. They made for some interesting images though.

"There is nothing you can see that is not a flower; there is nothing you can think that is not the moon." Matsuo Basho

You can see that the trees are beginning to bud.

"The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to." Carl Sandburg

The moon is totally out of focus here, but I thought the budding twigs looked elegant.

"Moonlight is sculpture." Nathaniel Hawthorne

My son liked this one and said he could see putting it on a metal music album cover.

"The moon's an arrant thief, and her pale fire she snatches from the sun." William Shakespeare

After making my way around the pond, trying to get a clear shot at the moon, I finally went home and took this one from my upstairs balcony. I would have liked a photo of a night scene, complete with the moon but that just didn't work out...

"May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door."
Irish Blessings

... except in Photoshop. It's fun to play with the moon in my hand.