Friday, April 17, 2009

Nature Notes Along Country Roads

The morning dawned with blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds. The sun beamed brightly overhead. With temperatures being forecast in the mid-sixties it seemed the perfect day to explore country roads. My first stop was the local Amish farm to pick up some bags of French Vanilla Cappuccino and a little Swiss cheese. That had been my major errand for the day and with it out of the way I was free to roam hill and holler to my hearts content. Fields that not long ago were brown and bare were green again and here and there farmers had turned over the earth to prepare for planting season. All along the road the Red Bud trees were blooming.
Glancing beyond one farmer’s pond I thought I couldn’t possibly be seeing what I thought I was; but sure enough a Blue Heron stood at the edge of the woods. Thinking my camera wouldn’t zoom in enough to tell what it was I took a few shots anyway.

My photo isn’t clear and far from perfect but I can add it to my bird finds just the same. It really wasn’t the photo so much as the
moment I
experienced finding the unexpected.
Sometimes spaces between the trees gave way to far off vistas. Spring is only beginning and there is only a hint of leaf color on some of the trees but the air was fresh and the sun warm on my shoulders as I stood and took in the view. Looking down at my feet my eyes caught a glimpse of purple. The periwinkle was popping up through brittle brown leaves and another unexpected find left me smiling. Coming off a rather bumpy dirt road it was time to head toward home. Nature had one more surprise for me as I glanced at the creek flowing alongside the road. A lone goose lazily paddled along the creek bank as the rays of the late afternoon sun glistened on the water.














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28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have said it before. You are awesome. It's like I was on that journey with you. Mahalo

Nessa said...

A great Springtime stroll.

Twisted Fencepost said...

Sounds like your heart was very content by the end of your journey.
Thanks for sharing these relaxing pictures, Carletta.

Dr.John said...

Loved the pictures. You reallly do have spring. But ours is coming.

Carver said...

Wonderful shots. I enjoy your nature notes. I've been posting mine on Sunday but I thought I'd go ahead and comment. I really enjoy seeing what's happening outside in the blogging world.

Rose said...

I wish I had been with you...and wish you could have been with me at the strip pits last night. We would have fun I sure.

Nice day here today...Neal should be getting here shortly. And Sarah and Lorelei sometime this evening...as well as Jeremy when he gets home from work and Rachel will be here also...Sarah's 27th birthday.

Raven said...

Wow... what a wonderful walk you took me on. Glad the path offered so many beautiful surprises and that you captured and shared them so beautifully with us.

One other odd thought... Cappachino seems so un-Amish to me. I"m stuck in 1940s movie vision of the Amish... Cappachino? Thee speaks strangely...

Anonymous said...

You really were able to take us along with you..I think that getting the photo that captures the feeling is as important as those perfectly clear 'specimen' photos. I was able to see the heron just fine. But the distance helped add to the feeling of the surprise...Great post for Nature Notes Carletta.. Thank you! -Michelle--

Janice Thomson said...

I love when you get surprises while wandering around. Neat photos of spring.

Leedra said...

Nice to go on this adventure with you.

Leedra’s Photos For FunLeedra’s Greeting CardsPhotography By Leedra

Janet, said...

Nice pictures! We have a heron that visits us often down at the creek in front of our house. I love the redbud. The hill leaving out of Ripley going toward Fairplain is full of redbud along the sides of the road.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Carletta: That certainly is a bird I enjoy seeing. Neat photos from your trip.

Gattina said...

What a nice excursion ! I love to do this too just now in spring my favourite season. Everything looks so fresh and it blooms and it smells so good !

quilly said...

What a nice walk! The view was gorgeous and the fresh air invigorating! I especially liked that I didn't have to get out of my chair to take it.

Unknown said...

That's one beautiful nature tour!
It's cool when you can add a new bird to the collection, no?
;)
And I learned the name of a plant, periwinkle. Thanks for that :)

Tom said...

That sure is 'My' kind of road.... and I know just what you mean with the Heron..
Have a great weekend, I look forward to calling by again in the coming week.

Tom

PJ said...

Thanks for the trip to the country. Spring is definitely in bloom.

Sonia said...

that is fantastic - thank you for sharing with us, it sounds like a perfect day

Celeste said...

What a wonderful walk you had, so many interesting finds, thanks for sharing them.

RJ Flamingo said...

What a great post - I felt like I was right there with you...:-)

EG CameraGirl said...

I enjoyed reading this, Carletta. I want to tag along with you and holler too!

Unknown said...

Absolutely awesome post.Thank you!

Neal said...

Some good shots Carletta. You sure do keep the roads hot. :) Does your hubby ever get to go with you? :)

MyMaracas said...

Hills and hollers ... it's like going home for a visit. There's no prettier place to be than West Virginia in the spring. Thanks for taking us along on your adventure! I always enjoy your posts and photos.

Leora said...

Love periwinkle. How wonderful to see a heron. Maybe next you'll see a stork? Look forward to baby news.

Amanda Guthrie said...

What a lovely trip you took us on. love the photo of the Heron isn't it amazing to see them in person? They just leave me in awe. Great notes for this week!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Carletta: Very nice scenes from your area. Pop over and check out the Great Blue Heron I captured.

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