Lifetime Memories

I never get tired of this view. This is Hawk's Nest State Park in West Virginia. There isn't much of a fence across the top of that stone wall but I guess it does serve its purpose, I assume, which is to deter folks from wanting to sit on the wall. It is a very steep and a long way down to the bottom.

I'm too short to stand and be able to look over the wall and fence so unless I'm above the view this is what I see looking down.

A close up of the little iron fence. 

I have made visits to this state park all of my life. This past May was my most recent trip when I took my nephew who is from California to visit the park. Above is a photo of my Dad holding my younger brother as they peered down from the overlook. This was taken in 1956. My brother was two years old at the time.

 

Dad had taken us up for the day and we had a picnic. This is my brother, me (age three), my Mom and my Grandmother Bessie, my Dad's Mom. The photo was printed in June so I'm guessing this could have been to celebrate my Mom's Memorial Day birthday. I love that she's wearing pearls, my Grandma is in a hat, my brother has a white dress shirt on as did Dad and I'm in a dress with a collar. Things were definitely much more fashionable back in the day.

Linking to Good Fences

A Summer Surprise - A Summer Tanager

I added this little guy to my life list this past Saturday. He is an immature male Summer Tanager. Last Friday morning I could hear a tapping that I thought was the UPS man at my back sliding glass door. On closer inspection I found this guy pecking at his reflection in the adjoining dining room window.

I wasn't able to get a photo until the following day on July 4th. My husband and I were getting ready to go out and he had just asked me if I had seen the bird that morning because he had heard it pecking the glass. Just then he saw it in our sunroom window and I grabbed the camera and was luckily able to get a few photos.

 

He did fly from the window to the bird feeder pole for a quick pose. I haven't seen him since but I'm hoping he is still around. I would love to see him when he grows into his full strawberry color.

 

Linking to Wild Birds with Stewart 

Looking Toward The Skies

Marietta, Ohio looking at the Ohio River - West Virginia on the right

A recent sunset over  Beckley, West Virginia

 

Linking to Good Fences and Skywatch 

Wild Birds - Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture, Turkey Buzzard, buzzard, vulture - no matter the name these scavengers do their job even with a face some say only a mother could love. Coming home from the grocery store this week I rounded a turn and scared this guy from his afternoon road kill. He flew to a nearby tree and posed for me. He wasn't about to go very far from his meal ticket just because I wanted a photo!

Linking to Wild Birds with Stewart

Wild Birds: A Hungry Cooper's Hawk

I happened to be walking past my sunroom window when I thought I saw something so I stopped and backed up a step or two and noticed this hawk. Of course I grabbed my camera thinking he would fly before I got a photo. It turns out he didn't fly because he was protecting his lunch. I couldn't tell what it was he had. I'm hoping it was a mole or mouse and not my resident chipmunk. Honestly I didn't want to watch too closely fearing the chipmunk had been the target. I haven't seen the chipmunk in a few days and maybe he's hiding. The chipmunk lived under the oak tree that is just out of camera shot behind the hawk. Still hoping little chippy shows up.

My apologies if you have visited this past week and I didn't get back to you. I have some issues with my immune system that has been giving me a fit this week. I hope to be able to catch up on visits later today. Thanks to all of you who have left comments on my last two posts. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Linking to Wild Birds with Stewart