Walkabout

I love to go on walkabouts around our lake.

 Sometimes I hoof it - for exercize.

 But, quite frankly, I prefer to take my camera and go slow.  

Sometimes I will take almost a couple of hours, 

listening to birds - 

trying to find them in the branches.

 
look!  he has a slug or something in his mouth.

this one too

a cedar waxwing!

 

oriole

 this robin is at the "stone table" -
                       our grandkids like to pretend from Chronicles of Narnia

a family of geese across the lake

another family making its way across

 the water fountain set on the side of the lake.  Broken again.
                                                This muskrat chewed the electric wire

you can see one family of geese on the north side of the lake,
       another family you can barely see in the water
             and one has made it to the south side.
                     the muscrat headed out to check them out.

 

the water falls over the spillway

              yikes!                    
                                                       looks like he's got a puncture wound

  I like this bird bath!

on my way back to the house, these geese were right by the side walk.

One of my husband's employees got attacked by a goose recently when he got too close.  I just stood closeby (but not too close) and waited until they headed back into the water.

  they got to the other side and the parents jumped out

  the babies were not able to make the jump

they swam further down the bank to find a spot where they could make the climb out

 they got it!

 the next 2 families followed

See what I would miss by walking by at a fast clip?

"I dressed and went for a walk - determined not to return until I took in what Nature had to offer."
-   Raymond Carver, This Morning

Grandparent's Day

I had Grandparents Day in Arkansas with Emeri in October.  

In November Hannah and Sophia were having it at their school.  I happened to find this draft in my files.  I had been waiting to get the grandparent photo and then forgot about it!!  So, here is a very late post.  Since the kids have already started summer vacation!

The week began for them with a Muffins for Mommy day when the mommies came to visit.
There was also a Donuts with Daddy day.
And a Thanksgiving Dinner with the parents day.
Then it was Gripz with Grandparents.
No, not gripes with grandparents.  Although I'm sure there could be several gripes about grandparents.

Do you know what Gripz are?  I'd never heard of it.

Gramsi and I (Nana) both visited.

Gramsi first went around with Sophia while I went to Hannah's class.

The children shared something special about their grandparents and then the grandparents shared something from their school days.  Many of the grandparents attended one-room or two-room schoolhouses.  And walked to school (uphill both ways, right?!)

After about 1/2 hour, Gramsie and I traded girls.

Sophie showed me her art work.

Now, give me a good smile, I tell her.

Self portrait!

There was a photographer taking pictures so we stood in line for that.

The day ended with an assembly.  A couple teachers shared people they were thankful for who made a difference in their lives.

The kids did a little dance.

Why, grandchildren, of course!!  

And we are unthankful that Gramsi has moved to Wisconsin.  I know the girls are missing her!!

zoo critters, part 2

Hannah loves to take pictures and a lot of these are her shots.

 

 We got a chuckle out of the way this guy was resting.  His siblings were resting the normal way, but he was basking all sprawled out.

Claire claimed this was Elsa's castle

Time for a break -

Hannah and Sophia were counting how many seconds the hippos were staying under water before taking a breath.  "89......108......128"  

                                                  Claire had to count too.  " Eleventeen!"

There were these cute children from a day care.  

I thought the use of bandanas was pretty smart to keep track of the kiddos!

 Claire didn't get to see a kitty at the zoo like she wanted, but she did see a
                           meer kat!
Is it a kitty? she asked.

 What a hoot!!  He seemed relaxed for awhile.
               But planes weren't the only thing flying overhead.

All of a sudden the meerkats became all alert, looking in the sky and making a chirping sound.

 They didn't settle down until after the hawk had flown off.

A BIG cat!

That evening, when Claire got home, she told her Daddy

 "The giraffe was taller than you!"

The next day, the girls came to my house while Jill and Adam went on a date.  The girls set up the basement like the Sedgwick County Zoo.  First the flamingos, the barn to the right, the chimps on the left....

I've collected lots of stuffed animals over the years to use with teaching children stories of creation or Noah's ark at church.  The girls had to add an oceanic section with seals, whales...   Hannah even took time to write to the zoo officials to make a suggestion to add such a section!