Sunday afternoon drive

 Did you ever go on Sunday afternoon drives?

Last week on Sunday afternoon, after our naps following church, we decided to go on one!  We headed out west.  We weren't but a couple miles out of town and Allen pulled over.  "What's the matter?"  "I left my wheel chocks on the back of the pickup!"   (he'd just changed oil)

 

We often see shoes or some other such item on the side of the road....well, we almost became "those" people who do that!

Lots of wild sunflowers on the side of the road.

There were American White Pelicans in the distance.  We tried to drive closer but there was no way to get there.

Several great white egrets.

I see egrets from my back deck also.  Along with a great blue heron!  I am so blessed to see these regularly!!

We will need to come back to Quivera in late October to early December when the sandhill cranes migrate through!   That will be a sight!!  They feed on grain in the surrounding fields and roost in the marsh at night. 

We continued our drive.

We scared up a covey of quail.

I would have been scared to try this.  Al decided to skip the first puddle, but was not too put off by this next one.  He grew up on the muddiest road in Reno county.  The school bus driver even refused to pick up the kids when it rained!  Al's dad had to take them to the corner.

We came upon a cemetery and decided to have a look-see.

Lots of little children - some perhaps still born.  Lots of grief.

Clara Mabel; what a pretty name

Lula - a young lady, perhaps died in childbirth?

It says:  As you are now, so once was I.  As I am now, so you may be.  Prepare yourself for eternity.

Must have been a cowboy 

Veterans

Unusual block shape

Maybe unknown to us, but known by the Saviour!   

He knows all about us!!

Psalm 139: 13-16

 You formed my inward parts;
    You knitted me together in my mother's womb.
 I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are Your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in Your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

I love to read historical fiction and I would love to know the stories behind these names!  Maybe one day I can meet them in heaven and they can tell me!!

What a wonderful, relaxing Sunday afternoon drive!

Saying good-bye to the purple martins

 I love the variety of birds that come to our home!

Bluejays

Red-bellied woodpeckers

Orioles - Baltimore male, female and male orchard oriole

Red-winged blackbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, female and male

Great egret and great blue heron

And of course, the ever present Canada geese.

Here they are on parade.

Interesting "birds" eating the birds' food.

We are so blessed to live in this neighborhood where all these birds (and many more) show up!  One of our favorite birds are the purple martins!  Sixteen years ago, when we moved here, our neighbor had a purple mountain house and he convinced us to put one up too and increase the colony.  We got us a house and we have been hooked since!

Each year we follow purple martin sightings on-line.  And I keep my eye open to the skies.  As soon as I saw the scouts, Allen put up our purple martin house.  This was in early March.

The scouts quickly found the house and were ready to settled in.  I found an interesting article about the scouts:  

https://gadnr.org/out-my-backdoor-scouts-are-here

It wasn't long before the rest of the colony arrived. 

Spring was here.  The trees began to bud.

But we also had a random snowfall.

Wonder if these birds were cold?

We enjoy these birds March through August.

Al has to be a good landlord, kicking out the sparrows that do not belong.  He has to monitor it continually, cleaning out the sparrow's nests.  They can find another place, but the purple martins need this apartment as they depend on us.

Look at these babies!!

I've seen a few hawks around.  Here is a purple martin chasing a Mississippi Kite.

Every August, usually between the 7th and 12th, our purple martins begin meeting up with other colonies of purple martins in Wichita and roost there at night.  During the day, they fly back to our home and then back to Wichita for the next night.  And then one day, they all are gone, flying across the Gulf to Brazil.

This year, we were gone visiting children/grandchildren during that time.  We were sure we would just miss out on the migration.  But, they were still around!  In fact, there were a couple of babies who had not left the nest yet.  The adult birds and other grown babies would go to Wichita, but come back during the day, encouraging the babies to try to fly.  They would swoop around and around the house.  "Come on!  Try it!  We don't want to leave you behind!"

I was so happy to be privileged to see those babies take their first flight!!  Hurray!  Hope they would be strong enough to make the journey!  Hoped they would miss Hurricane Ida!  Surely God gives them innate knowledge about the weather?

We went to Wichita to find the roost.  They change location each year and we call around to see if anyone has seen where.  This year, they were close to the airport.

Good-bye, purple martins!  See you next year!!  I was so glad the babies weren't left behind.

One day, the Lord will call us Home.  Are you ready?  Don't be left behind!  

(See Matthew 24.)