Daisy Fleabane, Erigeron annuus
(Click pictures for larger view) 
"Splendid wildlife sights are a reminder that, while the gardens derives much of its beauty through our own endeavor and creativity, nature is still the world's most abundant and talented artist." ~ Jane Camp
Wildflowers basking in the unseasonable warmth of a fall morning. These grow in fields and along roadsides; this group in a small park near the James River.
Mourning dove, Zenaida macroura
This shy little mourning dove made her nest in an abandoned robin's nest. Yes, there is a plastic bowl under the nesting material, but that is another story altogether. This mother dove nestles two pale pink eggs beneath her as she shyly peaks through the evergreen.
Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana
Wild strawberries grow everywhere and each spring, take over the flowerbeds with their small white flowers and brilliant red berries dotting the ground. Such perfect replicas of their larger cousins, and yet grow without planting or pruning or pampering.
Brown Chinese Goose, Anser cygnoides
This regal character is actually considered a "domesticated" goose by most, however, a group of them is often seen swimming in the lakes at Mt. Trashmore and here are completely footloose and fancy free. After all, domestication alone does not take the "wild" out of an animal; anyone who had been pounced on in the middle of the night by their pet cat knows this.
The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "wild". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute new logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.
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Takeoff: flight pattern over Brooklyn, NY. Summer 2006.
(Click picture for larger view) "To fly as fast as thought, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived." ~ Richard Bach
We sat on the rooftop terrace of the six floor Brooklyn apartment building and watched as airplanes took off from JFK. This day the flight pattern was directly overhead and they screamed by, one after another, destinations unknown.
Life is like this plane; at the beginning it rolls slowly, barely moving through infancy and early childhood. Then taxiing faster through those elementary years, sometimes almost grinding to a halt at times during junior high; but life then reaches that crossroads of adolescence and high school and with a pause at the head of the runway, it picks up speed.... faster and faster until the wheels lift skyward and you're on your way. Too soon the flight is over, to fast we fly through life; but .... what a ride!
Submission for PhotoFriday topic "fast". (end of post)
I have a little shadow.... (Click picture for larger view) "Cats, no less liquid than their shadows, offer no angles to the wind." ~ A.S.J. Tessimond
As the sun streams through the bathroom window, Mr. Rhett catches sight of a strange dark cat sitting right next to his sink. He has no eyes, no nose and no mouth; what sort of strange cat is this? Rhett's whiskers twitch and a little low growl comes out of his mouth, but a cloud passes over the sun and his friend is suddenly gone.
Rhett's sixth sense kicks in and......
Rhett sits quietly gazing into the past and future. He suddenly feels as if he is being watched; the hair stands up on his neck and he whips his head around to see... his friend or is this a foe, this elusive dark cat. This cat will not look at him, will not talk to him, will not acknowledge Rhett's presence.
"I've gotcha! What?!...
Though he tries his best, Rhett can't catch this dark one, this elusive shadow cat. He weaves, he bobs, he answers each jab with one of his own until the light plays out and Rhett is alone again... baffled.
Rhett will join the other cats at Friday's Ark hosted by the Modulator and the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this Sunday by Enrevanche. (end of post)
A little color for a gray day. "The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts."
~ Marcus Aurelius Antonius
It is a cold, dreary, damp, drizzly day here. Everything is gray. The skeleton branches of the trees blend in with the misty sky; the rain, just enough to make things slippery.
Max had an early morning trip for his chemo pill and as usual, he managed to develop his chronically gunky eye AND one ear with excessive wax and obvious ear infection. So he is due for his sedative and a sleepy day in the sunroom while I work on him some more.
To top it off, when I signed into Hello to post a picture, I met with this sign....BloggerBot is dead. Yes, they've been telling me it was going away soon, and even said it would be gone by the end of 2006; but when New Year's Day came and went, I thought.... hmmm, perhaps they are pulling my leg. Then this morning, it is kaput. No longer may I change the picture border color with just a button; not even with the HTML code. The invitation to switch to the "NEW" Blogger has appeared and like the ostrich, I am hiding my head in the sand with trembling knees, hearing that Borg phrase from Star Trek ringing in my ears.... "Resistance is futile!"
So I think we need a little color around here to disperse the grays and what is more colorful that butterflies and lilacs; a touch of spring in winter's midst.
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Moonrise over the Atlantic. January 2007. (Rebel)
(Click picture for larger view) The Moon and Sea
Whilst the moon decks herself in Neptune's glass
And ponders over her image in the sea,
Her cloudy locks smoothing from off her face
That she may all as bright as beauty be;
It is my wont to sit upon the shore
And mark with what an even grace she glides
Her two concurrent paths of azure o'er,
One in the heavens, the other in the tides:
Now with a transient veil her face she hides
And ocean blackens with a human frown;
Now her fine screen of vapour she divides
And looks with all her light of beauty down;
Her splendid smile over-silvering the main
Spreads her the glass she looks into again.
~ George Darley (1795 - 1846)
I had never seen a moon rise over the Atlantic Ocean before and this was the January full moon. Sunset and moonrise were in tandem this night, only minutes apart. All the purples, reds and oranges of the sunset reflected off the eastern sky and then as they faded and darkened to sapphire blue and then black, there it was; at first just a red half disc sitting on the ocean's table. Then it floated slowly higher and higher into the sky and the rose tint faded to amber and then white and there he was, the man in the moon. Soon the pale light and water began to dance together; the shimmering sparkle of light and the gentle rolling of the sea. It is a magical time as is sunrise; yet different and most mysterious.
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Daisy Fleabane, Erigeron annuus
Mourning dove, Zenaida macroura
Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana
Brown Chinese Goose, Anser cygnoides
