Things to come......Spring!

Well this has been the longest and coldest winter I can remember!  It could be that I just forget the others because ....well you know...who wants to remember cold, snow, ice, getting stuck, etc.  I don't for one!

Today I just couldn't handle it anymore and started thinking of what is just ahead of us in a few weeks...Spring!  So I am showing some of the wonders of spring that I have captured in years past to get us in the mood!

First the wonderful little spring flowers that pop up everywhere.

Blood Root

May Apples

                                                                Fire-Pink

                                                        Jack-in-the-pulpit (a favorite of mine)

                                                                     Tiger Lily

Trillum

To go out and smell the fresh, sweet air and find these little flowers popping up to announce the beginning of spring....

Next I remember the bulbs that I planted in the fall...

These tulips are at the entrance to the park off Water St.

This was taken in the park and this duck was just having a wonderful time in the Daffodils....

Next the trees start to bud and some are so beautiful! Tuliptree.

Nothing is prettier than flower blossoms on trees.

This Magnolia tree in the park....

This one is on Church St. and so beautiful!  I don't know what kind of tree it is...but it is a WOW.

                                                           Buckeye Tree

                                                 I don't know what this one is...but very pretty.

These are Virginia Blue Bells blooming at Canal Rd. Park. on the hillside.

Some wonderful pictures of the park ......blooming away!

 Then we have the nasty, but pretty bush that blooms yellow and it is the Forsythia!  It is beautiful when blooming but that after is blooms, expect 3 more snow falls.....UGH!   (or so the legend goes!)

The Forsythia in the yellow on the left of the bridge under the Weeping Willow.

The turtles start coming out to sun themselves .....

The American Goldfinch gets his wonderful yellow color back.

Robins and other birds start nesting.

Heron nests found in Ross Co.

Osprey nest at Deer Creek

Eagles eggs are starting to hatch come April!

One of the first birds to migrate back...
Can you name this one?

                                        Red-Winged Blackbird.

Tree Swallow

Cat Bird








I think this is a juvenile Red-tail Hawk....enjoying drying his wings in the sun after a bath.

But one of the neatest thinks to watch, happens in our park.....the birth of the Swans....

                                                 Purple Martins at Deer Creek.

Butterflies appear...flying from flower to flower...


Cloudy Sulphur

Red Admiral







Red-banded Hairstreak

Then there are the rabbits and raccoons that can be seen in holes in trees....

  Baby owls!  This one is a Great-horned Owl...

So if you go out for a spring walk or drive...be sure to take your binoculars and look at the ground, the trees, the holes in the trees...just enjoy.....

Hope you enjoyed this to tide us all over until the weather improves and we can get out!

In Winter's grip!

I know, it is only the first of February but winter has really out did his self this year.  This has taken me back to the 60's , my childhood...when I had to walk to school in weather like this ...in a skirt or dress...before pantyhose....BRRRRRRR.... So I might say I was getting a bit depressed.  Not being able to wander the wide open spaces and take pictures....It just isn't the same taking them from the back door of my yard...

Yesterday my sister convinced me to go with her....after that awful snow and ice storm...You got it...I went....She picked me up and this is what I saw.....

Lots of snow....kind of scary...but on we went...slowly of course....

We saw lots of geese flying around in search of food and in this field there must of been two or 3 hundred geese and other birds....We also saw several Northern Harriers searching for food,

Then we arrived at out destination.....

Scioto Downs!

Didn't look very busy at all... the parking lot had been cleared......

We walked inside and oh my goodness....OMG.....it was almost empty!!!!

We had our pick of any machine we wanted to donate to......So we played a little. My favorite is the "I love Lucy" machine and there is a theme for everyone!   Then we got hungry and decided to go eat.  They have the best buffet and on Wednesday...it is half off for Seniors!  Which we are just in case some of you didn't know.....LOL...

The theme in the dining room are these trees...sort of like being in nature!  Enjoyed our meal and played a few more machines and then it was starting to get crowded so we decided to leave.

We came home by way of Canal Rd.  It was beautiful...the road was cleared.....

The beauty of winter is amazing.

Loved this red barn....the trees and brush was covered in ice. 

The pine tree...some of it was covered with ice and some wasn't.  It was very strange...Like Mother Nature was painting ....put some ice here and none over there.....

We saw a lot of Horned Larks....

 He looks so cold.... and this cute, Song Sparrow (I think)....

More Canadian Geese flying.

Then we came upon a group of  Redhead ducks in the Canal.

The small pond was frozen...

The falls were trickling....

Was windy and cold...and the snow was crunchy when I walked on it....I quickly took these pictures and hopped back into the nice warm car.....

I thought this fence was so beautiful covered in ice.....

Another view of the fence....

The starkness of the field, the snow and the sky almost the same color....

These horses out in the field......

 Once back in town we headed for the park, of course.....

The bridge .....

This Mallard came running up to our car to see if we had any food...I felt bad because we didn't have anything for him...

Another driver pulled up and put out some food and the ducks came running as fast as they could on the snow and ice......

We saw 6 Swans in the park....It looked like 2 pairs and 2 single....

Then way over away from the other ducks was a group of Redhead Ducks... I had a problem getting any good pictures as they are diving ducks and just as I got focused....well...Dive, Dive!!!!!

They must have started their migration.....

One last look at winter in the park......

I love the beauty of winter but I am getting a bit tired of it now.......my dreams are turning to.....

 So I hope you enjoyed my adventure yesterday with my sister....but last night I dreamed of sun and warm and sand and sea shells..... Keep warm and take a drive....never know what one might see!
Till next time!