Look Who Flew In For A Visit .....

I went outside to turn off the drip yesterday morning.

Turned the corner and there he was.

Having a short rest before he took off for parts unknown.

I believe he is a male common yellowthroat warbler.

Common? 

I ask you.

How can anything this beautiful, this yellow,

be common?!!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by little guy.

Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. This year the Great Backyard Bird Count was held over four days February 18 - 21. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It's free, fun, and easy and it helps the birds. 

No, I didn't participate this year, but I can tell you the birds I would see in my backyard:

- a pair of Asian Banded Doves

- oodles of Mourning Doves

- oodles of sparrows

- a Blue Jay

- a Robin

- and Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal

all of these birds visit daily for the morning buffet.

I also hear a woodpecker ... never see him, but hear him pecking away.

I thought that today's postcard would be in honor of the Backyard Bird Count.

This is a postcard from The Audubon Postcard Folio

a collection of 30 full-color photographs from John James Audubon's

magnificent The Birds of America.

The back of the postcard reads:

Cardinal Grosbeak, Fringilla Cardinalis, Bonap, M. 1, F. 2. Wild Almond. 

Plate 159 from The Birds of America by John James Audubon, 1833. 

National Gallery of Art, Washington

Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James.

A big THANK YOU to Beth for being our hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday.

Wishing you well, a JOY filled weekend and happy birding!

Camera Critters

Each Saturday Misty hosts Camera Critters. Be sure you visit! It's a wonderful place for critter lovers.

Back to the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park.

We rounded a corner to view the Tea House and found this little guy.

We kept looking and found his friend.

By the time we walked all the way around the lake near the Tea House we had found seven Black-crowned Night Herons ... all little statues ... standing very still, quiet, beautiful.

Last week there was an article in our little neighborhood newspaper about Black-crowned Night Herons and Yellow-crowned Night Herons nesting in a neighborhood near Hermann Park where the Japanese Garden is located. I think Mr. Dragon and I will go heron hunting this weekend!

More critters in the Japanese Garden next week!

Wordless Wednesday

Camera Critters

Camera Critters is hosted every Saturday by the lovely Misty. Be sure you visit!

Last week Mr. Dragon and I decided to visit the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park.

It was a beautiful afternoon. Little humidity.

On the way to the Japanese Garden we saw a few feathered critters.

A couple of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks with friend.

Black-Bellied Whistling Duck

I have a story for you about the Whistlers. Last year Mom Whistler made her nest in the sculpture garden at the Museum of Fine Arts -- several very long blocks from this lake. When her eggs hatched, several birders at the museum kept an eye on the youngsters and one day were able to capture them and take them to the lake at Hermann Park. They figured Mom could and would fly over, but the youngsters would never make it across the streets to water. I'd like to think that the Whistlers we saw are those same babes all grown up.

Inside the gates of the Japanese Garden we found this little guy.

He has a white tail ... cotton tail perhaps.

This little bunny was smaller than the first. A little family.

More critters in the Japanese Garden next week!

Happy Critter Day!

Mosaic Monday: Bath Time!

Spring has sprung in Musashi's Garden with lots of action at the bird bath.

Here's Mr. Robin -- always entertaining!

The hostess for Mosaic Monday is the lovely Mary at The Little Red House.


Joy to You!
Have a wonderful week!

Wordless Wednesday

Postcard Friendship Friday

Our lovely postmistress, Marie, is the hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday.

Today she posted a little girl with a canary.

I didn't find a canary or a little girl with a bird, but I did find this...

This is from The Audubon Postcard Folio 30 full-color photographs of John James Audubon's magnificent The Birds of America to mail, share, and cherish.

On the back of the card: Carolina Parrot, Psitacus Carolinensis, M.1, F. 2, Young 3, Plant Vulgo, Cuckle Burr, Plate 26, from The Birds of America by John James Audubon, 1827. National Gallery of Art, Washington/Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James.

The Audubon Postcard Folio, 1986 by Running Press Book Publishers.

Happy PFF!

Camera Critters

It's Camera Critters time and
it's Halloween.

That calls for a special post.
It's back to the Houston Zoo photography day.
It rained lightly all morning.
I met this gentleman early that day and thought
Halloween!

CINEREOUS VULTURE
(EUROPEAN BLACK VULTURE)

A large bird, the cinereous vulture can measure more than three feet in height and has a wingspan that can extend up to ten feet. Cinereous vultures have dark brown feathers with a dull blue head, neck and bill.

Their status is seriously threatened globally due to hunting, poisoning, habitat destruction and improved stock management. The international trade of this species is regulated by law, since it may become endangered without regulated trade.

These vultures build their nests in trees and on cliffs high above the ground, using sticks and twigs as building materials. Males and females cooperate in rearing young.




This particular vulture was hatched in captivity in a special breeding program. The Houston Zoo is well known for its amazing birds, many of which are never on display -- behind the scenes in special breeding programs in an attempt to maintain the particular species.

If you enlarge on the photos, you'll see this bird liked the rain!

Happy Halloween

Be sure to check out other critters at Camera Critters!

Camera Critters

Visit Camera Critters to enjoy more critters this weekend!

Mr. Dragon and I are at a special camera day at the zoo.
I prepared today's Camera Critters from some old photos (film not digital)
I came across recently. I knew I wouldn't have time for a *new* critter post.

I took these pictures about 10 years ago when we went to Florida to see a shuttle launch.
I love the turtle with the *plant* growing on his back and the green stuff he was living in.
I didn't see him until he moved. Really blended in the algae.

A white Egret.

My favorite shots were of the Night Heron.

I made 8x10's of both shots intending to frame them and never did.
I have the frames.
Maybe it's possible they'll hang around to be enjoyed!

Enjoy your weekend.

Journal Friday

It's been awhile since I've posted just journal pages. I've been spreading them around in other posts. So, today -- Just Journal Pages -- sort of!

Flower Bomb
This just fell right into place.
No thinking involved!

B is For ....
Birds and Butterflies
This took a while.
Mostly paper, a stencil, stamp, clip art.
I wanted to do this in my journal before I tried it on canvas.
I'm thinking about transferring it to cloth and making something.

Lastly, this is Teddy when he was a baby.
Always ruling the roost!
4 x 5 canvas kept simple

Enjoy your Friday.

Joy to You!

Camera Critters 67

It's another trip to Musashi's Garden to see more parent and kid pairings -
this time with Robins.

Here's Mom.
When she saw me come to the door to take her picture
she stayed just long enought to have her portrait done
and off she went.
She had been feeding this little one.

Junior looked very surprised to have Mom fly off.

Oh!
Are you the reason why Mom left?
Hey! You! The one with the camera!
Is it your fault?

I think I'll just ignore her.

While Mom is gone, I'll take a bath.
Splash!

(Click to see the photos larger.)

Enjoy your weekend.

Joy to You!

Mr. Dragon's Art

Mr. Dragon took two workshops at the Glassell School of Art this summer - one in pen and ink (eight 3 hour classes) and the other in color pencils (four 3 hour classes). These are my favorites. There are others, but these were easy for me to scan. He says he will photograph all his artwork from this summer. I'll share when it happens (at least my favorites). I'm happy to report that he really liked both of his instructors for these workshops.

This is Rocket and I plan on framing his portrait.

The color pencil class was the first color class for Mr. Dragon.
All of the work was based on photos one or the other of us had taken.
The apricot rose from Musashi's Garden was his first ever color pencil.

Next he tried the iris.
The original photo was taken at the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park.

The seagull is my favorite and the last one he did in the class.
(Taken in Seattle.)
It has a frame in its future.
Mr. D said the instructor said "see, you've gotten better".
He said it took him a week and a half to figure out what questions to ask!

Happy Friday!

Joy to You!

Camera Critters 57

Today I'm taking you to our back yard to visit with some
of our feathered friends.

I took this picture of a baby dove just after a Mom feeding.

This is the baby! Growing up fast.

Robin wondering if I'll continue to take pictures while he takes a bath.

Yep!
There's just no privacy in Musashi's Garden.

I worked really hard to get the water drops in the air.
So did the Blue Jay!

No. He wasn't saying to me
"Give me a break".
He was telling a dove it was their turn in the bath,
not the doves!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Enjoying Your Age

I took this picture yesterday.
Teddy came to me and said *Mom! You have to come look!*
I looked. There was Momma Dove with her baby.
By the time I returned with the camera,
Mama was on the fence in her sentinel post watching out for her baby.

We checked this morning and all is well with this little family.

I caught up with my email and thought the picture of the baby dove and the Daily OM went well together. Here is the Daily OM. I hope it calls to you as it did to me.

April 20, 2009
Appreciating What Is
Enjoying Your Age

In each stage of life, there are wonderful experiences one can savor and valuable insights one can absorb. Every new decade and, in fact, every new year brings with it wisdom, transformation, and growth, as well as ends and beginnings. Many people, however, believe that there is one age that eclipses the others. They expend energy trying to reach it and, once it has passed, trying to retain it. But wishing to be younger or older is a denial of the joys that have been and the joys yet to be, as well as the beauty of your life in the present. Holding on to one age can make it difficult to appreciate each new milestone you reach. Taking pleasure in the delights of your age, whether you are in your 20s, 40s, 60s, or 80s, can help you see the magnificence and usefulness of the complex seasons of your life.

Each new year gifted to us by the universe is replete with exciting and unfamiliar experiences. In our 20s, we can embrace the energy of youth and the learning process, knowing it’s okay to not have all the answers. As we move through our third decade, we grow more self-assured as the confusion of our young adulthood melts away. We can honor these years by putting aside our fears of aging and concentrating instead on solidifying our values and enjoying our growing emotional maturity. In our 40s, we become conscious of the wisdom we have attained through life experience and are blessed with the ability to put it to good use. We are not afraid to explore unfamiliar territory or to change. In our 50s, we tend to have successfully navigated our midlife reevaluations and have prioritized our lives. In the decades beyond, we discover a greater sense of freedom than we have ever known and can truly enjoy the memory of all we’ve seen and done.

Try to enjoy the age you are at now, for each age presents its own unique wisdom to savor.

For more information visit dailyom.com

Journal Friday

It's Friday and it's time for another journal page. I've been proud of myself for getting one page done every week. Life is always interesting and I'm now on a deadline at the museum for some work I'm doing for the new Arts of India Gallery. I hope I can keep up with the journal page a week.




This was fun. I did things I don't normally do. I have some Fiskar Texture Plates and started with rubbings of the leaves. Then I rubbed some different green inks over the rubbing, cut some of the paper into squares and tore some of the paper. The background page was brown. Then I plopped (artistic term!) and glued the pieces of paper on the background page. (I sometimes use golden matte gel medium, but I have mod podge left over from a project I made ages ago and have been using the mod podge to glue.) Then added the two pictures (me) and the woodpecker. The right hand page I did separately. I used a sponge (ordinary household cut down to about 2"x2") to apply different green acrylic paint to the page and then stamped both pages with a feather stamp. Have I told you before that I love smushing (another technical term) paint around? The sponge was fun -- almost as much fun as fingers!




This is the finished journal page with the writing. I have to have a story -- no fun without a story! I found a book at half-prize books (you are going to think I spend my life there -- just a visit once a week) titled The Secret Language of Birds. It has all sorts of myths and stories about birds including signs of the zodiac with their assigned bird buddy. I'm a Gemini and my bird is the woodpecker. The writing is about Gemini and the bird and at the end of the page is a list of other birds that a Gemini might be drawn to and I thought it was very true for me -- Jay, Crane and Vulture. I love that a woodpecker (like the one in the picture) is pecking away at near by trees right now!

I normally post about The Next Chapter and The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women on Friday. It is time for Chapter 8: Selecting Empowering Partnerships and Alliances. When I went to look at my notes, I didn't have any!!! Not even a quote I particularly liked! I know I read the chapter, so I guess that's that! I do have some empowering alliances with friends who like my crafty side and a good buddy who is an art teacher and every now and then invites me to her class to paint along with the class! New techniques!

College baseball season has started and we have three days of baseball -- 3 games a day -- at the College Classic at Minute Maid Park starting today. Some of the top college baseball teams will be playing the next three days and the Dragons are ready for some baseball!

Have a wonderful weekend filled with only the things that make you smile!

Journal Friday on Sunday!

Here's the journal page that I normally would have posted on Friday. One of my sticky fingers took Mr. Robin's head off and I had to repair him. Now that he has his head again, here's the page. All of these birds have visited our backyard -- some only once -- some everyday. This page is a continuation of the My Favorite Things list which I'm still adding to - the latest being Micky Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. I wanted to remember nature ... remember the visitors to our backyard that have given us so much pleasure and true joy with their beauty, their antics, and their *friendship* (birdship?).

I didn't post on Friday about The Next Chapter and The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. As I read the last chapter, I kept thinking about the Metta Prayer that goes something like this:

May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings awaken to the
light of their true nature.
May all beings be free.

It all starts with us, doesn't it. Making time for ourselves. Knowing ourselves. I start with myself when I say the Metta Prayer. May I be peaceful. May I be happy. May I be safe. May I awaken to the light of my true nature. May I be free. Then I go on to my loved ones and then to all people.

May you all be peaceful, happy and safe this beautiful day.

Camera Critters 43

It's Camera Critters time!

Today it's birding in the backyard featuring the Eurasian Collard Dove.

We have a pair of Eurasian Collard Doves that visit us every morning.

They are beautiful.
One is camera shy.
The other seems to like having his picture taken.

They were the last of the birds to return after the hurricane.

Eurasian collared doves have been expanding their range for centuries through natural dispersal and human introduction. These natives of India began showing up in Turkey about 400 years ago, then moved into China and Japan. They arrived in Europe in the early 1900’s, in Britain by mid-century.

A caged-bird breeder brought Eurasian collard doves to the Bahamas in the mid-1970s, and those birds were released into the wild during a burglary. They spread to Florida by the late 1980s and to Louisiana by the early 1990s. The Texas Birds Records Committee first documented the birds in 1995, and today they are in every coastal county and throughout the state, though more prevalent in urban than in rural areas.

(Information from an article written by Gary Clark for the Houston Chronicle. Pictures were taken by me and Mr. Dragon on Thursday, January 29, 2009 in our backyard.)