Tag: Nature

This Summer, Every Day Was a Good Day

Posted in Birds, Georgia, Photography, WildlifeTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 19 Comments

Mona Liza over at The Lowe’s RV Adventures recently asked me if I could name my favorite place.  I didn’t have to think very hard to come up with an answer. My favorite place in the world is right here at home in coastal Georgia near Savannah. So this summer we’ve been enjoying a wonderful summer in our home state of Georgia.

The highlight of our summer was having the grandkids come to visit. Going to the beach, going for boat rides, visiting museums, making homemade ice cream, and catching blue crabs were just a few of the things we got to enjoy with them this summer.

We also enjoyed getting together with our friends and neighbors. We celebrated numerous birthdays, watched Fourth of July fireworks, and shared many meals and laughs.

One of the things I love most about where we live is the natural beauty all around us. I never get tired of all the birds and other wildlife we see each day.  Throw in a few summer thunderstorms, some beautiful sunsets and a few rainbows and you have a summer full of great days.

I created a Mesh Gallery with a few highlights of the summer using Mesh.  I hope you like it.

Every day this summer was a good day. This is my contribution to the WordPress Mesh Photo Challenge: Today Was a Good Day.

Texas Wildflowers Spring 2015 gallery

Posted in Texas, WildflowersTagged , , , 22 Comments

During our trip through Texas in the spring of 2015 we were treated to splashes of color from the wildflowers blooming beside the roads, in fields, in the woods, and beside trails. We had timed our trip in hopes of seeing bluebonnets and weren’t disappointed. We were also treated to many other wildflowers including many I couldn’t identify.

Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush along Park Road 4
Indian Blanket Flowers
Indian Paintbrush
Periwinkle at Longhorn Cavern
Golden Ragwort at Inks Lake
Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush at Lake Arrowhead
Spiderwort at Inks Lake
Phlox at Inks Lake
Unidentified Wildflower at Inks Lake
Wildflowers in Llano
Wild Mint Llano
White Prickly Poppy Llano
Unidentified wildflower
Wildflowers at Padre Island National Seashore
Love the blooms here
Cactus Flower at Inks Lake
Claret Cup Cactus Flower Enchanted Rock Summit Trail
Unknown wildflower beside a rest area in the Texas Plains
Texas Stork’s Bill beside a rest area in the Texas Plains
Unknown wildflower beside a rest area in the Texas Plains
Unknown wildflower beside a rest area in the Texas Plains

I would love to get some help in identifying the unknown flowers! Please leave a comment if you know what any of these are, or if I have gotten any of the identifications wrong. Thank you!

Prairie Dogs and Wildflowers at Lake Arrowhead

Posted in Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Texas, Wildflowers, WildlifeTagged , , , , , , 25 Comments

Every once in a while we discover an unexpected gem of a park. We just needed a quiet, restful place to stay for a couple of days after our adventure in Palo Duro Canyon. A place where we could buy some groceries and just chill. Lake Arrowhead State Park south of Wichita Falls sounded like it would fit the bill. As it turned out we enjoyed it so much we stayed an extra day.

It was wonderful seeing so much green after the brown plains of Texas. We had a nice big site with plenty of green grass and trees. There were hardly any other campers in the park and we sometimes felt like the only ones there.

Green all around at Lake Arrowhead
A great place to chill

Texas has been going through a drought for several years and many lakes have suffered because of it. Lake Arrowhead is really low and has been for a while. The fishing pier is high and dry and all of the boat ramps are closed.

Lake Arrowhead is really low
Lake Arrowhead is really low

There is a Prairie Dog Town in the park that has spread to some of the campsites. Some of the holes were right beside the road and Blondie tried to stick her nose in them as we walked by. The Prairie Dogs would scamper away to their hole and disappear as Blondie and I approached on foot. They would stay around longer when we drove by in the truck.

Prairie Dog Mama and babies
Prairie Dog Mama and her pups next to the picnic table in one of the campsites
Prairie Dog at Lake Arrowhead
Prairie Dog protecting his turf
Prairie Dog at Lake Arrowhead
Prairie Dog at Lake Arrowhead

There is a working oil pump in the campground. After seeing so many of them in the fields as we drove through Texas it was interesting to see one up close. The engineering term for this type pump is a walking beam. More common names for it are horsehead pump, nodding donkey, beam pump, rod pump, grasshopper, thirsty bird, pump jack or jack pump.

Inspecting an oil pump in the park
Inspecting an oil pump in the park

I was happy to see bluebonnets and other wildflowers growing beside the road.

Bluebonnets at Lake Arrowhead
Unknown Wildflower at Lake Arrowhead
Unidentified wildflower Lake Arrowhead
Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush at Lake Arrowhead

It was a great place to chill before continuing our trek east.

The ranger who checked us in was very friendly and helpful and gave us great directions to shopping in Wichita Falls. She also recommended the Branding Iron for barbeque and it was delicious.

Our site was a pull through with paved pad, large grass sitting area, a covered picnic table and fire ring. The site had water and electric hookups. There was a bath house close by, several picnic areas and hiking trails in the park.

If you would like to read my detailed campground review of this park, click here.

An Unexpected Visitor in the Neighborhood

Posted in Birds, Georgia, WildlifeTagged , , , , , , , 13 Comments

Coastal Georgia is home to many wetlands birds. Herons, Egrets, Wood Storks and Ibis are regularly seen in and around the salt marsh, creeks and rivers here.

One July afternoon this summer I was surprised to see a large pink bird flying over the marsh. It was too far away and flew by too fast for me to to tell for sure but I thought it must be a Roseate Spoonbill. Spoonbills nest along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana and in south Florida but they are considered uncommon this far north.

A neighbor confirmed that yes, I did see a Spoonbill. In fact, she saw a pair feeding in the creek at low tide. I continued to see the brilliant pink of the pair as they flew by our house almost every afternoon for about 3 weeks. One day I finally saw where one landed so I grabbed my camera and ran out to capture a few pictures.

Roseate Spoonbill with 2 young juvenile little blue herons in Georgia
Roseate Spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill eating oysters
Roseate Spoonbill in Georgia creek
Tri Colored Heron finds a snack in a Georgia creek
Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Roseate Spoonbill in Georgia Tidal Creek

Other Roseate Spoonbills have been spotted in other coastal Georgia locations in recent years. I know from now on I will always be on the lookout for pink birds among the flocks of Herons and Egrets I see in the salt marsh.