Spring Flowers – Page 2 – Wandering Dawgs

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #142 – You Pick It

April 5, 2021April 4, 2021Posted in Birds, Flowers, Nature, PhotographyTagged azalea, Dogwoods, Lens-Artists, pink blossoms, Spring, spring blossoms, Spring Flowers, Spring has sprung, Wood Stork Nesting, You Pick It32 Comments

Ann-Christine’s choice for the challenge this week is “You Pick It”. My topic is Spring has Sprung!

I’m not a cold weather person and winter just lasts too long for me. All winter I look forward to seeing the colorful blooms of azaleas and Dogwoods signalling the beginning of spring. Usually by St. Patrick’s Day the azaleas are in full bloom and the vibrant pink blossoms are on display all over town. They were a little late this year but to me they seemed more beautiful than ever.

The blooms on Flowering Dogwoods are another sight I welcome each spring.

I also welcome the signs of spring in the animal world. Egrets, Wood Storks and other long legged wading birds like to build their nest in the spring and a great place to see them nesting is in the trees at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Alligators are coming out of their hibernation in the spring and if you are lucky you may even spy some baby alligators at the refuge.

Happy Spring Everyone!

Many thanks to Ann-Christine for this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge #14 2 : You Pick It

Lens-Artists #91: Simplicity

April 6, 2020Posted in PhotographyTagged blogging, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Simplicity, Spring Flowers20 Comments

This week Patti’s challenge is to show what Simplicity means to me.

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

After three weeks of social distancing I have really come to appreciate the simple things – a phone call with my brother who lives on the other side of the country, a video of one of our granddaughters, social distancing outside with neighbors, and enjoying the little things in nature.

Here are a few of the simple things that brought me joy this weekend.

20200403-Blooms-and-sunset-(8) — Sunset over the salt marsh

20200404-Street-(23) — Wildflower on the side of the road

20200405-Morning-(1) — Morning Sky at sunrise

20200405-Garden-(5) — Blanketflower in the garden

20200405-Garden-(8) — First Monarch caterpillar of spring

Many thanks to Patti for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Simplicity

First Day of Spring 2020

March 19, 2020March 20, 2020Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Georgia, NatureTagged Bee, First Day of Spring, Georgia garden, Monarch on Milkweed, Spring, Spring blooms, Spring Flowers26 Comments

These days we are social distancing by staying home except to go to the store for supplies.

I grabbed my camera today to go outside in my yard in the glorious warm, sunny weather and capture a few of our first spring blooms. Enjoy!

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WordPress just reminded me that today is the 7th anniversary of the Wandering Dawgs blog. Thanks to all of you it’s been an amazing seven years.

I would not still be blogging if it wasn’t for you. I appreciate every one of you who follows the blog, reads the posts, likes a post, or leaves comments. You make it worth while to keep the blog going.

Thank you all! Happy First Day of Spring!

Spring Flowers and the Suwannee River

March 22, 2018March 21, 2018Posted in Florida, Nature, RVing, State Parks, WildflowersTagged Spring Flowers, Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center, Suwanee River, Suwanee River State Park, White Springs, Withlacoochee River7 Comments

It’s been two years since our last visit to Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs. During that stay we did a lot of exploring around the park, the town of White Springs, and nearby Big Shoals State Park. I posted about those adventures at Way Down upon the Suwannee River.

We returned to the park this February. The carillon tower is a focal point in the park and one of my favorite things about being there is hearing the the bells from the carillon chime on the quarter hour and hearing Stephen Foster’s music throughout the day. Unfortunately, the carillon wasn’t working this year.

: The carillon at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center

We didn’t visit the museum on this trip but there are interesting exhibits about Stephen Foster and his many songs.

: Stephen Foster Museum

Even though it was only February there were some beautiful spring blooms. Gotta love Florida!

Dogwoods blooming at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center

Spring came early

February Azaleas blooming in White Springs

A splash of color blooming in February

One day we took a drive to Suwanee River State Park near Live Oak to check it out. High on the banks above the Suwanee River, we enjoyed a walk on an easy trail to the confluence of the Suwanee and Withlacoochee Rivers. Beside the trail were relics from riverboats that once traveled up and down the river.

Relic from old steamboat

We enjoyed wonderful views from an overlook at the confluence of the two rivers.

20180226Suwanee-River-SP-(12) — Confluence of Suwanee and Withlacoochee Rivers

20180226Suwanee-River-SP-(17) — Bridges over the Suwanee River

20180226Suwanee-River-SP-(14) — Withlacoochee River

After our walk we sat on a wooden swing overlooking the Suwanee River enjoying a picnic lunch. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Spring Road Trip

April 8, 2014June 20, 2015Posted in COE Park, Georgia, Road Trip, RVing, Tourist AttractionsTagged Carolina Jasmine, Harlem Georgia, J Strom Thurmond Lake, Laurel and Hardy Museum, Oliver Hardy, Spring Flowers, Wild Dogwoods, Winfield Campground7 Comments

Our first stop on our spring road trip was in Appling, Georgia at one of the Corps of Engineers Campgrounds on the shore of J Strom Thurmond Lake. For three nights we enjoyed the peace and tranquility of our lake front campsite.

Looking at Winfield Campground Site 10 from the lake

View of J Strom Thurmond Lake from Site 10 at Winfield Campground

The lake was just a few steps from our campsite

When it is springtime in Georgia the Wild Dogwoods and Carolina Jasmine add splashes of white and yellow throughout the woods.

Wild Dogwoods

Wild Dogwood

Carolina Jasmine drapes many of the trees

Wild dogwoods bloomed all through the woods

A small Wild Dogwood

Carolina Jasmine was in full bloom

We took a short drive to Harlem, Georgia to visit the birthplace of Oliver Hardy. He was born there in 1892 and moved to Milledgeville, Georgia with his mother after his father died. He attended the Military College of Georgia there and the University of Georgia for a short time. There are images of him all through town and in October the whole town celebrates with a Laurel and Hardy Festival.

Oliver Norvell Hardy was born in Harlem, Georgia in 1892

Even the water tower in Harlem honors Oliver Hardy

Laurel and Hardy Museum at Harlem, Georgia

One of the many displays in the museum

Mural of Laural and Hardy in Harlem, Georgia

On Saturday we took a drive to Modoc, South Carolina to meet with friends Bill and Carol who are work campers there. We had a great time catching up with them and making some new RV friends.