Backyard birding

Susan and I were sitting on the back deck enjoying dinner, and the Catbird came over about 10 yard away, and began to serenade us with its repertoire of chirps, whistles, etc.  It suddenly froze, and I looked up, and above the deck about 100 yards away was what David Ludlow has determined is probably a young Cooper's Hawk, the first hawk I've ever photographed from my deck.  Very cool.

 

Barbara's graduation from the New Hampshire Institute of Art

A moment of great pride as my sister, Barbara, received her certificate from the New Hampshire Institute of Art.
This was followed by a reception with all the graduates and their art.
Barb showed her Southwest (Zion) paintings, and they were wonderful.  She creates all sorts of creatures and faces in the art,
but you have to look for them, and she is very,very adept. Now I wonder if she will try her hand at Western North Carolina
mountains, flowers and waterfalls. (Triple Falls, maybe?)(Looking Glass Rock?)

The top two pictures were taken with the wrong white light setting.  Sorry.
Karl, Susan, Leah, Amy, Sam, Jeff, Bill 

Barb Wauchope
Arches Ancients: Sand Dune Arch Trail

Barb Wauchope
Zion Fantasy: Emerald Pool Trail

Stephen Bykowski
The Church of the Advent, Boston, MA.

I very much liked his architecture photos

 

Stephen Bykowski
Hore Abbey, Cashel, Ireland

Barb Wauchope
Zion Ancients: From Angel's Landing





Barb Wauchope
Arches Rabbitbrush: Devil's Garden

Barb Wauchope
Arches Agave/Devil's Garden: Old Log









 

Brevard NC visit , Pisgah NF

Coming back to the mountains of Western N. C. is very close to a religious experience.  I still have the most amazing feeling of being blessed to have such sights available to me.  The older I get, the more elevated the reaction, standing on Pounding Mill overlook, seeing Looking Glass Rock, and being there for a sun rise.   So here are some belated views. 

Looking Glass Rock from Pounding Mill Overlook

Pilot Mountain, late-blooming Rhodies

Chestnut-Sided Warbler.  What a beauty!

Blue-headed Vireo?

On Don's porch screen.  About 5 inches across.

Looking Glass Rock, evening

The resilience of life



Carolina Wren

Last morning in N.C. watching the sunrise at Pounding Mill Overlook.

And just below the drop-off, a female Indigo Bunting (or a young male)

And here is the male, serenading me.

Indian Paint Bruse, not common up here.

Mountain Laurel

Fire Pinks

A little bit left of Flame Azalea

A curious, and very brave Yellowthroat.

Sam's Knob Hike

I have not climbed Sam's Knob in the Shining Rock Wilderness area of Pisgah National Forest since my oldest son, Ken, and I climbed it in the 1970's.  I remember it being one of the shorter hikes, but it took Tom English and I roughly 2 hours to climb to the top, and getting back down wiped me out.  My knee (the newest one) swelled up twice normal size, and Barbara was a great nurse, with ice packs, and sympathy. The top was very overgrown, so the view to the other "Knob" was obscured.  But I was delighted with having accomplished it.

Tom, ready to hike down into the valley to climb Sam's Knob in the distance.

Bluets, all along the trail through the valley.

A long boardwalk down into the valley before the climb.

Close to the top, looking West.

On top, looking North.

Looking East, with Devil's Courthouse in the distance.

A huge outcropping of quartz, part of the reasons for the "Shining Rock" title.

Back down, through the valley, looking back.

Driving back down the Shining Rock Road, looking Northeast
 

The Blue Ridge Parkway, and Looking Glass Rock