July 4ths Buck Moon
I suppose I could spend my meager income on artwork, books, or dust collectibles, but I'd rather use my resources to capture an experience...not create a dust collection. I have everything I need...my small goals, like a stamp in this paperback book, it's like Geocaching. You arrive there and then you locate the ink stamp which is sometimes not that easy to find. Once in hand you flip to the proper page, line up the stamper and press! Then you're off on your adventure. You have your life experience. So strange it took only 2 weeks for us to dismantle my Mom's Material world so think about that when you next bring something home to stash away...
If only we could all live on an Island? Yes I know we do but its pretty big doesn't feel like an island... I used to live on the island of Brooklyn, but unfortunately it was ........ Brooklyn. LoL,
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| My beach view 2004 |
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| I enjoyed many sunsets that island you see there is Staten Island. |
Mom visited me on my Island, it is a cold Island yes you could enjoy some sunning maybe 3 weeks in August but if the wind was blowing "forget about it"...the beach officially closes there on Labor Day a very short beach season.
Mom Oct 2006 ;o)
it was nice though without that Ocean view to calm my nerves on my days off from my crazy job I wouldn't have made it through that time in my life without this beach to pacify me.
... in this post Im visiting a Lake Island State Park. I had never been here before, I was always in a hurry to get someplace else so never took the exit to visit this park...so today it was my destination for this experience and day of exploring a new place on planet EARTH.
Dreher Island State Park, on Lake Murray
Here is the small little HQ building, it's right next to the boat ramp...
A small gift shop, some exhibits, and 2 restrooms
While there I did some looking at the birds and enjoyed a couple of hikes.
Along this hike there was an Osprey nest with a youngster calling to his parent to bring in some fish...
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Under this bridge was a Cliff Swallow Colony..
And not far away was a tiny puddle where they gathered up mud to build and keep their nests in repair..They had their wings up in this fluttering manner
while they picked up the mud...
Each time I tried to get closer to see over that little dip and get a better look they would all leave, and when I backed up they would return, so I respected their guideline of social distancing..
another hike
The shore reveals some nice views...
This lake has 650 miles of shoreline...50,000 acres.
This dog was having a good day! Floating around with his friend on a paddle board.
I hiked over this bridge to my lunch spot...another little island! I carried my chair with me, I was parked close to the bridge...so nice to sit and relax for an hr, I will be honest and tell you it's hard for me to be still for that long...
What more could you want on a nice breezy day than a shady spot to relax, do a little birding, and have some refreshment...
Just a wee bit crowded here...
this is my kind of crowd
Lots of small shell to examine during my quiet rest time...Listening to the water lap the shore was very calming to me...
Meanwhile back close to the road a young one with a parent showing him the ropes out in the grass...
Meanwhile back close to the road a young one with a parent showing him the ropes out in the grass...
I had hoped to see Loons, Geese, Grebes, Gulls but I guess they are out over the open water and I was only able to explore shoreline.
It was a fun day spent on the Island, and I did do some relaxing! And got a stamp in my Passport Book.
And to help us connect more with Nature and people of color, I want to introduce you to Jason Ward if you don't already know who he is, You will be happy you found him and his part 2 series on Meet the Birds of North America will begin on July 12th I think is correct.
People like Jason need our support he is making a difference...we are not all in the position to do what he is doing so let us support him and get the message out there. So subscribe to his channel...and click the notifications bell and you won't miss any episodes..
I'd encourage you to binge watch his first season 24 episodes and they are about 15 mins each...NOT only does he go out and actively spot birds he highlights conservation efforts, politics that affect birds, and how birding is NOT just a White, Straight activity. I hope all of you will watch and realize how inclusion is a very big part of how we as Birders and Conservationists can help to save the environment we love together.
As Jason mentions in one video the Trump administration is opening up oil and gas drilling in Utah, Wyo, and MT that will threaten the prairies needed for the Greater Prairie Chicken, just to name one...and threaten the Artifacts left by previous cultures, and the land needed for our beloved creatures to survive,,,,so why in the world would you give your Travel Dollars to either State??? We must tell these State leaders that we won't travel there until they get it right!! And Trump is a deaf ear so let's just vote him out, and get on with the really important stuff like
Protecting more habitat and yeah
Let's Make Bears Ears Big Again
...and if you would like to see my last YouTube release here it is and feel free to subscribe and click the little bell to get notifications...Some of you are my faithful visitors and I do appreciate that so much. It's another great way to preserve memories, I am no expert and I have no fancy camera or editing gear just seat of the pants stuff...hope you will click on it and watch. I try to have new content about every couple weeks...and my subject matter is all over the place!! I have a new one scheduled to release on Tuesday.
PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.
Hello Sondra,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post on the park visit. Sounds like a nice outing with great bird sightings. It is neat watching the swallows collect the mud for their nest. I like the Brown Thrasher photo and hearing the Osprey calling. I wonder if it is hard for a dog to stand for a long time on the paddle board. Most of my dogs like to lay down and rest. Trump is ruining our parks and federal lands. Happy birding, enjoy your day!
HI Eileen, I saw the dog in a sitting position so he did rest his legs as needed...he was curious about me looking at him..
DeleteTrump is ruining more than just our outdoor spaces, he has padded the courts and now he is forcing people into crowded schools? The man is a huge nuisance to the human race! Thanks for your subscription to my youtube!!
What a lovely day you had out there. That sure was a lot of turtles all trying to get on that log. Wonderful shots of your day. Thank you for bringing me and others to these wonderful places.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo, there was am amazing breeze coming off the water and even tho it was humid and warm the breeze cooled me off so nicely. I had a good time there.
DeleteGreat post! I love the dog on the paddle board!
ReplyDeleteHi Linda thank you for the comment and the visit...some dogs love being out on the water of my two dogs Annie likes the water but I don't think I could get her out on one of these she would dump us both overboard...I think the girl intended to fish A lot happening on top of that little board.
DeleteFantastic Photos And Love That Mans Best Friend Shot - Excellent Little Outing - Stay Strong
ReplyDeleteCheers
Thank you Travis, it remain diligent in my hopes that change is on the horizon for the future generations...I hope all is going well for you I really enjoyed the video of you and your Boy Dog...so sad when we have to say goodbye to our best friends, I am still in cry everyday mode over losing my Casey love.
Deletenatural views look so beautiful....I wish I may stay in this kind of island
ReplyDeleteThank you very much!
DeleteSondra, I think many of us at some time or another like the idea of living on an island and being able to pull up the drawbridge on the outside world. Island are fascinating and are often safer habitats for wildlife. I follow this blog http://skokholm.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR27A4KM5E2vPbpFCC08kb9Na-rfYD0b8YjTLfYag4m1zeNJYCoHACkC_GY
ReplyDeleteIts about Skokholm Island off the coast of West Wales and is a bird reserve with only two rangers.
Love thepicture of the dog on the board.
Hi Dave, Im def going to check out your link we need this type protection!
DeleteYes pull up the drawbridge sounds good sometimes...I think now especially here in the USA we are seeing that our government has NOT put aside enough public land for us to all enjoy the wilderness experience...as the ones who normally go to theme parks and malls or fly to Europe or Paradise Islands, are now trying to find a way to entertain themselves in the great outdoors...
Reports from the ones who are normally out in those areas are coming in of overcrowding...A lot of people who were living full time in RV's are now buying a piece of land because the can't find camp spots on public land all taken, and honestly this may sound harsh and biased and not meant to because it's an honest comment, some of them really don't belong there. They have no sense of protection for the land, they bring everything including the kitchen Sink with them in their huge behemouth rigs, the endless list of "toys' like UTV's Electric Bikes, Golf Carts, Generators, Big Screen TV's and Hanging tons of lights at night and campfires and coolers full of beer and then the next thing you know where is the wildlife? So I'd rather have the tent camper who comes for the weekend and not for a month...AND the precious little bit of land set aside is now being given up to Fascism the oil and gas and mining leases....
DeleteSO now what? We need more groups like the Sierra Club they BUY Land and set it aside..IF our Government does not have the vision of what is really important then what good is it? Trump supporters say the Dems are Socialist...so I ask them when I am at odds with them say on a Facebook post...I ask "Do you go to National Parks?" They will generally answer "yes" Then I break the news to them they are enjoying Socialism....
Without MORE socialism in our government we are doomed! Then I normally really rub it in and say do you like libraries, firefighters, police, ems, garbage service, recycling, highways, bridges, even the Congress and the President are all paid for by socialism. They normally don't know where to go from there. The keep saying they don't have the right to practice their religious belief...so I said NAME One thing you can't do that you want to do..its all Trump inserted BS, and they don't even know what they are fighting FOR its them against US he says to them...so
I remind these same people the US he is speaking of he is NOT a part of he is a NYC Slum lord he has no roots in any other part of this nation he is simply using them to incite division so he can pad the courts with judges and set up the rich to reap harvest so when he is out of office he will benefit from what his actions.
The reason Im now introducing a lot of politics into my blog is our Nov. upcoming election is so important. I may be speaking to deaf ears but hopefully if it encourages one person who is not going to go vote to do so then it's so worth the effort.
Your current island looks serene and peaceful and I enjoyed the snippets of yours history from that other island )). (I’d prefer the current one for sure.). Thank you for the links..I have trouble finding time to watch YouTube but I will try to watch yours and the birder you link to. I agree with you on the November election, but even if we win (and we had better) it will take years to undo the damage of the current administration. If we lose, I really think it is the end of America the Beautiful .
ReplyDeleteIt's always good to explore somewhere new and I love the crowd, definitely my type of crowd too! I've followed Jason (and his brother Jeffrey) on twitter for quite a while and really enjoyed his Birds of North America series. Diversity is in an issue in the UK as well and we have some very cool young people making waves in this area already - Mya-Rose Craig and Kabir Kaul to name a couple.
ReplyDeleteHi Pam I think the young people are our only hope when it comes to these prejudices. Old ideas is why we have not progressed beyond where we are today...the civil war was 140+ yrs ago yet in some people's mind nothing has changed so the hate and fear gets passed from one generation to the next. Young people who stand up and say "no it's gonna be this way" paint's a brighter future for us all.
DeleteLooks a great outing and good sightings.
ReplyDeleteStay safe and well.
All the best Jan
HI Jan, so far so good, it's too hot to get out now so happy I enjoyed this when I did...of course this water would feel pretty good I should blow up my float tube!
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