So Thankful

Everyday I'm thankful for the love of family and friends and grateful for their presence in my life.  I'm grateful to be present and partake in the world and know that life is such a gift.  This year, Kevin and I are especially thankful to have made a smooth transition into our new log home which is nestled in the Catoctin Mountains.  We share our land with countless species of flora and fauna.  Moving is a busy time, but as we finally settle in, we look forward to becoming better acquainted with this special space in the corner of the world we now call home.

 

Among the many beautiful aspects of our new space, we enjoy the roses planted by the previous home owners.  Even in the cold of winter, some of the roses are still in bloom adding bright patches of color to the somber grays and browns of the season.

 

May your holiday season be touched with brightness and filled with love and gratitude.

 

Old & New

 

In just a couple of weeks, Kevin & I will be moving from our little cabin in the woods to another log home not too very far away.  Our new home backs up to parkland. It will continue to offer a bounty of natural beauty like the woodlands have here.  Moving is always a bit hard for me, as I grow very attached to home and sense of place, but I am also so excited with our new opportunities to grow and to learn to love a new place.  Our new home has a loft with skylights which will be an ideal place to paint. Once we're settled, I plan to get back to doing some of my larger artwork compositions.

 

While I still had a few quiet moments before our move really starts to get underway, I enjoyed creating a few more of my ACEOs ... and I look forward to keeping up with a favorite old activity in our new home, too ... so there will be many more paintings to come :)

 

 

Last Day of September

 

We're having picture perfect days ~ crisp and cool in the mornings and warm in the afternoons.  Most of the leaves on our trees are still green, but fall is in the air and the colors are gradually starting to turn.  The year seems to be going by so quickly with summer fun now a memory.

 

 

The Virginia Creeper is already brightening in color, portending what will surround us soon.

 

 

September is the month for our stick bug visitors.  I found this one on the side of the rock we keep on top of the trash can filled with birdseed.  The rock is there to keep the squirrels out and it provides the perfect perch!  Almost every morning the past few days we've discovered stick bugs clinging to the screen doors, too.  By next month our visitors will be on their way.

 

 

With the trees overhead reflected in the pond water, it looks like the fish are swimming through the trees :)  Our fish family increased by about 8 this past summer.  "Big Momma," the large white and orange fish in the center of the picture, produces young year after year.  She has beautiful babies, too, bright and vibrant!

 

Happy October Eve!!! 







Bridging the Gap

 

After we returned from an errand run today, Kevin and I were surprised to find this lovely, ethereal luna moth resting amongst the grape vines growing alongside the cabin.  We don't see these big pale green moths very often.  They are so enchanting!  Being creatures of the night, it's uncommon to come across moths in plain sight during the daytime.  The luna moth bridges the light of day and the dark of night.

 

 

The very vine where the luna moth is resting creates another bridge from the cabin to the oak tree about 20 feet away that houses our bird feeder.  Each year for three years now, the vine slowly crept along a wire support. It stretches the whole way now, bridging the gap from cabin to tree, creating a lush emerald green archway all the way across.

 

 

Summertime Beauty

 

It's said that we are in the "dog days" of summer, but here at the cabin it's the "fawn days."  This morning, we spotted a pair of the speckled beauties munching on the greenery in our back woods.  Fawns are such sweet and gentle creatures, totally unaware of their beauty and the awe they inspire.  We always feel so fortunate to see these precious woodland denizens!

 

Last week, we discovered a deer we named "Limpy," due to an injured front leg that makes her hobble on her remaining three healthy limbs, had not only survived through winter and spring, but was going strong in summer with a fawn of her own.  Limpy is a devoted Mom and lovingly dotes on her sweet baby who sticks by her side.  After browsing, the two of them bedded down together in a large fern bed that spreads behind our goldfish pond.  It was remarkable to see how healthy Limpy is and how happy she was with her fawn in tow. 

 

The rains have been plentiful this season, and the summertime flowers are thriving.  My wildflower garden is bursting with the color of black eyed susans and coneflowers, and the butterflies, bees, and flies are enjoying the bounty of nectar they provide.  We also get multiple daily visits from the jewel toned ruby throated hummingbirds that frequent their special feeder of sugar water ... so many sweet tooths!  We're relishing our special summertime visitors and enjoying the beauty they bring to the world around us.



MA & ME

 

Last week Kevin and I traveled up to Boston to visit Desirae and see her new apartment.  We had a great visit with our daughter and enjoyed touring the sights in and around "Southie" where she lives.  Our visit included a walk around the beach at Castle Island and lunch at "Sullivans" a Boston favorite, a trip to see the U.S.S Constitution, and an excursion to Cambridge, MA where we toured Harvard University and went to Harvard's Museum of Natural History.  Our visit went much too fast, but we had so much fun enjoying Desirae's company and seeing the sights.

 

K & D in front of Boston Harbor
 

U.S.S. Constitution with Boston Skyline Behind the Ship





Desirae poses in front of hummingbird display at Harvard's Museum of Natural History
 



John Harvard



From Boston, MA, we traveled to Bar Harbor, ME and Acadia National Park, a place of remarkable natural beauty with it's rugged, rocky seacoasts, dense forests, and many small lakes.  At one stop in the park, we sampled wild Maine blueberries right off the bush.  The berries were tasty and pretty, too!  On our last evening in ME, we were treated to a brilliant sunset in fluorescent purple, orange, and pink hues while onboard a sailboat that took us around Bar Harbor ~ a lovely way to close a wonderful summer vacation!




Acadia's Rugged Coastline





Wild Maine Blueberries

Farewell Sunset in Bar Harbor

 



 

Summer Visit

 

During her most recent visit with us, my daughter and I paid a visit to Cunningham Falls State Park.  On the pathway leading to the falls, we passed alongside large greenstone (metabasalt) formations which are among the oldest rocks on the face of the earth.  These boulder sized rocks are covered with lichen and moss.  We also came across a five lined skink with a bright blue tail basking on an old stump ... this has definitely been the season of the skink :)

 

My daughter and I both enjoyed taking photographs to remember the day.  It was so hot and muggy that it almost felt like being in a rain forest.   As we hiked, we passed groups of summer camp kids along the trails. They were bursting with energy but their counselors looked really tuckered out!

 

 

The last photograph gives you a glimpse of the falls through the trees.  To get an idea of how tall the falls and rock formation is, take a look at the upper right hand corner of the photo to see a couple of brave souls who climbed the rocks part way up to the top.



 

Super Moon

Super Moon View Through the Trees

Words of Wisdom

I came across these words by an unknown author ... wise words definitely worth pondering!

Follow your heart wherever it takes you and be happy.

LIFE is brief and very fragile
and is only loaned to us for a while.

Wake Up every morning
with the thought that something

Wonderful is about to happen.

 

 

 

More Flowers ... Inside & Out

 

This has been a banner year so far for the flowers.  We've had a cooler, wetter spring than most which has helped the outdoor garden flowers and wildflowers reach their peak in health and beauty.  We have a huge mullein plant that sprang up next to the cabin.  The first photograph above shows it's flower head at the top of its tall, sturdy stalk.  The second photo is one of our yucca plants in bloom.  The waxy, creamy white flower petals are not only pretty, they're also edible.  Inside, my African violets have been spectacular, too. Each year, they bloom in spring along with the outdoor flowers.

 

Happy Fathers Day

 

Wishing Fathers a Bright & Beautiful Day!

 

Never Underestimate the Value of a Hug :)

 

New Today

Today, I painted this little fawn portrait called "Into the Clearing."  It's posted on eBay along with a couple others I completed this week.  It's been a little while since I last did any painting, and it's felt good to get back to it again.  Creating miniature nature artworks is always fun and relaxing, too.  

 

Kevin and I are looking forward to seeing the new fawns we know must already be around here.  Their mothers keep really close tabs on them when they are really tiny.  We usually don't catch a glimpse of the fawns until they are already quite capable and able to keep up with the others. 

Seeing Red

Today's walk about outside our cabin led to some bright discoveries ~ literally bright!  First, I found that the nastursiums I planted earlier this spring had a first red flower, a real standout amongst its pale green and creamy white, orb shaped leaves.

Next, I couldn't help but see the reddish fluorescent orange snail egg clusters along the railroad tie retaining walls.  Globs of these brightly colored clusters dot the tops and sides of the dull colored walls.  Hundreds of tiny snails will soon emerge. Snails are a favorite food of chipmunks who dine on the adults regularly and leave their broken shells behind.

As I rounded the corner of the cabin, another bright object caught my eye.  It turned out to be a pair of wild strawberries, still fully intact and untouched.  Apparently, the birds and chipmunks, who love to eat this bright red fruit, had not yet discovered what I just had!

 

The last photograph I'll leave you with is one that you may wonder why I included, since it doesn't show any red ... not yet that is :)  These pretty yellow tomato flowers herald the coming of bright red, juicy tomatoes that will hopefully follow soon! 

 



 

 

A Visit to the National Aquarium

National Aquarium in Baltimore

 

Last week, Kevin and I paid a visit to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, a fabulous place to see aquatic life up close.  In addition to many large tanks of various fresh and salt water fish and aquatic creatures, the aquarium houses a rain forest exhibit in the upper glass triangular portion of the building. As we strolled through the galleries, we enjoyed all the wondrous sights and experiences the aquarium offers.  Below, is a sample of the many incredible sights we took in during our visit.

 

 

Tropical fish, anemones, and coral

 

Luminescent Jellyfish

 

The Dolphin Show

 

Poison Dart Frogs

 

Tree Snake

 

Aquarium at Night

 

 

Focus on Flowers

    

 

Skink Saga ...

Today, after finishing planting the pepper plants bought from our local nursery yesterday, I noticed my skink buddy was out and about again ... but in a different location along the retaining wall.  It seemed he had very important business to attend to, but, being the very bold and accommodating skink that he is, he posed for some more photos, this time even looking square into my camera lens.  Soon, it became clear why he was out and about ... skink had found a lady love! 

 

The two skinks nuzzle in the photograph above.  There are those who say they don't find reptiles cute, but I'm guessing they've never seen cuddling skinks :)

 

And, as if to celebrate their love, the bleeding heart I planted earlier this spring had it's first blooms open today!