Halloween Night 👻

Boo!!!

Trick-or-Treat!!!

Happy Halloween 😺

Post Scripts to Summer

Even though summer has long passed, a single bright pink coneflower bloomed, just as it has every fall after the rest of the flowers were long gone.  It's a bit of a mystery to me as to why this special bloom opens as it does at this late date every year, but it's always a welcome sight!

 

And ... just as I was wondering if I'd see any more butterflies this year, the beauty above came to visit the last of the zinnia flowers.  I always miss the butterflies when the advancing colder seasons arrive and they depart, so I felt very happy to have the chance to see at least one more!

Our Annual Zoo Visit

Every year, around this time, we make a trip to our local zoo to visit the animals. I was very excited to discover the zoo had added a new resident to its roster this year ... a beautiful snow leopard!!!
Here are photos of some of the zoo residents we saw during our visit.

Macaw greeter

Smiley alligator

Zoo patron feeding a llama and goat

Turtle pile-up in duckweed filled pond

White-feathered peacock

Sleepy Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard Close-up

Happy Birthday to My Forever Friend


For over half a century, Debbie has been my best friend. Today is her special day, but I celebrate her and our forever friendship every day.  HAPPY Birthday, my dear friend!!!

Pretty Shanti

Shanti in a favorite place in the sun

Wouldn't You Know ...

Just as soon as I said we rarely see bucks in my previous post, we were visited by a small family group of a doe, her two fawns, and, yes, a very handsome buck!  All of them were right outside our window allowing me to get some pretty good photographs this time.  One of the fawns was so curious that he came right up to the window pane to look in on us.  It reminded me of a little kid pressing his nose against the window glass to peer in at what's going on inside.  We were quite amused!!!

Young Bucks

We see lots of does and their fawns as they stroll through our yard, but we rarely see the more elusive bucks. The other day, two bucks, with their antlers still in velvet, came along accompanied by does and their nearly grown fawns. The deer are very likely already starting to gather into their larger herds for wintertime.

Silver in the Sun

Our Silver cat, with eyes of gold, enjoying his spot in the sun.

Sunday Surprise

Beautiful Monarch Butterfly

 



I thought I'd already seen the last Monarchs migrate through our area, but as I was outside doing a little garden tending today, I was in the company of two of these magnificent beauties!

Sharing

Common but Elusive

Today, out of the corner of my eye, I happened to catch sight of some blue jays outside my study window while I was on my computer.  The jays usually stay up in the higher tree canopy. We hear their distinctive calls and often see them swiftly dart overhead, but rarely do they come down and stay still long enough for a photograph. I hurriedly got my camera, and, even though these photos aren't the best, I was happy to get a few to share of our beautiful blue jay visitors.

Perching on the peach tree

This pair of jays has me in their sights

Sipping from the birdbath



Taking a bow before soaring off to the cover of the woods

Shenandoah National Park

Autumn is an especially pretty time of year to visit Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.


Introductory words at a visitor center

Oak leaves in multiple colors

Bright red maple leaves

Skyline Drive winds its way through the park



Layers of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Milkweed pods stand tall

Tunnel at Thornton Gap

Fiery sunset in the western sky



A colorful mural just outside the park in Sperryville, VA

Shanti in Silhouette

Our little black cat was enjoying the fresh air from our bedroom window ledge this afternoon and she created a perfect silhouette.