Flying daschund ears

Keil's first boat ride - he enjoyed it





and we got a kick watching his ears fly in the breeze.








Reminded us of Sister Bertrille (yes, we were alive back in the 60's)

Could they be any cuter?

mallard ducklings

Crest white strips?

This is Maggie, our friendly neighborhood golden lab. She has a great smile.

Not mine, of course

pretty...

Passing by

I'm not the only one who's enjoying this warm weather...

Flirting with danger

Look at them all dressed up in their summer finery. I think they were planning their trip home - I haven't seen a loon since I took these photos last week.





common loons

We've been coughing...

That floating gunk that he's swimming through is pollen - it's everywhere!

Extra large

I received this photo from my brother today - his three are a little larger than our pups, but just as cuddly.





Our pups leave a little more room on the sofa for me. On the other hand, I can't use them for pillows.

Welcome to Florida!

I took these photos when we drove to Florida a few weeks ago. This was our first stop just inside the Florida border. I haven't seen boat-tailed grackles since we left Florida last year. Haven't missed them too much.

Anticipation

Our pups on the right, cousin Kiel (long-haired dachshund) on the left - may we please have some of your snack???

Yum!

A little meat...





Then some Zick dough for dessert...





Why is that the little ones take the biggest pieces?

Double-decker squirrels

Beach art - Don Pedro Island

On our recent Florida vacation, my husband & I took a long, long, long walk on the beach at Don Pedro Island. Here's some of the "artwork" we saw along the way...

The journey is half the fun...

Mention the word "ride" around our pups & they practically fly into the car. It's amusing to me that they have no idea where they will end up - a three mile trip to the post office or 650 miles to Aunt Bev's in Florida - doesn't matter to them. Ahhh, life is good!

Florida scrub jay - close up!

After a couple of years of saying "we should go see the scrub jays", we finally did it. We were told that the place to see them was at Oscar Scherer State Park, near Sarasota Florida. So on the way to my sister's house on Don Pedro Island, we took a little detour. We asked the gate attendant where we could find some scrub jays. She told us to drive through to the last parking lot, then follow the yellow trail. She said we probably wouldn't have to walk very far down the trail to see some. That was an understatement. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we heard them and saw a few flying around. I took a few photos of them drinking from a small creek, then we headed down the trail.


The park's brochure said not to feed the wildlife, but it was obvious that not everyone obeyed that rule. These birds were downright tame! My husband held out his empty hand and 2 jays fluttered inches above it to see if he was offering any food.


Florida scrub jays are listed as a "threatened species", but it was obvious that they didn't "feel threatened" by us! This guy perched about 2 feet away from my camera lens and posed for me like a perfect little bird model...











Florida scrub jays

A new home for Allie

Our neighbors' Sheltie passsed away last summer. And from these dog lovers we've been hearing "we'll get another Sheltie someday, but we're not ready for another dog yet". So we were surprised to see a dog in the back of their car as they drove in their driveway last week. Check her out - definitely not a Sheltie! She's a sweet stray that had been hanging around their church for a couple of weeks. Now she has a great home. I love happy endings!

They'll probably return soon ...

I have a spare memory card for my camera which I rarely use. When I needed it recently, I found it was full of images taken last summer. Here's a sample -

A turkey vulture - for Lynne???

My BIGBY 2008 list is up to 37 species, but until yesterday, the turkey vulture was conspicuously absent from my list. Sure, I'd see them soaring while I was driving, but that doesn't count for BIGBY. Yesterday we finally saw some soaring while we were walking. Susan's post about vultures last week was for Lynne. Does Lynne like vultures? I didn't know that about her, but if so, this post is for her too!





I took this photo last summer - click to enlarge the photo & check out that hole in the top of his beak. I think I could hook my pup's leash to that!

Road trip

Driving up Rt. 95 through Virginia, this view always catches me by surprise. It's the National Museum of the Marine Corps, but it looks like the building tipped over.





We drove up to Washington DC to watch my husband's granddaughter play in a volleyball tournament. She's the pretty one with the long legs and long dark hair. Yes, I know, that describes the everyone on the team.





Here she is serving...





This is the closest they came to winning any of their games -





I took tons of photos of blurry motion which I won't post. Good thing she stood still for at least one photo with the team mascot.

Lunch!

Every morning our birds fly in for their daily ration of mealworms and Zick dough. This afternoon was clear & sunny - perfect for photos, so I put out a second serving to draw them in. The pine warblers and bluebirds always show up first.


Are those mealworms down there?





I thought so!





I love this one - it looks like I tossed a worm to him and he caught it...








As usual, the titmice and wrens were forced to wait until the bluebirds left.