Wildlife Refuge Take Two

December 15, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

The sun is shining and as we pull into the office area, a flash of bright red catches my eye – a vermilion flycatcher. I hop out and aim my lens towards the bush where the bird has landed. A swoop of large, mottled brown wings cuts off my view. A kestrel settles in a […]

Friday Follies

December 14, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

This bird knows where to nap! (For Proscenium’s Friday Follies.)

A Decision

December 14, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

Despite flash flood warnings the rain has subsided without too much fuss. We are waiting on the arrival of friends from back home, and having tidied up, I decide to take advantage of the break in weather and put my camera to use. I step outside just in time to see a cormorant swim by. […]

Re-evaluating Plans

December 11, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

Over lunch, we google places of interest nearby. Aransas Pass is just north of Corpus Christie on the Gulf Coast. Every major road takes us by waterways, and we have seen numerous shore birds, and even dolphins, just in our drives. I am making mental notes of all the places I want to visit. “I’m […]

Acclimatizing

December 8, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

The birds and I rise early, wanting to catch the morning rays. A heron stands sentinel in the distance as fish jump up and down along the canal. The flurry of activity at this hour seems to be concentrated farther along. The air is nippy, and I’ve worn a sweater and a jacket. A small […]

Up Close

December 7, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I want to become intimatewith every nook and cranny study each aspect of your contoursappreciate personal nuances learn to love and respect you,from the inside out. (For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Up close and macro)

Recharging Batteries

December 5, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

Our car battery keeps draining, and it seems to be a metaphor for our trip southward. After three days of travel, we arrive in Lufkin, Texas where we take some time to organize and clean the inside of the motor home, and sleep. Travelling can be exhausting. Monday morning we head out early for […]

Who’s a Chicken?

December 3, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

It’s twenty-two degrees celsius here in Lufkin, Texas, where we have stopped for a couple of nights to catch our bearings. Camera in hand, I’ve decided to wander the property, hoping to catch the ducks in the pond by the entrance to the KOA. The ducks are not in residence but I had noticed […]

Imagine

If we could lift understandingto indigenous teachingsexpand our loveto earth, sky, and seaMake personal gain tabooand Ancients a weigh point If we could witness the mountainsslow floating across the skyand touch the dolphin’s soulanxiously swimmingwhere tuna are netted Would we cower at our insignificanceor move forward, learning to acceptthat all of life is deeply woveninto […]

Dear Child

I know a little girl,whose hair in ringletsfalls, unkempt from lackof brushing; who standswhen she should be sitting;who laughs with defiance whenchallenged, her dark eyes gleamingwith mischief; who holds her chin uphigh and stamps her feet, arms foldedin protest when she does not get her way. I see that little girl,have watched her play,with a […]

Re-de-fine-d

Ask me how I’m doingand I’ll say “fine”, notbecause I’m actually fine,but because “fine” is the onlysocially acceptable response. If I said that I have been lyinghere, for three hours now,willing my body to move,that would elicit unsolicitedadvice and tarnish my “fine”. I’d berate myself for breakingmy promise not to moan,knowing that complainingprovokes a compulsive […]