Here's Waldo and Us too..

Howdee all,

Here's Waldo, and here we are too..

Settled in Mom and Dads driveway in Ct.

I have been to busy here to put together the blog posts about our Awesome experience birding The Biggest Week in American Birding.

I will do them..soon.

Here are a few things that have been keeping me busy…

We have had some morning nice walks with Mom and Dad and Bella..I don’t see Bella in this photo..she must be chasing a squirrel.

A few Panera Bread lunches..My favorite fast food.

A trip to the spa with Girls..Waldo had his toes done

 The planters I bought last year fell apart in a few months and I returned them.

So, this year my Brother in Law said he would make me a planter that would last years…here it is. Isn't it a beauty? I will take more pictures after I plant it up.

A family picnic…Aunties, Uncles, Cousins and Families.

We had a nice sunset dinner at MGM Casinos, 28th floor lounge.

Waldo stayed at home.

I ran out of wine and took a few photos.

The table was shiny black and reflected the sunset…see the two crumbs on the table..and the reflection of the chandelier?

So..that’s what Waldo, Jeff and I have been up too…

What have you been doing?

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All photos taken with my Ipod touch

New River~Meet the Flockers

Howdee all,

We had a fabulous time at

The New River Birding and Nature Festival

Great Birding, Botanizing, awesome trip leaders and people.

The people~

The Flock or The Flockers as I like to call them were the reason we knew about this festival and why we attended.

   I heard of the legendary Flock several years ago via their blogs..The Flock was a group of mostly gal Bird/nature bloggers that met at the festival …they all hit it off big time. I read the tales of laughter and silliness and bonding of the hearts.

Not all of the original Flock was here this year…but, I was able to meet a few and some new additions to the Flock.

So…lets

Meet the Flockers

What would the flock be without its Mother…I don’t know if this is her official title..but its one she should have.

Susan

The organizer~

Big eyes and full of mischief ~The naughty one..and we love that about her :)

The Flockers.

Minus a few early departures~and a few that somehow didn’t make the photo shoot.

Bottom row left to right~Heather, Beth G., Susan, Beth R.

Middle row~Nina, Kathi, Lynne, Me

Top row~ Laura, Jay, Doug, Jeff

Not in this photo~ Mary Ann, Debra, Donna, Diana and Vicki

We really enjoyed meeting each and every one and hope we can meet again some year.

The Brilliant Chet Baker…

The Doggeth got around~lots of hugs and kisses

 ~friend him on facebook for daily smiles

 

Beth, Jim and Chet

Susan and Chet

Laura, Nina and Chet

Our last evening ended with a cookout and entertainment by

The AWESOME

Rain Crows

Jeff Eller, Wendy Eller, Craig Gibbs, Bill Thompson III, Julie Zickefoose

My rather Crappy Video of The Rain Crows performing and the Kidlets dancing.

Love this song.

Julie Z and Bill T 

The young-uns get the party started.

Jay gets around like Chet Baker :O ~ a fine dancer

Susan and Jay

Beth and Jay

~A great ending to a Super Week~

Read the Flockers

 

Susan~

New River 2011 People pix

Some birders should not botanize.

You Verklempt me.

The Voice

 

Nina~

Birds of Sugar Creek

What's underneath it all

Taking time

(and I'm still working...)

 

Heather~

Intense Birding in West Virginia

Moths on our Cabin

Life list and emotional birder

Violets of New River

(with at least 2 more posts slow cooking)

 

Doug~

New River Experience

(at least one more on the way...)

 

 

My posts~

Day 1

New River Birding and Nature Festival Day 1

Day 2

New River Birding and Nature Festival~day 2

Day 3

Burnwood to Babcock

Day 4

A trip called Muddlety

Day 5

High Country Heaven

Day 6

I want to live in the Glades

 

Trip Leaders with Blogs

Jim McCormac

Julie Zickefoose

Bill Thompson III

Chet Baker facebook page

The Rain Crows facebook page

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A special thanks to all of you who created this special festival!

We had a super time!

New River Day 6~ I want to live in the Glades

Howdee all,

Back to the..last day of~

New River Birding and Nature Festival

A short half day trip to the Glades…

Cranberry Glades, Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia

After and hour and a half drive..

The big blue bus parks and we get out to bird the road near the glades boardwalk.

“The Cranberry Glades is the largest area of bogs, or acidic wetlands, in West Virginia, a unique and exotic ecosystem on 750 acres. This spectacular and beautiful area was established by the United States Forest Service in 1965, to protect and preserve over 60 unique plant species, many of them descended from seeds that took root here over 10,000 years ago.”

“The Glade’s fascinating sphagnum bogs are similar to that found in “Muskegs” of the Artic Tundra. “

“The shallow roots so necessary for survival here do not adequately anchor trees against strong winds.  Thus, the very adaptation which allows these trees to live here can also cause their death.”

A boardwalk takes us the thru the Glade

A rare Orchid

Orchid…rareindeedus ~yeah sounds good

TrilliumFerns unfolding in love….. Ok I need some help here~

I thought this was Marsh Marigold

Then I see some have five petalsMarsh Marigold~five

This has six and looks a bit different..so..now I am not sure..Any help with ID is appreciated.

Water water everywhere…

Mountains in the distance

The Cranberry bog..

I used to pick cranberries as a teenager in a Cranberry Bog in CT.

Fond memories of fresh Cranberry muffins..made with Wheaties…the best darn muffins ever…and I cant find the recipe.

 

A cranberry left from last season

Pitcher plant

I am a bit obsessed with unfolding fern

And LichenA few more flowers of the Glades

Clearwing moth

We leave the Glades behind and head to the Visitor Center..

Overlook near the Center..

Cranberry Mountain Nature Center
Open April through November
304.653.4826

Perched on the edge of Cranberry Mountain in the Monongahela National Forest on Highway 39/55 is the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center.  Operated by the USDA Forest Service, the Nature Center features live programs on birds of prey as well as poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes of West Virginia.

High on a mountain top~

I think of this song~

 

A few plants in the Woods near the Visitor Center

Trillium

Just outside the visitor center I noticed this nest.

Robins Nest

We did bird the area~Sorry about my lack of Bird photos…but my point and shoot couldn’t  reach them.

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This trip was much to short for us~

Jeff and I really liked this area and plan to return in the future and stay in a nearby campground.

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One more New River post left~~

Stay tuned for ~

The People