Monday Meditation

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

 -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thank you to all those who are serving and have served our country.

The First Deltaville Tornado

 While Deltaville has seen its share of bad storms- mostly in the form of hurricanes and Nor'easters- there haven't been many tornadoes to touch down in the town.  Oh, we've had them skirt the area.  I recall one in Mathews County that took out some pine trees back when I was around 10-12 years old.  And in April of 2006 there was a front that went through and spawned a few twisters in the Newport News area and over on the Eastern Shore.  We spotted a funnel cloud but it didn't touch down.

Funnel Cloud April 2006

In fact, the first (and possibly the only other) tornado to hit Deltaville was back in 1935. 

 It hit in September around dusk and destroyed homes and trees.

Something else interesting- no one was killed or injured in this tornado either.

Go Fly a Kite!

Beaches were made for kite flying...

Words of Wisdom

Let it Be
When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,

speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,

speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,

there will be an answer, let it be.

For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,

there will be an answer. let it be.

Let it be, let it be, .....

And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me,

shine until tomorrow, let it be.

I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me,

speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, .....

While I was contemplating a post to go along with the photo above, I was also listening to the Beatles.. 
 And because I wrote this post 3 days ago around 1am, using a song seemed easier than thinking at the time. 
Our house (seen in the background of the photo) is being fixed as I type.  While it means I have to make other plans for my weekend (grrrr) it also means that we're marching forward and making progress and getting awesome new flooring. 

Monkey See, Monkey Do

During our last outing to the local beaches, Midge (formerly known as Big Sis but requested I use her sports nickname) remembered to bring her own point and shoot camera. 

And she got bit by the photography bug.

Some of Midge's photos:





Passion Flower- she actually enjoyed
going into the plant nursery to take photos.

Columbine

I'm thrilled. 

She and I have found a hobby we both like and can enjoy together. 

Monday Meditation

The following inspirational quotes are all attributed to Dolly Parton:

"Storms make trees take deeper roots."

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

I took these photos a couple weeks ago as I was headed down south to Deltaville. 

We had a freak storm hit as we were loading the car, but we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a spectacular rainbow. 

It seems as though there have been a lot of rainbow sightings around here.

Granted, it's most likely because of the freakish storms and tremendous amounts of rain we've had this spring, but I like to think it's a sign that things are going to work out. 

And I'm not just talking tornado clean up either. 

Finally in my own personal life, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel-

that isn't an approaching train. 

Beach Walk- Bethel Beach

Today I'm just sharing a few shots from Bethel Beach.

Of course what good would pictures of the beach be without some barnacles.

Yes, this is a fish skull.  Yes I realize it's creepy to photogragh dead fish.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Driving

Back in the day, the road to our house in Jackson Acres was primarily orange sand with some areas of oyster shells to help with erosion.  Back then it didn't have an actual street name and the directions to our house included things like: turn at the Jackson Acres sign, right before the DCA building... Back then the adults would let the kids sit in their laps and drive back to the house. 

Some traditions never change:

The Brat Child looks so calm and responsible in this photo.

Put notice my mom's death grip on the steering wheel here and the use of the windshield wipers on a sunny day.

 And last but not least, in the next shot we see The Brat Child's propensity for a game called Chicken.

I believe he actually said the words, "I'm gonna get dat car."

And I thought having a licensed teenage driver was bad...



Big Bird

The inspiration for today's post came from Growing Wild on Waverly Lane's post about Ichabod the Snake.  I suggest you read her post for yourself, but basically it tells the story of a snake who was named Ichabod (a very appropriate name for a snake) and how each subsequent snake since the first Ichabod has been called Ichabod as well (trust me, it's much more eloquent in her post).
How many more times can I use the word post in this post?

Over in Deltaville on Sturgeon Creek, we have Big Bird.  And no, I'm not talking about a large 8 foot yellow bird, I'm referring to a Great Blue Heron.

I've mentioned many times how my great-uncle and surrogate grandfather PePop was a nature lover and Superintendent of Patapsco State Park in Maryland.  Growing up, he taught me and all my cousins about the natural world around us.  I know he is instrumental in giving me my love of the outdoors and all the creatures in it. 

PePop is the person who gave Big Bird his name.  Through the fall and winter, PePop would send cards and letters.  In his letters, there were always drawings of the animals that had recently visited the creek.  And along with the drawings were the names PePop had christened them with.  The Great Blue Heron was dubbed Big Bird because, well, he's a big bird.  Every Great Blue Heron that I have seen since the age of about 7 is named Big Bird.  My younger siblings grew up calling the herons Big Bird and my children call the herons Big Bird. 

And when I traveled to Deltaville after the Tornado, it was a welcome sight to see Big Bird feeding in his usual spot in the creek.

I have a passionate hatred an aversion to change, so it's reassuring to see the same bird fishing in the same spot the way I have for 30-some years.

Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed.

~Irene Peter

Monday Meditation

"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl."

~Stephan Hoeller

Simple Pleasures- Birds

One thing I noticed this past weekend in Deltaville was all the birds singing. I've heard birds singing there before but not to the extent they were that weekend.  I don't know if it was because they were happy to be alive or if all the downed trees and brush have provided more potential homes for them. 

Either way, there are tons of birds in Jackson Acres.

There was "Big Bird" the local Great Blue Heron.

A cardinal singing non stop in the bushes and trees that were left.

His woman was seen too, but I couldn't get a photo of her.

LeRoy and Helen the new neighbors.



photo borrowed from http://www.middlemarva.com/



An Indigo Bunting was spotted.

I saw one of these at home about a week before seeing this one. 

In all my 30-some years I've only seen one of these birds.  Now I've seen 2 within a week of each other.

Remember that old coffeepot birdhouse that weathered the tornado?  I can't remember the last time I saw a bird actually nesting in it.  In fact, it was more of a nostalgic piece because it was made many moons ago by my grandparents.  This past weekend I noticed some "debris" in it.  Upon further inspection I realized there was a bird sitting on a nest in the coffeepot. 

When it flew out I saw a Bluebird.

Photo borrowed from http://www.cs.birdwatchingdaily.com/

Can you imagine?

A Bluebird of Happiness in my coffeepot birdhouse!

I'd like to think it was a sign from my late Grandmother saying "Hey, thanks for fixing my birdhouses and everything is going to end up just fine."

Before and After



Before- about 3 years ago

After- May 6, 2011



Before- Labor Day Weekend 2010



After- May 6, 2011



 Before About 3 years ago (look at shoreline)

 

After- May 6, 2011



Before- Labor Day Weekend 2010

After- May 6, 2011