Pears, Apples, Candytuft and Daisy...

Yesterday turned out to be a very pretty day, but there was a chill in the air that had been missing for the past two weeks. I, personally, didn't miss it but nonetheless it was missing. I've had this Cleveland Pear for about 6 years and it had a rough go for many of those years. This is the most beautiful bloom it's ever had! Now with a good chance of a hard frost this evening I decided to get some nice pictures in case these lovely flowers don't make it through the night. I have two Liberty Apple trees that are in their second season here. I only had one blossom on one of the trees last year. This year they are both full with buds!!

I bought some Candytuft and Phlox for my gardens this year.

And of course there is always a Daisy running around the garden!!!

Please note the summer cut!!

Good day for a haircut....

Daisy Lu is heading to the groomer today....
thank goodness!!! I'll have to do an after shot later.
Some people think I should take her to the dentist....
I think not...we love her snaggletooth look!

Frogging...

But what better to blog about than nature! Ari the Canine Naturalist and her friend Kathryn http://outwithari.blogspot.com/ did a nice write up on the Peepers that are breaking eardrums throughout the northeast this time of year. Now this is no peeper but believe me this bullfrog has plenty of peeper friends in my pond. I've noticed plenty frog eggs in the pond popping up everywhere. Of all the amphibians the gray tree frog has to be my favorite. I'm already hearing a few out there. I'll never forget the year one made its home on our deck out back. Each evening (or even during the day if I ran the hose) we would hear him calling out for a mate. He became something of a pet as he would greet us every morning by the slider door. When we realized he was enjoying all the bugs by the light there, we decided to leave it on at night for his pleasure. As the days grew shorter and nights cooler I would tend to bring in a couple of my potted annuals with the chance of frost. What a surprise I had more than once to find my buddy the tree frog had hitched a ride in on the pot to spend a warm evening in the house! Ain't nature grand!

Off on the Katana...

Well it was another beautiful day in the North Country yesterday, so I jumped on my Katana and rode out to Clayton, NY via Cape Vincent. The St. Lawrence is so beautiful any time of year. I strapped my new Canon G9 around my shoulder, covered it with my jacket and hoped it would survive the trip and of course, it did. This is at Frink Park in Clayton, looking out over Grindstone Island. The wonderful thing about the G9 is that it is a 12mp camera that can shoot in Raw but is the size of the little compact digital cameras that fit so easily in a pocket.

Then it was off to Alexandria Bay to a park overlooking Heart Island, home of Boldt Castle. This picture has been run through a plug-in filter in Photoshop.

Another shot of Boldt Castle.

I came home and found a beautiful daffodil in my garden so here is another filtered work.

Next time I'll try to remember to take a picture of my "trusty steed"!!

Just some artwork...

I'm looking forward to seeing the beautiful colors ahead.
Here's hoping it's a beautiful spring day wherever you are!

Morning all...

Inspired to Post...

Yesterday my blogger friend Mike http://mainethroughthelens.blogspot.com/

posted some wonderful photos from Italy that he did an amazing job with in Photoshop. I worked on a photo last year doing a little bit with this technique and I was inspired to post it!

Thanks Mike!

Now I'm off to my weedy gardens!!!! What a gorgeous spring day!!

Elkhound and Porcupines....

Yesterday I woke up to 2 big brown blobs in one of my trees.

I thought I would try to redeem myself to Stacey and do a better job as a nature photographer so off I went with camera in tow....

And of course mister fat dog found them as well...he would have sat here all day looking up, because that's what elkhounds do...

Did you know porcupines scream at each other?????

And I want you all to know this sweet dog did not put them there and he came home with me, because he's met a porcupine before...has a very good memory....and no quills were displaced during or after the filming of this post!!!

An Old Plow...

I thought it would be interesting to post some pictures I took yesterday of a very old plow that has been on my property since I've been here... I don't know any of the history of this plow but it would be very interesting if it could tell us a story...

Now it has it's own life with lichen and moss growing all around it....

Old things are really cool!!!

Frosty morn and adventures...

Well yesterday was a bit chilly around here and it really didn't warm up enough to say so but today should be a different story. My allium leaves as usual will probably turn yellow from this chill but the big beautiful bulbs will prevail! I planted spirea last year and they survived the winter!! Hooray!!

OH and did I tell you...we have a cave??? Here is Ole being a dare-devil climbing in!! I was worried he would get stuck!

The loose rocks on the floor didn't used to be here...and neither was that big hole there. Years ago this side of the cave opening was only big enough for a person to barely fit through...now its big enough for a whole group of spelunkers....if they dare!!!

Well here we are...

I figured it was time to throw a picture of us in the mix.
You know how they say a person looks like their dog....
maybe it's the hair!

















And here is my young photographer/birder with her best friend...

Still hoping for a family...

Well guys, I wish this picture could have been perfect without the digital manipulation, but because it is at quite a distance...and I don't have that awesome Canon 100-400 IS lens...YET... you're just going to have to put up with it!!! Sorry.

Mr. Bluebird brought his girly friend a few days ago and they are checking out the houses here. Of all the boxes this would probably be the worst of choices with it on the swing set and all. Mostly because mice could crawl up in there...I don't really have any squirrels to speak of...but if they choose this one, I will do my best to put up some kind of block for mice.
I will keep you posted on the progress. One thing that I absolutely love is to hear them talk to each other. It reminds me very much of the little finches in the pet stores talking to each other in their cages. It was a beautiful morning listening to the song sparrow, eastern phoebe, common snipe and now the bluebirds...all perfect sounds of spring!

Pale Day...

I'm happy to say that my male bluebird was back with a female today and they were looking in my bluebird houses so there's still hope. I wanted to post this photo of a very pale mourning dove that has been here for about a week or so. We only get the mourning dove and rock dove in my neck of the woods and although it is colored like a ground dove I'm pretty sure it is just a pale mourning dove. Not quite albino. I hope her or color doesn't make her a target!! Wish her luck!

Before the rain....

I figured it would be a good idea to get out for a nature walk and breath in all that fresh spring air.

I couldn't resist creating a little art out of an old dried Queen Anne's Lace....and the willow tree...what a beauty! But the most exciting part was when I almost got run over by a Red-tailed Hawk that was enjoying rabbit brunch.... Sorry fellow, if I'd known you were there I would have gone the other way!!!

Thrilling Thursday!

My work paid off!!! Yesterday this bright blue fellow showed up to check out the boxes in my yard!

I've been here for many years but have never had a bluebird even stop by until last spring. I didn't have very many houses and they were all taken up by the Tree Swallows. So I called a friend who brought me two boxes right away.

Of course as soon as the houses were

up the little buggar took off! But stopped back in the fall with his kids! I'm hoping that this will be the year I get bluebirds nesting at my place. I wont give up!!!

Wish me luck!!!

Yesterday...

It's a busy time of year now that things are warming up. I went to pick up a couple bluebird houses to put at my pond. I hope to get the bluebird that stopped last year only to find all the houses were taken by tree swallows. This year I'm prepared. On the way home I stopped at a marsh and took some pictures to share. This one is cattails put through a filter in photoshop.... A song sparrow welcoming spring....

And the trees just beginning to bud.

Rocks and Bikes....

This weekend was the one that we've all been waiting for here in the north country!!! My daughter Morgan talked me into going for a walk in the hard to get to part of our property. We were like early settlers blazing a trail! We spied a turkey vulture looking for leftovers.... And to our surprise, trespassers decided to leave us two presents...we figured anything on our property is ours!!! They can have them back if they come ask us for them!!! Ha Ha!! Anyone have any idea why someone would dig a 3' deep hole and leave it??? It must have been there all winter. Morgan tried to imitate the vulture!!!

We have so many rocks on our property.

Some of them have holes in them......

and some have hands growing out of them!!!!! Ahhhhhh and the bike got fired up and I'm going riding tomorrow!!!

"Slow (fuzzy) Water Technique"....

Just for Stacey!!!!

Making Lemonade...

...out of lemons...
Even though it was a non-stop drizzle yesterday I decided I had to get out. I grabbed the camera and so as not to waste gas ran an errand in town. On the way home I stopped in the “Salmon Fishing Capital of the World” Dexter, NY to marvel at the awesome power of the mighty Black River! Standing at this sight gets my heart racing just a bit and I am not afraid to admit I have a deep respect for keeping my distance from this raging beast.

The water comes from every direction.This is always a wild time for the Black River, and even the most daring whitewater kayakers keep their distance. Believe me, upstream is a nightmare of rapids.

But just around the corner life is calm...

and the water is peaceful just before the crash....

Next stop, Dexter Marsh where my Hooded Mergansers are more at home...

and Red-winged blackbirds love to sing. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!