Spring Flings with Eve, Part 1

I'm late to this party thanks to the continuing flooring project from hell. Even as I type hubby wants me to help him move furniture so this'll be quick. "When you have time I need some help," has become my least favorite sentence in Life as it's said entirely too much. However, I've declared this a No Whine Zone so here we go with a wonderful memory that's too late in being reported.

You've already read Eve's accounting of our lunch together last week. While waiting for the cafe to open we were mesmerized by the scads of carp in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some were as large as the Canada Geese - no lie!

Carps swirling in a ballet of their own making.

When the cafe opened we started with marinated olives! Oh. My. Goodness.

"Wine, madam?" Why, yes....please.

Two individual pizzas were shared and we both declared the winner as the Mona Lisa - arugula, pears, caramelized nuts and bacon on an herbed olive oil base. Oh. My. Goodness.

A leisurely after-lunch stroll was the ticket to "burn off" our wonderful lunch! This is Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville. The bridge was donated long ago by Japan. I'll give you more data later as hubby is getting impatient.

I fell in love with the black duck, who has beautiful iridescent feathers!

The magnolia leaves fallen to the ground create fascinating patterns and colors.

I found this on a tree. Most likely made of bubble gum. How sweet, eh? A perfect ending to a perfect day...which wasn't quite finished! Eve and I have had more adventures which you'll all be reading about soon. We have had SUCH FUN exploring and laughing and sharing stories! Happy Spring, everyone!!!

(........I'm coming already!)

Hays Preserve, Part 3

Where'd I leave off? Ah, yes...meditating. Zenning out. Totally immersed in the water thing. I tell ya this is a peaceful place. It's quiet except for the birds twittering and water babbling and the scritch-scratch of creatures in the brush - undoubtedly more birds. Okay, to be honest the occasional bicycle-riding family would swoop by but things always settled right back down.


The sun is slowly sinking westward which makes the water turn a beautiful blue. When I began this missive I stated that the water gets even more beautiful toward the end of my visit but I'm taking that back. This water is just beautiful, period, regardless of time of day.


I'd spotted a pair of mallards. Around the next bend a small cleared area off the pathway provided a photo opportunity. Despite my moving around the area there were always twigs in front of Mrs. Mallard's lovely self. Mrs. Mallard was completely at ease with my presence across the narrow river but Mr. Mallard was growing more and more nervous.

Mrs. Mallard was clearly enjoying the sunshine. Mr. Mallard was tense.

"Hey! I just got comfortable....my leg up and everything!"

Mr. Mallard is so outta here. Mrs. Mallard eventually joined him but she seemed perturbed. I never saw them again after they disappeared around some brush in the river. My friend had told me the trail ended just ahead and a new trail was being cleared. Time to investigate. Walking along I begin hearing a low rumbling. A waterfall?

Sure enough! A lovely little waterfall spilling water from a hillside stream. This stream feeds the Flint River with clean, clear water. Again with being mesmerized for along with my love of water comes a love of waterfalls! Who doesn't love a waterfall? I stood on the little bridge for a while watching the waterfall and listening to the birds in the trees. Sunshine on my face, shoulders relaxed but beginning to get a little thirsty. Time to begin my trek back to the car. ....but I feel something watching me. .....again.

My heavens, a blue frog! Okay, it's not really a blue frog but a gorgeous tree fungus of some sort. I've never seen fungus with this coloration before. Naturally, I had to walk down to the tree and see all of the fungi on parade.

The bark looks pink here.

I guess the fungi must be of a certain age before attaining that luscious blue coloration. There were other blue ones but the frog is my favorite!

I'm really, really thirsty at this point. The pleasant sun is actually beginning to feel a little too warm since I prepared for cooler temperatures. Still, I have to stop often to look at the water again since the colors are so different.

Next blog will be a wrap-up of the Hays Preserve. I hope you are enjoying the tale as much as I am enjoying the telling!

Hays Preserve, Part 2

Continuing down the trail I notice there are several cleared areas close to the water. Stepping into one of them I set up the camera on my new monopod and just wait. Wait to be ignored, to be forgotten by the birds and creatures. Wait to become one with my surroundings. Eye to the camera I slowly turn around in a circle to see what's here. Well now. Someone is looking back at me. This most curious mockingbird stared at me for a long time, no doubt wondering what the heck I am. Finally, he hopped down to the ground, caught a worm and flew away to enjoy his lunch in privacy.

I could hear a plethora of bird calls in the woods but none were visible. I did see a lot of red headed woodpeckers, a tufted titmouse and the bold mockingbird, but the songbirds flitted around in the dense underbrush and high in the tree canopy not willing to be seen or photographed. That's okay. What has drawn me even more closely is the water, and the trees and their reflections in it.

This piece of branch in the beautiful water creates a bright aqua wake in the current.
This captured my attention for the longest time.

Another bridge over another stream.

Above is a simple shot to give you a sense of place. The walkway in the distance is coming off the footbridge that spans the waterway. Fields like the one shown make up one side of the trail, leading far away into forests and hills. The waterway makes up the other side. Hawks soared above the fields high, high in the sky. Birds were hopping about in the field foraging for food, which was in abundance. There were several huge stumps and logs and branches placed out into the field acting as shelter and a food source.

Again, the water and branches.

I'm drawn to the water. Probably because I miss the lake so much.

It was somewhere around here that I heard a familiar voice. Looking back onto the trail I see a familiar face! Someone I worked with long ago was hiking the trail with his son. We enjoyed catching up and vowed to stay in touch better via Facebook. Turns out we were both "friends" but neither of us spend a lot of time networking socially. We both like actual face time better, but I digress. He tells me that a wooded spot ahead on the trail is a good one for birding. They go on their way and so do I.

I immediately see why this wooded spot is great for birding - there is a LOT of food here for them. Above is the native possumhaw holly, ilex decidua. In its natural state it serves as a small understory tree, much like a redbud or dogwood. Berries are bunched up and abundant, but since they live in dappled shade the berries are loosely arranged on each branch.

Compare the above shot to the ilex decidua growing in my front yard. This possumhaw holly, which is deciduous, gets an abundance of sunshine. The berries are so thick each winter that its branches bow toward the ground. Yes, I get LOTS of birds on this small tree!

And here is the native beautyberry. Everyone knows beautyberry! Bright purple clusters of berries that are irresistible to birds! Looking these up this morning I discover that the American beautyberry (callicarpa americana) has been found to be a natural insect repellent. It has also been found to be repellent to mosquitoes and ticks. (Wikipedia) I'm planting some of these in my backyard, you'd better believe it. They also cause the dreaded purple poop problem, just so you know.

The birds are still chittering about in the underbrush and flitting about in the treetops so I'll just watch the water. My shoulders are relaxing and my body feels more refreshed breathing in deeply the clean air.

This would be a good spot to practice yoga.

Aaaahhhhh.....

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

Wait. I see something moving across the way. Was that a wing flap? Something is sticking its head up. A mallard! There are two, I think. Time to change locations and see what I can see. Stay tuned.

End note: I found this website this morning that has a nifty neat-o river map with a slide show of photos from a canoe/kayak trip. If my hips could take it I would very much like to do that! http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=280397

Hays Preserve, Part 1

Saturday morning. The sun is up, the sky is blue, predicted temperatures in the 50's. Today's quest - Hays Nature Preserve. When exploring a preserve that is new to me I love going solo. There's no timetable except my own, which usually involves sitting quietly in a place and letting the area come back alive after my first disturbing it. For me, that's the best way to get a sense of place and see what's living there.

Driving into the preserve I was greeted by the above sign. Hey. This says it all to me. I'm a rabid fan of dead snags and trees so this philosophy gels with my own. I'm at home here already.

Hays Nature Preserve, formally called J.D. and Annie S. Hays Nature Preserve is actually a city park. The link will take you to the City of Huntsville's website about this preserve and the city's future plans for it and their Goldsmith-Shiffman Wildlife Sanctuary. At this site you can download trail maps and get directions to the park. As well, you can read the city's philosophy and plans for these two parks. Although this is a city park, one can join the Preserve. Preserves need all the help they can get so I aim to pitch in and do my part. Oh, while Googling to find out more about Hays Preserve I found another Alabama blogger who had written a nice piece about it within an Alabama blog called Flashpoint. Authored by "Reactionary," also known as Jay Hightower, his post introduced the human element to Hays Preserve, highlighting the work that's been done and that needs to continue. Check it out if you're interested.


After parking in a nicely accommodating parking lot, I ambled over a lovely footbridge that spanned the Flint River tributary above Cherokee Landing. It was here I lingered and shot photo after photo of the spectacular water beneath me. The current was swift, but what grabbed me straight away was the color of the water. By the time I arrived the sun was high in the sky, the light was flat and bright. By the time I left in mid-afternoon the water was even more beautiful, as you'll see in future posts.

I headed for Flint Trail. This paved pathway is marked for foot traffic and bikes and is a gentle introduction to Hays Preserve. The path is flat and of a reasonable length which makes it perfect for a zen-like stroll, a little biking with the family or for a nice power walk in the sunshine. It rambles alongside the stream bed, and offers a few cleared areas from which one can view the waters that gently go by.

I'm struck by the reflections. Bare trees in jewel-toned waters.

Just soak this in for a minute. I'll wait.

Captivating.

Dancing sycamore branches.

Finally I left the bridge. The water is mesmerizing but there's so much to explore. Leaving the footbridge I follow the path which opens to sunlight and fields, clearly where crops feed birds and wildlife. I could see small birds foraging in the scrubby leftovers far away nestled in a sea of green. The sun is bright and warm, which feels so nice after our wet, cold and wild winter season. I turn east and saunter down the pathway.