Reflection of hubs sitting under the pavilionOur world turned upside down the afternoon of August 6th. The hubby's fall from a ladder resulted in multiple fractures and the myriad of challenges that come with a body broken into so many pieces. Three surgeries and several special procedures later he is finally able to walk with the aid of a cane and just this week began to drive, making short trips in the neighborhood to the pharmacy and to lunch with one of his best buddies. The daily challenge was to keep sane looking at the same walls so we made a point of going out as much as possible. Not just to get out but to do something normal and be around people.
At first, our outings were to places with handicapped parking and inside areas where we could use the wheelchair. Once he could finally put weight on his right leg, which took over 2 months, he progressed rapidly to a walker and just two weeks ago to the cane. Now, his physical therapist gives him permission and lots of encouragement to go outside onto flat, paved walking paths. Part of the nearby greenway contains a brand new parking area for a small greenspace complete with man-made pond and flat walking paths. Perfect.
The weather here has been gorgeous! Mid 70's, warm with the feeling of autumn in the mornings and afternoons. The leaves are in the middle their color explosions and the air is clear, sky is blue. The Aldridge Creek Greenway is named for the creek beside which it parallels. While Bob slowly walked down the pathway I ambled over to the creek for a look-see.
Trout? Several of these darted by, appearing to be around 8-10 inches long. Bright orange eyes.
Aldridge Creek Greenway
This area must be relatively new. Massive treads of construction vehicles depressed the soft earth lining the man-made pond. Grass has taken hold in most places and the city has planted river birch and crape myrtles while positioning nice benches for contemplation and rest. But that's about it. Bob encouraged me to walk around and take photos while he sat in the shade to rest, so off I went. This section of the greenway is rather sterile at this point of its creation.
Not much stirring. Thankfully, some interest - a military plane of some sort flew overhead.
Viking horn #1Okay, personal challenge - FIND something interesting here to photograph. Picking my way toward the water I spy Viking horns sticking up. Viking horns and their reflections.
Viking horn #2
The river birch makes for a lovely reflection in the still pond.
Crape Myrtle and River Birch reflections
Wild astersI'm getting desperate. Hubs is getting tired. I can see his shoulders slumping and he's stretching his leg out. Oh, here are some little wild asters which are actually drawing some attention. The occasional bee and butterfly lands and leaves quickly.
Eureka! A buckeye!
Pretty reeds all in a row.From the corner of my eye I see the hubs slowly walking down the pathway toward the car. Time to catch up with him and get the boy home. As we approach the creek I hear birds in the treetops, and two flit overhead. Two bluebirds. The male flies on but the female stays.
I felt comforted by her appearance. This sweet gentle bird perched on a lower branch and allowed me to take photo after photo. She watched me the whole time except the moments she looked away, looking for her own husband. She gave me a gift, this lovely little bluebird. A gift of peace and calm. The hubs couldn't stand much longer so we took our leave. When I looked back to say goodbye she'd already flown away.Hubby has a few more procedures to endure but all in all his prognosis is very, very good.
Case in point. We've been innundated with several varieties of gulls on our lake. I'm not interested enough in them to track down what species I'm seeing, but they are very entertaining. About this time last year we had what we called The Weekend Of The Gazillion Gulls. We always have lots of gulls, but for three days it looked like a snow blizzard on the lake every single second for three days. They were everywhere, dipping and darting, floating on the surface, perching on boat houses and slips. Mostly Ring-Billed Gulls (I DID look these guys up, it was such an unusual event), which are quite large. Their calls were constant and loud; we could hear them in the house. ANYWAY, I'm digressing. Yesterday my husband is staring out the window toward the lake and said "What are those birds DOING?" A bunch of gulls were feeding on what we guessed to be a school of minnows. The loons were trying to cash in as well. Here's one shot of many.
Okay. I had to get outside. The birds were calling me. Back to my mini-road trip. Pulling into a large gravelled area below the dam, the designated bird watching area was practically deserted. Sounds of gulls reached my ears when the car's engine was silenced. Aaaahhh....how peaceful. Gulls and cormorants and coots were floating around in front of me - the usual dam birds. (LOL)
I grab camera and keys, locking the door began to walk around. Immediately, I spy something unexpected and almost couldn't breathe - the American White Pelicans were here!!! Folks, this is rare. This is only the 2nd year I've been fortunate enough to see them. Amazingly, they were completely unfathed by my presence and I got some great shots. Here are some good ones.
