Flight of the Bumblebee

This huge bumblebee was having a great meal at my honeysuckle bush. He moved pretty slowly which allowed me to get some fun close up shots.

I love how he grabbed the flower and put his whole face into it to drink in a big gulp of nectar!

Cedar Waxwings in the Mulberry Tree

Cedar Waxwings are one of my favorite birds, but they aren't often seen as they are nomadic. They don't frequent feeders but they do love berries and they usually come in flocks of 15-20. They make a high pitched zee zee sound and they are so much fun to watch. Their name comes from the way their wings look like they were dipped in red wax and their tails are dipped in yellow.



After gorging himself on the berries, this little guy thought it might be fun to take a bath in the fountain.

Georgia on My Mind

I spent a long weekend with my dear college friend Heather and her sister Marlies in their new home in Cumming Georgia. While Marlies lives their full time now, this will be Heather and Fred's retirement home eventually. They fell in love with this area during their many visits to see there son Chris at Georgia Tech.

Heather and Marlies really love the cows on the many farms around the area. Most of the time they play shy and turn their backs on the camera, but this little guy was curious enough to look up from his meal of tasty buttercups to pose for a quick photo.


Heather and Marlies discovered this covered bridge in one of their "let's see where this road goes" adventures. On the day we went to see it a fierce thunderstorm was kicking up and we were hiking in while everyone else was running out. I only got to spend a few minutes there before the thunder and lightning chased us away as well. There were some small waterfalls that I will have to explore more thoroughly on my next visit.

In the photo below is the view from the Wolf Mountain Winery as we ate our lunch of very thin pizzas with venison sausage, onions, and cheese. We also at fried pickles and drank a wonderful fruity white wine. It rained off and on and then the sun would come out brilliantly again.
Roses are everywhere in Georgia, climbing wildly over fence posts, dotted along the roadsides, and in most gardens.


We spent a few hours at Lake Lanier which is nestled in the foothills of the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains. There are over 692 miles of shoreline so we only saw a very small piece. It was so quiet and peaceful with just a few fly fisherman braving the cold water in their waders.

The sweet smell of honeysuckle was encountered often during our walks. It clambers over rocks, trees, and any surface that will provide some support.

The Army Corps of Engineers created Lake Lanier in the 1950s for "for flood protection, power production, water supply, navigation, recreation and fish and wildlife management" according to the USACE website. This is Buford Dam.

We took a hike around part of the lake on a trail that was fairly steep at times. We weren't sure where we would end up, but we finally made it back out to the road and eventually to our car.


The red clay of Georgia is incredible and can be clearly seen in contrast to the deep green of the lake. The texture is surprisingly oily if you rub it between your fingers. It is so foreign to me and it seems impossible that anything could grown in it, but obviously plants and trees thrive in it.While her home is brand new, it was fun to watch the cows while enjoying a raspberry martini on her front porch.

This is a killdeer that was hanging out in Heather's backyard. They nest on the ground and whenever we walked outside she would start her "broken wing" routine and run away from the area. This is a well-known tactic of killdeers to distract a predator from the nest by acting like an injured bird.

Marlies and Heather; can you tell they're sisters?

Ya'll come back now, ya hear!

Silly Baltimore Oriole

Every spring the Baltimore Orioles arrive at my office and I hear their pretty songs high up in the treetops. I can only usually get photos of their bright orange butts... When I walked outside yesterday this male oriole was checking out the other bird in the mirrored glass of our office. It was so funny to watch him sing and cavort around in the dogwood tree trying to scare off his competition.

He would hop down the branch and peek around the building looking for the bird and then hop back up and look in the mirror again. Unfortunately, I didn't have my long lens in my trunk so I still didn't get as close as I would have liked but it was still lots of fun to watch him.

The Beach in Santa Barbara

The beach in Santa Barbara is much different than the Jersey Shore where I spend much of my time. There are almost no shells but tons of rounded stones and driftwood.

There were lots of flowers in bloom including ice plant and these huge purple and blue flowers growing among the rocks and cliffs.

What a view from this home!

Too bad I couldn't take a bunch of this driftwood home in my suitcase!

Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Lighthouse

Crazy for Crocus

I love doing the spring cleanup in the garden especially when I have these cheerful flowers basking in the sun around me.