Red Bellied Woodpecker

"And the song, from beginning to end, I found in the heart of a friend."  ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I found this little guy in the archives.  It was taken back in Wimauma.  I know this little guy or gal has a red head but I believe this is called a "Red Bellied Woodpecker".  I added a canvas texture to it.

Approaching Storm

It seems that these days I'm sorely lacking in any really good photos to post.  I've resorted to posting some that I'm sure I posted on another no longer existing blog but since some of you have never seen these I thought why not.  All of the photos were taken in Wimauma, Florida.  A place I dearly love.  It didn't start out that way, mind you.  I was excited about moving there but I was terribly home sick and it took almost six months for me to adjust.  Once I did I loved it there.  We no longer live there but I have a small collection of nice photos to remember it by.  Or at least I think they're nice.

If I remember correctly the first two photos were taken on the same day.  The above photo of the storm as it rolled in - I love storms.  I know that may sound ridiculous but I do.  They are so moody and I love  how everything turns a unique shade of yellowy green and the leaves and grass stand out like a beautiful sore thumb against the dark clouds.

This photo is after the rain fell and the storm had passed.  The land behind the fence is a Muck Pond.  It's protected wet lands (maybe I should say "area").  Anyway, it's not allowed to be mowed or cut in anyway.  Wild birds such as Herons, Egrets, Storks, Flamingos, ducks... visit and when they do it's so exciting.  I would always run out camera in hand and try to get as close as I could to get some shots before they noticed me and took off.  I would not make a great spy.  They'd hear and see me coming a mile away.  Unfortunately there are no birds in this photo.  There is however, a white egret/heron in the photo above off to your left.

This is the first photo I took of rain drops dripping off of pine tree needles.  I was so excited that this photo came out and I think the bokeh is awesome.  I love this photo.  Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle,...sparkle.

And the last is a shot of a Mockingbird sitting in a tall tree in the back of our property.   The day was gorgeous as you can tell.  Not a cloud in the sky.

Well, that's all for now.  Wishing all of you a wonderful rest of the weekend.

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby".  ~Langston Hughes

Bibles, Birds, Skies and Candles

Wow!  The weekend is already here and the weather has turned cold.  Today was not an exceptional day by anyone's standards but I did finally find my old Blackberry Pearl cell phone.  I was using it for the music that I have stored on the media card.  I can't tell you how much hair I lost looking for it over the past three weeks. Okay, so I didn't really lose any hair but it was very irritating and frustrating.   Packing is going well.   The house is almost empty with the exception for my Dad's room and my bedroom, the dining table and my Dad's TV and chair.  There are a few odds and ends to pack as well as the kitchen.  Most of the stuff, furniture, what-knots will go into storage until we find another home.  We'll be taking only what we really need to my sisters.  Which if you know me - that's everything I own.  Okay, I'm just kidding.  It's not everything but close.  I haven't had much time to go out and take photos but I did find a couple or so ones on the hard drive and I took some with my Android phone so I thought I'd share those with you.

This is just a little photo of some of my bibles.  Don't ask me why I felt the need to take a photo of them but I did.  I then added a window and aged effect to it along with a frame.  This photo is taken with the Android and the effects came from an app called LittlePhoto.  It's a cool little app that I'm going to enjoy messing around with.  Can't wait to see what other little goodies it has to offer.

This photo of a Mockingbird was taken awhile back.  Not the best photo but I like it. I think they have a lot of guts these little birds and they are very tenacious.  They fight the hawks with not one ounce of fear or at least it seems that way.

You must forgive me but I can't remember if this is a sunrise or a sunset.  All I can quote is, "Every sunset is also a sunrise. It all depends on where you stand". ~ Karl Schmidt.  I used this quote on a photo of a sunrise in a previous post.  I guess I knew that but never really thought of it that way.  This photo has a canvas texture applied to it. 

And last but by no means least - a little memorial scene setup for my Mom who passed away on November 26, 2011.  We keep a candle burning near her urn when we are home.  The only time it isn't lit is when we are asleep or gone.  The urn is in the back with the praying hands.  The chicken was one of her favorites.  The flame on the candle gets quite high and the wick has to be cut back.  Can you say "fire hazard".  Oh, and this was also taken with the Android but the frame I did on the computer.  Miss you Mom more than anything and each day seems harder than the one before.  Does it ever get easier?  I love you Mom!

Well, that's about it for today.  I will share a little bit of news with you that I think I'm excited about.  As some of you know I am jobless.  It's still hard here in Florida to find jobs, even after you've graduated with a degree, as I'm sure it is everywhere else.  Anyway, I've decided to apply to become a substitute teacher.  I've always wanted to teach but I have a real difficult time speaking publicly but thought why not give it a chance.  So, please wish me luck.  I'll let you know how things go.

Until next time.  Have a wonderful weekend and remember...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover."  ~Mark Twain

Bluebird Happiness

"The Bluebird carries the sky on his back."  ~Henry David Thoreau

Wow!  I can't believe I saw a bluebird in my backyard today.  I was in the kitchen and saw a little yellow bird flitting around on the ground and went to get the camera.  When I walked out I saw what I thought was one of the little yellow birds in the branches of a bush growling along the back fence but when I looked through the view finder this is what I saw.  Some of the photos didn't come out to well but seeing how it's a bluebird I'll take what I get.  Oops I just saw that my photos aren't aligned properly!!

Perfect Faith

"The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for faith is necessary to have wings." ~ James M. Barrie

I hadn't planned on posting anything until early next week.  However, the mood hit me to find something so found something I did.  I took this one day while visiting Bayport Park.  Dozens of seagulls were flocking around here and there but this one decided to have a rest and stopped right in front of my car.