Wildlife at Home

Stix n Brix, NC

We like our backyard because it has a pond that is shared by 5 other houses in our subdivision.  We don’t have someone else’s back yard right at our back door.  We have enjoyed some of nature right at our steps.  When I work in the yard, I often times see the hoof prints left behind by a visiting deer.  We see several turtles and herons enjoying the water.  We’ve even seen squirrels swim in the water for the fun of it…yes they dove right in.  Of course, I never get pictures of these things but, I’ll share some of what I do have.

We enjoy our hummingbird feeder which is stuck to the window of our breakfast nook.

 

Incoming!!

  

We occasionally have a Green Heron visit us.  He doesn’t hang around very long.

  

Lizards are only snakes with legs but the legs make us like them so much better than snakes.

  

Notice how he is eating his shedding skin in the first shot.  They are good to have around to eat bugs.  So are dragonflies.

And some of the wildest wildlife ever seen in our backyard…Smudge!!

  

Unless you consider Gin wild.  ;)  She does have her moments.

Until next post.  Everyone enjoy the little things in life.

Rally?

Stix n Brix, NC

Welcome to the latest followers, Pinon and BW & Carol.  It's one of those small world moments when a follower has an NC connection.  It's a nice state with the Appalachian Mountains on the west end and the Atlantic Ocean on the east and a lot of history in between.

I'm working night shift this holiday weekend and it's been pretty quiet in Raleigh.  Maybe the early autumn-like weather has something to do with it.  Autumn is by far my favorite time of year.  It's been excessively hot this summer.

A few days ago, Howard announced the date and location of the rv-dreams rally for 2011.  We went to our first one this past April and had a blast.  We met some of the nicest people and went to some informative seminars.  I have my work schedule written down for the next 11 months so I took a look at April 2011.  The rally is scheduled for the weekend of my four night shifts.  Problem.  I hate taking off nights because it puts a strain on the rest of the guys.  I'm already planning to take off a couple of nights in May for my nephew's wedding so I'm in a pickle.  We really want to go to the rally. Problem.  I will have to use some vacation days along with almost all of my over-time.  If I use too much vacation time, I will have to work another month.  :(  We've been bouncing it back and forth and I've done some math.  If I don't get sick (that'll eat my vacation time), I will just barely have enough time to retire on my target date...so...we're going.  We stayed at River Plantation in TN a few years ago and it's a nice place.  I've got to get ready for work so we'll make reservations tomorrow.

Dragonflies are Free

Jordan Lake State Park
Poplar Point CG site #E95
Apex, NC

Tuesday was a recovery day devoted to relaxing.  We mainly hung around the campsite.  I like this site because it’s waterfront and has a nice gravel patio area.  All the sites here are wooded.  I wanted to take a few photos and try to get a shot of a deer.  They were still hiding.  I took Gin’s bike, the one with the electric motor(e-bike), for a ride to the campground’s swim beach.  Not a soul in sight.

If you notice another sandy beach on the other side of the lake, it’s a nice day use area called Seaforth Landing.  There is a nice boat launch there too.  Once again, no one there during the week.  As I rode around, I came upon a private pond within the campground.  There are a few sites that border the pond.  I noticed a fish splash near a fallen log.  There were water lilies all around the edge.  It’s a Sylville kind of place.

 

I noticed several dragonflies but could only get one good shot.  This is for Gypsy G-Mas and anyone else who enjoys them.

Today was "outside pack-up" day.  Of course we enjoyed a couple of hours on the water with the waverunners and pontoon boat.  I think this was our last ride and it was a beautiful day for it.  We got them out of the water before supper.  I plan to take a few photos while they are at the boat launch to put on craigslist in the Spring.  They have been a blast.  We’ll sleep in tomorrow and head back to the house around noon.  It’s getting a little busy here already.  I have to go back to work Friday night so reality will hit hard but I’ll have a nice week to reflect on.  Everyone stay safe and have a good Labor Day.