Oh, There You Are!

 

“Thoughts swirled around her head like the leaves in the breeze.”

 
~Diana Jaques,

 The Falling Leaves

 

 I have been looking for a Green Heron this whole year, but as luck, and the rules of birding, would have you, I found one completely by accident, months after I should have. They are usually, dependably, everywhere! You remember me mentioning that birding is Sometimes about being in the right place, at the right time? Well once again, my avian friends proved it's true! I am still on a quest to find the Sandhill Crane, which have arrived in the San Joaquin Valley. The map says they are in Lodi, Mokelumne City, the Cosumnes Reserve, and Staten Island on the delta. They are here, I know they are, because you can track them here. I am just not seeing them. Yikes!

 

 So, a couple days ago, we decided to pick a spot on the map, and see if our luck could change a bit. The spot on the map we chose was Staten Island. We had never been there before, so it would be an adventure. As it ended up, there wasn't much to see yet, but it's only a matter of time until the rice is harvested, and will be replaced with water, to provide grain for the wild birds, but aren't quite there yet, so we left. On our way home, I spotted this lovely Green Heron, sitting on a telephone wire. I saw him just by chance! He moved to this tree, while I photographed him, and engaged in a little fishing in the ditch line. He was very accommodating of me, and made my time very happy, as he moved about into one beautiful pose to another. There's the rule of birding, you see what you didn't even know you wanted or needed, to see! 

 

I love it when that Pacific Flyway opens each Autumn. I have to thank the gorgeous migrating cranes, for helping me finally spot my Green Heron.

 

 

The Cliff Swallows Have Returned To Thornton Road

 

 

When the Swallows Return To Capistrano

By Leon T. Rene

When the swallows come back to Capistrano

That's the day you promised to come back to me
When you whispered, "Farewell" in Capistrano
T'was the day the swallows flew out to the sea

All the mission bells will ring
The chapel choir will sing
The happiness you'll bring
Will live in my memory

When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me!

 I don't live in Capistrano, of course, I live in Stockton, but just as

 when the Cliff swallows to Capistrano, they also return to Thornton road. 

Under the HWY 5 free underpass to be exact! They are beautiful birds, 

with a tiny, but mighty voice. I am glad they are here. It was a beautiful sunny

sunny day today, and it was as zen as it gets with these lovely birds built their

home! They came all the way from Mexico and other places in South

America, up to 7,000 mile travelers. They are small, but so mighty! When 

swallows return to Thornton road, I am happy again. It's not really spring

without them. 

 Nope the photo is not upside down, the birds are!

:)

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #76

 

“The next morning was grey and much more typical of early autumn. All I wanted to do was cocoon myself in layers of sweaters and stay in my room.” 

~Deborah Harkness,

   A Discovery of Witches

 

Rain is predicted for today. I love the rain in Autumn, it makes everything dark and brings out the earthy scents. I love that smell, especially when it mixes with the cinnamon I have sprinkled in the garden to discourage pests. I love Autumn. Have I mentioned that?

 

 

A Moment Out Of Yesterday

 

"Nobody has ever taken a photograph of something they want to forget. We can build a wall of happy Kodak moments around ourselves, a wall of our Christmases, birthdays, baby showers and weddings, but we can never forget that celluloid film is see through, that behind it, all the misery of life waits for our wall to collapse someday."

 

~Rebecca McNutt

 

On Thornton road, between the Woodbridge ecological Reserve, and the Cosumnes River Reserve, sits this picturesque old barn. I absolutely love it. I can think of about a hundred stories I could make up about it. Some spooky, some sweet and enduring, some that just make you scratch your head! The real history about this barn probably isn't all that profound. It's a barn, pure and simple. Most often barns are things of practicality... right? But every once in a while a truly wonderful story comes along that requires a barn as a co-star to it's main protagonist. Unfortunately, I am not a writer. I can barely write this blog. I am not sure what is wrong with my wiring, because I can write stuff in my head, but I have no talent for making it make sense of paper, or the pages of Ellipsis. As frustrating as that is, I am pleased to simply enjoy photographing cool structures like this barn, and let the bits of a 100 or so different stories bounce around my brain. Creatively, I am a visual person, but sometimes I wish I could write a story about a haunted barn, or a witch spending the night in an old barn because her broom was out of gas. Or maybe even something homespun, like The Waltons. You get the idea.

Mumpfh.

I wonder what the real story is about this gorgeous old barn?

 It's a really cool moment out of yesterday,

 and I'd like to know more about it!

Winter Orchard

~Carly