Waiting

This ship was around for a week or so for the International Festival. They did a great job of getting beautiful shots of Detroit. Got this picture at Lake Erie. I believe they dock on Grosse Isle.

Damselfly

Damselflies, doing what nature intended.

Meadow Walk

The Meadow Walk at Lake Erie Metropark was great! It was a beautiful afternoon..sunny and breezy. We hadn't even got out of the parking lot when we saw several green frogs in a marshy area. They screamed when they noticed us and then jumped in the water. I'm serious, it was funny! Of course the meadow itself was so pretty (see above photo). We saw a yellow warbler and a goldfinch and heard a indigo bunting. Sure would love to have seen him. Now that I know where he hangs out, I will be looking for him.

Thank you Jerry for a great walk and all the info...loved tasting the clover with that burst of sweetness.

More Vintage Cars and Vintage Memories

When I was in nursing school in New Castle, Pa. I had a friend (and my dance partner), Hebie Travis. Hebie had a brand new '61 Chevy, a goldish color...it was beautiful. Back in the day on Friday and Sat. evenings we would hang out at McDonald's. We would back into a space and wait for all the guys to come "cruisin" around. The parking lot was where it was all happening. We would wait for Hebie and his friend Tom Campbell in that fantastic car that we all admired so much. It was a boat it was so long.

I heard years later that Hebie was a used car salesman...so appropriate!

Cars That Are Older Than Me!

Spent an hour or so at "Crusin' Downriver". The cruise of vintage cars goes up and down Fort St. from Outer Dr. in Lincoln Park to Sibley Rd. in Riverviews and yes, believe it or not all these cars pictured are older than me. I never was a huge car fan but it's funny how cars mark your life.....the coupe that my uncle had with the rumble seat (google that), my Dad's Chrysler convertible, Joe's and my first car, a red Nash Rambler and then there was the '67 Pontiac Le mans. I'm so old that I can clearly remember going out to the garage and watching my Dad "crank" the car to get the engine started.

I do appreciate the time and money people put into restoring these cars. They are beautiful and they help preserve all my memories.

Error,error

For some unknown reason, my music started up again even though there is still the error message on my blog page. It is all a mystery to me, the non-tech person. Anyway, I love my playlist that I call "Easy, easy" because it is slow dancin' music from the 80's. They were my favorite back then....Earl Klugh and George Benson.
Tomorrow is "Cruisin Downriver". Maybe I will take my chair, sit and watch the old cars go by. (none of said cars are as old as me). Unfortunately, my city does nothing for this event which is a real shame. No money they claim. Some food vendors, live music and porta johns would be nice (city did do this for a few years). This "no money' business is so depressing.

Field of Daisies

Can't wait to go on the meadow walk on Sunday.

Dragonfly or Damselfly

What is a damselfly? Well, that's easy...damsel is a female and dragon is a male......wrong. My reasoning was way off. A damselfly is a different species noted that it's wings lay flat and parallel along it's sides when at rest. I googled it! Gosh, how dumb am I. I guess in this case the above bug is dragonfly.

Wildflowers

Clover
Plantain

Crown Vetch

Clover

Yarrow

I think that you have to look at wildflowers closely to appreciate their beauty. At a glance they are "just weeds" but many of our garden flowers are cultivars of the wild variety. I am learning a lot about what is blooming now and can't wait for the summer to progress and see other varieties start to bloom. Especially waiting for the milkweed (almost ready) because that brings butterflies. Sunday I am going on a "meadow walk" at Lake Erie Metropark. Looking forward to that and picking up more information about growth and inhabitants of meadows. I have seen goldfinches and yellow warblers. There is much more to see, I know.

FYI

Just to let you know........if you double click on any picture you can see it in an enlarged format.

Welfare, Texas

If times are tough for you, this is where you move.

Sean, Mike and Ermalinda couldn't resist taking a picture here.

Good Morning Dear, Deer

These beautiful deer were knee deep in the river at Oakwoods (directly across from the look-out by the Nature Center). They stood stock still even after I left (I could see them through the trees) and they were still watching me. They had left when I got back from my walk. The three of them are real beauties.

House Wren

This little lady got really upset because we were around her house. She was squawking and carrying on, trying to get rid of us

Picture taken at Gretta's.

Canadian Thistle

Canadian Thistle with surprise guest. Taken at Oakwoods.
Thistle, taken at Lake Erie.

Good Morning

Waiting to say "Good morning"

One Year Anniversary

This is the first picture that I posted on my blog one year ago. It is of my friend's garden shed and her famous daisy garden.

Gretta

I looked through my old postings and I really enjoyed looking at my own photos :-). I can't believe that I have carried on for a year (even when I was on vacation). Thank you to all my followers. I appreciate your support.

Summer Time

We are having some absolutely beautiful weather. I was thinking how weather effects a person's mood. I remember some long, cold and dismal winter days that made me feel depressed, hopeless (someone fill out a petition) and just darn crabby. Will someone please buy my house for about $100,000!!!! I will then be able to move to SC. Really though, the grass is always greener on the other side and I might miss the autumn color, the first snow and the redbuds at Lower Huron Metropark. Now, if I could win the lotto I could be a snow bird. Ideal solution, I think.

More Ranting About My Garden

The other day I went on a rant about my backyard garden...not being as nice as I would like, no hedge on the property line, half eaten arbor vitas etc, etc. Well, I came home yesterday to find a note in my mail box asking if I would like my backyard to be considered for a garden tour. So, that was a surprise and I feel flattered but.....I said no because the garden isn't good enough #1 and I worry about trip and falls #2. My path and my drive both have a lot of uneven surface and I would be concerned if someone fell and got hurt (and sued me) ;-)

Black-crowned Night-heron

Finally got this guy on camera, hanging out on the Ecorse River at Council Park.

Daisy

Lake Erie

Walking at Lake Erie Metropark....always something to see!

My Garden

My garden is not what it used to be. I have really down-sized due to my limited physical stamina in caring for it all. Also the river birch that I planted changed the footprint of my garden totally. Too much shade, too many competing roots and my once sunny garden is gone. Removing my pond and the surrounding evergreens (which were diseased) also was a drastic change. Last year we tore down my lattice structure next to the garage because it was rotted. So in 15 years much has changed in my back yard with more changes to come. At the back of my property, my neighbor had a hedge which gave a beautiful green backdrop for my flowers. This week they have torn out the hedge and will have a fence put up. I was sad to see the hedge go but I will admit that the trimming will not be missed.

Still, my garden is a little haven for me. This year, the roses are absolutely beautiful. I have two climbers that are loaded with beautifully scented pink roses. I am so joyfull watching my little goldfinches that come this time of year to eat the seeds from my birch. I wish I could have more of a variety of songbirds but the sparrows and starlings keep the others away. I occasionally see a downy woodpecker of a little chickadee but that is rare. The flicker that comes every spring to rat-a-tat-tat on my metal chimney cover, did not show up this year.

I do appreciate what I do have in the back yard but I must say, I really love my front porch...more on that at another time.

Yellow Birds

Yellow Warlber

American Goldfinch

Wild Flowers

anemone

phlox

fleabane