Barred Owl

 Today my granddaughter and I went to Brookgreen Gardens to shoot photos. This Barred Owl was pointed out to us by some workers (tree trimmers). The owl sat on the wall for the longest time and did not seem to mind the people that came over to take a closer look. He was watching the workers and seemed quite interested in their activity. Later we were sitting on the deck around the old kitchen and to take pictures of some beautiful cardinals there. One of the ladies that works there came over to tell us a story about an owl. She said that they had recently replaced all the decking and when they were working on it an owl sat in the tree  watching all the activity. She said the poor owl had an injured eye...we knew that it was the same owl that we had just seen on the old wall surrounding the live oak allee.

Pastels

Just a note to tell you all how much I appreciate you stopping by to check out my blog. I have been on blogspot for almost 5 years now and enjoy it very much. I also have a flickr page with some of my best photographs and would love it if you would check it out.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolslens/

I hope that everyone will be enjoying Spring. I am soon on my way to sun and color which we are sorely lacking here in Michigan. I was at the mall yesterday and could not believe that there were still piles of dirty snow...ugh! Hopefully, I can get my daughter's very slow computer to download my photo so I can post all of the beautiful scenes of the ocean, birds and wildlife, flowers and the wonderful plantation that we are going to visit. Must remember to take more rooster pictures at the farm on the plantation....so colorful. Never realized that I love chickens!
Have a great day everyone!

Just took this photo of a Carolina Wren (as in the picture above) and thought that I would add it...see tab on top of page as well.

Black and White

 I was going to post these on FB on Monochromatic Monday but decided to make it mono Saturday

 ;-)

These were taken last summer when Amy was in town.

Travels With Carol

Italy

with Susan

This 2 week tour with my friend Susan was a whirlwind tour starting in Rome, south to Naples, Capri and Serrento and then north to Genoa, Florence, Milan, Pisa, a short hop to Switzerland, then Stresa,  Venice, Assisi , and I'm sure that I missed some but wow what a trip! We saw many basilicas and museums but the best of Italy was the food and the people ....best of all the light! The sun! I will always remember it. I came back from that trip inspired.

We had so many laughs and good times...taking the water taxi in Venice to dinner then singing and dancing through St Mark's, drinking a fancy ice tea on the waterfront in Capri, buying Lemoncello in Serrento,  staying in the convent/hotel in Assisi, buying my Cuckoo clock in Switzerland, a rain storm in Florence, the wonderful dinner in the hills above Florence....course after course, the total wonderment of Pompeii, Looking for sea glass in Lake Maggiore and so much more.

My heart is full when I think of Italy and I was so lucky to go again several years later.

 This is beautiful Lake Maggiore a lake on the south side of the Alps. It was so beautiful there and this was our view from the balcony of our hotel. All the balconys had flower boxes brimming with summer flowers.  There was an island (the name escapes me) that we toured with a castle and wonderful gardens. One afternoon we walked into the little town and had the best ever glass of sangria.

Our hotel was so luxurious....the lobby had the shiniest marble floors that I have ever seen...like glass.....of course, Italy is known for it's marble. I look pretty tan in this picture....all that Italian sun.

This is Milan...we were able to see the famous Galleria and also the beautiful and famous cathedral.

This trip was in 1997 but...oops, I skipped Paris that we visited in 1995.  Will post that next in my travel series. I was to go to Italy again (and Sicily) in 2000.

Fun Things Ahead

Can't wait for my trip to South Carolina...we have a few plans and fun things to do.
We had our Photography class meeting last night. Had a great turn out and we worked out a schedule for 6 trips, 2 of which I can't make. Looking forward to the Detroit Public Library main branch on Woodward also the barn tour and Woodlawn Cemetery. Undecided whether to go to the Meijers Gardens shoot. It's a 4 hour trip and a long day but Dave said there is a new Japanese Garden....a red bridge??? that sparks my interest. I'm into red bridges!
Bright and sunny today but it's only 35 degrees right now.

Atalaya

One week!

Today...the sun is shining!

It won't be long before the tulips are blooming

(took this photo several years ago at a cemetery know around the area for it's spring plantings) 

and then the daisy will bloom and it will be summer.

Travels With Carol

I have always been an Anglophile and dreamed of visiting England one day. I thought that it was out of reach but then I had the opportunity to go on a tour in 1992. It was more affordable than I thought and everything was taken care of plus a friend was able to go with me. 

We stayed at a manor house converted into a hotel. It was in the town of Bosworth made famous by the Battle of Bosworth where King Richard III was killed in 1485. The town is in the midlands and we took day trips from there. It was so beautiful and when I sat in the village square, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I was so far from home and that I was finally in England.

So the point of my travel stories is to recall the best parts of each trip. You know, I saw many castles, cathedals, ruins, museums and other landmarks, but what I remember most when I look back, are small things that made an impression on me.

For example:  the first time a storekeeper called me "love" 

"What will you have Love"?

Tea in a tea shop in Haworth, Yourkshire where the Bronte sisters lived and grew up. The town was all steep hills and so picturesque. You'll find that a lot of my memories are around food. The tea was a three tiered dish of little sandwishes followed by the same dish filled with cakes and scones and pots of tea....just like in all the books I read!

Taking the train from Liechester to London and looking at miles of back gardens of houses along the railway. Sitting in St. James Park and then watching the parade to the palace was another treat.

We saw so many wonderful sights...so many memories but best of all was just strolling along our little town and looking at all the beautiful English cottage gardens, attending Sunday services at an Anglican church, looking at old grave stone (I mean old), drinking in the local pub....loved all of that just as much as London, Stonehenge, Stratford, Nottingham, York and so on.

Wonderful memories still!

 After watching changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

St. James park.....loved it there.

All these photos were taken before the digital age so these pictures were scanned. Sorry about the quality.

Happy Spring everyone! Kind of a gloomy day but temps are in the 40s and thank God there is no snow! Found out today that our camera class is starting after Easter and we are meeting on Monday to plan our shoots for this spring semester. I miss everyone and can't wait to get out there and photograph new things.

The Show Room

 This area is lovely to sit in and smell the flowers. It is called the showroom and flowers are switched out periodically. I think that there are poinsettias around the holidays and in the winter there are Cyclamen and Kalanchoe. I must check it out in the summer to see what is planted.

 Hibiscus

 The way to the lily pond (closed for the winter)

  Cyclamen 

 Kalanchoe

Illegal Immigrants

 Canada Geese at Lake Erie
and there is Canada in the background...a lot of wind turbines but no geese 'cause they are all here.

Waiting

Red-Wing Blackbirds

 When we were  at Lake Erie Metropark with our group on March 7th, there was not a red-wing in sight. A week later all the males were in town. the females red wings have no red wings but are a dull brown color. I saw no females but the male was putting on quite the display. Claiming his territory before the females arrive, he was making noise and displaying his beautiful red wings.
The blackbird is found around soggy ditches and marshes, often perching on cattails. The ones I saw yesterday were way up in the trees...no cattail sitting for them.

 Whenever this bird would call he would spread out this wings so the red and yellow epaulets would show in all their glory. This, I understand is a breeding display.

It seemed to me, as I looked through my photos, that this blackbird would ruffle his feathers when he sang.

Winter Still Lingers

 Walked at Lake Erie this morning and was surprised by how much snow was still on the ground. It is almost all gone where I live but remains at the park.

 Trial was covered in either ice, snow or mud.

 Low lying areas such as the marshes were still frozen over, the lake, however, was thawed. Seems most of the waterfowl have gone.

Click to enlarge
Nothing that I do to these pictures can improve the dull, dreary colors.

The red-wings are back in full force...will post tomorrow.

I saw the blackbirds, robins and cardinals...and a few Canada Geese. Nothing else and no deer.

The Fernary

Lake St. Clair

Click on tab above for more.........................

Red- Wing

Going to get out and look for the first sign of spring...a red-wing blackbird. Monday is expected to get up to 60 so that looks like a good day to go down to Lake Erie and listen for this harbinger.

Check the tab under blog title to go to page 2

Carillon

 This is the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon. I heard it play in the summer months but it was silent when I was there a few weeks ago. It must be turned off for the winter. I posted a link for more information.
http://www.historicdetroit.org/building/nancy-brown-peace-carillon/ and a video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCvmUJruGzA

Cactus House