Thankful Thursday

Hello, 

Happy Thankful Thursday, I try to rememmber there is always something to be thankful for.  I may be away from the internet but will catch up as soon as possible. I am sharing the second day of our Shenandoah trip, since staying the night at Skyland we were up early to watch the sunrise.

We woke up early to see the sunrise and then went back to the Skyland lodge for breakfast. 

A cloudy start to our day but we still have a great day in the park.

Deer along the Skyline Drive.

This deer looks like it has a sac it is licking , maybe a baby deer being born. 

A Downy Woodpecker

"Take a quiet walk with Mother Nature, it will nurture your mind, body and soul." unknown

Dark Hallow Falls.

A Louisiana Waterthrush at Dark Hallow Falls.

An Eastern Towhee

Some deer on the Big Meadows. 

"The wildlife and it's habitat can not speak, so we must and we will." Theodore Roosevelt

More deer along the Skyline Drive. 

I am thankful for the simple pleasures like watching the sunrise.

I am thankful to have made this trip to Shenandoah NP.

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 

Thank you Michelle for hostingHappy Monday, enjoy your day and new week! Thankful Thursday

Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

8th Blog Anniversary

Hello everyone,

This is my 8th Blog Anniversary. Those years just seem to have flown by. I have "met" so many wonderful people and traveled the world thru their blogs.   I appreciate and thank everyone who has visited and commented on my blog.

For my anniversary post, I am sharing some of my favorite blogs and blog parties. Some of these blogs I have been following since I started blogging. Blog parties like Skywatch Friday, I have always enjoyed I love skywatching, moon watching, sunrises and sunsets. This blog party has followers from around the world, I think it is awesome to see beautiful skies from all around the world. I have done 296 Skywatch posts since I started blogging.

I love to travel and have included many of our trips on my posts with nature scenes, wildlife, sunrises and sunsets have been shared. I hope you have enjoyed my photos.

A favorite sunrise photo from Florida

 If you click on the Skywatch Friday link above you will see so many more wonderful blogs and fantastic photos. I thank them for sharing their wonderful skies and images. Thanks also to the hosts of Skywatch    Lady Fi and Alan @ Yogi's Den,  



I am providing links to some of my favorite fellow skywatchers who share  amazing sky photos, I hope you can take some time to visit these blogs to see their awesome photography.

  Lady Fi    

Spare Parts and Pics

Carol @ Cape Ann

Cloudia

Irene

Here are  more of my favorite blog parties. Over the years I have done 281 Nature Notes posts .  Michelle is the host of Nature Notes  . Also another favorite linky party is Stewart's  Wild Bird Wednesday  .  I have done 224 Wild Bird Wednesday posts. 

and then there is Anni's party. She is the host of  I'd Rather be Birding. I have done 227 I'd Rather be Birding posts..

The past 8 years blogging I have shared images from around my yard, flowers, plants, birds and the butterflies.

Fritillary butterflies on our Bee Balm plant

These are a few of my favorite nature bloggers, photographers and a few birdwatchers and their blogs. It is cool to see birds from around the world right from my computer.

Jo from South Africa

Nora

Phil in the UK

Monica

Bob in the UK


I love seeing wild birds and most of my post over the years have been about the birds.

Sandwich Tern, Florida

I also wanted to share some other blogs I love to read and follow, they share their pets, gardens, hobbies and their fabulous photography. I have way too many favorites, I hope I do not slight anyone by not including them on my list. I could go on and on with my favorite blogs. You can find more links to my favorite bloggers on my sidebar list.

Mary shares her travels in their RV

Marit, a gardener and photographer

Karen, shares daily life, family quotes and photos

Tom, host of the Barn Collective, wonderful photographer

Sandra, shares her photography and is awesome with editing photos

Kim, rescues Golden Retrievers

Linda, a hiker and a fantastic photographer

Michelle host of Thankful Thursday

"We do not need more to be thankful for,  we just need to be more thankful."


My list of thankful things for this week

I am thankful for all the blogging friends I have "met" over the last 8 years of blogging.
I am thankful for all the visitors and comments on my blog.


Thanks so much for your visits and comments. I wish everyone a great day and weekend ahead.

Flagler Beach, Florida

Hello,

During one of our overnight trips we were close to Flagler Beach for a sunrise and a nice walk. This beach is on Florida's east coast, 20 miles north of Daytona Beach. I captured a beautiful sunrise and I included some birds seen nearby.

I am guessing that these are the Royal Tern below. It has the shaggy short crest.

Another guess, the Herring Gull, they have pink legs and feet.

A view of the beach, gulls and ocean.

Brown Pelicans floating with a fishing boat in the distance.

I may do another post with photos from this day, we went to Daytona Beach and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse just down the road.

My thankful list:
I am thankful to see a beautiful sunrise.
I am thankful I am able to travel some during my retirement years.
I am thankful for all the wonderful comments on my blog post.

Thank you for your visit and comments on my post. Enjoy your day and the weekend ahead!

Thanks to Michelle for the meme Thankful Thursday

I am also linking up to Skywatch Friday, I hope to see you there.

Thank you to Sylvia, Yogi and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday.

Lakeland, Florida

Hello,

"You will never have this day again, so make it count." unknown

Wow, can you believe it is almost the end of 2016. I wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy New Year. I want to thank everyone who has visited my blog and commented over the past year. I hope to see you all in 2017.

These are images from our neighborhood, a sunrise on Nov 7th, the neighborhood Sandhill Cranes and Red Shouldered Hawk

It was a beautiful sunrise on our way to the gym.

I believe this is a Red-Shouldered Hawk, we have a nesting couple that terrorize the neighborhood birds.

The Sandhill Cranes near my sunrise viewing spot.

The Sandhill Cranes walk all around the houses and in the streets. This is their neighborhood too.

For Michelle's Thankful Thursday, here is my list of thankful things.  Simple things that we may all take for granted.

Fresh air to breath
Clean drinking water
Sunshine that brightens my day
A good book
Friendly neighbors

I hope you enjoyed my post and photos. Thank you for your visit and comments on my post. Enjoy your day and the weekend ahead!

Thanks to Michelle for the meme Thankful Thursday
I am also linking up to Skywatch Friday, I hope to see you there.
Thank you to Sylvia, Yogi and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday.

Circle B Bar Reserve Oct 29th

Hello,

"Always believe something wonderful is about to happen." unknown

I am sharing a sunrise from our neighborhood on Oct 29th, more birds from another Circle B Bar Reserve and some fences for Gosia's European Good Fence meme.

Neighborhood Eastern Phoebe on the fence.

Neighborhood Belted Kingfisher on the dock railing.

Circle B Green Heron on Oct 29th

Circle B Tricolored Heron

Circle B Bar Reserve Osprey

Neighborhood sunrise and some fences around the boat house.

I hope you enjoyed my photos. Thank you for your visit and comments on my post. Enjoy your day and the weekend ahead!


Here is a list of linky parties for part of the week, I hope to see you there.


Thanks to  Gosia for hosting European Good Fences.
Thank you to Sylvia, Yogi and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday.

Lakeside Sunrise

Hello,

We try to have a daily routine a walk and a workout at the community's fitness room. On this day we were up early to see the sunrise over our lake.

On one of the neighbors pier, a Great Blue Heron, maybe two Snowy Egrets and a Great Egret.

Sunrise over our lake and a Great Blue Heron on the boat house.

A Palm Warbler on the fence.

Neighborhood Sandhill Cranes

Sunrise at our lake.

A zoom of the Great Blue Heron.

I hope you enjoyed my photos. Thank you for your visit and comments on my post. Enjoy your day and the weekend ahead!


Here is a list of linky parties for part of the week, I hope to see you there.


Thanks to Theresa @ The Run*A*Round Ranch for hosting Good Fences.
Thank you to Sylvia, Yogi and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday.

More Virginia Beach, Virginia

It's time to link up with Skywatch Friday  and Good Fences and Random 5 Friday and Friday's Hunt . Join in on the fun and share your post with these fun memes.

First, I want to send my prayers to the people of Houston and Ecuador and Japan. The flooding in Houston and earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan are all devastating disasters.

I am sharing some more photos from our Virginia Beach trip. The sunrise, moon rise and moon set were all beautiful sights.

For my Random 5 Friday

1. I am surprised by this information that Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia with a population of 425,000.

The sunrise on the March 23rd from our oceanfront room. There are various fences in this shot for Tex's Good Fence meme.

Teresa's Friday"s Hunt
1. Starts with Q
2. Weeks favorite
3. At rest

2. Watching a sunrise is one of my simple pleasures. Below is one of my favorite photos for Teresa's Friday's Hunt.

Can you find the moon, it is setting just in the middle of the photo below. A look at the sunrise reflection on our hotel and a view of some fences too.

3. There are four North American Migration Flyways: the Atlantic, the Mississippi, the Central and the Pacific Flyway.

Above an aircraft carrier and two Northern Gannets seen at Virginia Beach.

3. Did you know gulls are called garbage birds because they eat almost anything.
We  saw a lot of  the Ring-billed Gulls on the beach. For Teresa'a Friday's Hunt here are some gulls "at rest" on the beach.

4. In April the full moon has several names: Grass moon, Frog moon and Egg moon.  They seem like weird names for the moon to me.

Below are some images of the moon rising from the Atlantic Ocean on March 23rd.

I did say I was addicted to taking photos of the moon.

Another favorite photo above the moon rising and the three little lights are from boats out in the ocean.

5. During the full moon and new moon the gravitational forces of the sun and the moon combine to produce the highest tides called the Spring Tides.

If you look hard on the bottom left of the photo, I have included our shadows on the beach. I hope you enjoyed your visit and my post. Thank so much for stopping by and for the nice comments.

To see more pretty skies, fences and fantastic photos from around the world please visit the memes below.   I wish everyone a happy day and weekend ahead..

Thanks to Theresa @ The Run*A*Round Ranch for hosting Good Fences.

Thank you to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday.

Thank you to Nancy the host of Random 5 Friday

Thanks also to Teresa Friday's Hunt