I put your picture away

After 2 months of intermittent travel and a heavy work schedule, I was finally able to slow down a bit  and get caught up.  One of the things I caught on was reading my new camera manual and taking some pictures.  I also picked out an awesome camera bag from Amazon (thanks Oscar and Mary!) so I am now able to carry and access my camera with easy.  

Last week I told you about Bountiful Baskets.  We received our basket this Saturday and we were super excited with its contents.  This week, we added the "extra" offering: 30 lbs of green beans.  That is not a typo. . .  30 lbs of green beans.  WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!  Yes, the dogs do eat green beans, but really, 30 lbs?  We have green beans coming out of our ears!  Any suggestions on what to do with them are welcome.

Yesterday after the basket pickup, I headed out to take some wildlife pictures.  I went to an area not far from our house where I know many species of birds hang out.  Being practically blind without my contacts and not having the worlds sharpest vision even with contacts in, I have never been partial to bird watching.  Usually I cannot see enough detail to tell what kind of birds they are and lord knows I have so much random information inside my head [can you recite the Constitution's  preamble and Twas the Night Before Christmas, I can!] that I cannot remember their appropriate birdie names.  This particular wildlife area however has lured me in because 1. the birds that hang out there are so huge that even this blind bat (he he he) can see them and 2. we can get relatively close to the birds and I have a telephoto lens so I can really see what I am looking at.    I have been stalking these birds on our morning runs and yesterday I was able to shoot some.

Here are some of the Great White Egret

and the great Blue Heron

Some Coots (I think it is so funny that I caught these 3 birds in 3 successive phases of eating).  Are these birds the inspiration for the saying 'you old coot'?

A very vain duck (or maybe he is sleeping)

and some boyfriend/girlfriend ducks 

After my nature session, Chris met me at the trail with the bikes and the dogs.  He is the dog whisperer.

We biked the dogs on some soft-pack trails and ended up in lower Puppy-go park where the dogs love to jump into the swamp water to get some heat relief.  

We ended up turning into the more hilly section of the park. Yes -I am  riding my bike in a skirt and sandals; I did not get the memo that this is what we were going to be doing.  

Such a fun morning!

We will have to do this again -with proper bike attire ;)

Dodgie was happy to have us all back home for the rest of the evening.

Happy Halloween!