BLACK AND WHITE WITH A TOUCH OF COLOR

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

BLACK AND WHITE WITH A TOUCH OF COLOR

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby." ~Langston Hughes

(APRIL 21, 2010) RAIN! Half-way on our walk this morning the silver liquid drop beat upon our heads, and Sadie, though a bird dog, is not too happy with the silver liquid. When we returned home, we were two wet puppies.

There were not many people on the Riverwalk this morning. We ran into Sadie's dog friend, Jody (a small white dog that, a couple of years ago, licked Sadie in the ear at their first meeting - I think at that moment Sadie fell in love for the first time) and Jerry who sometimes rides a bike and sometimes walks (today he was walking). There was also a fisherman on the shore near the dam at Dan Daniel Park.

The day, for the most part, was black/white/gray, but there were occasional touches of color. A cardinal in the tree displayed some faint red, not the brilliant red that usually accompanies this beautiful bird. A bluebird jumped in front of us, and the light caught his bright blue. And, a great blue heron was anchored on the shoreline and the, like a prehistoric bird, flew down the river.

Except for being kissed by the rain (actually more like heavily smothered), it was a wonderful morning on the Riverwalk.

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"DON'T TRADE YOUR DOG FOR AN ELEPHANT"

(JUNE 19, 2010) This morning we saw some lovely sights as we ventured to the Riverwalk at 6:15. The mother mallard and the six babies were out at Dan Daniel Park and the flora and fauna were plentiful. But, one comment made by a regular Riverwalk biker/walker stayed on my mind as we ventured forth. He said, "One bit of advice: Don't trade your dog for an elephant." What was the meaning of that? I pondered that question throughout my walk until I saw a water moccasin swimming close to the shore.

EXPRESSIONS

(JUNE 1, 2010) Often we see expressions in animals that are similar to humans. Sadie sometimes swallows a moth she has been stalking, and the look on her face says, "Sheesh. That didn't taste very good." The picture above shows some interesting expressions on the faces of a goose family. There is the gosling looking up at the adult with respect,, the other goslings looking over the adult goose with an inquiring look, and the adult in the background showing stress. Within this one photograph is captured many emotions.

SHALL WE GATHER

(MAY 25, 2010) People gather each morning to walk or ride bikes together on the Riverwalk. In addition, there are many "gatherings" on the river each morning among the wildlife there. The waterfowl gather to communially dip in the river or fly off together to graze in the rich meadows or just sit on a log in the middle of the river - watching. There is another type of "gathering" that goes on as well. Look closely and watch the swallow and the bluebird and the robin and other songbirds gather nesting for their homes or food for themselves and their off-spring. Look closely and see the insects gathering whatever they need for sustenance - the small bug drinking from the rain water "gathering" on the leaf or the bee gathering nectar from the budding flower. All of this is the age old activity of gathering by the river.

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT

(APRIL 14, 15, 2010) There have been many changes on the Riverwalk over the past two days. The search for the young 5 year old who fell out of the boat near Dan Daniel Dam, the small flowers that were once there are now gone because of the cooler weather, and the river has gone down because of the drier weather. However, amongst these changes there are some constants: the same people we see every morning on our walk are there, the river continues to provide a home for wildlife, and robins can be spotted along the trail.