PREDATOR AND PREY

(JULY 31, 2010) It was a cool but dreary day on the Riverwalk as the sky threatened rain and the earth was wet from the passing storm the night before. There were puddles for Sadie to drink from and wet grass to walk through as Sadie found the perfect place, in the middle of a field, to do what she needed to do.

Shortly into our walk, I spotted something on a concrete sewer structure. On the top of that was a beautiful monarch butterfly - dead. I wondered how the butterfly had died, but there was no answer.

We did continue on the trail, and a short distance beyond the dead butterfly, the flowers were teeming with bees and living butterflies. But there was also a predator lurking. A large yellow garden spider had built its web near the plants, and Sadie and I watched as a small insect flew right into that trap. Once in the web, the small white insect didn't struggle or move again. As I observed the large yellow garden spider, I realized that it was one of the largest spiders I had ever seen. I also noticed an interesting web spinning that the spider had spun; a part of the web above and below where the spider placed himself was in the shape of a cork screw.

I didn't see the large birds like the osprey, eagle or hawk that come into the woods and takes away small rodents and birds. However, I did see a robin dig a worm out of the ground, a mockingbird with a wing hanging out of its mouth (it looked like a damselfly wing), and the sojourner predator of the woods, Sadie.

As Sadie walks the 3-4 miles with me, she tends to "work." She identifies a "prey" (it could be a small insect or a small butterfly) and goes into her set as she creeps closer and closer. 99 times out of 100, she misses her prey. However, the ducks and geese see her as a predator and often walk to the river when she approaches. In the photo to the right, Sadie has honed in on a small damselfly. This was one of the 99 out of 100 that she missed.

Someone walked by today and asked, "Is that dog like a bird dog?"

I responded, "Sadie is not 'like' a bird dog, she is 100% bird dog."

As I thought about that response, I realized that as a bird dog, Sadie is a predator. She is often seen on the Riverwalk in her pose as she stalks some small insect. Each day several people comment about how still she stands and how she is good at what she does. She is very good at what she does and a beautiful dog as well.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

I have posted, below, a couple of links to see Sadie at Dancing Creek Farm where she stay when we are out of town. She is the white English setter with brown markings.

These are fun to watch:

Sadie Hogging the Bed:

Sadie Potty Break

Butterflies, Bees, Bears and Birds at Boone

(JULY 30, 2010) For three days we visited the cooler mountains of Boone, North Carolina, and enjoyed the fresh air, the breeze, and nature in addition to the Lovill House Inn where we stayed (by the way, this is not "product placement" in this entry - it is just the mention of a very comfortable location where we stayed for two nights). Scott and Anne were wonderful hosts.

What I enjoyed the most about the inn (besides the good breakfasts) was the garden. The flowers attracted the beautiful butterflies and the busy bees who basked in the breath-taking beauty of that bounteous oasis of blooms. In the mornings the birds would start their chirping at 5:00 and would make their presence known as they visited the bird feeders placed in the garden. It was like Eden.

Speaking of birds - the first evening that we came in from a delicious dinner, I clicked the lock button on the car key and the car made a "chirp-chirp" sound as the locks went into place. From a tree nearby came a "chirp-chirp." I clicked the button again - "chirp-chirp." From the tree came, "chirp-chirp." For a few minutes I stood there clicking the lock button while the mockingbird in the tree responded. I would be there still, but the bird lost interest in this game long before I did.


We went to Grandfather Mountain on Wednesday and spent the day. The views from the top are awesome and inspiring. We visited the Grandfather Mountain museum and the two gift shops there. Then we saw some of the animals in their "natural" habitats (caged, but in a habitat that looks like where they should be). There were two cougars (I learned that bobcats, mountain lions, and pumas are other names for these cats and that the ones east of the Mississippi are smaller than the ones in the west), some white-tailed deer, three black bears, a golden eagle, and some otters (who were sleeping, so we didn't ACTUALLY see them, but saw their habitat).

We then walked across the swinging bridge at the top of the mountain. There were some visitors who had brought their dogs to the bridge, and half-way across, the dogs became frightened and refused to move. There was a traffic jam a mile high. When we got to the other side, the view was spectacular. However, some of the views on the way up the mountain were just as spectacular. It was kind of like having fire-works moments on the 4th of July. The "ooooooos" and the "awwwwwws" after each bright burst was the same experience we had as we saw one beautiful mountain view after the other.

On our way down the mountain we stopped at about the half way point and did a nature hike conducted by two naturalists from the park.
The 30-45 minute walk through the woods was informative as we learned about lichens and hardwoods and salamanders and flora and fauna native to the area. Very informative and worth the time spent.

After returning to Boone we made our usual visits to the Mast General Store and an antique store there. We enjoyed dinner that night at an Appalachian State University "watering hole," Macados, and then returned for our last night at the quaint cottage we had called home for two days.

It was three very good days as we went to the mountains to enjoy nature in a different environment from our daily walks on the Riverwalk.

I did get back on the Riverwalk this morning with Sadie - we did our usual 3 miles. I didn't take my camera today because I had more pictures to look at from our trip. I will take it, again, tomorrow.


Here is a chipmunk we saw near the garden at the Lovill House Inn.

THE BUG WITH TWO HEADS

(JULY 26, 2010) This morning Sadie and I got to the Riverwalk at about 6:30 to beat the heat. It wasn't as hot today as it has been over the past week, but it was very humid, and the Riverwalk was quiet.

We did see the white-beige sparrow we have seen during the past few weeks near the bridge at the Public Works department. There was a heron in the water near the bridge that goes to the train station. I crossed the bridge to get a better shot, but when I got above where it had been, the heron had left.

It wasn't until I got about a half mile from the car when there was Jim Bob Billy Ray Numbhead running toward me yelling, "Come, see! Come, see! There's a bug over here with two heads. I think I found one of them Siam twins - you know those that has two heads."

Now, Jim Bob Billy Ray isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was so enthused about his find that I had to take Sadie and go see this freak of nature (the bug, not Jim Bob Billy Ray).

Just as a side note, Jim Bob Billy Ray got the first and second names of his two grandfathers. His grandfather, on his daddy's side was Jim Bob Smith, but when Jim Bob Billy Ray's father joined the army between the two wars (Korea and Vietnam), he changed his name because there were too many Smiths in his platoon. He changed it to Numbhead because "it sounded French."

Now back to the story. As you can see from the pictures above that the bugs all have one head. These are, according to Jim Bob Billy Ray, "normal bugs." But he saw the "Siam bugs" and had to tell someone, so Sadie and I were there, and we were the lucky ones.

As we walked over to the bushes where he had seen the "Siam bugs," he kept talking about how he might win the "Nobel Prize in Insects" and become a "gazillion-aire." He went on and on about how proud his daddy would be of him, and that with the money he got from this discovery, he could now afford to get married to the woman he had been "courtin'" for nearly 25 years; her name is Betty Jo Smith, and they may be related, but Jim Bob Billy Ray says, "I don't mind that. She is a purty woman."

As we got to the bushes where he saw those "Siam bugs," I started taking picture of the orange and black striped bugs, seen above. I snapped away, and Jim Bob Billy Ray looked and looked, but he couldn't find those "Siam bugs" to save himself.

He said, "I bet one of those other walkers might have snatched that bug, and now my future is bleak." He walked away mumbling to himself, "The only good break I've ever had in my life, and someone has done snatched it away."

I stayed there and took some more pictures of the bugs. And then I saw a very large bug and took several pictures of it. As I got closer, I said to myself, "By golly. Jim Bob Billy Ray was right. There is a bug with two heads."

I took several shots before I realized that that wasn't one bug with two heads, but two bugs mating. I took a few more pictures and then felt I was intruding upon a private moment and left.

Now, some of the story above is true (the first two paragraphs), but it was still a very good morning on the Riverwalk.

"BEAUTY IS TRUTH, TRUTH BEAUTY"

(JULY 25, 2010) Though hot, in the low 80s, as I began my walk this morning at 6:30, the woods, the sky and the river were full of life.

In the woods I saw a robin moving along, listening, and then pecking the ground, coming up with breakfast, a worm. In the beautiful blue sky I saw an osprey fly over, heading up river, and then swirling downward to another air current, and then flying out of sight. In the river I saw a heron standing on some fallen trees in the river. I moved to the bridge going to the train station and got some interesting shots from above this blue/gray statuesque bird.

The birds were not the only life on the river. Many flowers were in full bloom shouting forth their colors of yellow, purple, blue and white. They provided a lovely contrast to the green foliage along the banks of the river.

As always, the flowers attracted bees and butterflies and other insects finding the aroma and pollen irresistible. The bumble bees hung in all directions around the flowers. They would hang upside down, sideways, inside the flower in an almost embracing position, and would often visit a flower continuing to fly and not stopping to land. Sadie has learned to stay away from these stinging insects, though they present a mighty tempting target for her.

Dragonflies and damselflies are also attracted to the flowers. The damselflies grasp the plant completely enveloping it underneath. Damselflies are more elegant in their positioning. They often just hold on by their legs while their entire body hangs in space; sometimes, however, they do hold on exactly like the dragonflies. Sadie will spend 5-10 minutes pointing at a damselfly when she spots one. Their darting around the leaves and flowers tends to fascinate her.

Butterflies also seem to get her attention. The magnificent colors of these graceful creatures as they move about the leaves and the flowers draw her to them as flowers draw butterflies to them. Today I saw a number of different varieties of butterflies. They are interesting in that they are sometimes very predictable, and at other times they just show up unexpectedly. Usually, on a warm day, they can be spotted on flowers in several select areas of the Riverwalk. Today was not such a day since there were only bees there.

However, a particular brown and white and yellow butterfly was pointed out by a jogger who had stopped to talk with me. She noticed the beautiful butterfly on a tree behind me. I turned and started taking pictures.

Once I got home and looked at the pictures, I noticed that the beautiful butterfly had a tear in its wing and was rather dreary in the texture of its coat, but its color was very attractive.

This butterfly further pointed out to me the second part of Keats' quote (above) - "Beauty [is] truth." For the artist to depict the beauty of nature as it is rather than how he wishes it were, he must recognize that the truth of beauty in nature is that, up close, beauty can have its flaws.

With that butterfly there is something to be learned here as it relates to human nature. All humans, from the New York fashion model to the person with a terribly burned and disfigured face, have beauty. The nature of humankind is that all encompass a special spirit of beauty, and God, if you wish, which makes even the most horrible looking human - beautiful.

As with the butterfly, humans all have flaws; they are not perfect. However, that does not distract from the beauty of humankind. To accept this about beauty is best summed up by John Keats when he concludes in his poem, "Ode on a Grecian Urn," with:
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

It was another good, but hot, day on the Riverwalk.

STRANGE THINGS SEEN

(JULY 23, 2010) The English poet John Donne wrote:

Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.

If thou be'st born to strange sights,
Things invisible to see . . .

Donne wrote about things impossible to see - strange things, strange sights. Each day on the Riverwalk, Sadie and I are "born to strange sights."

This morning, as we were walking in the dark woods, a bright white object caught my eye. The woods were dark, with shadows of trees, but this one object lit up like a light bulb. As we walked closer to it, I realized that I was seeing a perfectly shaped white mushroom growing out of the side of a tree. It was like many I had seen growing on the damp floor of the woods, but never have I seen one growing out of a tree.

Further along, I was looking at a damselfly when I noticed a spider's web. While looking at the web and trying to see the spider, I saw a small winged insect flying toward the web. "DOOMED," I thought. But, much to my surprise, the insect hit the web, bounced off and flew over the web into the woods. It seemed like a small miracle.

At the 3/4 mile mark from Dan Daniel Park, I had been missing the cormorants that had, for years, frequented the large tree that was down in the middle of the river. This morning I saw that two of the creepy black water birds had returned. As I watched the two birds spreading their wings to dry off in the warm sun, one spent several minutes staring down into the river at what appeared to be . . . himself. He was quite intrigued by the bird that was looking back at him.

Inch worms always fascinate me. The fact that they just seem to hang in mid-air is intriguing. This morning I saw an inch worm that had dropped a thread so thin that I couldn't see it, and the camera couldn't pick it up - the inch worm seemed to hang in space.

And finally, as we were returning, we had arrived at the bridge which marks one mile back to the car. Beside the bridge something had attracted Sadie's attention. As I was talking with some people who had wandered by, she was zeroing in on a damselfly. She inched closer and closer until she was about two inches away from this clueless insect.

I could tell that her breath was below her perceived prey since the foliage below the insect was moving, and the damselfly seemed to have no idea that Sadie was there, until . . . the damselfly did something I have never seen one do before. Though the insect had remained stiff and straight, as Sadie approached, the body was bent into an upward position, perhaps an impulsive defense to warn away any predator. Sadie wasn't threatened and crept closer and closer until . . . the damselfly flew away, completely unharmed, and Sadie looked at me with the look I often see that says, "Well, another one got away."

A perfect mushroom growing out of a tree, an insect not ensnared by a spider's web, a narcissistic cormorant, an inch worm suspended in space with no apparent support, and a damselfly that used a defense mechanism unsuccessfully, but survived anyway, were some of the "strange sights" Sadie and were born to this morning.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

"FISH GOT TO SWIM; BIRDS GOT TO FLY"

(JULY 22, 2010) Earlier in the week I saw a couple of fishermen who had caught 7-8 catfish, one being about three feet long. The fish were laid out on the ground, completely out of their environment, and still gasping for breath. A lady who was standing there said, "I hate to see animals, any animals, suffer." I agreed.

This morning I saw a number of birds and insects in trees, much to the CHAGRIN of Sadie, knowing that they got there by flying. The trees and the river are natural habitats for birds; only the water is for fish.

Humans, too, are often taken out of their natural habitat and placed in situations that make them uncomfortable or ill. Such is the case with what has happened in the Gulf of Mexico where not only 1000s of birds and fishes have died or gotten injured by this mistake, but many workers are getting ill from the fumes of the cleanup. Fish got to swim; Birds got to fly; Humans got to be more careful so they can.

I've often thought of the wildlife on the Gulf as I see the wildlife each day as I walk on the Riverwalk. The environment is fragile. One morning a walker stopped and as we chatted, he commented that a number of years ago the Dan River was a dead river. There was little life on it, few birds, and not a sign of the great blue heron. As the city and industry worked to clean up the river, wildlife gradually came back. The small song birds, and then the fish became more plentiful, and then the water birds like ducks and geese, and then, finally, the great blue heron was seen on a regular basis. Now there are a variety of birds on the river including the heron, cormorants, osprey, coots, mergansers, and even a bald eagle can be seen flying overhead.

When the environment is disrupted by anything that throws out the balance of nature, whether it is industry waste or over population of animals, the wild life and all of nature suffers.

Man is not always the culprit. Man is often the savior of endangered species. Many animals that might have become extinct through the natural changes of the environment are now plentiful because some humans worked to protect them from natural destruction. Had it not been too late and someone would have noticed, perhaps the dodo bird would still be around and even the "mythical?" unicorn may be seen in the field along the river.

But all of this is based upon two simple ideas: Fish got to swim and birds got to fly. Without these two factors, the rivers and skies will be dead again.

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

LOST

(JULY 21, 2010) Sometimes being lost means looking for a map to find the way; sometimes it means being somewhere except where expected to be, and sometimes it means trying to find your way until something changes that makes the world clearer.

As Elizabeth and Sadie show above, a map gives an indication of where someone is. I have heard it said that if you don't have a map to take you to a place, you will likely end up somewhere else. That applies to traveling and life in general. There are individuals who are like the feather in the movie Forrest Gump - they are blown from place to place with no control over their lives. At the Riverwalk, the map shows where a person is and how far it is from point to point.

Sometimes a map is not handy, so someone may ask another person for directions. Yesterday I was walking back towards Dan Daniel Park from the direction of Angler's Park when a couple asked me how far the trail went from where we were. I told them that it was about another mile and a half to Angler's Park and then they could go beyond that all the way to the airport. They said that they had started at Biscuitville and wanted to see how far they could walk. I told them that upon their return to Biscuitville, they would have walked between 5-6 miles. They were satisfied and turned around to walk back.

This is also the way life is. When a person doesn't have a map for his life, that individual might ask for directions from someone and, hopefully, get accurate directions.

Sometimes "lost" means seeing something out of where it is expected to be. This morning there was large group of Canada geese gathered at the base of the dam near Dan Daniel Park. The geese, for the years I have been walking the trail, had always gathered up-stream. When I saw them at a different place downstream, they looked out of place.

I thought about a short essay by Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Louis Rubin. The essay was called "The Boll Weevil, the Iron Horse, and the End of the Line: Thoughts on the South." In the essay, Professor Rubin sees a small train moving along each day in a very specific location. Later in his life he sees the small train in a different setting and thinks it seems lost, away from where he had always seen it and had, for years, imagined it in his mind.

And finally, sometimes being lost means that eventually you find your way and move on. This morning I spoke with a man I see regularly on the trail. He has been job-searching for many months, and this morning he told me about his latest opportunity. A company in Lancaster, Pa. had contacted him about a job. This was the second job he will have interviewed for in the past two weeks, the other being near Hickory, NC.

For months this man had been lost in his job search and nothing seemed to be paying dividends as he sent out his resume. Now, there was hope as he found his way to at least the interview stage in his job search.

Being lost is never good. However, with a good map, good advice, and good luck (or hope), being lost can result in the joy of learning from an experience and trying to never be lost again.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk..

NATURE'S RENEWAL

(JULY 20, 2010) Yesterday afternoon, I noticed a blob of sort on the screen of a window in the kitchen dining area. I thought that a bird had made a mess on the screen.

However, as I got closer to the window, I realized that there was a beautiful butterfly clinging to the screen. Getting even closer, I noticed that there were two butterflies, obviously in a mating position. I grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots from inside before going out to the deck and taking pictures from different angles. After a couple of minutes the butterflies flew off, still attached to each other.

When I went into the house, Elizabeth said, "You bothered those butterflies while they were in an intimate embrace. You interrupted them."

I said, "I told the two to get a room, and they just flew off to do so."

The creation, or renewal, of life is amazing. Each day on the Riverwalk I see young off-spring of the ducks and geese. I see the young song birds as they try out their new voices and their new wings. I have seen the procreation of geese in the river and the mating of lady bugs and damselflies right there in the bushes. I have, also, seen the off-spring of both the geese and the damselflies as Sadie and I walk the trail each morning.

But the results are not so obvious to one who has not ventured forth on the trail daily. For example, the heron that is standing in the river next to the dark woods is smaller and younger than the one that stood there last year. Also, there seem to be more herons on the river.

The osprey nest, next to the Brantley steam plant, is vacant; the photographers who had set up their long lens on tripods are no longer interested in the empty nest. The river is now full of Canada geese as the young have now grown the size of the adults. The barn swallows and the blue birds that practiced their landings on tree branches have now joined the adults in the search for small insects as they skim the top of the river.

Even the flora along the river goes through periods of replenishment. The small orange flowers that were once seen near the train bridge are no longer there. The sweet smell of the honey suckle no longer permeates the air since the sweet flowers have faded.

However, some beautiful large flowers are now showing themselves along the banks of the river. Some of these are pink with white insides and some are white with maroon insides. Beside the large blooms of these flowers are smaller buds that will soon burst forth to continue coloring the landscape with nature's beauty. Also, to the side of the blooming flowers are ragged flowers that have bloomed and passed.

Such is the creative hand of nature - always replenishing and always renewing.

It was another beautiful morning on the Riverwalk.

PERFECTION

(JULY 19, 2010) It was dark this morning as I began my walk on the Riverwalk. The sun was peaking over the trees, but the "dark woods" were truly . . . dark.

Because of an early appointment, I didn't take my camera, which was just as well, because during the early part of the walk a unicorn or other extinct animal may have wandered by, and I couldn't have gotten a decent shot of it in the darkness.

However, I did take with me my thoughts from the previous day's Riverwalk adventure. Yesterday's topic was PRECIPICE. Today's post, I decided, would be PERFECTION because the images of three of yesterday's photos seemed near perfect to me as I thought about them.

First, there was the beautiful brown butterfly - perfect color and perfect shape. It was hanging against some leaves, making its lush chocolate brown more beautiful.

Second was the damselfly. I have taken 100s of shots of damselflies, but this one was truly focused and close enough to see the water drops on its body and the tiny hairs on its legs and the water drops on the leaf where it was setting. The beauty of the damselfly was, in my mind, as the British say, "spot on!"

Third was the beautiful pink flower against the green foliage. The flower was in focus and the distant background gave the photo the mood of an impressionistic painting of the Renoir class.

When I got back from my appointment, I took a look at the pictures. Truly perfect - except, well, the green leaf covers some of the brown butterfly. That is too bad - no longer perfect, though it does add some "difference" to the print rather than a stark brown butterfly. Maybe, close to perfect, or at least, OK.

Then I took a closer look at the damselfly. Great close-up, but were the antennae missing? Had I cut off the antennae when I cropped the picture? As I looked closer, I realized that the antennae on this dragonfly were short. Surely something was wrong with it to make it less than perfect. I looked closely - but found it to be OK - maybe not perfect, but OK.

Finally I looked at my photographic depiction of a Renoir landscape. Surely little flaws in focus and color could be attributed to the impressionistic mood created by this "masterpiece." Upon looking at the picture, I noticed a brown dead plant in the upper left hand corner, something I hadn't noticed before. I immediately cropped it out and now the photograph was better - almost perfect for an impressionist painting. However, as I took away the brown plant, the flower was lower on the page, something I didn't like as well as before taking away the dead plant. But, still, it was OK - not perfect.

The more I thought about perfection, the more I realized that those who are creative can only reach a certain level of perfection. Many artists have been driven crazy by attempting to capture perfection in all they do.

There is a degree of perfection in nature, and humans often want to idealize such perfection. We think of picnics by a creek with a special person, yet when we try to create it, there may be insects that bite or sting, ground that is too damp or dusty, or a creek that is too loud or smelly.

So, with the three prints above, I can resolve my inner creative self by saying they may not be perfect, but they are OK.

It was another beautiful (but dark) morning on the Riverwalk.

PRECIPICE: A SITUATION OF GREAT PERIL

(JULY 18, 2010) How close to the edge do we get in our lives? Do we often tempt fate?

This morning on the Riverwalk, I saw several cases of animals on the precipice of destruction.

As I approached the White Mill area, there was a flock of Canada geese sitting on the dam and the water rushed underneath them. They sat there calmly while below the whirlpool was swirling - a whirlpool that could drown whomever or whatever got into its swirl. Where these geese at risk? I don't think so. I have seen this image many times and have yet to see one of the geese fall over the precipice. I did see a domestic goose that had been put out into the wild by someone who no longer wanted to keep it, fall over into the whirlpool and could not get out. I believe that the wings of the Canada geese are stronger and that they could fly out if trapped under the dam.

Near the Union street bridge, I saw a group of four mallards swimming what seemed to be dangerously close to the precipice of the dam. Again, I've never seen a mallard trapped in the undertow of a dam, and I think that the mallards I saw were actually far enough away to keep from being forced over the dam by the river.

Mid-way between the Martin Luther King bridge and the Union Street bridge I saw a Carolina wren, chirping the beautiful song it chirps. It was a moment of peace as the sound filled the air. However, I had walked only a few dozen yards and the same bird lit into a harsher noise. As I looked up, the bird seemed to fussing at me, no longer singing joyously. I had wandered, perhaps, too near its nest, and it was warning me off. Was the wren in danger? No. Was I endanger? Well . . . hard to say. I have been dive bombed by mockingbirds, and I have no doubt that the wren could turn nasty. We walked on as the wren continued to fuss at us.

I have taken many damselfly and dragonfly pictures over the past several months. The little insects seem to be able to balance themselves on the precipice of a leaf. As can be seen in the picture above, the little guy seems to be hanging on with no fear of falling off. Was this damselfly on the precipice of destruction?

Well, actually YES. Only a few inches from the damselfly was the nose of a 4.5 year old English setter. Sadie had noticed the insect and had gone into her setter pose. Fortunately for the insect. it flew off just in the nick of time, and Sadie, as is often the case when she stalks a bug, was disappointed.

As Sadie was stalking the damselfly, I noticed a small flying insect - in flying mode, but not flying. The insect was moving with its wings spread and its tail moving, but it wasn't getting anywhere. This insect had wandered into a precipice of its own self-destruction. As can be seen on the picture above, there are tiny threads that go out from the flying insect. Those threads are holding the insect very tightly, and a spider will soon have a meal.

Sometimes what seems to be the precipice is not and what seems to be far from the precipice is actually at or beyond the precipice. Humans do the same. They often do things that seem dangerous (like climbing mountains and white water rafting), but are capable of doing such things without harm. On the other hand, humans (as well as other animals) often live safe lives, and find themselves on the precipice of destruction. Such an event could be caused by just being at the wrong place at the wrong time (like the insect in the spider's web).

It was another beautiful, but hot, morning on the Riverwalk.

BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE

(JULY 17, 2010) Last night on PBS there was a program out of North Carolina about butterflies and moths. I had often wondered what the difference was, and the expert lepidopteroligist (one who studies butterflies and moths - a new term for me, too) made it rather vaguely clear what the differences were.

He said that one of the main differences is that moths come out at night and butterflies come out during the day (well, he qualified that by saying, in most cases this is true). He also pointed out that the antennae of the butterflies have small balls on the tips (well, he qualified that by saying, in most cases this is true).

What I saw this morning were butterflies, I'm 100% sure. They were out in the day time and their antennae had small balls on the tips.

As the butterflies flittered among the flowers, Sadie seemed to be enthralled by the beauty. I just kept snapping pictures.

Later in the day Sadie and I went to Angler's Park after the heavy rain. We had walked about a half mile and saw large puddle. Sadie danced across the puddle and a butterfly, just like the ones we had seen this morning, flew up. Sadie immediately jumped at it, missed, jumped at it again, and missed again. This seems to be a day filled with butterflies, and when a day contains butterflies, it proves to be a beautiful day.



(CLICK ON PICTURE TO SEE THE ANGER OF THE BIRD MORE CLOSELY)

At about the same spot we had seen the butterflies, there was a mockingbird that wasn't too happy that we had stopped to watch the lovely insects in the tree. As often happens, mockingbirds are a bit temperamental - they have been known to dive-bomb passers-by and will, at least fuss at someone who has wandered too near the nest. This morning was no different, but this morning I captured the intolerance the bird showed for the two sojourners who had wandered too close to a nest.

We moved on since we didn't want to irritate it any more, and Sadie, who had once been dive-bombed by a mockingbird flying close to her head, was a little anxious and relieved when we finally continued our morning adventure.

Beautiful butterflies in a mimosa tree and an angry mockingbird in a poplar tree made for another good day on the Riverwalk.

OUT OF FOCUS/IN FOCUS

(JULY 16, 2010) This morning as Elizabeth, Sadie and I entered the dark woods from the parking lot, Elizabeth said, "Look. A deer."

There within 30 yards of us was a single small deer walking by the water. I lifted by camera, aimed and took several shots. ALL WERE OUT OF FOCUS, and the deer climbed the bank and disappeared into the woods.

Disappointed? Yep, kinda. However, there will always be new pictures to take along the Riverwalk like the mockingbird on the fence (out of focus) and the geese on the shore (out of focus). However, even with those few out of focus shots, I still got some good pictures this morning on the Riverwalk.

There were three young sparrows on a tree - very cute little guys looking at me as I was looking at them. There was a dragonfly that flitted from railing to railing on a fence, and trying to take its picture was not helped with a dog on the end of a leash.

We were late enough going out that the sun was up. Along with the birds, when the sun comes up, the butterflies come out. There were a number of butterflies around the flowers and on the fences. Sadie often points them out to me as she goes into her pointing pose. As she points, I get closer and take pictures. The light was nice this morning since I got some good color; some mornings, when the sun is too bright, the colors are faded by the light.

By taking a few hundred pictures every day on the Riverwalk, I end up with some that are pretty good. However, I also end up with a much larger number that are out of focus or just bad shots.

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

VARIOUS SHADES OF WHITE

(JULY 15, 2010) WHITE. The beautiful color of Tiffany's wedding gown. WHITE. The color of geese on the river. WHITE. The color of snow in the winter.

I heard that, actually, pure white is the absence of color. No other colors can be combined to form white. I don't know if that is true or not (probably is), but I saw several different shades of white this morning on the Riverwalk. But, are there actually "shades" of white? I don't know, but I saw what I thought were different shades of this absence of color.

Each day when I go to the Riverwalk, I see something I haven't seen before. This morning was very special in that I saw what appeared to be a white sparrow. It was hanging out with a couple of other sparrows and was, I assume, a sparrow. I thought, at first, that it was an albino sparrow, but when I saw the pictures, it didn't have pink eyes, which, I think is a common trait of albinos. Perhaps with was a hybrid - kind of the Prius of the bird world. I have inquiries out to those who know more than I do so that I hope I will soon know what this bird is. It was white almost a pure white.

Early on our walk I saw some very small mushrooms growing in the grass. There were not true white, but a grayish white with some areas whiter than others. The pattern of the mushroom, with its ridges, is intriguing.

Later I saw a group of turtles sunning themselves on a large tree in the middle of the river. What caught my eye there was not the white shining turtle in the morning sun, but the yellow turtle. I'm not sure if the turtle was yellow because of the sun shining on it a certain way, if the turtle was yellow because of some natural coloration in its shell, or if the turtle just forgot to brush this morning. The white turtle had a grayish white and was eye-catching, but the yellow turtle was truly unique.

Finally, I see the white and purple flowers everyday while walking on the Riverwalk. However, it was this morning that I observed the purple and white merging to form a purplish white, another shade (or tone?) of white.

And, finally, I saw a white goose feather in the sand. The geese look show shiny white along the river, but this feather had been soiled with dirt. Though it retained its form as a feather, it had lost what seemed to be the pure white of the geese.

A white sparrow, groovie mushrooms, a yellow turtle, and a lone feather in the sand. All were white, but each had what seemed to be its own shade (or tone?).

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

Kids and Boulders, Bees and Toads - Bees and Toads

(JULY 13, 2010) Sing Along:

KIDS AND BOULDERS, BEES AND TOADS
(To the tune of the children's song: "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes")

Kids and boulders, bees and toads (bees and toads)
Kids and boulders, bees and toads (bees and toads)
Kids and boulders, boulders bees and toads
Kids and boulders, bees and toads (bees and toads).

That song kept coming into my mind as I started thinking about what I had seen today on the Riverwalk. Some events just inspire a direction of a piece of writing. There were multiple events today on the Riverwalk stood out as I looked back at my photos taken this morning.

KIDS

The sounds of young voices were heard as we approached the bridge going to the train station. Sadie's ears perked up as we noticed a group of no more than ten children (aged, about, 11-12) starting a walk that was being chaporoned by a woman who appeared less than twice the children's age. The lady had them stop as Sadie and I approached an intersection on the trail, and we walked ahead of them. I heard their excited voices as they saw the ducks and geese.

These birds were being fed by a couple dispensing foot for the gluttonous water fowl. The children stayed a distance from the birds and walked on. The lady pointed out some pretty flowers and then they came to the small bridge near the Public Works Department. The stopped, briefly, to look over the railings, but saw nothing and continued on. Approaching the restroom, the adult asked the young girls if they needed to stop - the 4-5 of them unanimously said, "No." The adult said, "Well I guess we don't need to stop," afterwhich came a deeper voice from one of the young men. "I need to go," he said hesitantly. After that Sadie and I were too far ahead to hear anything else from this young, excited group who were enjoying the morning by the river.

BOULDERS

The morning was cooler when we began our walk than when we finished it. I had stopped at the water fountain along the way and given Sadie some fresh water to drink. She seemed to be OK, but she never passes up an opportunity to drink from "nature's abundance" - that is, anything that "puddles" after a rain.

One of her favorite drinking spots along the Riverwalk is out of one of several large boulders that form a barrier between the Riverwalk and the river. As it turns out, there are some concave indentations in the tops of these massive rocks, and Sadie finds the water there - TASTY. Of course, see seems to find the muddy water in a puddle on the gound to be just as tasty.

And, speaking of water - last night I took Sadie to Angler's Park - in the rain. I carried an umbrella and Sadie got wet. She loves running in the rain once she is out there, but later in the evening, it was raining, Sadie wanted to go out, I took her to the porch on a long leash - she saw the rain and did an immediate U-turn. She did go out later after the rain had stopped.

When we returned from Angler's Park, I rubbed Sadie down with a towel (which she loves) and she looked at me with an expression that say: "I wouldn't take a dog out on a day like this."

BEES

I spent much time this morning photographing bees. They were plentiful around the flowers blooming along the Riverwalk, and I found them very interesting.

Some bees flit from one flower to another, spending very little time on individual flowers. Others just curl up inside the flower and seem to be either sleeping or drugged. On several instances two bees headed to the same flower and seemed to bump into each other. More than once I saw a ladybug and a bee sharing a single flower. There seemed to be peaceful coexistence between the two as each did what it did and didn't bother the other.

Sadie will point and jump at insects, but she knows not to tangle with bees. She was never stung, to my knowledge, but each time I see her pointing at one in the grass, I will pull on her leash and say, "NO! You don't want to tangle with that bee, Sadie," and she will back off.

TOADS

Bees are not the only critters Sadie needs to say away from. A couple of days ago I wrote about Sadie putting a frog in her mouth and then regretting it after spitting it out and having her mouth foam for 10-15 minutes.

At Angler's Park this evening, the rain brought out the toads. As we walked the asphalt trail, there were little peepers running in front of us. Sadie is not one to ignore anything moving - especially hopping - so she started lunging at the small toads. The little guys were less than a half inch from tip to tale.

I held the leash tightly so she could get to them. The marsh was singing with frogs on this rainy evening, the path was full of small frogs, and Sadie was frustrated. I'm not sure, but I think she would have regretted swallowing one of those small creatures.

It was a very good day on the Riverwalk.

DUMBER THAN DIRT

(JULY 12, 2010) This morning, since I didn't take my camera to the Riverwalk, I used Sadie's longer leash. It gives her a chance to run a little more and get more exercise than the shorter one that keeps her nearby.

The problem with the longer leash is that she often gets tangled up around a tree or a bush, and I have to untangle her. Over the years, however, she has learned to heed the leash and avoid getting into such messes, and when I make a clicking sound, she will move herself around the tree and avoid getting tangled up. However, there are times when she just doesn't understand that she just needs to back up and untangle herself.

This morning we had just entered the "dark woods," and she was jumping around in the woods, avoiding entanglements. However, we had gone no more than a quarter mile when she had moved around a tree. Her Pekingese doggie friend, Lucky, was coming towards us, and she saw nothing but Lucky and moved towards the dog.

She wasn't getting anywhere because the leash was around the tree, and I was on the other side of the tree. Stubborn minds were at work here. I called for her to come around the tree; she kept pushing forward towards Lucky. This continued for 20-30 seconds, and the leash on her side got shorter and shorter until, with each short lunge, she was banging her head against the tree. This happened twice before I realized what she was doing, so I eased up on the leash, walked around the tree, and we went to meet Lucky.

I thought "dumber than dirt."

Of course, I wasn't referring to Sadie, but to myself. She had outsmarted me and accomplished what she wanted which was for me to save her from the mess she was in.

"DUMBER THAN DIRT."

Last night, around 9:00, I took Sadie outside to do what she needed to do before bedtime. She has a propensity of going forth and sniffing anything in the driveway that may even resemble a small living creature - bug, frog, lizard. Last night she wandered upon a small knot on the driveway that was a very small frog.

She pulled on the leash to sniff it - the frog didn't move. She pointed at it, and I pulled her away, but she lunged forward and, unfortunately, put the frog in her mouth - immediately spitting it out.

Why did she spit it out?

(FLASHBACK) A couple of years ago Sadie saw a frog in the driveway, put it in her mouth, and then spit it out. Immediately, her mouth started foaming like a mad dog.

Being very concerned for her health, I went immediately to the internet and read about frogs and what happens when dogs put them in their mouths. I had feared that she might die from frog poisoning. Well, what I read was that there are no truly poisonous frogs in this area and that when a dog does get a frog in its mouth, the frog releases a distasteful liquid that doesn't kill the animal, but the animal, for about 10-15 minutes, wishes she were dead because of the awful taste left in her mouth.

Last night, this happened again. Sadie started foaming and spitting (as well as a dog can spit). We went immediately in the house, and I gave her a bone to chew on, hoping that the bone would help get rid of the bad taste. After about 15 minutes, sure enough, she was much better.


"DUMBER THAN DIRT."

Yep, it was two years ago that she had tasted a frog, yet she still went for this small frog and got "mad dog" mouth.

DUMBER THAN DIRT. Lessons are not easily learned.

Oh, again, when I say "DUMBER THAN DIRT," I'm not referring to Sadie but to myself. I could have kept her away from the toad, but I didn't. I let her pursue her interest in the small amphibian, and I should have known better.

Twice in two days I have been "DUMBER THAN DIRT" around Sadie. She, on the other hand, is much wiser than I am.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

FOUR CORMORANTS

(JULY 11, 2010) Today on the Riverwalk I started thinking about the cormorants. I didn't see any today because it doesn't seem to be the season for them to be perching in the spot of the river where I regularly see them. But, they will be back.

It was these creepy black water birds that first intrigued me about the fowl on the Dan River. I never knew their name, had never seen them until a few years ago, and now I see them everywhere.

This week on the Chesapeake Bay I saw four birds flying close to the water and realized, after taking a picture, that these are the cormorants that I see on the Dan River.

Last summer, in Sweden, I saw a cormorant on a rock with a sea gull.

Shortly after realizing what these birds were, I talked with a fellow walker on the trail who told me that he had actually gone "fishing with the cormorants" when he was in China. As it turns out, these birds are used in Asian countries for fishing. It is an age old custom for them to dive into the water, with a leash on their leg and a ring around their necks to keep them from swallowing the larger fish, and be reeled in with fish in their throats. The fishermen then push the fish out of the birds' throats and then send them back for more fish. This has been done for centuries, but now, according to my friend, it is done now mostly for tourists since there are now more efficient ways of fishing.

The cormorants are fishing marvels. They swim underwater faster than other waterbirds because their feathers don't have the water proofed down of other water birds. Therefore, when they come up, they perch on a log or in a tree and spread their large wings for drying in the sun. This is when they look like large evil Gothic birds.

In the fall I went to the river several evenings right at about dark and watched these interesting birds as they gathered on the river near a large nearly submerged tree in the middle of the river. A group of perhaps 20 were crowded, each evening, on a submerged tree and another 40 or so would be swimming in the water. These birds swim low in the water with their bodies nearly level to the surface and their serpentine necks standing tall. Right at dark, the birds in the water would take off as a group - running across the water before taking flight. Soon the river would hold all of the birds from the tree and they began their flights.

Once airborne, the birds would circle over head like prehistoric flying creatures and eventually land in the trees across the river where they would perch for the night. As they landed on a tree branch, their bodies arched in a C-shape. There they stayed until dusk when they would fly off to feed and then return that evening to carry out their daily ritual, a little earlier since dark comes a minute or so earlier each day in the fall.

It was a very good day on the Riverwalk, though I didn't see any cormorants this morning.

CHESAPEAKE BAY BIRDS

(JULY 10, 2010) Having returned from a wedding (my daughter, Tiffany's) in Pennsylvania, a time for Elizabeth to remember as we returned to her hometown in northern Virginia, a time for me to remember as we went by the cemetery where my parents are buried in Maryland and then by their home on Cobb Island, Md., and finally to the "Northern Neck" of Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay, I realized that I had bought back over 2500 photos taken along the way. Therefore, during the past two days on the Riverwalk, I have not taken my camera so I can catch up on the numerous pictures taken during the weekend and the first part of this week.

However, I did walk with Sadie yesterday morning and this morning. We had been missed by the regular walkers. Our short walk was lengthened by several stopping and wanting to hear about the wedding. One group of women and a man asked how it felt to have a new son-in-law.

I said, "Well, actually, I have another son-in-law in Chicago. So I have a son-in-law who was raised in Venezuela and is now an American citizen and another son-in-law from Sweden. The only single 'daughter' I have now is Sadie, so I reckon she will marry a German Shepherd." They chuckled and walked on.

The weather was humid this morning after last night's short rain, but the temperatures were bearable at 6:30 this morning. However, as we finished our walk at around 8:00, the temperatures were beginning to rise again.

Even the birds seemed to feel the heat as they were few and quiet. Hence, my pictures of the bay birds above. The pelicans were interesting to watch as they just crashed into the water as their way of landing. The osprey, on its nest, was interesting to watch and the closest I have been to one nesting. There are two osprey nests that can be viewed on the Riverwalk, but the distance and height make it nearly impossible to see them up close. The sandpiper, with its bright orange bill, was playing in a marshy area on Tangier Island. I did see an egret and some cormorants, so I felt that I was home.

Interesting birds, and it is sometimes good to get away from the birds on the Riverwalk; but it is always good to get back, too.

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.