What a Difference a Week Makes

I think I missed my calling.

I want to be a nature photographer.

Of course, I only want to use a point and shoot camera to do it.

Taking pictures of grapes growing on a grape arbor is a wonderful way to spend a sunny morning.

The red shovel handle makes the picture.

Bugs on a fuzzy leaf seem to pose for me.

I could DO this.

Well, I DID do this.

The birds did not cooperate.

Chickadees and Goldfinches in abundance, but although they posed, they remained just out of my reach.

Well. With the exception of an EXTREMELY large hawk of some kind that flew over the fence, buzzed passed Jonge and Famke and then flew straight at me I could HEAR THE FLAPPING OF ITS WINGS AND SEE IT'S TALONS. The underside of it was either a very light gray or white. So was the tail.


The backyard was FULL of bugs.

These two darling children are watching a grasshopper.

Or, maybe a cricket.

Hmmm. Might have been a moth.

They chased butterflies and damsel flies, while flies chased me.

A friendly family of toads lives back there, too.

Last night there were two raccoons.

Sometimes there are bunnies.

There used to be deer, but the fence seems to have deterred them.



This picture did not end well.

Quite possibly you could tell that by the precarious positions of the two young children.

There was a little bit of blood (Famke) and a sore neck and head (Jonge) and a distraught Beppe (ME!).

But after hugs and kisses and removal of a considerable amount of grass and dirt everyone was fine after about five minutes.

Except for me. I was just a hair too late to stop them from toppling over. Maybe in a week I shall be able to look at this picture without wondering what I was thinking, letting a two year old stand on a picnic table.