Morning at the Lake House

The sun is just coming up when I leave the lovely Lake House

 where everyone else is still sleeping.

 I can't resist the call of the lake at the end of the street.

 I want to put my feet in the cool water and have waves wash against my ankles.

 It's a lovely morning to walk along the beach.

The "Blue Moon" from last night's beach walk is still in the morning sky.

After I admire the various shells, feathers, driftwood and stones that the waves splash against, I look up

and there is someone who has come to tell me that  everyone else is now awake 

and it is time for the activities of the day to begin!

Roaming in Wyoming

Oh we've been places...

travelling


by plane

and by car

across the prairies

into the high plains

and mountains

to spend some time with Dr. Hausfrau and family

in their native habitat.

We went exploring

the very old stuff

the more recent old stuff

and the just plain beautiful stuff.

Mountains and water and rocks and sky.

Endlessly changing, something new in every direction we looked.

Pictures are wonderful reminders

of some great excursions.

Everywhere we went, the environment was different and new.

We filled our eyes with views of broad vistas

and the closer views of plants new-to-us.

It seems as if I was constantly taking pictures

and there was constantly something worth another picture.

No wonder my father and grandfather talked about their trip out here

 for 70 years or so afterwards.

It's hard to pick a favorite scene - is it water?

Or rock?

Maybe a kid?

Maybe a moose?

Maybe the lingering light from sunset as we waited for the stars to come out?

Oh, my favorite scenes may be the ones

I didn't get pictures of...

Wetland Walking

A visit to the Bloomingtonauts invariably involves interesting walks.

 There is a near-by park

 where our knowledgeable guide

 introduces us to the disappearing Lake Jackson.

There are birds and frogs and turtles and alligators 

and the morning is full of songs and calls.

 Another morning we walk through a swamp

 where trees grow straight out of the water

 and from our elevated walkway we can spot sleeping bears...

and panthers and wolves and foxes,

 and even more exotic characters.

 When it rains, we find a wet walk inside

at the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory.

Here one can plunge a hand into a tank and touch weird life forms

although some are marked "Do Not Touch".

 The Bloomingtonauts have given us a view of a fantastically

different ecosystem from our Indiana home.

Somehow the spring turtles in the water retention pond at the retirement home 

aren't quite as exciting as they used to be.

Urban Waters

A river excursion - what a great idea! A new river to me - the Cumberland. A river I know nothing about.

So I am expecting some wildlife, bird watching, sitting out on the decks enjoying nature...

I am not expecting a sit-down meal in a huge inside dining room.

The shore slipped by outside the windows as we chatted and joked and ate.

When the very loud, kinda hokey country music show tuned up their electric guitars, I left for the quieter decks.

And discovered the skyline of Nashville off the bow.

The "wild life" we cruised by was the Hard Rock Cafe sort.

The river was narrow,

crossed and criss-crossed by all sorts of bridges.

 

I was fascinated by the structures we steamed under,

and by the hypnotic motion and sound of the bright red paddlewheel.

An unexpected pleasure - but not the only unexpected waterway on this trip.

Later in the day we visited the Opryland Hotel.

"Who wants a tour of the hotel?" asked our host.  

I thought "Tour a hotel? How interesting can that be?"  

Ha!  Shows how little I knew.

 There was another river

 and more bridges,

and a two story waterfall--

all INDOORS in giant glassed-in conservatories.

Another incredible and totally unexpected pleasure!