Long Hollow

"For Sale", the new sign says, and oh my gosh, why haven't I finished my book and become a millionaire yet so I could buy this property?

It's posted in front of 'the park', one of our favorite walk destinations, and, yes, I did snap a photo of the sign for some strange reason, but no, it isn't my Friday Favorite Photo because it makes me sad … the puppies love playing in the park! There's not another spot like it along the creek where we walk. How will we explain this to them, that it's suddenly off-limits?

I hope the new owners like dogs.

Not that I blame the current owners for selling the property – they never come out here anymore. They didn't intend to build a home here, just use it for camping. We can only hope the new owners continue that tradition, although lately the trend seems to be buying and actually building.

I guess we started that trend, didn't we?

Anyway, knowing it might be off-limits to us in the future, the puppies and I passed by the sign and headed to the park this morning, and then went exploring a little beyond it along the creek, now dry. 

And that's where I came across these first two little guys who posed so sweetly for me, albeit a tad far away, and in the cardinal's case, caged by bare branches. But at least they didn't fly away at first sight of the camera like they usually do.

To the best of my Google-searched knowledge, this is a Cedar Waxwing, cropped in close. Not a great photo, but I love that there's so much diversity out here! We had swung back by our pond, hoping to sneak up on that dang heron again.

He wasn't there, but there were plenty of other birds darting from willow to willow and I just snapped these for fun and practice. From where I stood, yards and yards away, I couldn't see the yellow bellies or the crests… what a wonderful surprise when I loaded them onto the computer and got a closer look!

…and I had no idea this bird was blue when I took his picture from the road yesterday morning…

Surprises and beauty I don't recognize without my camera  … what I love about photography! 

The wildflowers are off on vacation, but at least I'm finding a bit of color when I look up. Even if I can't see it right away, now I know it's there!

If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come.
~Chinese Proverb