Blue Gray Gnat Catcher

I was looking through some photos that I had taken last summer and came across a bird that I did not have in my bird photo album.

When I took the picture I thought that it was a wren of some kind and did not give it much thought. When I got home I dumped it into my computer and there it stayed.

The other day I came across this little bird and realized it was something new. So here it is, a Blue Gray Gnat Catcher. This little bird was photographed not far from the Mississippi River in Western Wisconsin.

The Dad I Never Knew

There are and have been parts of our parents lives that we know little or nothing about. Regardless of how many times or how far that they walked to get to school..."it was uphill on the way to school and on the way home."

We never heard much of the wild times that our mothers and fathers acted up and behaved badly. It would only have encouraged us to feel that our bad behavior was acceptable...not that I ever misbehaved.

I did not know until a few years ago that my dad was a tribal dancer. He just never talked about it so I never imagined that anything like this could possibly be. But there he is looking just like a little me. We used to hunt on tribal land and visit tribal people and I never knew he or I were Native Americans...now you know.

Dad stands on the far left next to his sister. This photo was taken sometime in the 1930s in northern Wisconsin. Dad went to an Indian school as a young boy.

It Was the Longest of Days...It Was the Shortest

Summers longest day

Here I am fishing on the big water of Lake Michigan. It was the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. We have recently had the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.

The days are getting longer and even though it is only January I am thrilled to be here right smack in the middle of winter.

One of Winters shortest days

Its Wednesday

I think the picture says it all...I got this from the internet somewhere. I thought it was pretty funny.

May all of your choices be good ones.

Have a good luck day.

Amen.

Lady Slippers in My Back Yard

Well I am so glad that the New Year holiday is done. Our Christmas tree is down and the bulbs all put away. I know, I am a Grinch. This fall we did manage to cut down a number of trees and get the branches burned. I found this picture of a little plant that grows in the shadows of some Jack Pine trees and tall grass and weeds. It is actually a dainty little thing that manages to come up every year but does not stay long.

It is actually a wild native Orchid...

Check it out: Lady Slippers  

This summer if you find your self around water check the trees and sign posts for this guy; a belted kingfisher. Kingfishers can be quite nervous if you get too close and will fly off without hesitation or warning. If you look close what might appear to be the white of his eye is actually a marking; you can see plainly the difference in this photo.

Check out some facts: Belted Kingfisher

You are a Crab

I was a visitor to the beach front property of this little fella and it was obvious that in spite of all of the arrangements made to get to his estate I was still not welcome. I placed my camera as close to the sand as I could and he got a little aggressive and began to charge at me. I could only assume that he did not want me around, at which point I stated the obvious, "What a Crab".