Spring and babies! These little falcons are so wide-eyed.
Who doesn’t love it when spring arrives, bringing all manner of new little babies in the world. And I didn’t know how cute falcons could be!
These little guys were hatched in a window cell of an attic way at the top of a huge hill not far from Mardin, Turkey. We weren’t out looking for falcons or their offspring, we were there for the architecture, markets, and Turkish hospitality, but hey, what a bonus!
They are probably at their fuzziest, cutest stage of development. We didn’t bother them for [...]
Continue reading Reflection #554 – Falcon Babies
Welcoming the storks back from winter.
In the last few years, I’ve really looked forward to the arrival of the storks. Somehow they know the weather better than us, and they bring with them fresh green leaves on the trees, tulips and daffodils, and other spring colors.
When we were traveling in Israel, we were able to witness them migrating. One day there was a sand and wind storm coming in from northern Africa, and although it made for a pretty miserable day for humans, the tired birds were elated.
We looked into the sky to see [...]
Continue reading Storks and Spring are Finally Here
Yes, I know! I keep telling you this, but I just love it! I love living in the city of pigs! I do. I do.
Just recently I went on a tour of my town. After living here for about seven months, I figured it was about time I learned something about my little city.
The opening bit was about how Schweinfurt got its name. You see, Schweinfurt is on a river, the Main River, and literally, “schwein” means “pig,” and “furt” means “ford,” like to ford the river.
Apparently the Main River used to be much higher [...]
Continue reading Reflection #539 – Our Schweinfurt Pig, Germany
Traveling around Australia, I loved the wildlife the most. Lorikeets are everywhere, and they seem to be a rather friendly bird. They don’t fly away unless you get just a little too close. They’re gorgeous, too. Just look at those colors!
Everyone goes to see wallabies and kangaroos…for a good reason! But, the bird life is also fantastic. I just loved it. We took this photo the very first day that we landed in Melbourne. You can’t beat that!
What are some of your favorite animals or birds in Australia?
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Continue reading Reflection #536 – Lorikeet, Australia
One of the most iconic yet least visited National Parks in the U.S.A….Katmai!
I can be a bit of a cheapskate! I know, it’s hard to believe, but it’s true!
Well then, why, you might ask, why would you visit Katmai National Park? The reason there are so few visitors to this remote beauty is the fact that being so far off the beaten path is….yep! Expensive!
Getting to Katmai, though, really is half the fun!
First off you need to get yourself to Anchorage, Alaska. Then you must fly a pretty big plane to King Salmon, [...]
Continue reading Katmai National Park – A Visit to Remember
Driving through some of the countries in southern Africa, we came upon so many wonderful sights. We pulled over to watch this handsome gent courting a pretty damsel. I’m not so sure she was as interested in him as he was in her, but there were no other ostriches around so maybe they had already left the flock for some alone time. It is Friday night after all!
We saw plenty of ostriches during our travels, but they use those fast legs to their advantage. We saw lots of running flocks, but not so many that just hung around [...]
Continue reading Reflection #519 – Ostriches
Plenty to do and see on Kreuzberg (Rhön), not to mention some damn good beer!
With winter almost over, Jim and I decided to go with a few friends to enjoy the last of it. Driving to the well-known Bayerische Rhön Nature Park we were excited to enjoy a gorgeous day out and try the world-famous beer we’d heard so much about since we arrived in August.
These views greeted us on the sunny, yet cold, Sunday morning as we parked the car and climbed to the monastery to start our exploration of the area.
The first stop was the [...]
Continue reading Kreuzberg (Rhön) – The Mountain and the Monastery
The birds in Namibia, and all of southern Africa for that matter, are stunning beautiful creatures.
The wildlife in Namibia, all of southern Africa, is amazing. Going on safari, I was ready for the elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, rhinos, and other large animals, but I really didn’t give much attention to what the bird life would be like. Stunning! Birds are just beautiful creatures and not only did we see our share of these tiny bee-eaters, but we saw kingfishers, penguins, and birds I have no idea what they are called. They are all gorgeous!
Have you been on safari? [...]
Continue reading Reflection #514 – Bee Eater from Namibia
From tree to end product, this photo essay is all about those delicious olives!
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Tunisia olives are world reknown, and surprisingly, it is one of the world’s leaders in olive production. Traveling around the countryside, especially during the olive harvest, you can witness the entire production from tree to market or even to the table.
From Bizerta to Ichkeul, and from Carthage to El Kef, the roads drive straight through olive orchard [...]
Continue reading Tunisia Olives from Tree to Table – A Photo Essay
Chickens are a big part of the landscape in Turkey, and this one was just relaxing under the house in a plastic bag.
I love chickens! Love them. And I think I have Turkey to thank for that. There are not many villages, or even cities, that you can go to that don’t have lots of chickens. Free range chickens, no less. Well, okay. Free range just means they don’t really worry about the chickens. They let them roam all over the yard or the main square. They get to eat whatever they can find, seeds, bread, and many [...]
Continue reading Reflection #511 – Chicken in a Bag
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