Crane Your Neck....

This is a very belated post - this is actually from my vacation from some time ago, but I wasn't very good at keeping up the blog there for a bit - too much other stuff to keep up with!  But I still wanted to share it with you because I think it's awesome!  So, why would any sane (oh, wait -- scratch the sane part -- I forgot we were describing my behavior!), exhausted person go on vacation and get up at 4:30 in the morning?  Voluntarily.  Enthusiastically, even, if somewhat blearily.  Here's why: 

A person gets to see the most amazing and wonderful things getting out into the woods early in the morning.  Little warblers waking up and flitting through the brush, sleepy bears rambling around, and the occasional sandhill crane... 

I still haven't gotten to see them do their dance, but I did get to hear them making a huge racket a clearing or two away.  They're amazingly loud.  One of these days, I hope I'll have a chance to see the whole performance, but this was cool enough for me.  :)

Seriously- it's worth getting up unreasonably early in the morning to see something like this.

Don't you think?  And of course, if you've been quick enough on the draw, you may have found something else awesome.  Just sayin'...  :)

Blackberry Bliss

This morning, while I was cooling down from my exercise routine, I looked out the back window to see a box turtle headed toward the ground-level water dish at what, for a turtle, qualified as a dead run.  I knew that the sides of the dish would make it tough for a turtle - that one is primarily for deer and turkeys to come and get a drink, but other critters like it, too.  So, I grabbed a shallow dish filled with water and a couple blackberries and went down to greet my guest.  Usually, the turtles will retreat into their shells until I back away but this one apparently smelled the blackberries and marched right up to me and took one out of my hand.  Thirsty *and* hungry. 

Don't you just love the expression of blackberry bliss?  Munching with eyes closed and complete absorption.  This first one one ate four blackberries without flinching before wandering off to do other turtle things.  But when I looked up, I saw another, smaller turtle heading our way, so I offered it blackberries for breakfast, too.  It was more shy and did the shell retreat dance before tucking in to a juicy repast. 

When I gave turtle number two a third blackberry, it decided to just take the berry and carry it off somewhere to enjoy in peace and privacy.  And that's my story for the day..... 

 

The End.....  :)