Harebrained April Foolishness

Here's the reminder from yesterday's puzzle: 

And here's a slightly different point of view:

You see it, don't you?

I promised a solution to yesterday's puzzle, and I didn't even pull an April Fool's trick on you (just a bad pun in the title).

This cottontail stayed right in that spot all afternoon, tucked in among the grape vines.  It had hollowed out a small, rabbit-sized crater in the snow and I began to wonder if it might be giving birth to baby bunnies, since it stayed put for so long.

I put out treats for the bunnies every night, apple parts, carrot pieces, turnips -  whatever I have from kitchen activities - along with a few jar lids filled with rabbit pellets from the feed store. There are a couple of nibblers that come by almost every night and clean up the offerings, leaving rabbit footprints in their wake. I check each morning to see if they've come for their snacks and I always seem to get a goofy grin when they've been there. 

Yes, I'm a fool - April or otherwise. And yes, they're still murderous on the tea roses....

Further Friday Fun

You all seemed to have fun with the last Friday puzzler. So, here's another picture from my back yard.

 

Find anything interesting about this one?

I'll post the big (or little) reveal tomorrow. It's sort of a fun story. :)

Goose Lake

Pyatt Lake had a snowy blanket over the ice last time I walked the loop there, setting the stage for an excellent show.

As I walked out onto the overlook platform, a gaggle of geese was stepping out onto the ice and wandering across the lake. 

They may not have been graceful enough to inspire a ballet, but they were entertaining as they made their way across the frozen expanse.

I'm not sure who was in charge of the choreography or what they thought they might find out on the ice, but they were a determined troop.

Occasional preening came close to arabesque form, but still not quite up to ballerina standards.

There was some pretty extensive toe work, though, so there's still potential. 

I think we might need more kazoos in the orchestra for the proper musical counterpoint to goose song. 

Avian Arrival

One of my favorite things about early spring is seeing who  is flying back into my neighborhood.

 

This tree sparrow showed up a couple days ago and perched in a lilac bush near where the other birds were coming and going to and from the feeders. 

 

It must have been tired, because it stayed there for a long time. (Isn't that the cutest face? And the toes!)

 

It was all fluffed up like a little feather ball, trying to stay warm. 

I hope it decides to nest nearby. I love seeing these cuties!

 

Spectacular Sunrise

On a chilly morning, not so long ago, (Pi Day, to be exact) I picked up a friend and went to watch the sun rise on the opposite side of the peninsula. I usually wander around on the western shore, but after I shared the pictures of the moon setting, my friend thought it might be fun to go watch the sun come up.

It was a very cold morning for March. The weather app on my phone said it was 11 degrees, so layers were the order of the day!

The color was pretty dramatic, lighting up both the sky and the bay.

The sun painted the undersides of the clouds with brilliant reds and golds.

It was well worth getting up extra early to get there in time.

Ducks were paddling around in the shallows and seagulls swooped around overhead (there's one in the upper right part of this picture).

It was a beautiful way to start the day. And, of course, we met my sister at my house and all had quiche to celebrate Pi Day! (And the next day, too, since everybody got to take some Pi home with them.)

A Small Saturday Solution

 Here's the reminder of yesterday's puzzle picture.

If you look carefully, just below the center of the picture and a bit to the left, you can see a little head peeking up above the edge of a very large nest.

I had seen both parents and babies in the nest a few years ago while Baloo and I were out walking, but I had not seen any nesting activity since then, so I was very excited to see some brooding going on. As I watched, the other parent flew in to check on things - and probably on me, too. I don't know which is mom and which is dad, since they take turns caring for the eggs and hunting, but the female usually does more of the egg-sitting, from what I've read.

Then, as I walked on my way, the one that came in to guard its mate flew off again - probably in pursuit of something good to eat. It was quite a treat to see them. When the leaves come out, they'll be pretty thoroughly hidden, so I am grateful I got to see them while waiting for spring to burst forth in all its glory.

It's amazing how big an eagle's nest is. My sister likens it to seeing a Volkswagen van in a tree.

 

 

A Little Friday Puzzle

Yesterday morning, I went for a walk along a path I had not taken since I lost my sweet trail buddy, Baloo. He would have enjoyed the ramble. I went specifically to see if I could find something special along the way.

I was very amply rewarded for my efforts. Can you see it? It was pretty much exactly what I had hoped to see.

I will leave this until tomorrow, so you can see if you find anything to be delighted about along with me. :)

O, I C

On calm early spring nights, when the temperature is below freezing, a thin sheet of ice will form along the shoreline.

If you catch the timing just right, you can hear the breaking ice tinkling musically as it piles up along the waterline as the sun rises in the sky.

The ice shards look like slivers of window pane.

Places where there was deeper freezing look like pieces of milky bottle glass, with a slightly cloudy white opaqueness to them

There's a lacy quality to the ice, when the light catches it just right.

When that happens, you can really see the paper thin layers of ice stacked by the gentle waves.

It's another beautiful, ephemeral thing that only lasts until the temperature rises or the waves finally sweep in far enough to wash it all away again.

 

Frozen Feet

Damp sand and snow do a wonderful job capturing impressions of passersby.

Small ducks and

 

Seagulls.

Big dogs, as well as

Big and little deer.

Crows,

And more crows.

Comings and goings to and from the water.

Meetings along the bunny trail.

Perfect, though ephemeral, impressions frozen for a little while to mark the passing of neighborhood inhabitants. 

It's always a treat to see who has been out and about.

Now You See It....

 This nice spruce tree lives in my back yard, outside my kitchen windows.

 Do you see anything interesting here? 

How about now? This little sweetie likes to sneak in and eat the corn and scratch that I toss under the tree for the birds. 

It's also really hard on my yew bushes. It actually climbed up on my deck so it could give one of them a serious trim. I had hoof prints all over the deck.

Happy Pi Day!

I baked this last night so that it would be available this morning for a small Pi Day breakfast party.
 

 It's an avocado and shrimp quiche. 

I have a fabulous little book of quiche and pie recipes that I have had since I was in college. It has several crust options, several custard options and a whole bunch of ideas for fillings. It's a source of endless inspiration for experimentation. 

I hope you have fun eating something round and wonderful today!!

 

More Morning Mooning

Before the moon waned too much, I took another very early morning walk.

The water was incredibly calm again and the necklace of lights around the bay reflected in the water. (I think enlarging that picture might be more interesting...)

The moon lit up the sky above the lights of town.

 Geese clustered, treading water just off shore.

I was walking north, while taking pictures in the increasing light and enjoying the different perspectives on the shoreline as I went.

 

The moon faded out, but the sun gave its own beautiful light show in the east. 

 

As I reached the northernmost point of my walk and turned toward home, a sharp-shinned hawk flew in and perched on the tip of a branch to watch for unwary mice or other small creatures to try and catch for its morning twilight breakfast. 

Another Shot at the Moon

I woke up early on Wednesday morning and decided to see if the morning might be putting on another beautiful show.

It was.
 

The moon was still magnificent and there were other delightful sights as the day began. 

Geese were snoozing in the early morning light. 

 One woke up, but the other just kept sleeping and drifting. 

The glass calm surface of the water mirrored the colors of the sky and the distant shore, as it reflected the face of the moon.

A seagull flew past as I was taking pictures of the broader landscape.

It circled back around several times, calling as it went. It almost seemed as if it wanted to give me a chance at a halfway decent photo. Distance and low light make it only halfway decent, but I liked the silhouette against the sky.

Glancing away from the moon and to the north, I noticed a cloud bank to the east that was kind enough to keep the sun from brightening the sky too quickly. It was nice to have the extra time to enjoy the early morning light.

Soft quacking (and then a speck in the sky) alerted me to a mallard that was flying in from the southwest. It just kept chattering to itself as it came in to join its mate. 

I tried to taking pictures of  the splash down, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera.  I did get a nice one of the pair swimming off into the moonset, though.

One day made even more of a difference than I thought it would in how well the moon could be seen at its setting. It went down several minutes later and the sun rose a few minutes earlier, turning the moon into a pale, ghostly light that was enveloped by some developing clouds. It wasn't as dramatic as the previous morning's display, but beautiful in its own way.  

Getting up and out before sunrise on these crisp mornings has been very enjoyable. I think I might have to continue taking daybreak rambles.