A Breath Of Spring

Today was just wonderful.  We left the apartment for several hours today.  We headed for first for a brunch at Monument Cafe.  The beautiful plate of fresh, hot biscuits and butter was delivered before the coffee.  Hubby ordered chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy.  No one bit of healthy food.  I on the other side did not do one bit better.  Fried egg, ham, sourdough bread, peach preserves and those wonderful, creamy grits.  This was followed up with one luscious piece of coconut cream pie divided between us old people.

I am still in the boot so the next part of the trip was just that, a car trip.  I wanted to do some birding, smell some fresh air and have an open view of the horizon.  The ride did not disappoint.  The weather was beautiful with just enough clouds for interest.  Fields were being tilled and prepared for spring planting.  The winter wheat was an emerald green and about 10 inches high.  The wheat was waving in the breeze as if celebrating its freedom from the earth.

We knew the general direction we wanted to go but not how to get to the lake.  After much ado with cellphones and a GPS that chose not to know where the lake was we finally laid a route.  Each turn took us on a more narrow road than the last.  The more narrow the road the less pavement, too.  Finally we were on a tree lined gravel road.  With a hybrid car the main sounds were birds, the crunch of gravel and the breeze.  One field had cattle and birds grazing together.  The calves appeared to be about half grown.  The mamas were telling the bigger ones that dinner time with mom was done.

The trees were beginning to swell with leaf buds.  Some redbuds were in bloom as well as wildflowers.  The birds were plentiful.  Mockingbirds, grackles, kestrels, red-tailed hawks, black vultures and many I could not identify.  With the breeze a lot of the shots were not particularly clear. I seemed to not care.  It was just good to get out in nature even if I could not walk around a lot.  Too soon we reached the end of the road.  Time to turn around and head back to the busy roads.  To reality.

As we drove closer to home we took time to stop by the retention pond across from the apartment.  Ducks were paddling around in the water.  Time for a few more photos.  Again not as crisp as I would like.  I think it is my hands not being as stable as a few years ago.  Or maybe the camera sliding across a parking garage during a fall a while back may have jostled something.  A trip for another day may be in the offing for a visit to the camera shop.  It will not be as pleasant as this day in the country but we will make the best of it.

Man, did we need this day!  Thanks for stopping in to check on us.

Peace,
Janice