These Are a Few of My Favorite Things~

These are a few of my favorite posts from this past year~ 

I wanted to share them in one full swoop and loaded them all in neat and tidy.  
When I sat down and began to write, I saw that the entirety of the first half of images loaded up, was no long here.  
Thus said, I shall go from the middle of the year forward and then tag in those missing the last of the month.
It has been a long and difficult two weeks for this family, but I can say that Brittany's health has begun to take a turn for the better this past 24 hours.  
She had to have another surgical procedure done Friday afternoon, and that seems to have brought her fever down to normal for the first time in 2 weeks of hospital stay.  
We are hoping that she can return home mid-week, to her sweet family and us.  
Thank you so very much for the kind comments over the past 2 weeks.
Your words have really be so very much appreciated, and brought much encouragement. 

I am linking up with Mary for:

"Mosaic Monday"

at:http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com

and

I am linking up with Stewart at:

Wild Bird Wednesday

(http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/)
  How does one choose their favorite images out of the thousands shared in a year...
For me this season, I decided to share some of my "just because" favorites along with some that had special meaning, that many followers of this blog may remember when they were first shared.

The selection above was my entry for the Derby season and below a pair of Mute Swans.  Later, one would be taken by a Coyote.
 I like taking photographs and holding on to those sweet moments when everything seemed perfect~

Remembering the 3 little Screech Owls,
 that my twin sister found in tree by her front stoop~

I always enjoy seeing the many dragonflies during the warmer seasons~

Missing our spring posies, but somewhere in the world, others are being able to enjoy their season with these beauties~

Oh and this darling little fawn, who spent the entire day with me back in late August.  Whenever I see a young deer near our acreage...I have to wonder;')~

For as long as I can remember, I had wanted to photograph a Zebra Swallowtail and late in the summer, I finally had my chance, taken at Foxhollow Farm~

Fresh Peaches, oh yum!

My great surprise toward mid-summer, was in learning that we have our very own natural Italian Honey Bee Colony on our 2 acres.  
As far as I know, it is doing fine~

Then there was my neat find one day, while photographing and I spied this Green Heron hunting from the center of this tree, overlooking the water's edge~

I adore Sphinx Moths, and seek them out all summer~

Last, but not least, was this late Monarch Butterfly...still fresh in my memory, of this past season in nature~

Guarding Dinner~

For many years my husband and I would drive over to the Pennyrile State Resort Park for hiking, nature watching and just plain relaxing. It was a beautiful place to visit on weekends, or for longer stays. I remember one of the things that always struck me about the wildness of this place, was the dense forest that welcomed you as soon as you drove into the entrance. Even during the daylight hours those beautiful trees, so thick made it seem like night time.

We have not been able to visit the area for the past some twenty years and this past weekend decided to drive down and stay at their lodge and then visit the near by Land Between the Lakes area to observe the some 200 to 400 Bald Eagles, which most of you may already know by now, we saw none, notta, zip, zero.

Much to our surprise was how much of the wooded areas on the outskirts to the park had changed, actually they were gone entirely. Once we arrived to the park entrance, we were just sick. There were hardly any trees, just thousands of acres of devastation and loss.  I went inside to register, and my first question was, "what on earth has happened to the trees." Two years ago this past October when Hurricane Ike ravished the Gulf Coast, those hurricane force winds actually reached beyond the shoreline and the park was hard hit. Like adding insult to injury, two years ago this past January 25, we had the massive ice storm and what Ike had not taken down, the ice storm had.

I am sharing a few images of the resort area as well as a red morph Screech Owl, which happens to only show up in the Eastern Screech Owl colourations. The little one was in the middle of the road as we came back after dinner. A Grackle had been hit and the owl was having a meal of it, as we approached. We turned the car around so that we could get a better view and also that I might try and get a few captures. The little one never stirred and that would have been very problematic had it been someone out to do it harm, for it stayed right on the road kill and would have so very easily been hit. Both times that we drove by, it never budged~

*Note...Upon turning the car around once again to head back to our room, I had the husby stop once again.  I approached the owl and it flew up into a tree above the road kill.  I took the dead Grackle and tossed it up on the bank underneath the tree.  I would feel better knowing that the little one would not be dining in the middle of the street and possibly get hit~