184: Odds and ends
Posted: March 26, 2011 Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Adventures in Life, Critters, Emma, home, Local Tourists, nature, Photography, pond, Spring, Walking, water, weather | Tags: beach, birds, Cleveland, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Florida, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, postaday2011, swallows 30 Comments
(Finch at the Cleveland Botanical Garden)
After a trip or a visit to a local attraction, I’m usually left with photos that just didn’t seem to fit into a post. I think of them as odds and ends. So, every now and then, I do an odds and ends post about nothing in particular.
(Chowing down.)
The problem, however, with a post about nothing in particular is that I have to come up with ways to insert some text in between the photos. Well, okay. I don’t have to. But I like to. To break things up a little.
I’m not sure what type of finches they have at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. They have quite a few of them in the Rainforest of Costa Rica glasshouse. They are cheerful little birds, willing to pose for a minute or two.
(A plant in the Spiny Desert of Madagascar glasshouse. Cleveland Botanical Garden.)
It’s another cold day here in the Bogs. The high today is supposed to be somewhere around 29. It’s hard to believe that we’re near the end of March and it’s still this cold. It’s also sunny and clear, something I’m trying to be grateful for.
A look at the 10-day forecast shows there is no warm-up in our near future. Spring has been put on hold. Or on ice.
I guess we’ll have to find other ways to keep warm.
Today's view of the pond
The swallows are back. When I was out on my walk this afternoon they were swooping and swirling over the pond. It looks like a flying dance to me. I stood for a while and watched. Every now and then one of them would swoop close to me, as if checking me out. I suspect I am not nearly as entertaining to them as they are to me.
A terrible photo of one of the swallows
I tried to photograph them but they are so fast that it is nearly impossible. I used to think the same of dragonflies until I learned they have flight patterns. Perhaps the same is true for the swallows. I’ll have to take the time to sit out there one day and watch. It was too cold for that today.
Ice formation in one of the boggy spots at the back of the pond
Remember way back to November when I posted the first signs of ice here in the Bogs? I couldn’t remember when it was, either, so I looked. Here it is, the bones of winter post. It seems like it was a long time ago.
Blowin' in the wind
I guess that’s about it from the Bogs for today. I’ll leave you with a couple of warmer scenes to help those of us still dealing with the cold.
Walk through the door...
... and out on to the beach.
Life in the Bogs 
What kind of flower is that white one (prickly)? Fascinating.
I’m not sure what kind of flower it is, SWK. I need to start taking photos of the little identification signs near the plants and flowers. I often forget to do that.
Here in Houston it has not rained for what seems like months, but it is warm. I hope you find warmth in your boggy area soon. Thank you for the photos; they are always nice.
Thank you, K. From what I’ve heard, we won’t be warming up for at least a week or more. But we have been blessed with sunshine and beautiful blue skies so I’m going to try not to whinge so much about it anymore. 🙂
“walk through the door”
wow, what an invitation that image is
all sunshine and sandy beach awaiting on the other side
leaving the cold slushy remains of winter behind
If only I could, Kel… 🙂
(But I did. So I shouldn’t complain.)
That red/green bird wearing the polka-dot “apron” is spectacular! What a beauty.
I can’t wait til I can walk out the door of my cottage rental on the beach… seems forever away.
Thanks, Karma. 🙂
The beach is such a wonderful place. Before you know it, summer will be here and you’ll be walking along the shore again. 😀
Love your “Blowin’ in the wind” shot!!
Thank you, Kevin. 🙂
The last two shots are fun :). I love the ice shot, Robin, it looks magical with the grass sprouting from underneath their frosty blanket.
I got some blurry shots of birds today, too. I’ll try some tricks in Photoshop, maybe I can get something good out of them!
Thanks, SunsetSeaSoul. 🙂
Hope you were able to salvage your bird shots.
It’s British Summer Time here, Robin, we set our clocks forward an hour…(do you have any of this messing with time?) … and it’s quite unsettling. It also tends to send the sun off behind clouds and so it goes colder. That’s British weather for you.
Summer, summer? **whistle** here boy!! 😉
Lovely lovely bird photo’s, and what fantastic colours, so bright, and the walk through the door onto the sunny sands?
YES PLEASE !! xPenx
We do mess around with the time here, Pen, and I’ve never understood why. Well, I know the why’s but they don’t make sense to me. We used to change our clocks (spring forward, fall back) around the same time you do. A few years ago those in charge of such things decided to extend the summer hours so we set our clocks forward a few weeks ago (and will set them back a few weeks later than you do).
Wouldn’t it be great if we could really whistle up some warmer weather?
I like your odds and ends, especially the birds and the ice forming. I love that icey look, as I come from the SOuth Island of New Zealand where it was very common.
Thank you, Team Oyeniyi. And thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. 🙂
Wow, those last 2 photos are fabulous, Robin! What a wonderful invitation. It’s been cold here in Kentucky also! Stay warm!
Thank you, Kathy. 🙂
The Chowing down is fabulous, and I haven’t seen a bird like that. I really like the plant in the Spiny Desert shot with the sharp white needles and green leaves!
Thanks, Anna. 🙂
I like that plant too. I should find out what it is…
Some nice odds and ends 🙂 I like the bird with the polkadot apron, too, and the yellow/orange flowers (a type of orchid???)
It’s pretty chilly here, too, and it doesn’t look like we’ll make it out of the 50’s today. Even had to turn off the a/c and turn the heat back on!
I’m not sure if that’s a type of orchid or not, Michaela. I did not do a very good job of writing down or photographing the plant IDs.
Had to turn OFF the a/c??? lol! I’m looking forward to the day we can turn off the heat. 😀
The finch is a little cutie, Robin. 🙂
I have been wondering if the trees along the back of the pond are showing signs of new life yet? Are any of your tree photos taken in that area? Sometimes I think a map showing the main features of your posts would come in handy, just to get our bearings on where eveything is located! Lol.
What a great idea, Joanne! I’ll work on that — a map and maybe a walking tour. Taken out of context, I can see how it would get confusing.
To answer your question, the trees at the back of the pond have buds on them which creates a kind of red or yellow aura around them. It’s very pretty, but hard to capture.
Robin, I like your comment about spring being put on ice. It’s so true here as well. Nice warm looking photos though.
Thank you, Marianne. 🙂
I thought I spied a desert plant in your photos. I did! I did! Made me pause… 🙂
I love your collection of odds and ends–so easy to end up with soooo many photos that you can;t quite delete, but whatever to do with them. This is a great solution!
lol, Bo! Any idea what it is? I didn’t take photos of the plant id’s (partly because I was having battery issues and partly because I forgot).
I still have a lot of odds and ends… with no idea what to do with them.
Nice collection of odds and ends – the bird in the second picture looks so unusual, is it a finch, too? It’s very attractive. I like “Blowin’ in the wind,” too.
Thank you, Barbara. 🙂
Yes, it is a finch of some kind. They are very small birds, and I’m not sure what kind of finches they are. I have vowed to myself to pay more attention to the signs and guides the next time I’m at the botanical garden.