A Walk at Metrobeach Nature Center and Happy St. Paddy's!

We went for an hour-long walk (but were there several hours) at
Detroit Metrobeach yesterday. It was cloudy most of the day but the
sun came out near the end of our walk. We also saw three owls but
they did not photograph well.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! If you haven't seen my card yet, click here.

Click here for more pix from this walk.

7 weird, random or inconsequential things about me Meme (yet again)(LOL!)

Seven weird, random or inconsequential facts about me: (I've done this meme or one like it about 4 times now, so I may be repeating myself or getting out there.) I got tagged by Blue Rose to do it again, so here I go:

1)If you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE FLOWERS! All kinds of flowers. And I love photography.
2)I'm obsessive compulsive about homework. I always do the very best I can in the time I have available. These are homework assignments (exercises) I did last night for water media class but I still have more to do.
3)I have a cockatiel named Rocky (originally acquired for my daughter.) He used to fly free but now is confined to a cage.
4)I have fuzzy slippers
5)I am way behind on my email and snailmail
6)I love houseplants
7)My husband, Biker Buddy, and I are always playing and being silly when we have time together. That's us in a store window on Mack.

OK, well, if you want to participate, I hereby tag Nadine, Berrybird, Imperfect Nerd, Andree, Coffeypot, No More Empty Fortune Cookies and YOU if you are reading this! However, if you've already done it and can't think of anything else or don't have time, just forget it and leave me a little love note instead, lol! You do not HAVE to post pix to go with yours, but since Blue Rose did, I did too. I am sorry I haven't added links yet, I may or may not have time to do it later.

Click images to view larger. Click here to view the red face monotone water color image ("Remembering") larger still.

Jellyfish in the Gulf

I was asked about my jellyfish experience, and this is what I remember:

I was swimming at night in the Gulf of Mexico.  The water was delightfully warm like bathwater and the air somewhat cool with evening and I was very relaxed, swimming and floating in the dark water.  Suddenly I felt shockingly painful stings something like bee stings only at the time they seemed worse.    I screamed and flailed and got stung more and ran out as fast as I could--I was covered with JELLYFISH STINGS which continued to hurt for quite some times.  This was in 1965 (or 66), so I don't remember all the details.  I do know this, the water was very shallow--long ways out, and I got stung again on my way back in on the legs--and was told swimming at night was a bad idea because you couldn't see the jellyfish which otherwise you'd avoid.

Heavy

Heavy (from the Secret Life of Elephants, a new version), by Mary
Stebbins Taitt, for Illustration Friday.

May You Have Love

Happy Easter, Eostar, Solstice, spring! May you always have sunshine and love.

Water Media Class

1)Charlie, the teacher, and another student.
2)Me, doing an exercise. The exercise was to learn about color
mixing. I did some blocks of it and then 3)painted the entire picture
from three colors, red, blue and yellow. I used no green, brown,
black, grey etc. It was my first time ever doing that. I was kind of
excited and pleased, though it's no great shakes. I hope I learn to
be better.

The picture is of Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate
NY, from memory--I had nothing to look at. I used to go there as a
kid and camp at Roger's Rock.

Above Cinnamon Bay

Above Cinnamon Bay, Mary Stebbins Taitt. A very small painting I did
in the wee hours today.

Wordless Wednesday: (Aging)

(click image to view larger)

Happy St. Paddy!

Enjoy the wearin' O the Green!

Project Budburst

I have just joined Project Budbust, A National Phenology Field Campaign for Citizen Scientists after reading about it over at Lake Loop. Go to one of those links to read more about it. I've been keeping phenological data for over 40 years, so was thrilled to see this. I have only signed up for the dandelion and the lilac so far, but intend to sign up for more locations and more flowers, hopefully.

Phenology is the study of the times that natural events occur, such as flowering and fruiting. Laying eggs, giving birth. Emerging from hibernation. This study focuses on common, easily identifiable plants.