Jumping for joy

I promised I’d keep everyone up to date on my job search.

I have great news! Today I received an offer of employment and I accepted. I won’t go into detail about the company because it’s my policy to keep things like that confidential so that I don’t run afoul of any company rules or restrictions. My former employer was quite strict about that and often monitored  blogs and Facebook. But I will say that the total package… benefits, vacation, salary comes close to matching or exceeding the perks I had at my previous employer.

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That means I will be able to keep on exploring “dusty roads” around me. I can see another visit to Florida in my future. I was thinking about Crystal Springs but there are lots of other places too. Yellowstone and Yosemite, California, Oregon and Washington, those remaining “A” states to name just a few.

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I really want to go to Costa Rico too and on a safari in South Africa so lots of places to go and things to see. Yay! And I’ll keep sharing those adventures along with the mundane day to day challenges with you, my friends and internet neighbors.

Return to Daniel Webster

Mr. Majestic seemed to have life on the Grist Mill Pond well in hand so after observing for a while I decided to squeeze in a visit to one more place, Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Many of you may remember that this is one of my favorite places to go to look for birds and wildlife to photograph. It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since I’ve been back there. My last trip left me covered in deer ticks and then I got busy with “staged” photography for my cards. Well I don’t have my Deet with me but I’m only going to go sit in the blind for a while and see if anything is going on.

The parking lot was full when I arrived. Not surprising since it’s Sunday but I did feel my heart drop. Usually lots of walkers means less animal activity but I’m here so I’m going to check it out.

At the blind another photographer was watching the panne flats. I asked him if there was anything happening. His response, “Not unless you like Canada Geese”. Shortly after I set up he gave up and left. I settled in for a wait but it didn’t take long for things to pick up. Mama & Papa Canada Geese were giving their 5 goslings swimming lessons.

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Into the water they went, swam in a small circle and then out to the shore again. This routine went on every 10 minutes or so, never venturing too far out.

Turtles were hauling out to sun themselves on every rock and log in sight, even climbing on each other.

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Then I spotted another bird that I’ve only seen once before…a glossy ibis.

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I must have spent an hour watching this beautiful bird forage in the shallows. He/she had rich mahogany body feathers with darker wings.

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When the sun hit just right his feathers glistened with an  iridescent rainbow of colors.

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He wasn’t making it easy to get pictures. He was either behind the reeds or way out in the middle.

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I had a 300-500 telephoto lens on the camera but it was still a reach. The pictures are better than my first try last year but I wish he had come closer or I had a bigger lens.

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To paraphrase the line from Jaws “I think we need a bigger boat”….I think I need a bigger lens!

A Sunny Day

The weather remains cool (50’s) but sunny. The local weatherman says we need rain and that we are running about 10 degrees below average in temperature. The Right Whales are feeding off Cape Cod and it seems every weekend there’s another benefit walk for something.

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The cats continue to drive me crazy. Last night after I went to bed I was awakened by loud growls. As I ran to the living room to break up the fight, Smokey at my heels,  Rocky bolted to a cardboard box and Buddy flopped onto his side next to it. They both looked at me like they were the most innocent creatures in the world. Clearly it was a “mock battle”.

Not so this morning at 6am when Buddy decided he wanted Smokey’s window seat. (Sigh) That was a real fight, if one-sided.  Poor Smokey! I wish I knew who removed his claws! We could pull off a few fingernails and see how they like it.

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What will happen when I’m away on vacation and not around to play referee?

But back to yesterday. Since it was a nice sunny day I headed out to take some pictures. I’ve been neglecting some of my favorite spots and it was time to see what was going on for spring.

Lake Rico was busy with families picnicking and kids fishing. Since I didn’t want to intrude I moved on to the Herring Run. I’d seen some great pictures from some of my friends but when I got there the only wildlife was a few grackles.

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I hung out for about an hour but nary a sea gull came to visit…lots of people but not much else.

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Next stop the Grist Mill Pond in Plymouth.

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Mr. Majestic was feeling his oats chasing the Canada Geese up and down the pond.  Mrs. Majestic was still on her nest.

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At one point he climbed up on the  bank and after clearing the area of his pesky nemesis he performed what can only be called his victory dance!

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Then off he sailed, head held high, obviously quite pleased with himself.

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Read Any Good Books Lately?

Anyone read any good books lately? I just finished

  • Knock Out…….Catherine Coulter
  • Delusion in Death……J.D. Robb
  • Queen of the Night….J.A. Jance
  • The Whisperer……Carla Neggers

There seems to be a trend in my choice of novels. Some folks like Romance, some like Thrillers, some like Horror(you’ll never catch me with a Stephen King Novel…way too scary), some like biographies and so on.

I think you can call my choices Mystery with maybe a touch of paranormal tossed in.

dresses 013aKnock Out is one of Catherine Coulters FBI “Thrillers” but this one has more than a little paranormal/psychic thread to the plot. Fiction yes, but it does get you thinking about the so called “Power of the mind”. Its plot moves fast as 2 story lines keep our FBI heroes racing between bad guys in a desperate attempt to save everyone.

dresses 014 copyDelusion in Death by J. D. Robb is part of a series featuring a female homicide detective (Eve Dallas) for the NY City Police department and her  super rich husband (Rourke) set in and around 2058. Each book in the series is a murder mystery as well as moving you through Dallas’s growth as a person. So far there are 34 books in this series.( J. D. Robb is a pen name for Nora Roberts.)

dresses 012 copyQueen of the Night a novel by J.A. Jance brings back some of her earlier characters. Located in Arizona there is the underlying theme of the Indian Reservations and Spiritual Beliefs. The novel is often sad when man’s inhumanity to man spills over to the youngest and most innocent of our society. But unlike “real life” there is someone there to rise to the challenge…good over comes evil but not without hardship and loss.

dresses 011 copyThe Whisperer by Carla Neggers also brings back characters and plot themes from earlier novels but each story can stand alone if necessary. What I like about Carla Neggers is so many of her stories are set in New England…the Maine Coast, New Hampshire, Southie, Jamaica Plain, Beacon St, Boston…all real places to me. Her stories, including this one always have a heavy does of Ireland and Irish Folklore along with Boston PD, FBI and spies. So I recommend her to anyone who likes a bit of fairies and leprechauns thrown in with their murder investigations.

I don’t have the chance to read as much as I used to and stealing the time for these 4 novels has been a rare treat. Since some of my stolen time was time I would normally spend writing, it seems only fitting that I share these books with you. What have you been reading?