Month: May 2020

Birds, Ducks, Water Fowl and all ages too

It’s mating season for many of our Lake Ashton flocks of birds and water fowl – from the tiny shore birds like Kildeer to the larger Sandhill Cranes and Great Blue Herons. We even had a Great Horned Owl nesting in 14th green wooded area and we caught a glimpse of a Bald Eagle surveying the marina area. I’m testing this new format. I hope it looks good.

  • Mom Sandhill Crane & colt
  • The Fam!
  • Aw go to the dance with me
  • Okay but need flowers
  • Wings are so cool
  • Great Blue workout
  • Landing
  • Great Horned Owl nesting
  • Anhinga female
  • Limpkins
  • Limpkin flying in
  • Landed
  • Duck duck Coot
  • Great Blue Heron folded
  • Evening group gathers
  • Bald Eagle perched
  • From white to blue in year two
  • Northern Mockingbird chasing off a Red shouldered Hawk
  • Again with the diving
  • Great Blue Heron nesting
  • Out for a stroll
  • Shore birds bath nite
  • Hawk surveying our pond
  • Deep Blue Heron
  • Blue finds a fish
  • Great Blue all decked out
  • Osprey nesting
  • Owl nesting close by
  • Walking with Mom & Dad
  • Crane Colt
  • Two colts
  • Sweet Colt
  • Older colt with longer legs
  • Fuzzy wuzzy
  • So much to see Mom.
  • Strolling Crane Family
  • Snack time
  • Resting Sandhill Crane
  • Whistling Ducks
  • Just a day at the beach…
  • Yikes let’s go…
  • Florida Black Vultures
  • Gallinule & baby
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Two large Great Blue nests
  • Black necked Stlt
  • Partially Blue Heron
  • Watching all the girls go by….
And more.
Nothing common about this Gallinule
  • Baby ducks
  • Red winged Blackbird
  • Wings drying
  • Osprey
  • Just you and me forever
  • Even Vultures fall in love
  • Common Gallinule – love the green legs
  • Thirsty Shore bird
  • Great Blue Heron perch
  • Great Horned Owl

That’s a lot of winged creatures. Never a dull moment here. It keeps us smiling – and it’s life affirming in a time of disease and dismay. I hope these pics cheer you up too.

Hugs to all – Kathleen

New House for Quarantine

Well I guess we picked the right time to buy a house in a golf course community and build a pool in our backyard. Life has been weird since our March 15 quarantine began – alone together in a community of 1000. We like much of the world have been staying home at the new house except for golf cart rides, walks and golf. We have been playing golf a few times a week. Our course are open to members so it has been a good time to learn the game and have something to get you out of the house.

We actually enjoy playing golf more than we thought we would. It gets us out in fresh air, offers some exercise and a way to compete with yourself to get better on every round. And we get to cool off in our pool after 9-18 holes – delightful!

We’ve worked on wrapping up many projects in and around the new house – hanging some curtains, pictures, refinishing some furniture, and outside we have been planting flowers and herbs. Also I’ve completed more than a half a dozen quilts with two more in the planning stages since lockdown. It makes me happy to design and complete a quilt for someone I love.

Below are some photos of the house interiors followed by a sampling of completed quilts.

Entry & foyer
Great room with kitchen and dining areas

Lenny & Lola loving the couch.
Indoor dining space. Gotta have it!
Our reading corner – for me and the dogs
Master bedroom
The Lanai where we spend much of our time. West golf course is in background – Tee for Hole #6

Jump in to cool off. Water is 84 degrees
Here is where we eat all our dinners when it’s not raining – soon we’ll build an outdoor kitchen where the grill is now. The luxury of eating outside with no bugs is priceless!
A place to meet, eat and dry off after a dip in pool.
Looking in to Lanai from back yard

Quilts Galore!

These quilts were made by me with a variety of machine stitching styles and fabric like flannel, satin, cottons, and polyesters. Don’t be afraid to mix textures and get colorful. I’ve only been quilting for a year or so but I love it and learn new things all the time. Gifts handmade with love for the Grands & family!

I hope you are all staying healthy and that you’re being careful. Thanks for following us. We hope to be back on the road in July. In the meantime I’ll be posting from Lake Ashton and next post will focus on our local birds and water fowl who are now in their mating and new baby season. Such a joy!

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