I have a passion for the outdoors and I am most happy enjoying what nature has to offer. Hobbies include photography, birding, Pickleball, astronomy, biking, and hiking. I have been happily married, for 50 years, to an amazing person.
It has been awhile since I last posted. Where does the time go? It seems as if we just arrived home from our winter travels and here we are in September. Time to once again begin thinking about heading south.
Before we head south we still have a few more weeks of beautiful, Colorado, weather to enjoy. This summer has been a fun one with the exception of Kloudy’s illness; however, she is doing okay. I plan to write a post on what is going on with her, and she has given me permission to post a few photos. As most of you know, that follow my blog, Kloudy is our almost eleven year old Siberian Husky.
Of course spending time with hubby, Kloudy and Skye River is my most joyful pastime. Doing what I love hobby wise is taking photos. It is hard for me to believe that I haven’t taken very many photos this summer, which truly is my greatest passion.
I think Pickleball, well I know Pickleball, has taken all my time. Since learning the game in late April, I have either play or practiced this sport almost everyday. It is fun and as I have mentioned previously, addicting. Pickleball is great exercise, but the most wonderful benefit of the game is meeting and getting to know other players, which I hope turns into long-lasting friendships.
But, this post is not about Pickleball, it is about spending a few minutes taking photos of a few birds in my yard. Howard and I enjoy sitting on our deck and watching the bird activity in the yard. It has been a very good year for many species, especially the Spotted Towhee. I don’t recall seeing so many young Towhees. The Towhee is one of my favorite birds and it makes me very happy to see that they are doing well. Two new visitors to our yard, in recent weeks, has been the Red-breasted Nuthatch and the Gray Catbird (just one).
Two Red-breasted Nuthatches stopped by for a few days and enjoyed, not only the sunflower seeds, but the suet feeders as well.
Red-breasted NuthatchRed-breasted Nuthatch
Not the best quality photos, but it gives you an idea just how cute these little birds are. I generally don’t like to post photos of the birds at the feeder, but they were just too darn quick for me to capture in a more natural environment. They would fly in, grab a sunflower seed, and fly off.
Another bird we are enjoying watching is the Hummingbird. Feisty little birds that don’t believe in sharing. They sit at the top of a branch or tree and continuously scan the sky for incoming – Hummers! Nope, no sharing of the tasty, sugary liquid they love so much.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (male)Broad-tailed Hummingbird.Broad-tailed Hummingbird.Broad-tailed Hummingbird.Black-chinned Hummingbird (male). Too bad the light was dull.Black-chinned HummingbirdBlack-chinned Hummingbird
One day I was standing out on the deck with, my long lens, trying to capture one of the Hummers. A Hummer decided to check me out and then checked out the entire length of the lens. Too comical and so close. If only I had a photo of that experience!
Until next time, spend time doing what you love to do!
A dear friend treated me to a belated birthday lunch today. She picked up bagel sandwiches from Einstein Bagels, which included a bowl of fruit and a dill pickle. All were yummy! We met at one of the picnic shelters at Mehaffey Park; Loveland’s brand new park. (Read about the history of Mehaffey Park from the sign above and note the request from the family.)
While waiting for Gale to arrive, I met a guy and his seven month old Sheba Inu puppy. Needless to say the puppy was adorable. A happy little guy, because he gets to walk to the park from his house everyday.
A lady came along and sat down at another picnic table, soon she came over to our table and sat down with Jeff and I. Of course she had to pet the puppy. She told me she knew me from somewhere. After a few tries to figure out from where, we came to the conclusion it was from playing Pickleball! Jackie sat and talked with us until her friend Robin arrived along with Pebbles her Chihuahua dog.
I have never met Robin before, nor Jeff, but might see them again sometime at the park. I met Jackie and her husband playing Pickleball several weeks ago. I will see Jackie in the morning on the Pickleball court beginning at 7:30am.
From our picnic table, looking west, Gale and I could see Long and Meeker Peaks in the distance. Brilliant blue skies dotted with white clouds leading the way as we gazed upon these beautiful peaks.
Mehaffey Park with Long and Meeker Peaks in the distance. Photo taken on a cloudy day, not today.
I could hear Canada geese down by the pond talking among themselves, perhaps deciding when to head south for the winter. Not far away, pure joy in the form of giggles, floated in the air from kids enjoying their new playground.
I appreciate these kind of days – lunch with a dear friend, meeting new people, all while enjoying the sights and sounds of nature in a beautiful place called Loveland, Colorado.
View from Mehaffey looking west. Notice the hill dotted with houses, we live on that hill!
Gorgeous in shades of Ruby Red, so I got Rubies on my fortieth after all!
The tag, from McLellan Botanicals, states that this Orchid is a Dendrobium; however I am not quite sure. I looked on their web-site for additional photos of Dendrobium Orchids and it doesn’t exactly look the same. At any rate they are beautiful and I was thrilled to receive them. Number four!
A new hobby for me – purchasing and taking care of Orchids.
My Florida Orchid
I started to say growing Orchids; however I’am not growing them. Should I wish I were? Many years ago I grew African Violets. I had several of them and grew new plants from leaves of older plants. I had a unique grouping of windows with perfect lighting conditions, that helped them prosper. I haven’t been so lucky growing African Violets since moving to Colorado. I have one plant and I am glad to report she is doing well.
While traveling this past winter, I fell in love with my sister-in-laws Orchids. For many years she has had Orchids. Living in Florida and enjoying its mild and humid weather her Orchids are hung from tree branches and decorate their pool side patio in beautiful pots. She has several different species and they are all gorgeous!
During our visit to Florida, I purchased an Orchid telling myself that I must be crazy – “what am I doing taking a moist loving plant to a non-moist environment?” If you have ever visited Colorado, then you know what the humidity levels are! What the heck I told myself, I want one.
I can’t say this is my very first Orchid, because MANY years ago my sweet hubby gave me one as a gift. I don’t remember what happened to this special Orchid.
The Orchid I purchased in Florida, was from one of the many speciality grocery stores that sell them. I can’t remember exactly which store. The flowers on my Orchid were a beautiful orangey, rusty color (my favorite) and they lasted several months. When we got home, I repotted my lovely Orchid and it is doing well. It has since lost its flowers, but new, dark green leaves are sprouting out and the root system is growing fast. It is looking good and I will be so excited when, yes when, it blooms again!
Being back home, with lots more room to have house plants, I purchased another Orchid. This time a beautiful dark, pink color, which is still blooming. I repotted this one as well.
My second Orchid
A week or two ago, while along for the ride with hubby, I purchased yet another Orchid from Lowe’s. Whenever we go to one of the big hardware stores, I like to browse the garden area. Well on this particular day, I came across several lovely Orchids that were on Lowe’s clearance rack. Actually, there were quite a few. I felt very bad for all these Orchids, which I knew would probably be thrown away. I selected one that looked healthy and left the rest with a heavy heart. I have the room at home, but not so much when we begin traveling again in the coach, otherwise I would have taken more home with me.
The flowers on this one are white with reddish centers. I repotted it and she looks happy, happy, happy! So now I have three. Will I leave home with three? {grins}. I think it is sad to see what type of container these Orchids are put in to sell. I know it makes monetary sense, but I am betting some of them don’t survive.
My third Phalaenopsis Orchid
Not long after my first Orchid purchase, I began looking for a book to read on how to care for them. I found and purchased a book by Bruce Rogers called “The Orchid Whisperer”. I enjoyed reading this book and will keep it, in my iPad book library for future reference.
After reading this book, I choose to repot my Orchids using a coarse blend of bark. You will notice, I am trying out different types of pots – one is clay, one is a ceramic Orchid pot and one is a ceramic pot.
Orchid Potting Mix
My three Orchids are Phalaenopsis Orchids and I understand that they are the most common, and are the ones sold at grocery, hardware and other type stores. People claim they are easy to maintain and that they produce gorgeous flowers twice a year. They come in many different colors and are commonly called the “Moth Orchid”.
I have placed my three Orchids, along with the African Violet, in a north facing window in my bathroom area. They receive plenty of light and hopefully some moisture. All four plants appear healthy.
A great resource for not only learning about Orchids, but educating yourself about Orchids is the American Orchid Society.
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