And So the New Year Begins

When you are sewing all the time, other activities take a back seat, one of which has been cleaning my house, while the other is not taking photographs incessantly. Neither of those are good, but one is worse than the other. Can you guess what order of importance I place on the above? 😀

It was kind of weird having the holiday on Monday wasn't it? I began the day by getting back out on my bicycle, and as I rode down our street, immediately I saw a large bird fly into my neighbor's gigantic Pine tree. An osprey!

This is the same neighbor who last year played host to the Heron's nest, however, sadly the dead tree was taken down during the fall, so we won't be watching the Great Blue Heron have babies again. By the looks of their driveway, this is not the first time an Osprey has been on those branches! Always look for the poop!

Once he/she took off, I decided I needed to visit the owl, and see what I could see. As you can see, the owl was having no part of my visit.

Whether this is the female or male, I haven't a clue, however, it won't be long before they are laying their eggs again, so we have that to look forward to. Well, two big birds, why not check for a third? As I was riding down Waterwitch on my way to the eagle nest, I heard a loud call and, yup...another raptor! Using both my zoom lens, and a little bit of cropping, we are able to see the hawk pretty clearly; I am pretty sure it is a Red Shouldered Hawk, although I would not suggest quoting me on that.

So this was all very exciting, and I rode on with great expectations, only to find not an eagle in sight! Last year the house was vacant, however, that is no longer the case because a young family has moved in this fall. I was hoping for an eagle, but instead I got to talk to these absolutely adorable boys riding in their front yard. Oh my gosh, they were so cute!!

Brings back fond memories of having little boys around. :)

Heading back from whence I came, by golly, an explanation for all those droppings on our neighbor's driveway appeared right before my eyes. Although the Osprey was in the same Pine tree as I rode up, it was not long before it flew onto the branches of another tree, joining up with another Osprey!!

I was dying!! When I did get home, I asked B if he would like to accompany me to Leu Gardens so I could take some photographs. "Nope, but I would like to go look at cars", he replied. We have been talking about him getting a new car for a while because, although low mileage, the BMW is 10 years old now, and showing some age. Plus, he'd dreamed up a plan where he would get a truck, so we could have a vehicle to haul stuff around, while I would trade in the Pilot, to once again drive a MINI Cooper!! Long story short, we got neither, but I did test drive this used funky MINI Clubman.

If you are new to this blog you may be unfamiliar with my MINI Cooper obsession, fueled by my previous ownership; an art business will put a damper on owning a MINI, or in my case, a trade in! I will keep you posted...

So, I mentioned I received some super great gifts, not all will I show, however,  there are a few I wanted to highlight, including this cool light catcher Jon and Alissa got me while visiting New Orleans this year.

The question begs to asked...Did Matt and Tom buy this mug, so perfectly matched to my new dishes, before or after my purchase? The match is uncanny!

They definitely know the saying on the cup..."You Cannot Drink Too Much Tea," rings true for me! Design by this British artist!

Books!! Six new books!! (atop my awesome new ironing board)

It is hard to explain, but every now and again, when I open a gift I immediately break into tears. When we were first married Bruce gave me a set of cookbooks, Woman's Day for those wondering, and I bawled. Then again, one year Bill gave me a Crock Pot, that of all things, brought me to tears. So it was this year that I began crying when I opened the top book, short stories by Colum McCann given to me by Matt and Tom. He is definitely one of my most favorite authors, and a signed copy is icing on the cake! Please note the Kafee Fassett book given to me by Jane and Ray for my birthday as he will feature in this post soon.

Speaking of my birthday, perhaps because I'm getting older, people are sending more cards? I don't know if that is true or not, but this year I hit the birthday card jackpot!

They will remain on display for weeks I suspect!

So, the weather has been unbearably warm and muggy, but you know who has been loathe to turn the ac back on. I'm stubborn like that. Yesterday morning I was diligently cleaning, sweating up a storm, as I finally got around to mopping the floors. Glancing at the clock, rather than a calendar, I saw the time was 9:20, and panicked. Oh my gosh, it is Modern Quilt Guild meeting day at 10! Dashing into a very quick shower, and flying down the highway, I arrived at Sewing Studio with a few minutes to spare, and a whole lot of empty parking spaces. Good grief!! It was only Tuesday, not Wednesday!!! Since I'd driven all that way, I decided to carefully browse the entire store, not once, but twice. I came away with some solid colors that I incorporated into this new pillow cover. Disclaimer...totally stolen idea!! At some point in time, I'd come across this amazing quilter  and fell in love with her work. A couple of years ago J & A gave me a signed copy of a book called, Steal Like an Artist, which I have certainly done here.

Bruce left for the airport at 5AM this morning and I decided to start my day then as well, beginning with cleaning up my sewing table which was a huge mess. I organized those solids in one of the sturdy boxes that held my beautiful new dress Bruce gave me for my birthday.

Later on  I went to the actual meeting; it was as inspirational as ever. Plus, they presented a slate of officers for next year, and guess who will be President? Sharleen's daughter! As in THE Sharleen, organizer of our Days for Girls chapter. Proud Mama is looking at her sweet daughter Sarah's handiwork.

Today I met another fantastic quilter, who if you are interested and on Instagram, you can follow here. During the show and tell segment, Debra presented this fantastic work.

Guess what? The fantastical fabric on the top left corner, (the back of the quilt), is none other than Kaffe Fassett fabric! So amazing!

Irene is on her way over just now. You can bet we will be talking sewing!

Not sweating as the humidity has abated,

Gail

Getting the Inside Scoop

Blogging Friday morning, a text came in from Pam about her sewing machine tension...could I help? Sure, I'll ride over on my bike. After checking the machine and setting things straight, I asked her, "do you want to see a nearby eagle's nest?" How would you answer that question if you were the curious type? I thought so.

Off we went, riding down Ferncreek. It is always great fun showing someone a nearby neighborhood that they've yet to see, and this time was the no different. As we rode down Waterwitch, on our way to the cut-through to Harbour Island, and yes, that is how they spell it, I spotted an eagle in the usual spot in the tall pine tree, lakeside. That is how things started...

Pam was freaking out at how cool it is in Harbour Island, with all of the old trees shading much of the road and beautiful homes, saying she could not wait to show the area to Glenn. I can't say as I blame her because it is a very special place, right off Orange Avenue, that is like being in another world altogether. Before we got to the eagle house I saw a girl a little ways away taking a photograph with her mobile, and I knew that something neat was going on. Indeed it was...this hawk sat and stared at us until I started moving closer, and off it flew.

If you are keeping count, that is two raptors so far. We rode down to the house and were disappointed that there was not an eagle in sight. Boo hoo! After a bit, I said let's ride down this way and I'll show you around a little more. We came across these beautiful bushes filled with blooms that Pam could not immediately identify, although she did guess that perhaps it was a mango.

Anyone who knows Pam's garden prowess knows that her guess is generally an educated one, and indeed she was right. Fragrant as well.

Not quite ready to give up, we rode back to the nest, hoping in the interim something would have changed. We ran into John Mears, (of Mears Transportation for my Orlando readers) while he was walking his two Boxers. We chatted. He'd not noticed the nest until he saw me looking at it, but now his eyes were glued to the tree. Lo and behold, he said I think I see something moving. Sure enough....

Not great, but still exciting. Following the sighting we went on our way, with Pam and I splitting up at the entrance to her neighborhood, but not before we saw yet another hawk fly into the tree canopy over Pershing Avenue!!

Set against the new Spring green leaves it was so pretty, eventually putting on a bit of a show for me. Remember, I am not a nature photographer, only a nature lover!

Wouldn't that have been an awesome photograph without my movement due to my excitement?? Not long after he/she took off toward my side of the street!

And now you know why it is called a Red Shouldered Hawk! Pretty neat, huh? You would think this hawk was accustomed to people as I got yet another photo when it flew onto a hedge.

No eagle, but wow...two hawks in one morning and that is not counting the one we saw way high on top of an Australian Pine out Pam's back door. Amazing, really.

Friday evening we went to a charity event with David and Michelle, sponsored by the Junior League, of which Michelle is a member. It is not often I get a photo of Bruce and one of his sons.

I only wish the elder Peck would have been looking more at me! Held at the former Peabody Hotel, it was a night of fun and bidding on silent auctions. More another time on that topic!

Saturday morning, while Bruce was at the job site, I rode over, once again to the nest. I told you I was in real danger of becoming obsessed! I was so excited when, yes, Mr. Eagle was on the lookout.

Let me put this into perspective for you...

Way the heck up there for sure!

While I was milling about, the gentleman, whose back yard contains this tree, was out working in his front yard, and you won't be surprised to learn that I struck up a conversation. Mr. Joe Stine could not have any nicer had he tried. Oh my goodness, we had such a nice visit, with him filling me in on the eagles, who apparently have been using this nest since 2006!!

Don't you just bet he's been wearing his hair like this for decades? I do. Well, anyone, again Orlando folks will find this crazy interesting, Mr. Stine used to run Harry P. Leu Inc., the business founded by Mr. Leu whose story you will find HERE. If you've ever been to Leu Gardens in Orlando you won't want to miss it. Joe took over the business from his own father, who has a neat mention in this article from the Orlando Sentinel. You may not know it, but mostly I write this blog for myself, learning as I go. I'm fairly confidant most of you never go to the links I add, but I keep adding them nonetheless. How else was I to know that Joe's dad was originally from Charleston, SC? Must be where he got his Southern gentleman manner. He and his wife Joan have lived in this house since the island was developed in 1974.

He pointed out a number of camellias in his yard that came directly from Mr. Leu before he turned the property over to the city! He recounted tales of playing on the grounds of what we now call Leu Gardens. You can imagine I was giddy with excitement! He also told me that generally the eagles only have one eaglet; should there be two they would fight like mad for food. While we were chatting up popped Mama and baby.

As you can see, the sky became overcast during our conversation, making photographs more difficult, however, we did see both parents fly to and fro before papa took up guard once again.

Should you be curious about the dark heads, I've learned, and perhaps you already knew that the eagles generally get their white heads around age five.

Apparently, in 2005, the year of three major hurricanes, the island lost one third of the old trees including a previous nest. We are seeing the latest model. :)

Now you too, have the inside scoop!

Speaking of perspectives, last week when I went to the cemetery, while chatting with some folks, one of the women picked up a pine cone, marveling at the size. My friend Sue loves giant pinecones, so I asked if I might have it for her. Absolutely, she replied. Putting it alongside one of my hibiscus blooms gives you an idea of just how gigantic it is.

Isn't that something?

Are you tired of birds yet? I hope not because this little guy visited recently and I could not get over how RED he is. Come August he won't look anything like this beautiful!

Had enough for today? Watch this space for the next installment which may or may not include some birds.

In bird heaven,

Gail