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Published: November 1st 2013
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A Dose of Outside
A Dose of Outside is intended to share a bit of nature with you as experienced on my local hikes and other adventures. Take a moment to look out the window or step outside and see what it is you see. What you smell. Notice what’s growing around you. Use all your senses and really get A Dose of Outside!
HIKE DATE: 10-29-13, Sonoma Regional Park
We’re off to the regional park for a little walk because after all, a short walk is better than no walk.
It’s bitterly cold and windy! I just got back from LA yesterday and it was piping hot, so this is a bit of a shock to the ole’ system. Not to mention I didn’t dress for the tundra. Oh well, we won’t be long.
It’s a beautiful day otherwise and I’m loving it. We crest the first turn once we hit the lake and there is Mr. Grey Heron, local resident. We’re not that close, but he senses us and walks his stick legs a little further away, just to be sure. I’m waiting for him to take off, which is what he usually does, but today he’s content to just remove himself a bit further along the shore. Sweet!
We start looking for feathers for my charms. My trademarked design, The Garden Charm, is made from locally collected feathers and those gifted to me others, including my Auntie’s beautiful McCaw. I gather feathers year round, then create charms for the
holiday season exhausting my supply, then the cycle starts again.
The Canadian geese are looking exceptionally large today for some reason. Fat and happy? Perhaps. We see some babies with them which is surprising for this time of year.
Further around the bend John spots some feathers. Well, it’s more like a section of a wing. Score! One mans’ junk is another mans’ treasure.
Finally we round the north side of the lake and get a brief reprieve from the wind. Ahhh. We stand, hands out, soaking up the warmth. It feels great.
Once we’re out of this special pocket, however, we are once again hit with the icy wind.
Look! Here’s another feather! John seems another, and another, and as he looks, there are tons of small feathers just off trail.
It seems we’ve found the dining room! There are a variety of small feathers from a variety of birds here. Yes!
Moving further along we here the familiar tap, tap, tap of Woodpecker alley. We see the red headed beauties busy at work, torturing the trees and creating swiss cheese.
Rounding the final section of the lake we see a
newly trampled trail leading down to the cattails and “bird hangout” so we decide to check it out. The resident Egret is also down on the shore. He too, tends to fly away before I can get too close, but today we are approaching from below and are thus far undetected.
The cattails in the sun are spectacular! I slowly tread towards the egret. Slowly, quietly with camera ready. I don’t get too close before he sense me and takes flight, but I’m ready! Gotcha!
We find a few more feathers here, but they are covered in mud. They also look fairly ragged. I decide to take a handful home anyway and see how well they wash up. A little soap and water goes a long way.
Over the hill, past the pasture and we’re back at the car. A very fruitful day on the trail I must say and of course, it satisfied my need for a little Dose of Outside!
Please feel free to share this blog with anyone you feel might enjoy it.
(There are usually additional photos at the bottom of this post as well.)
This blog will be published frequently and on an irregular schedule. Below is the link to my jewelry website featuring one-of-a-kind designs as well as tons of free photography downloads from other adventures!
www.chellesjewelry.org
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Mom
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TERRIFIC !
I absolutely love your blog ---and all those fantastic pictures too !! And now guess which 2 of them especially touch my heart ?? xoxo