It never rains but what it…

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… POURS!  As in water gushing from the water main, and the geese are screaming  like they are under attack, so you rush out the door to find them flapping their wings and paddling in the puddle it had made!

Glad they are enjoying it!  We just spent over $1,000 to replace the electric water heater last month!  Since this is the third break in the line it seems prudent to replace it…

I asked the plumber if his company offered stock options.  It took him a minute, then he chuckled and said,

“No.”

!!!    😐    !!!

Photo Friday: the hawk in the cemetery

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On Saturday we visited Maple Hill Cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery in Alabama.   It was begun in 1818 when Leroy Pope sold two acres to the city.  Over the years the “burying-place” was officially named “Maple Hill,” and it has grown to just under one hundred acres in size.  It is a historical and quite beautiful place to visit.

PLEASE NOTE:  All photographs are clickable for a better/clearer view!

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While driving out of the grounds I chanced to spy this fellow…

gorging himself on his catch of the day…

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I thought him very photogenic…

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and quite accommodating… 

although he did eventually grow tired of our intrusion on his dining experience, and grabbing his grub, he flew into the trees.

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Note:  I am uncertain as to what kind of hawk this is, so I have sent a request for Bob of Texas Tweeties to help me ID him.  I will post his reply here when it comes.   🙂

UPDATE:  Bob believes it to be a Juvenile Red Tailed Hawk.  (See Comments below)  Thanks Bob!  🙂

In Awe of Autumn

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We had visitors, best friends from sunny California who, thankfully, wanted to see and do it all here in our neck of the woods.   And so it was that we went out every day for a week to experience the loveliness first hand.  Of course this meant a lot of pictures!

I want to post them all, but to your relief I will hold back and try to post only the best.  Please take a moment to click each photo for a clearer look at each photograph!

Today I bring you Autumn’s splendor

On a walkway outside Cathedral Caverns

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In front of a natural wall of rain soaked black limestone

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A Young Maple Grove above Huntsville, Alabama

Monte Sano State Park

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A small grouping of Staghorn Sumac* on the side of the road

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The Autumn here is beautiful, but fleeting.  In one week a couple of frosty nights can bring it on in a matter of days, and just as quickly a bit of rain and wind can take it all away!

For us California Ex-pats, it is a stunning vision that we are just not used to seeing.  It saddens us that it is here for such a short time.  Thankfully, the color returns dependably each year, but sometimes, like this year, it is simply stunning!

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*NOTE:  Poison Sumac has composite leaves with smooth edges, whereas the Staghorn Sumac has composite leaves with serrated (toothed) edges.  That said, if you are uncertain about the plant, then by all means be safe and don’t touch it!

A Golden Goose?

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No,

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A Silver Swan*

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Huntsville Museum of Art

It took visiting friends to get me into the museum in downtown Huntsville!  While there I also enjoyed the WWII quilt exhibit currently on loan.

The creator of the quilt used the Four Corners patch design to signify the troops from the four corners of the world who came together to fight against Hitler and other fascist leaders of the time.

Each of the songs embroidered into the quilt blocks was chosen for a specific soldier known to the ladies who made this quilt.  (Image cropped due to upload issues, sorry, but if you click on the photo it will enlarge to show the whole!  I have no explanation for this anomaly.)

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*Note:  The curator explained to us that to polish the swan piece it must be ‘petted’ with gloves on, as the polishing compounds would embed themselves into the markings of the lifelike feathers.