Spring!

Today is the day that spring officially arrives. With almost a foot of snow still on the ground it still seems like a long time before we will see signs of the season. But the March sun will soon melt the snow away and the bare ground will begin to turn green with the first new grass of the season. Soon the familiar songs of robins and other songbirds will be heard in the trees.

After A Night Of Rain

Around six this morning, just as the all night rain was ending, I heard a solitary bird singing outside my window, filling me with a feeling of peace and joy, if only for a few precious minutes.

Back From The Everglades

I just returned from a trip to Florida where I had a chance to visit part of Everglades National Park. It was the northern section of the park located in Everglades City. My brother and I took the guided tour on a small tourist boat with about a dozen or so passengers. We went into a wide swamp where our guide pointed out such attractions as manatees and small islands full of mangrove trees whose twisted exposed roots fed on the salty water of the swamp. Our guide mentioned the fact that there were no alligators here because they lived in fresh water. We also got a glimpse of a diving dolphin as well as seeing herons,terns, ospreys and other birds. Interesting trip. I would love to return someday and visit the rest of the park.