House and front yard in late April

The pond: morning and evening

This was around mid-day a week ago:

Then an evening sunset:

Visit to Brooklyn

Pam and I were there from Monday, April 5th through Friday, April 9th. The main attraction was our granddaughter, and here is Pam, Honor, and Honor's dad, Sean:

Honor and me:

Honor seemed to be interested in her grandfather's toes, and here she is getting ready to bite them while her father and mother, Rebecca, look on:

The lake in Prospect Park, taken on one of my many walks:

Sunset following a short fishing trip

After noticing rising fish on some evening walks, I strolled down to the pond recently with a fly rod. Spent about twenty minutes casting a dry fly and caught a small bluegill. I haven't seen many trout caught since the stocking. Took a picture of the setting sun before walking home.

Another Great Blue Heron visit

I like the rippled tree reflections on the surrounding surface.

Opening day for fishing

After the state stocked the pond with trout, it was closed to fishing for the following week as is the normal custom. During the closure period, I informed four fishermen that what they were doing was illegal, and all of them were apologenic and claimed to be unaware they were wrong. It was nice to see many knowledgable and law-abiding fishermen out on Saturday when the pond reopened.

Great Blue Heron visits the pond

A few weeks ago:

One of my walking partners

Copley is my friend Stan's granddoggy and frequently accompanies the two of us on our morning walks. Named for Copley Square in Boston, he is a mixed breed and one of the nicest dogs I've ever met.

March is a dreary month

Or at least it usually seems that way to me. Yes, the subtle signs of spring are encouraging, but the persistance of winter negates that optimism. While the bareness of the winter landscapes can be attractive, by March it seems merely barren. Just the same, I took some photos of my familiar territory, the pond in the nearby park:

...And more snow.

Another one with furious activity for a short spell but little accumulation. While I walked yesterday morning, I realized I had no pictures of the snow actually coming down, so I stood in the parking lot near the playground and aimed the camera at the woods.

More snow

The pond this morning:

And along Paint Branch. The dead tree caught my eye.

It was mostly sleet which made driving tricky in the morning when Greg returned from work.

It's all about the lighting

I've probably walked by this tree thousands of times, but it wasn't until last Sunday that its trunk caught my eye.

The House: Early February 2021

With the flag flying ever since the Presidential Inauguration:

Same view with a change in weather...

The pond on Monday:

On Wednesday we finally got some color into the scene:

A significant snow

It started on Sunday and continued off and on for the next couple of days. Despite the length of the event, the accumulation was modest, maybe three to four inches tops. Here are a couple of views of the pond on Sunday:

And Paint Branch from the new bridge:

First snow of 2021

Had one in December and, like this one, there wasn't much to it. Here's the pond from the north side:

This one is of the bridge that runs over the pond's feeder creek. The construction is much like the new bridge over Paint Branch.

Then there is the feeder creek itself:

Two recent mornings

Last Friday:

And this morning:

MLK Pond this morning

A typical winter morning look- frost along the shoreline and ice on the water.

Along Paint Branch Creek

This photo was taken today from a spot right off the trail:

Tie next picture was taken yesterday from near the highest point on the "new" trail:

New bridge over Paint Branch

This is a big deal for me because it offers a different trail option for my walks.

The above photo was taken on Saturday, the day after Christmas. It was of interest to me that the stream was still running high and muddy although the last rain had been two days before. The next photo was taken from the bridge looking upstream on Sunday when the water had cleared up.

The last photo was also taken on Sunday when Stan and Jeff walked with me on the trail on the other side. There was a lot of up and down until it terminated on the bridge on Old Columbia Pike near the apartment building where Pam and I once lived. The shot is looking downstream, and obviously the gorge is fairly deep.

Geese on a foggy morning

Picture was taken a week ago, but there was still a patch of snow visible from the week before.

Annual Christmas Tree Picture

I took the pictures a week before Christmas but didn't get around to putting them up until now.

Foggy December Morning

Geese on the pond

On a dark, deary morning...

In his natural surroundings

I couldn't help wondering if this guy who I saw along the Paint Branch Trail today was the same buck who visited our backyard recently.

Rainbow to the East

Late afternoon at the pond

Backyard visitor

The fencing we've put up over the past few years has been effective in keeping deer out even though lately we've been aware of weaknesses in the system. Last week this buck apparently exploited those weaknesses:

Pam's Comment on the Election

The flag wasn't unfurled until the major news proclaimed Biden the winner on Saturday.

More Autumn Pictures

From last Friday: