In Brooklyn with granddaughter

First is granddaughter with her parents:

Then two with granddad:

Then two with grandma:

More wildflowers around the pond

Baseball is back for me

Watched the Nationals beat the Marlins Tuesday night with neighbor Jim. Had a nice time.

Wildflowers around the pond

Beavers have come to Paint Branch

When I first noticed this collection of branches and leaves, I thought it may have been just a random collection that occurred when some large limbs got caught in the rocks of the rapids:

Then this appeared recently:

A few years ago, we had beavers in the pond who soon became nocturnal to avoid human contact, so I'm not surprised I haven't seen these during my morning walks. Here is another photo of their dam taken from the new bridge:

They're gone but have left signs of their presence

Brood X of the cicadas emerged this year, and for weeks in the late spring/early summer their calls were heard throughout the area. Although they are now gone, they left their mark on many trees as we were told they would. After mating the female leaves the eggs in a cut she makes into a small branch, and after hatching the nymphs fall to the ground where they burrow into the earth up to eight feet below the surface. In the case of Brood X, the nymphs live for 17 years in the ground before emerging as adults, and once again the mating cycle repeats. Although the adults die soon after mating, the marks on the trees the females make by their cuts remain visible as the small branches have died as if partially pruned and left hanging as shown in this picture of a nearby oak:

Having lived in this area all my life, I can mark my lifetime in those 17 year increments of the Brood X emergences. I was six years old when I was first introduced to them, and we called them the seventeen-year locust. I graduated from college 17 years later when they next emerged, but although I was aware of this natural phenomena I was too distracted by other events to pay much attention to them. In 1987 I had moved into my present house and now remember the interest my children took in the sights and sounds of the cicadas, much as I had when I first experienced them as a child. When they next emerged in 2004, I was at the height of my flyfishing obsession and tied flies to imitate cicadas which proved effective in catching bass, bluegills, and huge carp on a local reservoir. This year as an old man, I merely enjoyed this natural wonder of my surroundings.

Swallowtail buttterfly in the yard

Pam's photo:

Evening in the park

Pride Day at the park

Gay Pride parades have been common in American cities for many years, and now they have come to the suburbs. I was unaware of the local parade (which was actually called a walk) until hours after the event when I took my own walk in the evening and noticed chalk messages on the asphalt and colorful small flags along the trail. The only photo I took was of a festive decoration placed on one of the trees:

Evening at the Pond

Northeast corner of the back yard

Young geese are growing up

The goslings seem to change almost daily. At this point their adult colors are almost complete although they are still distinguishable from the parents by their size. I believe the young ones can walk and swim early, but it takes time for the flight feathers to grow strong enough to fly. Until that happens the parents keep close watch.

Our seasonal yard look

Pam took this shot of our mahonia and ninebark plants in the back yard:

It's nice having these evening promroses along the driveway. People walking by the house have asked about them.

The Pond: Two views

Paint Branch

North end of backyard

A year or two ago, we had a tree removed from this area, and since then Pam has been working on a garden there.

Geese hatch in the Park

Despite park management's efforts to keep down the Canada Geese population, four goslins were born recently, the first babies we've seen in a couple of years. This morning I spied a fox skulking nearby, so I checked to see that the new-borns were okay. They were fine and looked to be similarly healthy when I checked again this afternoon.

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: