Big Meadows, oh how I love thee!

Such a perfect day.....I'm so glad I spent it with Sophie, Clara, Mom, Dad, Jen, Jose, Alejo & Sofia.

(The last 7 photos are courtesy of my Dad....thank you, Dad!)

An Evening in the Garden

I'm so sorry for the absence.  It's summertime and both girls are out of school.  I'm lucky if I turn my computer on each couple of days. Tonight the girls and I planted some new seeds in the garden and I noticed the lighting was nice so I ran in to grab my camera.  Here are a few shots.  I hope to be back sooner rather than later!

Pollinating the cucumbers....

A topside view of Sophie's sunflower.

The zucchini forest.

The lovely pot that Sophie & I planted.

Red geraniums are one of my favorites.  Look closely and you'll see a spiderweb that appeared overnight.

I planted my tomatoes super late this year but they're coming along....

And my most favorite gardening project of all.  Milkweed.  I hope it works.  Won't you help me help the monarchs?  Seen any so far? 

What's up in your garden?

Space for Rent!

It's not that unusual to see bluebirds hanging out in the yard or at the feeders.

....So I thought it was about time to put up a bluebird house that my Dad made for me.

I should probably tell you that he gave it to me in, I think, 2011.  But I had a newborn and no idea how or where to install the house.  Fast forward to early March of 2014.....and I realized I really wanted the bluebirds to nest in our yard.  I headed to my favorite bird store and was amazed to find that they sell a kit!  I even managed to install the birdhouse myself!  Notice the little blue feeder I bought so that I could try to entice the bluebirds with mealworms.

Within a few hours of putting the house up, the bluebirds found the mealworms and started feasting.  Much to my delight, they spent about a week checking out the house.  I'd walk out into the yard to find a bluebird hanging on the house with his/her head sticking in the hole (and I know I took a picture of just that but I now can't find it anywhere ~ I just spent 30 minutes looking through all my files!).

Well, much to my dismay, the bluebirds passed on my house.  I was so bummed.

But then....

.....a sweet little wren decided the house was just perfect!

I've been studying her ever since.  She stays very busy!  For the first week, I watched as she carried stick after stick after stick into the little hole.  It was truly fascinating!  The girls and I would sit chairs out on the lawn and drink juice and eat snacks as she worked.  I mean honestly....who needs TV?

One day, while the sweet wren was away looking for food, we opened the house. I couldn't believe my eyes.....

I don't know about you but I've never seen a nest like that before!

It took a little while but, within the last few days, I heard the first sound of babies calling out to their Mama.  The sweetest sounds.

Now Mama's on double and triple shift.  I've never seen ANYONE work that hard, except for maybe myself.  Ha!

Last night, I was so pleased to take the below photos after she captured a grasshopper. Those babies must have LOVED feasting on such a gourmet treat!

I'm so happy she came to live at our house!  

Am I a little disappointed that the bluebirds didn't choose to stay?  I can't lie, I am.

But then I go outside and watch this Mama hard at work.....and I listen to her beautiful song.....I try over and over again to take her picture.....and I realize that she is also a gift.  The sweet little wren makes this Mama incredibly happy.

I can't wait to meet her babies!

Thank you, Dad ~ the bluebird/wren house is truly one of my favorite gifts ever.....and it means so much to me that you built it yourself!  XOXO

Marsh Island

We've been home over a month now but I'm still trying to get caught up on my Kiawah posts.  It's much harder when time has gone by.  Still, I really LOVE some of these photos of Sophie and it's been in the back of my mind that I needed to get them "out there" before too much time passes and I forget.  

When we first arrived on Kiawah, I immediately set my sights on figuring out the best nature spots.  On our first full day, we set out in the car to check out a bunch of these sights.  Can you imagine my disappointment when we discovered that the majority of the island is behind a gate that can only be accessed if you're staying in one of the homes there?  Let's just say that I was miffed!  How come no one told me that?  I honestly don't think I would've gone there had I known.  At the Nature Center later that day, I asked an employee how I could see some of the good nature spots inside the gate.  She said by walking or biking.  Yeah, with a two year old in tow. Sounds fun.  I think the closest spot was 4-5 miles away!  Still, I really wanted to see some of these sights.  I'd read they were good for birding and wildlife.  Right up my alley!

One afternoon, when Clara was getting sleepy, we tucked her in the cart with some snacks and took off on our bikes.  It was a long ride, especially with a seven-year-old riding her own bike.  It took a long time to get there, especially with a stop here and there to look at/for gators.  In one pond, we found babies!!!

After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at Marsh Island (the first stop on my wish list).

It was a beautiful place.

Then I spent about half an hour photographing this sand fiddler crab.

He was fascinating to me!

When I turned around, I discovered that Sophie had been playing with the crabs down by the wet sand.  She was in her own little world and having fun. 

As she walked toward me, she was smiling to herself and looking up at the birds.  She's my nature girl.  I really believe she is.  And I feel so lucky to have someone like her, who has a strong interest in nature, to share my passion.  It's so much more fun going to places like this when she's around!

As we were walking the boardwalk over to the island, we saw a raccoon walking on the sand (it was low tide).  I was too slow grabbing my camera and didn't get a picture.  As we were walking the boardwalk on the way back to our bikes, I told Sophie we should look for raccoon tracks.  And she found them before the words finished leaving my mouth. 

In the end, we'd spent so long biking to and exploring Marsh Island, the kids were tired and cranky and hungry.  We also had to bike the full way back.  No matter how much I wanted to see the other sites, it wasn't a good idea.  We started back but I felt real disappointment in not seeing all the nature this place had to offer.  I knew there was no way we were going to bike all that way again another day!  It seems so wrong to me that the nature is not accessible.  For this reason, we likely will not return to Kiawah again.  I get gated communities yada yada.....but nature should be accessible to everyone. I left there not feeling totally satisfied with my vacation....I know I missed out on some great spots.....and that's not a nice feeling.

Yep, so we're looking forward to heading back to Hilton Head in the Fall!