A Visit to Pisgah Covered Bridge

March 6, 2016

I was looking up North Carolina's covered bridges and found one of them, Pisgah Covered Bridge, was near Asheboro, North Carolina.  Since it was only a little over an hour further than Raleigh, I decided to include it in my trip.  My friend and hostess, Nancy, said that the zoo was also there and we decided to make a day of it on Sunday.

So we did the zoo for all of the morning,  then stopped for a delicious sandwich at Jimmy John's Sandwiches. I must put in a plug for this store. They offer all their sandwiches wrapped in lettuce for people living wheat free. Awesome!  After the rest and lunch, we were ready to travel on  to the bridge site, reaching it by mid afternoon.

The bridge is directly adjacent to the highway but almost perpendicular to it. There is a lovely little wooded park and a loop trail (plus another linear one we didn't walk) around a scenic portion of the West Fork of the Little River. We spent about a half an hour enjoying the views and the calmness of the woods.

View from the parking lot - look closely to see the side of the highway

The inside is totally covered with graffiti

Looking from the other end

View from the parking lot 

Walking along the West Fork of the Little River

The reflected clouds added to the beauty

A guy contemplates the stream from the bridge where the trail crosses the stream

Another visitor was enjoying the solitude where the stream is full of large rocks

The mostly quiet stream had a few ripples here

And made the light dance

View  of the bridge from the stream

Last look

This bridge was built in 1911 at a cost of $40 using recycled wood.  It was almost destroyed in the flood of 2003 when it was washed off its piers fifty feet down stream and partially broken apart. Volunteers found all the pieces and rebuilt it.  They also gave it a new foundation.  It was replaced on the foundation and rededicated in 2004.  Let's hear it for volunteers!

A Visit to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

March 11, 2016

I was to spend two days in the Norfolk Virginia.  My friend has not yet reached the golden age and still has to work, as does his wife.  He said he would be at home after 3:30 P. M.

I decided to make the most of of daylight, and planned to get to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge by sunrise. This is Virginia's southeasternmost refuge.   I had an easy trip up there but had to stop and take sunrise pictures a short ways before I reached the refuge.

Sunrise over the dunes 

By the time I arrived at the refuge,  morning clouds were diluting the sun. I started down the first boardwalk I saw and watched lots of small birds flit around.  Robins, Carolina wrens, song sparrows, and myrtle warblers were calling and starting to forage.  Then several flocks of tundra swans flew over. These will probably be the last swans I see because the swans left Pea Island at least two weeks ago.

By the time I got to the refuge, the sun was blocked by clouds

Part of a flock of tundra swans heading north

A closer view

The boardwalk was short and led to an overview. I turned around and went back across the parking lot and behind the closed Visitor Center to find a fishing area. Back Bay is on the beach but has a fresh water impoundment on the west side, called..... Back Bay.

This is Back Bay, a freshwater impoundment

Inkberry, a native holly, was growing in wet areas along another longer boardwalk

I only took my camera so took about 50 pictures of a  pair of song sparrows
 to figure out  what they were

After I walked a little over a mile, I was back at the Visitor Center.  So I got my car, and started to leave.  But then I saw a road to the beach and decided to take a quick look.  I was so glad I did.

A lot of gulls were feeding over a place waves were breaking

I captured these double crested cormorants  just before they too went fishing.

One brown pelican flew in

Behind me the clouds were breaking apart and rising above the dunes

But the most exciting thing was the realization I was looking at several northern gannets fishing and resting just off shore. This is the first time I've been close enough to get any kind of a picture.  This was definitely the best moments of the day. I tried to restrain myself and only added four pictures of them. 

First one

Then two

Caught one in the act of taking off

And several pictures of them flying

Lesser black-backed gull

Many gulls were already resting on the beach

Finally I tore myself away to leave, but a few yards farther down the road, I had to stop and take another blast of pictures of this pair of ospreys.  The male flew in and seemed to supervise the female who appeared to be forming the hollow. (Or perhaps even laying an egg.) I also had pictures of her with an expression all women can associate with, having to do with her opinion of something the male said.

Osprey pair

 Then I was off to my next stop, First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. There I took a ten mile hike. Then I met Les and we went to see his garden (AKA Norfolk Botanical Garden.) More soon.

When this publishes, I'll have only eleven more days here to work, than another pair of days to pack and clean up the bunkhouse.  Getting excited.

I'm joining Wild Bird Wednesday. Click on the picture to see blog about birds from around the world.

Art and Birds in the Park

March 5, 2016

I replaced two of my tires while I was in Galveston last fall, and then planned to replace the other two while I was in North Carolina. The closest Discount Tire was in Raleigh, so I decided I'd have to go there and also find some good places to visit.  Then the daughter of one of my best friends invited me to stay at her house.

She had a wonderful day planned at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

We planned to go early and take pictures in the golden hour.  But clouds got in the way and we had to wait until midmorning. We did the Art in the Park walk and then visited one of the museum buildings.

Come along on a virtual tour of the best parts.

Nancy caught this crazy lady who was diverted by ducks on the pond

Two female red breasted mergansers

A male bufflehead at the start of a dive

A VERY cooperative red shouldered hawk - got a couple of dozen pictures

One of three rings - actually built in trenches, then lifted up with a crane  - it is framing a huge torso

My favorite - a wonderful mobile it spun completely around while other parts also turned to different rhythms

This looked vaguely conifer shaped

This looks like a hobbit house but is a huge pinhole camera. You see the sky and trees upside down on the floor when conditions are right - they weren't for me

I found this pile of cans - don't think they are actually part of the art - but I made
them as beautiful as possible

This looked like a blanket blowing in the wind but is rigid

This area had many chairs at various heights.  They were assembled around the trees.
For the whole story and more pictures about Forrest for the Chairs, click on the link.

Loved the textures on this one

And the natural painted sculpture of a river birch

Spring was just peeking in

Inside the museum this figure was captivating - lit from inside and "squatting" on the wall

I wasn't the only one entranced with the glass display

I was moved to create a little more art with a closeup of some of the glass - I added the color

This figure was especially amazing........

because he was covered in buttons which make their own pattern

The first water lily was in bud in one of the reflecting pools

This is a metal tree

The Three Shades by Rodin

This is a very interesting park that lets you get your exercise while being entranced by the art encounters. You can also ride your bike here, then ride across a bridge to another greenway.  There are two buildings to the museum.  We only visited one of them, which mostly housed a huge Rodin collection and modern art. 

Happy Spring Equinox.