Downstream from Brandywine Falls

My Toad

Last week, first thing in the morning when my brain was still a little groggy, I heard a chirping noise in the house.  I thought it was in the house, but maybe it was outside.  Thunder and Maggie ignored it, but maybe it was because they were waiting for their breakfasts.  I fed them and forgot all about it.

A couple days later, I heard it again.  This time I was more awake.  I thought maybe there was a bird near the window, looked out and saw nothing.  A few days later, it happened again.  I was very perplexed.

Sunday, I heard it one more time, but this time it was very close and I could tell exactly where it was coming from.  I peeked into one of my houseplants and saw this little guy burrowed in.  He is just an ordinary toad, but he was my toad.  He must have been living in the house plants last summer. The plants are outside in the summer, and I bring them inside for the winter.  Honestly, I don't like houseplants, but since most of them were my mother's, who loved her plants, I keep them. He must have been hibernating in my house all winter long.

I brought the plant outside.  Fortunately, it was a warm day.  I heard a toad chirping this morning close to the house.  I hope it was him.

Mittens, the cat at Brandywine Inn

Mittens, the cat at Brandywine Inn

When we hike over by Brandywine Falls, we go by Brandywine Inn.  It is an old house that they converted to a bed and breakfast.  They have a very friendly cat named Mittens.  He must be able to tell that I adore cats, because when he saw me, he came all the way across their yard to see me and show me he had a burr on his chest.  Really, he showed me.  He walked over and started to scratch at it.  He then let me pull it out.  After that, he just walked away.   He is one of those 6 toed cats, and he looks like he has mittens on his feet.  The only reason I know his name is because he has a name tag.

This is a picture of him.

Cole

Cole

Brandywine Falls

Cole

Cole

Mushrooms on a Tree

Mushrooms on a Tree

Swamp in Rocky River Reservation

Swamp in Rocky River Reservation

Cole

Cole

Pumpkin

The Rocky River

My House Guests Pumpkin and Maxwell

My House Guests Pumpkin and Maxwell

Kevin, the Sandhill Crane at Sandy Ridge

Kevin, the Sandhill Crane at Sandy Ridge

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

Maxwell

Maxwell

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

The Cuyahoga

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Goodbye Winter

 Goodbye Winter

Here is Shari and me on out last snowy ride of the year.  (I hope.)  This was an incredibly easy winter for us.  I don't think there was a single week that I didn't get out in the park.  Sometimes I was just riding on the hill, but I was still in the park.

Springtime silliness shouldn't even be an issue for us.  We had our bouts of it over the winter with the brisk weather and snow, but they are so used to being out on the trail, that the only novelty that will happen this spring is warmer weather.  And that is something that will calm them down if anything at all.

That means, our big project this year is getting Ellen and Dante on the trail.  She regrets quitting early this year--never expecting the weather would allow us to continue our trail riding.  It isn't that she stopped riding.  She has worked hard in the arena while we were out goofing off.  Now, with spring on the horizon, her anxieties are starting to come back.

But, we will get through them.  We have every spring.  Soon, we will all be together on the trail again. 

Life is good.

Thunder

Thunder

Cole

Cole

 

Thunder

Thunder

Fall

Fall

Swamp in Rocky River Reservation

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder Thursday

Thunder Thursday

My First Flowers of Spring--Snowdrops

Thunder

Thunder

That Was Neat

That Was Neat

Shari and I were coming home for a great winter ride,  Ellen was accompanying us on foot.  We were nearly to our river crossing, when we saw a Great Blue Heron wading in the center of the river.  The trail is very close to the river, so we had a terrific view of him. 

We see herons on the river most every time we ride.  I wouldn't be surprised if we just keep seeing the same one over and over--and it is probably this one.  Most of the time, we see them perched on the far side of the shore of the river.  It was very unusual to see one in the middle of the river like this.

Of course, we had to stop.  As he was walking upriver, Shari asked Ellen to take a picture of him with her phone; which she did.  Then she gave the phone back to Shari.

The heron continued to walk upstream.  Soon, he paused and lowered his head.  He looked like a cat ready to pounce.  Turns out, he was a bird ready to pounce.  He lunged his head into the water, opened his wings and stayed down there for what seemed to be the longest time.  It was probably about 5 seconds.  

He came up with a a huge fish!  We were in awe!  I have seen herons catch little fish before, but this was a first.  Shari handed Ellen back her phone.  We were really regretting that she had given it back to Shari.

The heron certainly seemed to be please with himself as he strutted over to the far shore.  We watched as he held the fish in his jaw for the longest time before it stopped flapping.

It was only then that I realized we were lucky that the horses weren't startled when the heron made his big lunge--since we weren't paying one iota of attention to them.  All eyes were on the drama in the river.

We see some interesting things out on our rides, but this one is one that will stay in our memories for a long time.

Stormy

Stormy

Cole

Cole

Dante

Dante

My Backyard

My Backyard