19 May 2016 The Blimp!

I used to see the Blimp a few times a summer when I used to fish years ago. Since moving to a new office, I've seen it twice in a few months. Seeing it this evening was still a site for my curious eyes and a ride I would gleefully accept if offered. Imagine the images that could be taken from that gondola...

15 May 2016 Rainy Day

Another day.... another towhee. Maybe it was the same one. It's still rare for me to see towhees in the yard for two straight days.

On our way home, we stopped at a nearby natural area to look for signs of orchids. The trails usually yield orchids each spring. We were too early for the flowers, but we found a number of leaves and a spike getting close to opening. In a few weeks we were certain we would see a flower as long as the deer didn't eat the spike.

14 May 2016 Birding for Breakfast and Hatch Run

We were treated to birds outside our kitchen in the morning.

A towhee

and a pair of cardinals were spending time in the yard. It seemed like they were going to be nesting soon.

We visited the Hatch Run series for the sixth time. This trail included nice rock formations and wooded areas.

Turkey Egg

13 May 2016 Holden Plant Sale

I made a late drive back from North Carolina to be home for a visit to Holden Arboretum and the annual plant sale. We added more wildflowers to plant in Pennsylvania and enjoyed a quiet lunch together before taking a short walk on the grounds. The weather was a happy addition.

10 May 2016 Two Parks

I chose the evening's entertainment by looking on the map for a grouping of caches. I didn't want to drive far this evening so Dan Nichols Park in Salisbury seemed like a reasonable choice. Dan Nichols offers a longer trails than most of the options.

It was a night for an assortment of ducks. This mother duck was leading her fleet in training.

Steel bridges are disappearing. This old repurposed bridge in the park is one of three remaining steel bridges in North Carolina. I am glad to see it serving a new duty in the park.

I was glad the paddle boat rental was closed for the evening. I would have looked like a fool paddling around in a boat by myself.

I've seen so many empty purple martin houses over the years that I often wonder why people try to build a colony. North Carolina is an exception with an active society and many successful locations. The gourd configuration at the park certainly appeared successful in its mission this evening.

I also spotted this nice mockingbird hopping from branch-to-branch along the tree line at the edge of the trail.

After a long walk and successful cache hunt at Dan Nichols Park, I made my way to Granite Lake Park. The park is a small community park despite it's large park name. I'm not sure Granite Lake exists, but there is a small pond area that was once open for swimming. Now its home to a motley mix of ducks and the ever-present geese. The multi at this park has been on the unfound list for a while. I found two stages of the hide quickly and had a mental block with the third. The cache owner eventually took pitty and gave me a huge hint for stage three. The hint should never have been needed as the hide is fairly common just well done. On the whole, the cache owner is skilled at making things hide in plain site. By the time I finally reached and found the last stage, I needed to make a quick return to the parking area to get out of the park by closing. This tough multi earned its favorite vote

Near one stage a male and female cardinal were very busy grabbing things and flying away to some nearby nest.

8 May 2016 Wildflowers

I needed to drive from Pennsylvania to Virginia so our Sunday time together was a walk around the property looking for wildflowers.

7 May 2016 Heading East in Pennsylvania

We were on our way to Warren and stopped for a couple geocaches in a favorite gamelands. Spring wildflowers were plentiful including carpets of trilliums along a small stream.

We moved on to a rail trail and found a few caches before a storm moved in. I also spotted an undamaged ceramic insulator. These are a true piece of the railroad heritage of this bike and hike path. Insulators are common along the trails, but we have spotted very few still intact.

The bean field not far from home was a sea of yellow this afternoon.

A new puzzle cache was placed recently in Warren. The puzzle requires walking around downtown Warren and gathering information to answer questions. Warren has its problems and needs real leadership, but it's an attractive small town. This evening it was at its best.

Nice toes!

6 May 2016 Skok Meadow

Skok Meadow is a holding in Lake Metroparks. It has been a passive park giving a quiet walk and experience compared to the other Lake Metroparks holdings. We stopped by for a quiet visit and a cache. The park is seeing more improvements, but still offered a quiet walk this evening.

I was hoping for more variety in wildflowers, but we did spot very nice phlox near the stream.

We also spotted a new suspension bridge by the stream. :) It's a great looking bridge with a nice span for bouncing.

The bridge planks are a little to far apart for doggy comfort,

but Phineas is phearless. He walked all the way across and back.

Lizzie may have stepped on a board or two before turning around and walking away.

Lizzie missed a nice view of a pleasant stream.

Ali took a turn crossing the bridge while I wrangled Phin and Lizzie.