Staying Close to Home

It's time to get serious, here. We have got to get back to our hiking selves. The weather is getting nice and we are just itching to get away from home. We're ready to have our coffee by the sound of birds singing and trees rustling. But, since our camping aspirations were snafu'd this weekend, we decided to head to the bird sanctuary for some fresh air, some exercise, and some birds.

This bird sanctuary is very convenient, only about 15 minutes from our home. It's also extremely close to work. So close in fact, that while we were hiking, we would sometimes round a corner and be instantly reminded of Monday...

Yes, that is our work campus. Of course, its location is one of the reasons why I love working there so much. The only ones that may get their car broken into are those people who have left a few too many chocolate chip cookies on the passenger side seat that have been discovered by a black bear.

So, although this isn't exactly wilderness, it is a nice break from home and shopping; the sounds of the birds busily chirping away while hidden in the trees is still quite rejuvenating.

Also, it wouldn't be a walk in a bird sanctuary if we didn't see at least a couple of birds. Since I am addicted to taking pictures of all flowers and wildlife (especially birds), I thought I'd share one or two...

Even though terribly common, I love the red-winged blackbird, its song is so recognizable. We also saw several chickadees (my favorite), and some warblers (I'm not sure what kind), as well as a cormorant.

With all of our recent rains, the flowers were out in force and the bees were happy. This one above is lovin' life in a prickly pear cactus that is flowering with gusto.

Of course, all this excitement made for a pretty sleepy kiddo. All the excitement of the birds (and the mosquitoes) just did her in (if you examine the first picture closely, you can see her little blue hat sticking out from the side of the backpack).

Sometimes, staying close to home isn't so bad, afterall.