About Me

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Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Best Photos of 2016 - January

Best wishes for a healthy, happy and creative 2017. Many of us are glad to see the end of 2016, but are uncertain of what the new year brings. One thing that always makes me happy is to observe nature and try to capture the best of what I observe through photography. I take photos most every day and have selected my favorites here from January 2016:

Red-bellied Woodpecker - this photo reveals how it got its name--not always evident in most photos:


Red-bellied Woodpecker showing off its flashy cape and hood:


Pileated Woodpecker, a rare visitor to my yard. Here it shows off a striking red Mohawk:


Blue Jay--striking markings stand out against the snow:


Some closeups of the small Downy Woodpecker:


Last January was a snowy month so it was a real pleasure to feed the birds and capture them on camera. If you enjoyed these photos, check back in a day or so for the February favorites.