Great Salt Lake

I’m feeling thankful 🙏 to visit another area that I remember visiting as a child – but only vaguely since I was so young at the time.

I recall it being much, much bigger than the more recent visit; with water spanning as far as I could see in areas. But the current low waters made for a very different and fascinating experience. In fact, the Spiral Jetty earthwork/land-art isn’t even visible if the water is above about 4.2k feet (above sea level).

With the low levels, being able to walk out on the shores was very bizarre. The salty banks are sloppy, slick and sinking under foot in some spots. The heat seemed to permeate from the ooilitic sand reflecting the hot sun. But this didn’t stop some beach goers from setting up out near where the slop ended and the water began.

Its salty yet serene beauty made for an almost unearthly experience. 🌜🌎🌛

Rozel Point peninsula

Redish halophilic bacteria

Salt hole and tumbleweed 👁

Spiral Jetty

Salty tumbleweed

Beach geese

Distant lake mountains

Beach goers

Spiral Jetty

Colorado National Monument

I thought often about coming here when I was much younger than now. I remembered the idea of the geography and geology, the sight of the structures, the cliffs, the overall beauty.

This trip brought all of its beauty back in full force. The spring weather made for a cooler – almost muggy – experience; and after the rain and hail broke, and when the sun started to set…

All was right in the world. 💕 So happy to visit again.

North view over Grand Valley

Distant “Book Cliffs” & Mt. Garfield

Coke Ovens against Artists Point backdrop

Kissing Couple (L) and Grand Mesa? backdrop

Fruita, Colorado

Back side of Pipe Organs

Monument Canyon, Grand Valley and Sentinel Spire

Cold Shivers Point and Grand Valley

Colorado National Monument

Cedar Waxwings

I’m so happy to have these Cedar Waxwings visiting our back yard! The first time I saw them, there were only a few in one of our trees (that’s when I captured the last picture below). Today, I heard a bit of of commotion, looked out the window, and found them hunkering down in the snow flurries along with a flock of robins.

Since we don’t typically see them around here, I feel especially lucky to have them coming by to hang out in the trees out back! I assume they’re migrating… Do you know more about these birds? I’ve been learning more from these sites:

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_waxwing

• https://commonbynature.co.uk/2018/11/24/top-10-facts-waxwing/

Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

Bombycilla comes from the Ancient Greek bombux, “silk” and the Modern Latin cilla, “tail”; this is a direct translation of the German Seidenschwanz, “silk-tail”, and refers to the silky-soft plumage of these birds. The specific cedrorum is Latin for “of the cedars”. WIKI

“Part of waxwing family of passerine birds”(or perching birds or songbirds)

“Outside the breeding season, cedar waxwings often feed in large flocks numbering hundreds of birds.”

“When a male waxwing sets out in search of a mate, it often carries a berry – passed to a female bird in an effort to impress her.” Check out more information HERE

“Spiritualists believe waxwings to be a symbol of selfless generosity.” – James Common

I hope they happen by again tomorrow! Here’s to more backyard birding! 🐦🔭🏡

Beautiful Bergamo, Citta Alta (part 2)

Bergamo, Italy

Cappella Colleoni |Piazza Padre Reginaldo Giuliani

Tomb of Mayr in Santa Maria Maggiore Bergamo

Piazza Vecchia

Is the Blue Jay your totem?

Associated symbolism:

A blue jay animal totem flies into your life to teach the importance of using your intelligence to learn quickly and being able to adapt to any situation. It has a passion for investigating, thus utilizing adaptive skills and constantly learning new ideas and concepts. It allows us to access memories that we have long forgotten and shows how to adopt them into our awareness. – Leah M Bostwick
https://www.sunsigns.org/blue-jay-animal-totem-symbolism-meanings/

It typically gleans food from trees, shrubs, and the ground, though it sometimes hawks insects from the air. #wiki

The blue jay is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America #wiki

Like other corvids, they may learn to mimic human speech. Blue jays can also copy the cries of local hawks so well that it is sometimes difficult to tell which it is #wiki

Never really thought about it before, but with traits like as talkative, socially vigilant, resourceful, trustworthy, curious, diligent and intelligent… I think the Blue Jay would be an admirable animal totem.

What’s your animal totem?

Golden Hour of Hope

“I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” Anne Frank

Lunar Eclipse 2019

Mid to later stages of the other night’s Super Blood Wolf Moon.
Apparently a meteor hit the moon during the eclipse. I certainly was not lucky enough to catch that! 😜

Super Blood Wolf Moon 2019

Cloud Gate

Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It measures 33 by 66 by 42 feet (10 by 20 by 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons). Source: wiki

Super Moon 2017

Fly me to the moon, Let me play among the stars… Frank Sinatra

Sláinte

May the Irish hills caress you. 

May her lakes and rivers bless you. 

May the luck of the Irish enfold you. 

May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.