The Easy Does It 3 Miler

Went out today to test my stamina since I haven't been running due to my medical issues below.  The 3 mile stamper turned out pretty good 28:18 at 9:26 per mile.  I took the first mile slow and easy and seemed to gain momentum as I went.  Felt pretty strong considering the lack of running.  May try to ease back into it.

toadshade

Hiatus

I'm sorry I haven't posted recently but I've had a bad case of laryngitis that is still not diagnosed.  I've been on anti-biotics and Steroids but I still have it.  It seems a little better at present and it doesn't really hurt.  The doctors say my lungs are fine so I've been doing some shorter runs and taking it easy.  I see an ENT Doctor on Monday who hopefully can shed some light on this.  Don't be doing a lot of running if it's an allergy problem.  But I'm going to try to catch the blog up with some hikes I've taken over the last few weeks that have been real fruitful.

toadshade

The Wheezing Meltdown 5 Miler

I ran this run in a lot hotter weather and started out way to fast and under hydrated.  The result was a meltdown in the last two miles.  My swollen larynx makes it sounds like I was gasping for air which I wasn't.  The time wasn't too bad at 49:43 at 9:57 per mile.  I'm doing some catchup here so I can't remember much.  Had to cancel my half-marathon due to this crap.

toadshade

Canada Violet at Pearson's Falls

Canada Violet
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I went up with Ann-Marie to Pearson's Falls and Table Rock today to, hopefully, catch the best of the Spring Ephemerals. We timed it right. The place included, among others, Toadshade Trillium, Large-flowered Trillium, Erect Trillium, Canada Violet (pictured), two types of Toothwort, Dutchman's Breeches, Saxifrage, Yellow Violet, Foamflower and Oconee Bells (past blooming transplants). I took a few movies that are on my Flickr page that caught the cool Spring wind and the sounds of the mountain stream and Louisiana Waterthrushes. Got one of Ann-Marie with a Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Later we went to Table Rock and walked a couple of miles of the lower trail. Heard a lot of Black-throated Green Warblers at both places. Heard a Scarlet Tanager at Table Rock and saw a lot of Sweetshrub. A lot of the fun was just riding through the Spring green of the mountains. We went from Pearson Falls down 176 to 25 and took it south to the turnoff for Jones Gap. We then drove down into the valley to see the South Carolina farm valley leading to the Saluda River in Jones Gap. We didn't go into Jones Gap but decided to go on to Table Rock for a hike. We came back by Marietta to see the Oreo Heifers but only saw one in the distance. Not enough for photo op.

I almost forgot, we ate at the headquarters for the trip, the Green River Barbeque in Saluda. A great feed which Ann-Marie loved!! It was perfect timing for wonderful trip.

toadshade

Miccosukee Gooseberry at Steven's Creek

Miccosukee Gooseberry
Originally uploaded by toadshade

After seeing Patrick McMillan's show on the Steven's Creek Heritage in McCormick County I just had to go see this place. It was only a short 90 miles from Columbia in the Carolina Piedmont near the Savanna River. This particular Gooseberry grows only in a county in Florida and here in SC. The place had a lot of what I consider mountain wildflowers, Dutchman's Breeches, False Rue Anemone, Spring Beauties, Lanceleaf Trillium (and two other Trilliums), Lanceleaf Anemone, Green and Gold, Buttercups and Ragwort. Shooting Star grows there but hadn't bloomed yet. The hike may be about 3 miles or more and goes down the ridge to Steven's Creek then loops back around the top of the ridge and rejoins the path above near the start for a perfect loop trail with points of interest on all parts. The ridge sports a Witchbroom Tree that was of interest as was the star of the hike - the Gooseberry pictured. It hasn't quite bloomed and hopefully I can get back down there when it does. It seemed to grow on the slopes with the Dicentra and False Rue and also, which was a little surprising, on the ridge. It's a thorny plant which I first mistook for a Hawthorne until I saw the buds.  Heard a Black-and-White Warbler, Northern Parula and Blue-headed Vireo.

It's an easy trip. I left at 8 am, took my time on the road and trail, and was back in Columbia by 2:30 pm.

toadshade

The Annual Oconee Bell Wildflower Pilgrimage

Bloodroot Buds
Originally uploaded by toadshade

We started early - 6 am, and headed up the interstate to see the Oconee Bells and any other wildflower that dared to poke it's head up. I drove and Bill navigated. The first setback was that 385 to Greenville was closed off which made the trip to see the Oreo Heifers an impossibility unless we wanted to double back on SC 11. We were pressed for time anyway and decided to hit the Bells at Devil's Fork State Park so we would have more time for Station Falls, Pearson Falls, and Bradley Falls. Our logic was - since we're coming later this year, there should be more of the Spring ephemerals growing. We were sadly mistaken.

The Bells showed up on time and gave quite a display of interesting photo ops. Heard a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Blue-headed Vireo also. After we finished there, we went on to Station Falls. The Toadshade Trillium were growing profusely and we ran into them way up the cove and anticipated a lot more later on. Then we ran into Windflower (rue anemone) and one measly Robin's Plantain. We were expecting some Green and Gold, Pennywort, Spring Beauties, Bellwort and Large Flowered Trillium. Instead we got more Toadshade, more Rue and Sharp-lobed Hepatica which is an early bloomer like the Toadshade. Some Mayapple were coming up which gave the floor a nice green Spring flavor. Had some interesting birdlife there - Common Raven, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, an Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a few Titmice and Chickadees.

After that we went to Green River Barbeque to wallow in hog fat and analyze our data. Bill checked photographic records from last year and discovered that a few more of the species we'd expected had bloomed last year at this time, name Large-flowered Trillium, Spring Beauties, Bellwort and Canada Violets. We surmised that the extremely cold Winter put a little delay on the growing season.

We then headed to Bradley Falls to checkout the place for later adventures. It wasn't far from Saluda, about 5 miles, and seemed to be a popular day hike area. Once we got down there, we realized that you have to be prepared for scrambling over rocks and getting your feet went and it's not conducive for carrying a lot of photo gear. So we decided to check it later and come prepared. We went down as far as Cove Creek where there was a memorial to someone who had died while climbing the rocks down there. It's pictured in my Flickr photos of the trip. It was a beautiful area with Toadshade trillium growing beside the path along with beautiful Smooth Yellow Violets.  Also, at the head of the path, there was evidence of an old homestead.  There were no buildings, boards or ruins, to testify to this.  What survived were the things that embellished the land and lives of the people who lived there - the flowers.  There were Daffodils and Periwinkles everywhere and what used to pass for an Orchard right beyond.  But the most pensive was a Periwinkle growing in the fork of a huge Sycamore.  You just wonder how it got there.  Did the inhabitants plant it, did the birds drop it, or did the Sycamore pick it up when it was much younger?  At any rate, it's a wonderful blend of the two cultures.

We decided to swing back by Pearson's Falls on the way back and see if it was a little more advanced than the rest of the places. It turned out to be pretty much in line with everything else. Plenty of Toadshade but not much else. We did finally find a couple of Spring Beauties growing along with Toothwort and Bloodroot pictured here. This helps to contrast with last year since bloodroot is usually on the wane instead of just budding. It was a great day and may inspire some more trips this Spring when the others are ready to show.

toadshade

Spring!!

Spring!!
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I ran 3 miles today around the neighborhood in 28:06 at 9:22 per mile. I took this picture the other day of Pear Trees and blossoms down at Southeast Park. Am having some sickness due to a sinus infection and laryngitis which put me out for a few days. It's not in my lungs so I can still run and the quick 3 miles was like a Godsend. Feel cleaned out. The laryngitis is a bigger problem since I have to counsel and lecture at work. I need a few talk free days so maybe the weekend will help.

toadshade

The Laryngitis Wheezing 5

First run since I got sick the other day.  I'm not running fever but my sinuses are clogged and I have laryngitis.  The run was ok except for the wheezing death rattle.  The run was 47:57 at 9:36 a mile.  Not bad really.  The legs and stamina were fine.  Will have to keep monitoring the other condition.  Took some Bluet pictures since they're blooming everywhere in the open fields now.

toadshade

The Rainy Late Winter 5 Miler

I did a pretty decent tempo run today that indicated I was tightening up in my training.  It had a little zap to it, energy wise, even though it wasn't the best time - 48:48 at 9:46 per mile.  Not much birding besides Robins still flocking in the yards and fields.  Heard one in my yard today chirping its mating call so maybe they'll quit ganging up and settle down to some responsible family life.

toadshade

The Snowflake 3 Miler

Lily of the Valley
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Ran across these beauties on my 3 Mile Asbury Church run. It was good to see Spring coming out in such beautiful whites. My friend Pat in England has been sending pictures of Snowdrops which are everywhere in England at present. They look a lot like these. The run was good and brisk at 27:55 for 3 miles.

toadshade

The Agonizingly Slow 12 Miler

I did my 2nd 12 miler in preparation for the Palmetto Half Marathon.  Started slow and stayed that way.  I was slow and sore toward the end but I felt the run was good since I didn't slow down or wilt.  I think my body is just used to long distance and preserves some innate stamina even when I'm not in very good shape.  It paid off since the recoup time was a lot less than the last 12 miler.  I'm getting there!

toadshade

Spring Blossom at Dickcissel Field 5 Miler

Spring Blossom
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Caught this beauty since my eye is looking out for any remote sign of Spring. Can't quite figure out what it is, maybe a Cherry. The run was good and quick at 48:00 minutes at 9:36 pace. Am doing some catch up here so can't remember much.

toadshade

Early Wildflowers at Southeast Park

Common Chickweed
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I went out to stretch my sore muscles from yesterday and get a glimpse of the changing season. Still not much happening but I did get a few shots of some late Winter wildflowers. The Common Chickweed and Bitter Cress (which may be growing in your yard right now) were taking advantage of the sun's rays and longer days. These two get overlooked a lot since they're fairly small and fit into what most people would call 'weeds.' Another early bloomer was the Field Pansy (Viola bicolor) which grows in profusion in the fields in Springtime. There ware a few Dandelions out there along with a Veronica or two. The Partridgeberries were just putting out their red berries and hopefully we'll get a glimpse of their white fringed flower in the near future.

The birding was good with the Yellow-rumped Warbler dominating. Not the huge flocks of Robins like last week which may be a sign that they're pairing off to mate. I hiked 4 miles. The temperature was in the mid 60s and it was a beautiful day. Bird list below:

Location: Southeast Park
Observation date: 3/7/10
Number of species: 23

Mallard 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 3
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 2
Brown-headed Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 4
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 2
Brown Thrasher 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 15
Pine Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

toadshade

The Green Sower 12 Miler

The Green Sower
Originally uploaded by toadshade

The Green Sower as opposed to the Grim Reaper? Get it? Well it's a pretty bad pun but there wasn't much to photograph out there today. Did a 12 mile run that exposed my lack of training. I did it in 2:03:19 which was about 10:16 per mile. I was sore as hell in the last 2 miles but, surprisingly, didn't lose my pace. Part of the reason for that is mile 11 has a long downhill slope which is a blessing for tired spent legs. You can add what little energy you have left and let the inertia take over. It was good to get this run in before the half marathon next month. Need to work on shorter more intense runs, at least 4-5 a week, do a couple of 10-12s and a tempo 8 or two and I'll be ready. Easier said than done.

The birding was good at the field with Pipits, Bluebirds and Meadowlarks taking advantage of the bright, sunny, Winter day. Good to be alive!

toadshade

The American Pipit 5 Miler

Finally got out and ran a quick 5 miles at a 9:28 pace. Total time was 47:23 which was pretty good. The 55 degree temperature helped the quick pace since the wind picked up in the last 2 miles. Saw a small flock of Pipits down at the field which is still wet and green with Winter Rye. The wind was cold and biting but the Daffodils spoke beautifully of the coming Spring.

Toadshade


-- Post From My iPhone

Goose Duck 10 Miler

Goose Duck
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Spring was in the air today, or at least in the mouths of songbirds. Most notably Cardinals and Chickadees were doing their mating calls. Heard the joyful burst of a Carolina Wren also. Took this picture of some geese on Sunview Lane. The run was good even though I was a little dehydrated and had some stomach problems. Fortunately there are plenty of places to duck into the woods for an emergency bathroom break. That's one reason I like running in more suburban rural neighborhoods. The Violets along the route have put out fresh green leaves and the crimson blush of the Red Maples is showing at the edges of the woods. Wild Mustard, Speedwells, Bittercress and Chickweeds were beginning to show up everywhere. I never tire of these yearly Spring visitors.

toadshade

The HeronWay Standard 6

Didn't have any wildflower or nature pictures so I thought I'd show this one of the birth of Aphrodite.  Pretty much decided to do the half marathon on April 10 out at the Village of Sandhills.  It will be an inaugural run so maybe I can start a new tradition.  I like Spring half marathons.  Rock Hill used to do one years ago that was just beautiful around the Winthrop Campus.  Lots of flowering Dogwoods and wildflowers and the temperature was just great.  Aiken used to do a 10 mile run in March through some of the more horse pasture areas.  Pretty muddy but beautiful.   Need to stay with my program of more weekly faster tempo runs and 10-12 miles on the weekends.  Ran a decent 6 mile tempo on my standard Heronway course.  Time was 58:49 at 9:49 per mile.

toadshade

Winter Birding Walk

Live Oak In Setting Sun
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Was a little sore today from the last two days run so I decided to do a 4 mile hike down at Southeast Park. Haven't walked this in a while and was pleasantly surprised by the number of birds out there. The huge flocks of Robins and Grackles dominated creating quite a racket. The Red-shouldered Hawks were calling pretty loudly too. The Yellow-rumped Warblers were out in numbers also and I've never seen as many Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers at one time. It was a great walk in 63 degree weather. Spring is just around the corner. Full list of birds is below:

Location: Southeast Park
Observation date: 2/21/10
Number of species: 21

Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Ring-billed Gull 3
Mourning Dove 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 5
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 80
Northern Mockingbird 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 11
Eastern Towhee 2
Chipping Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 300

toadshade

The Return of the Pansies 3 Miler

Pansy Rebirth
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Wanted to run a quick 3 miles to loosen up my muscles from yesterday's great interval run. I was a little tired and sore but did a decent tempo run at 28:00 minutes at 9:20 per mile.

Snapped a picture of my Pansies who bounced back stronger than ever after being buried under 5 inches of snow. It should be warmer for the next few days and hopefully I'll get some decent runs in for my half marathon training.

toadshade

The Pansy Snow Coffin 8 Mile Interval Run

This pic was taken during the snow last Friday night.  We don't get snow very often so I thought I'd include this picture of my Pansy planter covered with 5 inches of snow.  The slow melt the next day totally soaked the Pansies and actually did them good.  Ought to see them today!

Today is 1 hour and 12 minutes longer than it was at the Solstice and so I had plenty of time to run a tough hilly 8 mile interval run in the Ulmer Road Reflections area.  I haven't done intervals in a while and was surprised at how well my overall time was.  1:15:30 for 8 miles at a 9:26 pace.  Felt good too!!  I think I have the distance down pat if I can fine tune with more short runs and some tempos.  It warmed up to almost 60 degrees and I ran my intervals on the straightaways and downhills.  Was running strong til the finish.  As a result my left leg is pretty sore but that's a good thing.  Need to do an intense 3 or 4 miles tomorrow and I'll be back in the swing of things.

toadshade

The Snowy 10 Miler

Well we finally got a decent snow.  It started Friday night and fell lightly all night.  Absolutely beautiful.  I ran the next day in the afternoon when it had mostly melted.  Did a pretty quick 10 mile run the next day stopping to take pictures of places I've seen so many times but never like this.  I especially love the snow rows.  Pipits, migratory frozen tundra birds were out there along with Eastern Meadowlarks.  The melting snow had the field good and wet and should help the soil with the coming Spring.  Hope they let the field lie fallow this year so the Toadflax, Henbits and Wild Mustards will take over and cover it with color.  Then we'll probably get more Dickcissels and hopefully they'll have a little wheat out there to attract the Bobolinks.  I need to get more regular with my running.  They're having a new Half Marathon out at the Villages of Sandhills on 4/10/10.  I have that distance easy, but I need to tighten up on speedwork and drop a few pounds.  Always good to have a goal!

toadshade

I Forgot All the Details 5 Miler

This is Bob the squirrel, connoisseur of anything that happens to find itself on the ground.  This was not taken the day of my run which was a 5 miler out at Henbit Fields at 48:28 at 9:42 per mile.  It was taken on 2/12/10 at the start of a beautiful snowfall which plopped about 6 inches of snow on the ground which mostly melted by the next day.  Bob is enjoying my sunflower seeds on the ground before the snows covered everything and he's sorta cute with snow on his back. If Bob could talk, he probably wouldn't.

I really can't remember anything about the run since it's such a late entry.

toadshade

The Northern Shrike 8 Miler

I took a picture of the Shrike but it didn't turn out too well.  I went on a roughly 8 mile birding run since I haven't done one in a while.  I ran through the neighborhood to Dickcissel Field and back through Southeastern Park to get a feel of the Winter birds and what may or may not have shown up in the bitter cold.  The neighborhood itself was alive with small flocks of Robins, Cedar Waxwings and Starlings feasting on Dogwood and Cedar berries.  Dickcissel Field hosted the above mentioned Shrike along with the American Pipits, Eastern Meadowlarks and a Cooper's Hawk.  On the way to Southeast Park I saw the flocking Robins and Waxwings again joined by a Orange-crowned Warbler.  They were plenty of Eastern Bluebirds on Universal Drive around Millcreek Elementary School and an Eastern Phoebe nearby.  At the park I found what I was mainly looking for - Field Sparrows (along with Song and White-throated Sparrows).  On the way back home I saw a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers in the Cedar Trees.  It was nice to see so much vibrant life in the dead of Winter.

toadshade

The Bobbing Birds 10 Miler

Had to work this morning and thought of doing a longer run in the early afternoon to shake out some emotional cobwebs and tighten up my sagging muscles.  It was a good idea for a change.  The run was strong partially due to careful pacing and the slightly windy mid forty degree weather.  The run was infused by the dynamics of Winter.  It was cool, cloudy and gray, with a fine misty rain in the latter part of the run.  The Winter birds were very active, and seemed to play with the wind by bobbing and weaving and sounding off.  I startled some American Pipits that flew up with their 'pipit' sound, wheeled around the field in front of me and settled again in the field I had just passed.  The Brown-headed Nuthatches were out in numbers flying in out of the Loblolly Pine Trees with their 'squeaky-toy' sound.  The American Robins were flying in and out of the tree tops foraging for berries.  There was a sense of fun about the whole thing.  Maybe the slight wind animated their flight but they sure looked they were getting into the joy of living.  All in all it added color to the gray, misty day and gave me a great and memorable run.

Ran 10 miles in 1:44:18 at 10:26 per mile.

toadshade

The Wild Mustard Harbinger of Spring 5

Wild Mustard
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Ran my usual 5 miler today and took advantage of the 70 degree temperature. As predicted, a few days of warm weather brought out the hardy Winter plants like Veronicas, Dandelion, Chickweed, Henbits and the Wild Mustards pictured here. These Mustards gave the bleak Winter landscape down at Dickcissel Field a little glow of yellow-golden Sun; a hint of the warm days to come. I startled about three Eastern Meadowlarks and a Ring-billed Gull. Didn't see my Shrike. My time was good if a bit slow at 50:37 for a 10:07 pace.

toadshade

The Get Back With the Program 4 Miler

I was out of town, eating poorly, and generally getting run down so I did this 4 mile hilly run in 40:46 for about a 10:12 pace per mile.  It was good to be out when the day wasn't so cold and I could enjoy the sunshine.  I was in Maryland and it was cold and rainy up there and I didn't get a chance to jog.  Watered my Pansies last night and they look great so I decided to take a pic for the blog.  The days are getting longer and we now get 10 hours and 8 minutes worth of daylight.

toadshade

Sun Tree 7 Miler

Sun Tree
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I ran about 7 miles around the neighborhood, mostly at Southeast Park. This picture was not taken there but on my last run through Dickcissel Field. Winter provides such stark contrasts and etches the sky with color. The light was pretty flat on my run today. Southeast Park wears all the russets and dull browns of Winter. The bitter cold has wiped out any trace, even Dandelions, of wildflower activity. It's supposed to warm up for the next few days and maybe that will bring out some flowering beauty. Not much bird activity down there to speak of. It's usually a great spot for Field Sparrows and White-throats. First saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker down there a few months ago but nothing since. Saw a Turkey Vulture circling. Need to get out there in early morning. Had the park to myself except for a couple of walkers.

Will be gone to Laurel, Maryland for the next few days. Will probably report from there. Don't know if I'll get in a jog though. My run was 7 miles at 10 minutes per mile. Beautiful day.

toadshade

The Critter Track 5 Miler

Critter Tracks
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I've been seeing more of these since they closed Benson Road (Dickcissel Field) off to traffic. I think they're Raccoon Tracks and were fun to see right by my jogging shoe prints. I had the same experience with Deer tracks back on the June 9, 2009 post. But the greatest epiphany of all is - no tire tracks!! Except for harvesting and planting this road is not used anymore except for joggers and critters. Just read Wilton's Blog about looking forward to Spring being a major joy of Winter and I concur. Will be interesting to see what they plant this year or if they let the field lie fallow. The field was fallow a few years ago and produced a great variety of yellow and blue wildflowers, mainly Wild Mustard and Toadflax, in the Spring that was just beautiful. It later produced the closet to Columbia breeding Dickcissels at the time on the wild lettuce plants. At the time it's being visited by Eastern Meadowlarks, American Pipits, Kildeer, and a Loggerhead Shrike. And this jogging critter.

My run was good at 48:12 for 5 miles at 9:38 per mile.

toadshade

Winter Light 5 Miler

Winter Light
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Actually this picture is from yesterday's run since it was so late and cloudy when I started my run today. My 'streetlight pictures' were pretty shoddy no matter how hard I tried to photoshop them into something interesting. It was a balmy 50 degrees and cloudy today and It's supposed to turn cold and snow tonight. I'll believe when I see it and will post it so you all can too! My run was good - a little sore from yesterday. Time was 49:52 at 9:58 per mile.

toadshade

Robins and Mistletoe

Robins and Mistletoe
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Took this on my 5 mile run of a small flock of Robins among the Mistletoe. The plant that symbolizes the Winter with bird that symbolizes the Spring. Robins forage in flocks during the Winter and pair off to mate in the Spring. It's a good reminder of the beauty of both seasons. Even though it's bitter cold here in SC, the day is 7 minutes longer that it was on Yule and will keep getting longer.

toadshade

Sepia Sun Tree Wintry Chill 5 Miler

Sepia Sun Tree
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Ran a quick cold 5 miler today. The temps have been in the low 20s at night and my bird bath stays frozen most of the day. It thaws enough for the birds to take a quick drink and then freezes again. My Pansies are in survival mode. The wind died down today so the wind chill wasn't bad. The run was great since the cold dictated the pace. I ran it in 46:48 at 9:21 per mile. That's fast for my 58 year old slightly overweight body. Took a picture of this bare Hickory Tree at Dickcissel Field. It always hosts Orchard Orioles, Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings in the Summer. The beauty of the cycle of life never fails to amaze me and never fails to warm the heart on a day like this.

toadshade

Dickcissel Field 8 Miler

Dickcissel Field
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Wanted to start the year with a shot of Benson Road where my readers have been awed by the Corn Crops, dazzled by the photos of Morning Glory, Wild Poinsettia, Camphorweed, Bitterweed, Goldenrods, Asters, Oxeye, and dumbfounded by the reports of breeding Dickcissels, Bobolinks, Kestrels, American Pipits (who were there today), Grasshopper Sparrows, Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Orchard Orioles, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks and Loggerhead Shrikes. I started years ago with just running, but these other hobbies and interests just came with the territory and shaped what I am by what I enjoy today. I would like to thank at the beginning of the year the people who helped shaped this tapestry of a life which I so enjoy today. First my cousin John, who get me into long distance running, then Wilton, who got me into the study of plants and nature, Fred Davis, who help me experience the joy of a green life, James "Butch" Wilson for all of his positive support of my unorthodox (to some) interests and my two Grandfathers, Thomas Evans Wilson, and Thomas Simpson who shared their joy of birdwatching and love of nature before I could even walk.

Blessings for the New Year!

toadshade