Nature & Inspiration

Fall has just begun and already I’m seeing subtle shifts in the nature activity all around me.  In late August the waters of the Eastern Shore of Maryland were teeming with brilliant blue crabs which we greedily gobbled up one day for lunch along with frosty cold beer.  A little turtle made an appearance along with caterpillars and an emerald green frog.  

Traveling in the midwest in mid-September, I saw more hummingbirds in one small suburban garden than I’ve seen combined over my lifetime -- unfortunately, they were much too fast for me and my camera, so I’ve included a photo of a fantastical castle and garden instead.  They were made by two blond faeries I know and love.  

Several hours of driving through some of the most beautiful farm land you can imagine took me back to Minnesota where I was born and then into Wisconsin.  While I was there, catching up with some of my favorite people on the planet, I was lucky to see some pampered koi in a cool, shaded pond and happy chickens keeping a low profile to avoid the sharp eyes of ever present eagles.  

Angel

Speaking of eagles and sharp eyes...did you know that eagles can see something the size of a rabbit more than three miles away?  I didn’t, but I learned that and lots of other cool things when I visited the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota to get up close and personal with the five rescued eagles in residence there.  You know how sometimes, when you meet someone for the first time,  it feels like you’ve known one another forever?  That’s how I felt when I gazed into Angel’s golden eyes for a long moment.  There was a current of connection between us that I’ll remember for a very long time.

On our final morning, on the way to the airport...one of the eagles that rules the wide open sky near my cousin’s home saw us along our way as she (or he) sat at the tippy top of an old, bare Halloween sort of tree spying out over the cornfields and countryside -- maybe looking for breakfast.  

Now that I’m back home on the East Coast, I’m keeping an eye out for the monarch butterflies that will begin their southern migration soon, the little owl that sometimes hangs out in our pine tree and a fast red fox that travels in the sand dunes...wish me luck.  I hope you’re enjoying the Fall season.

E. England