Great Falls of the Potomac River

Virginia shore on the left side of the river, Maryland shore on the right.

Pileated Woodpecker at Great Falls

We felt very lucky when we spotted this Pileated Woodpecker during our visit to Great Falls National Park today.

Blue skies

These big, fluffy, white clouds and blue skies were a welcome sight after all the storms and tornado warnings last night.

Stained glass at Washington National Cathedral

Wanna go for a ride?

Storm clouds

My son and I spent last evening trying to capture a bolt of lightening in the storm clouds. As you can see in the first photo, I got lucky once, just capturing a bolt in the bottom left corner. The other four photos are before/after shots of lightening.

Happy Easter

Gray Catbird

A pair of Gray Catbirds has been flying around the yard for the past couple of days. I haven't managed to get a picture of the male yet. Hopefully they'll hang around a few more days and I'll be able to sneak up on him. They fly away at the slightest movement.

Happy Earth Day

For years, we've recycled cans, bottles, and newspapers. Last year I discovered that the recycling company our city uses allows many other items to be recycled so we purchased a large bin on wheels and fill it up every week. Less than six months later, we came home on trash day to find our recycle bin looking like this. I was really ticked off because this bin was expensive. I called the recycle company who said they weren't responsible for "normal" wear and tear. I also sent this photo to my mayor who thanked me for bringing it to his attention but apparently did nothing. So another six months later, we finally pulled out the duct tape and repaired our bin and will continue to fill it up every week. It's not much but if all us little people fill our bins every week we can make a difference. I saw Hunter Lovins, author of "Climate Capitalism: Capitalism in the Age of Climate Change" on her book tour earlier this week. After hearing what she had to say, I decided it's the right thing to do.

Jeb Stuart

Located at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, this is the final resting place of J.E.B. Stuart, a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War.

A quiet couple

Took a walk at lunch today and came upon this quiet couple

Are you mocking me?

Easter moon, Spica, and Saturn

Last night I looked out my window and caught the Easter moon--the first full moon of spring--rising. It was a beautiful sight.

A little while later you could see the star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Above Spica you could see the planet Saturn. Although this is not a good picture, you can see a small dot (Spica) just above the wires beside the clouds. Directly above Spica, between the top two wires, is Saturn. We've tried viewing Saturn with a backyard telescope but obviously don't know how it works so haven't been able to see the rings. This has been very disappointing for us.

Last blooms

This is probably the last spring we'll be able to enjoy watching my neighbor's cherry tree bloom. The storm that tore through the southeast this past week came through our area last night and uprooted the tree. Lots of birds will lose a source of food now.

Teddy Bear

A little more yellow

White-throated Sparrow

Washington Hogettes

Wonder what the Hogettes will do next Fall is there's no football?

Civil War Sesquicentennial—honoring an ancestor

Today’s post honors an ancestor who fought in the Civil War—a war that began 150 years ago today. Leroy Thomas Holland was born in Belton, Anderson County, South Carolina in September 1835. He married Amanda Elizabeth Scott in 1854 and had four children by the time he joined the war. On April 21, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Jenkins Brigade, Company L, Second South Carolina Rifles. On several occasions during the war, Leroy can be found sick in a Richmond hospital. He was one of many prisoners of war surrendered by General Robert E. Lee and paroled on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

After the war, Leroy headed home and had seven more children, many of which died young, before his wife died in 1877. Two years later, he married Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall and had three more children. Leroy farmed the land he inherited from his father, but due to poor land conditions, was unable to make a living for his family. It became necessary for him to borrow money to provide for his family. Unfortunately, he was unable to pay the debt when it came due but was able to reach an agreement on the money. He lost the land for non payment. Having a friend living in Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia, Leroy moved his family there in 1891. He died in 1892 after developing pneumonia and is buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Dalton. His wife and three sons moved to Texas after his death.

As a genealogist, I often reflect on what life was like for our ancestors. Most of mine were poor farmers and lived a hard life. Leroy struggled to support his family and found himself caught up in a war on American soil. I have no desire to argue right or wrong for the southern cause here. I just feel the need to remember those who came before us. Like it or not, their actions helped shape who we are today and we should all be thankful for that.

Gone but not forgotten.

April 10 waxing crescent moon

Brown-headed Cowbird

The dogwood was a popular place yesterday. I spotted this first time visitor there late afternoon. My research tells me its a female Brown-headed Cowbird. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Dogwood and Goldfinch

I'm seeing a lot of Goldfinch lately. They're sitting on my dogwood waiting for their turn at the feeder.

What would George say?

I wonder what the General would say about the craziness happening in Washington today.

Red and yellow

The bandit

I can't resist sharing another photo of the Cedar Waxwing.

P.S. Teddy came home today and is resting comfortably. He's had a hard couple of days. The doctor said to keep him calm and cool. You know he'll be spoiled rotten while he's recovering.

Prayers for Teddy

Our little Teddy had to be taken to the doggie ER last night and is fighting for his life tonight. He was diagnosed with tracheal collapse, a narrowing of the windpipe due to the weakening of the cartilage. This condition is apparently common in toy breeds like Pomeranians. The doctor wasn't very optimistic that he'd make it early today but he started showing a little improvement this afternoon. If you're reading this, join me in saying a prayer for our little Granddog.

Cedar Waxwing

While walking Teddy yesterday I spotted eight Cedar Waxwings in a tree two and a half blocks from my house. I can't tell you how exciting that was for me as I've NEVER seen this bird before. I'd thought about taking my camera with me when I left the house but ended up leaving it ... bad decision. Wanting a picture to document the sighting, I rushed to finish the walk, which isn't easy when you're walking a Pomeranian. They can only walk so fast with their short little legs. Once home, I grabbed my camera and rushed back to the tree. Luckily, they were still there and I was able to get these pictures. It made my day!

Bright color is coming back

Love the Robin

House Finch and budding tree

Not a great picture but I thought it was cool the way the finch and tree coloring blended together.