March 2011: Signs of Spring

March came in like a lamb, and with it came some signs of spring; just enough to keep us hopeful that spring will indeed arrive on time this year!  

March 1st gave rise to the very first, and much anticipated, sign of spring:  Crocus!

... and also some daffodils and tulips starting to emerge!

On my birthday, March 16th, spring was becoming bloomin' evident on my block!

                                                           
Abundant Purple Crocus:

And yellow ones too!

A walk around the neighborhood on Saturday, March 19th uncovered many more signs of spring, that made me happy indeed! 

I looked hard to find a magnolia bud nearly ready to burst:

It was not so hard to find a stereotypical robin!

This saucy early daffodil was a welcome surprise:

There was new green growth
on some bushes in the park:

The local waterfowl were swimming in pairs
on the pond, including this odd couple!

Male Redwing Blackbirds were puffed up
and singing their hearts out to potential mates! 
Cong-a-leeee!

Pussy Willows reached for the blue sky!

Turtles were awake and sunning!

Then March 23d & 24th brought thunderstorms, hail and more snow to us!  All our joyful signs of spring were blanketed in the despicable white stuff:

Crocus covered in snow:

This poor cold dove was sitting
among snow-covered dogwood buds:

One more week in March to go!  Will spring ever show?? 

March 28th:  Well, the snow has melted, but temps remain unseasonably cold - with many mornings below freezing!  Let's hope that April will be better!

This dove is puffed up against the cold, but at least there is no snow on the branches!

*     *     *     *     *

Fall 2010 Road Trip: Day 2

10/17/10:  Front Royal VA to Christiansburg, VA via Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. 

As we entered the Park, we stopped the car to take a photo of the sign (below), and as soon as we started up again, a deer darted across the road in front of us!   (I wasn't quick enough to get a photo!)  We thought that was a good omen for seeing wildlife, but as it turned out, that was the only animal we saw all day!

What we did see was some beautiful fall foliage in the many valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains, from overlooks on Skyline Drive - a 105 mile scenic highway, mostly on mountain ridges!.  Around every bend was an overlook and we just couldn't stop at every one!  But we did stop at many of them, as you can see! 

Massanutten Mountain (the pointy peak in the distance) bisects the Shenandoah Valley.

The requisite tourist shots:

A bare tree stands starkly against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge valley:

Somewhere along the drive that morning, we picked up a hitchhiker!  This little guy (about 1" long) rode with us for quite a few miles before disappearing.  The nearest ID I can come up with is a "shield bug".  When I posted this shot on Daily Pics, one comment suggested he was really a "windshield bug"!   Very appropriate, except that he was on the back window, not the front!

After a little over 100 miles of Skyline Drive, at 35 mph - it's pretty hard to go that slow for so long, just ask Bob :)  - the route turns into the Blue Ridge Parkway at 45 mph!  The Blue Ridge Parkway is a winding,  scenic highway, stretching almost five hundred miles north and south, connecting Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains in North Caroline and Tennessee!  The Parkway meanders from the east to west facing slopes, and varies in elevation from just under 650 feet at James River in Virginia, to over 6,000 feet south of Mt. Pisgah in North Carolina.  

Right at the beginning of the Parkway on the Virginia end, is a recreated mountain farm that gives visitors a glimpse of traditional mountain life in the early days of settlement.  Here are a few shots from the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center and Mountain Farm:

Farmhouse

A visitor checking out the chicken coop:

Another farm building

A traditional scarecrow in the fields

It was getting toward dinnertime for us when we left the farm, so we got off the Parkway to look for a place to eat, then drive on to Christiansburg, VA where our next motel ( a small but sufficient room in a Microtel Inn and Suites) was booked.  It was a tired, but happy end to a great day, topped off perfectly by a lovely sunset just as we were checking in for the night!

End of Day 2...

*   *   *   *   *