“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
William Shakespeare
Shine On
Category Archives: February
New Flock Arrives
“Great men are like eagles, and build their nest
on some lofty solitude.”
Arthur Schopenhauer
There’s a new President and First Lady in Washington, D.C. and the election isn’t even over. These two birds flocked to Washington, D.C. after a 70 year hiatus. But they are not your typical Presidential Family.
The two birds I’m talking about are a family of Bald Eagles who built their nest recently in a Tulip Poplar tree amongst the Azalea Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum District. The nest is approximately five feet wide by six feet deep.
The “First Lady” laid her first egg on February 10th, and laid her second egg on Valentine’s Day. The high flying couple are expecting the arrival of two eaglets in mid-March.
Their story began in the spring of 2014 when a lone male Bald Eagle started roosting on Kingman Island, it was observed that this male would survey the Anacostia River system on a daily basis and return to Kingman Island every sunset. During the fall Bald Eagles began migrating through the area and it wasn’t long until the male seemed to have found a mate.
Why would these Eagles choose to return to D.C. after over half a century? What I read was that the Arboretum has a number of old trees that are large enough to support an eagle’s nest. Even though the nest is in an urban area, the Arboretum provides quality wildlife habitat and enough open space to dampen the noise from the city. Also, the Arboretum’s close to the Anacostia River, which is a significant food source.
Thanks to the American Eagle Foundation and the National Arboretum who installed and stream two high definition video cameras from the top of the nest tree, you can watch these iconic birds 24/7.
Bald Eagle fans can check out the live video of the birds through an “eagle cam” that went live on President’s Day, hence their pet names.
I know I’ll be watching this Bald Eagle First Family daily. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the first to see these eagles when their new flock arrives.
Shine On
Love For That Sunset
“You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.”
Albert Einstein
For over a decade, my husband and I have enjoyed well over 3,650 California sunsets. The sunsets are never the same. Each one with its red, white, pink, purple and blue hues, one more dramatic than the next.
There is one thing we have noticed throughout the past decade. That is the fact that more and more couples flock to Redondo Beach to watch these spectacular daily images.
The sunsets may not take but a few minutes to experience, but it’s the lingering colors of the sunset that have you mesmerized by its beauty. Maybe that’s why couples young and old can be seen at the end of the day sharing not only their love but the love for that sunset.
Shine On
Read Around the World
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
Today one of the worlds most read writers died today. I’ve done a few posts about Harper Lee, but the following was a post that I wrote January 13, 2015 before it was known about her current release of Go Set A Watchman.
Rest in peace Ms Lee. You were an inspiration to all.
My post from January 13, 2015:
This year began with reading one of the books on my 100 books to read before you die list. It was an extremely difficult book to get through, but I am proud to say I finished it. The book was, “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper.
Whenever I read a book, I always Google the author and read about their life. James Fenimore Cooper, I learned, had a much privileged life. Both he and his wife were authors and came from wealthy backgrounds.
The second book I read the first week of January was, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, written by Harper Lee. I’d seen the movie several times, but had never took the time to read the book. Of course, I Googled Harper Lee and was surprised to learn she is still alive, and that it was the only book she ever wrote and published.
As a “wannabe” writer, I was stunned that such an accomplished writer, with numerous awards and honors never wrote another novel. She did write a few articles in the 1960’s and one recent letter to Oprah Winfrey in 2006, but that was all she wrote.
I believe the success of Harper Lee’s novel was due mostly because she wrote such realistic and compelling dialogue. Also, the storyline was relevant to what was happening in the United States history during the 1960’s, when the book was published.
Harper Lee may be a “one hit wonder”, with her book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, but that one hit was read around the world.
Shine On
That’s Why I Love Him
“What made me love thee? let that persuade thee
there’s something extraordinary in thee.
I cannot: but I love thee; none but thee;
and thou deserves it.”
William Shakespeare
One of my favorite fretted instruments is the banjo. After all, you can’t help but smile when you hear the sound of a banjo.
For Mother’s Day 2014 my son bought concert tickets for us to see “Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers” at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert was fantastic.
I was so inspired by the concert, that I decided it was time to learn to play the banjo. I didn’t own a banjo, but there’s a music store near my son’s apartment, and they just happen to have used banjos. After hearing the store owner play one of the banjos, I bought a used 21 fret, open back, 5-string banjo. I was absolutely thrilled to start learning to play the banjo.
However, when I got home with my fretted friend, my husband was not as thrilled as I was. His response was, “you’re not going to practice that thing in the house, are you?”
Relationships are all about compromise. We are both supportive of each others hobbies and interests. He likes me to go with him to the shooting range and go to car shows. And because he knows how much I enjoy banjo music, he has become more supportive of my banjo playing.
After lots of practice and lessons on the banjo, he insists I learn to play the ukulele or the mandolin.
That’s why I love him.
Happy Valentine’s Day To Everyone
Shine On
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