Summer Sunday

Posted on July 12, 2020 by cordeliasmom2012

I wasn’t going to post this week, but then we decided to take a nice Sunday drive.

Having never been to Buckhorn State Park on Grand Island, we decided to see what it had to offer. Admittedly, we were a bit disappointed that it was so small – just a long strip of land at the end of the island, with several very small parking areas.

But for those interested in kayaking, it’s the perfect spot. Woods Creek runs through the middle and there are a number of areas from which to launch canoes and/or kayaks:

I loved the little wooden deck at one of the launch sites:

What trails exist in the park are not paved and are clearly meant for serious hikers. We only went partway down one of the wider trails, with hope that we might spot an eagle or hawk. But we saw no birds, flowers were few and far between, there were no deer, and I didn’t feel like photographing trees and more trees.

So we went on to the next parking area.

The western most part of the park runs along the Niagara River, and we stopped for a few minutes to watch some boaters enjoying the lovely summer day:

Just for the heck of it, I decided to photograph a bridge on East River Road running over Woods Creek (see photo at top of post). Once home, I edited a second photo of the bridge – I wasn’t thrilled with that second shot, so I decided to try it in black-and-white, and that bridge popped right out:

Sometimes all you need is a slightly different viewpoint.

May the coming week find you all safe and healthy. Wear a mask and keep your distance!

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

Posted in Photography, Road Trips & Cars, That's Life | Tagged Buckhorn State Park, creek, Grand Island NY, kayak, park, river, summer | 19 Comments

Showing the Way

Posted on July 3, 2020 by cordeliasmom2012

It’s summer! Time to get out and play in the sunshine.

Knock on wood.

New York State seems to have succeeded in bringing the COVID-19 epidemic down to very manageable levels. Kudos to Gov. Cuomo for his actions at the very beginning to shut down the state, and to require masks and social distancing, and for his firm, but slow, phase-based reopening plan. So far, it seems to be working.

I was even brave enough last week to go out for an actual shopping trip! Not that it was as much fun as it used to be, what with the mask – and in my case, cotton gloves – but at least I felt relatively safe. Everyone was masked, everyone maintained their distance, and the stores had instituted checkout procedures to continue to keep everyone as safe as possible.

I applaud the Northeast governors’ recent declaration to keep out visitors from high-risk states.

And my heart goes out to the people in those states. They’re where we were back in March and April, and I understand completely what they may be going through. Hospitals are overwhelmed, everyone’s skittish about being near anyone else – and there are those who still don’t take the whole thing seriously and who seem to go out of their way to flaunt the guidelines. COVID-positive parties? Really?

To everyone here in the US and those elsewhere who celebrate our 4th of July: Enjoy the holiday, but stay safe and healthy. Wear a mask and maintain social distancing. It’s working here; it will work wherever you are.

Hugs to all.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio – all rights reserved; photo posted with specific permission from the children’s parents, and no further use is permitted (except for re-blogs which link back to this site and in which proper credit is given).

Posted in Covid-19, Health, Holidays, Photography, That's Life | Tagged Covid-19, Fourth of July, Gov. Cuomo, Independence Day, July 4th, NYS, pandemic, summer | 20 Comments

And the Answer Is …

Posted on June 27, 2020 by cordeliasmom2012

Thanks to all those who responded to my question on yesterday’s post. It’s a gray catbird.

Now, on to the next “mystery” – can you find the dog in this photo? Puppy Cody thinks she’s safely hidden. LOL.

Camouflage – when the dog matches the decor a little too well.

(And for all you eagle-eyed perfectionists: We will be pulling out those little strips of carpet in the near future; we just wanted to get the majority of the stinky 70-year-old carpet out and something cleaner put down asap. We also will be re-painting the walls soon. There was only so much we could do in one day.)

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Posted in Pets, Photography, That's Life | Tagged birds, decor, dog, home decorating, Puppy Cody | 19 Comments

What Is It?

Posted on June 26, 2020 by cordeliasmom2012

Can anyone identify this bird for me?

It’s standing on the roof of my garage in Western New York, USA. I saw a similar one perched in a tree, making sounds like a jay. But I don’t think it’s an immature jay because there’s no blue on it anywhere. I thought maybe it’s a catbird, but I don’t know that those reside in New York State. Then, I thought maybe it’s a young female cardinal, but it has no red nor does it have a tuft on its head.

I’m always finding critters in my backyard that I can’t identify, and it drives me crazy.