Ah, Spring!

Yesterday was the first warm day of the year (15 degrees C). We tossed the books aside and lived outdoors. When someone at the park questioned why my oldest son wasn't in school, I answered that he was in phys.ed. Tee-hee.

After lunch, I put the little ones down for a nap. Then Gabriel and I headed back outdoors for a nature study. We are blessed to have a pond right in our backyard. We sat quietly next to the water on a quilt, with our sketch pads and watercolor pencils. I also had a camera to catch any fleeting birds. (To my dismay the battery was dead. I missed the frolicking of a robin while waiting for it to recharge.) As we sat, I told my son about the things my dad taught me about nature photography. I told them that if we sat still and long enough, nature would come to us. Indeed, it did.

In the warmth of a glorious afternoon, we were visited by two geese, a robin and a mallard. All birds were elegant creatures, bringing glory to their creator. Perhaps the most magnificant sight of the day was the brilliant emerald head of the mallard. The sight nearly took our breath away as he glided into the water. His visit was short and we were sad to see him go.

We finished our afternoon of observation and art with a study of the bright green algea growing in our pond. Gabriel was fascinated by the texture of the slimy growth. I was happy enough to leave it in the pond. It was difficult to capture the color combination and depth of the bubbles with our watercolors. The photographs, however, will provide us with a beautiful reminder of the life in our water. (Gross)

It was my intent to spend time in the late afternoon investigating the facts regarding our subjects. We had a surprise visitor and ended up practicing the art of hospitality instead. Then, of course, the rest of the day was, once again, spent in the sun! We'll have to finish off our study this afternoon.

I really wanted to post the pictures I took yesterday, but it appears as though my Adobe program was lost during the great computer crash a couple weeks ago. Hopefully, it can be reinstalled so I can post pictures soon.