Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!


These are some images from our visit to Maryland's Western Shore, we visited the Piney Point Lighthouse located on the Potomac River near the Chesapeake Bay. Beside the lighthouse there is the Keepers House and a Museum. 

Osprey with two young. 

It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in sight. Only blue sky!

 Piney Point Lighthouse and the Keepers House.

Trail to the water.

The pier and view of the Potomac River. There are 50 major rivers that pour into the bay. Everything flows downstream that means we need to keep our rivers, streams and creeks clean. 

A group of Terns and Gulls



In this one area we saw 4 Osprey nests and close to 6 Osprey.  There was a sign on this pier that had info on the Chesapeake Osprey. It said the Chesapeake Bay estuary supports the largest breeding Osprey population in the country. I am not sure if this is still true, I hope so. 

Sharing a Google map of our Maryland Western Shore trip. 





I am thankful for blue skies and pretty views. 

I am thankful Maryland wants to keep the Chesapeake Bay clean. 

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 




Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday. 
Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday


Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!


During our one night two day visit to the New River Gorge Bridge and National Park we visited the Sandstone Falls and the visitor center. They were working on the road back to the Sandstone Falls so it took a while to drive there. It was worth putting up with the road work to see this pretty spot of the park. Sandstone Falls is 1500 feet wide and is made up of a network of boardwalks and little islands.

Early morning fog was hanging around the mountains near the New River.

The Sandstone Falls at the New River Gorge Park. It was a pretty day for a hike at the park and waterfalls.

Sitting in the car waiting our turn for the road to open back up, I noticed a few Baltimore Orioles in the trees in from the car.

Some of the birds seen on the Sandstone Falls island walk. Great-crested Flycatcher, Chickadee, Cardinal and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

I watched two Yellow-billed Cuckoos in a tree top. I was only able to capture one in my photos. 

The beautiful Indigo Bunting. 

The boardwalk trail leads to several islands at the Sandstone Falls. 

Swallowtail butterflies were hanging about.

The Great-crested Flycatcher posed for a photo. 

Sandstone Falls is part of the New River Gorge National Park, we stopped at the visitor center for a quick visit. There was this pretty Trumpet Honeysuckle outside the visitor center. I like the display of stones with the message:

"Our Parks, our watersheds, they belong to us all. Each one of us must help to protect the watershed we live in."

I am thankful to all the people who keep their parks, towns and neighborhood clean. 

I am thankful to visit our National Parks, our country is beautiful. 

I am thankful for the road crews, they have a hard job. 

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 




Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday. 
Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday


Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

Shenandoah National Park

Happy Thursday, wishing everyone a great day!

On Jun 15th, hubby and I went on a day trip to Shenandoah National Park. These are some photos from along the way and at the park and on the Skyline Drive. We hiked the Limberlost Trail, walked on the Big Meadows and stopped at a few overlooks along the Skyline Drive. 


On the drive to the park I was riding on Rt 340 just outside Berryville Virginia I looked over and saw a Roseate Spoonbill. A rare sighting for Virginia, I had to turn the car around and go back for some photos. Looks like a juvenile Roseate Spoonbill was hanging out on a flooded field with a couple of Mallards. 

 The White tailed deer can be seen along the Skyline Drive, usually early in the morning and later in the evening. Do your two deer, one is a little hidden. I wonder how many bike riders have seen bears along their rides, they could be surprised unexpectedly having a bear pop out on the drive. 

A few Shenandoah Park birds, the top left I am not sure of it's id, the top middle bird is the female Eastern Towhee and top right is the male Eastern Towhee. Bottom left is a Cedar Waxwing, middle bottom row is a Song Sparrow and bottom right is a Blue-headed Vireo. 

Columbine seen along the Skyline Drive.

Skipper on the mountain laurels. 

A couple of sky shots taken at the Big Meadows, Shenandoah.

Some flower on the Big Meadows. 

Black Bear seen along the Skyline Drive in the Northern Section of the park. 

We were first to see this Black Bear along the Skyline Drive. I was glad not to have a line of cars in front or back of me. 

I am thankful for the wildflowers, what a lovely sight. 

I love seeing wildlife, I was thankful to see the Black Bear. 

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 

Thank you Michelle for hostingHappy Monday, enjoy your day and new week! Thankful Thursday

Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

Happy Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!

I am sad to hear about the loss of one of our old Skywatch friends Luiz Ramos from Brazil. He passed away June 21st. Luiz Ramos facebook page. Luiz was a very nice blogging friend, one of my first friends from when I started blogging. He helped run the Skywatch meme and also had a Flower Meme party. He will be missed, prayers for Luiz and his family. 

These are some images from our road trip, more from the Cumberland Falls Resort State Park. We spend one night and two days at the park. On this day we hiked to the Eagle Falls, located down river from the Cumberland Falls. 

The trail to Eagle Falls is across the river from the Cumberland Falls trail. See my previous post for the Cumberland Falls. 

A view of the Eagle Falls trail.

It was a pretty sky day.

A look at the Cumberland Falls from across the river.

A view of the river from the Eagle Falls trail.

This is the Eagle Falls, a harder hike than the easy Cumberland Falls trail.

The Eagle Falls was pretty.

The Eagle Falls trail had a lot of boulders around the river.

Walking back the Eagle Falls trail to the car.

Song Sparrow next to the river.

I am thankful for the first trail blazers, they make it easier for me to hike the trails.  

I am thankful to see pretty puffy white clouds and a blue sky!

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 

Thank you Michelle for hostingHappy Monday, enjoy your day and new week! Thankful Thursday

Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

Happy Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!



On May 5th and 6th we toured and hiked more of Mammoth Cave National Park we also took a tour of the Diamond Caverns just outside the park entrance. We hiked on the Green River Bluff trail had beautiful views of the river and forest in the park. 

The Green River a day after the big rain storm. The river is muddy and not the green color from the day before.

One of the few raptors I saw on my road trip. I am not sure of the id.

A female Eastern Towhee

Diamond Caverns is a public cave outside the Mammoth Cave National Park. Diamond Caverns has been offering tours for 155 years.

The some of the ceiling in the Diamond Caverns.

Below are various cave formations found in the Diamond Caverns.

The water dripping constantly keeps the cave growing.  I think the drips on the bottom right look neat.

The shapes and formations are beautiful.

Amazing drapery formation was very pretty.

We did not see any of the bats in the caves, I would not mind seeing them hanging from the cave ceiling.  White-nose Syndrome is a disease that is killing bat populations and spreading in the USA. The loss of millions of bats is bad news as they devour millions of insect pests and have a role in pollination.

I was thankful there were lights inside this cave and our cave guide was great.

I am thankful for the beauty above and below the ground.

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 

Thank you Michelle for hostingHappy Monday, enjoy your day and new week! Thankful Thursday

Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!