Today's Lens (06/26/14)

Today, we'll take our usual trip down to the barn, but then we'll also take a quick swing by Merli Sarnoski Park to check out the scene. Thanks for joining me (click here to view images individually and post comments).

It almost looks as though someone posed these three! Not only are they in order by size, but they're also perfectly spaced and staggered. I couldn't have gotten them to do this if I tried!

Island hopping. This great blue heron decided that he wasn't happy on one island at Powell Pond, and took a quick flight over to the second one. I didn't have a clear view of the landing, but rest assured, he stopped by for a bit before taking off again for the pond behind the barn.

I'm not sure if this little fatty reminded me of Punxsutawney Phil, the real one, or Phil the spokes'chuck for the PA Lottery. Of course, even though it's not a gopher, I also had the phrase "...greasy, grimy, gopher guts" running through my head too - thanks Bill Murray (Caddyshack). 

It caught sight of the dog approaching, and ducked down for cover, but I still saw it peeking!

And, here we have Curious and Curiouser, also known as Muffin (foreground) and Rocky (background). While Ann is back in the barn tending to her new baby (a week old yesterday), these two are out roaming around and seeing what trouble they can get into.

It really does look like he's contemplating trouble, doesn't it?

Next stop: The boat launch at Merli Sarnoski Park. I never fail to catch a glimpse of a heron in the boggy end of the lake. I stuck around for a while to see if this guy would go fishing, but he never really moved from this place. In fact, I walked all the way down to the handicap dock, and he was still pretty much in the same position. 

I had to run to catch up to this little fellow. Even though they say turtles are slow, this one was on a mission to get across the road quick! I waited until he was just on the edge and out of harms way should a car come along before I got close enough for it to stop moving. I'm guessing, from the very brief research that I've done to identify this guy, that by the length of his claws, this is a male Eastern Painted Turtle. One other way to identify gender was to look at the length of the tail, but that's not clearly visible in any of the shots I got.

This Red-eyed Vireo flitted around in the brush near the handicap fishing dock. He was quite a playful little fellow, and kept stopping to pose for me. You can see his red eyes a little more clearly in the next shot.

He was quite a pretty little fellow, but the red eyes are kind of scary looking when the light hits them just right.

I saw the orange of this little guy, and instantly thought, oooh, Baltimore Oriole. Wrong. After I got home and pulled the photo up on the computer, I could clearly see that it wasn't. This is an American Redstart. I'm always amazed at the different types of birds I see at the Park vs. what I see at home, which is only "over the river and through the woods" away - as the crow flies, it's only about 0.6 mile to the main parking lot, but driving it's 1.1 miles.

Peek-A-Boo. This chipmunk thought it might be fun to play peek-a-boo for while. Naturally, I indulged

.

We'll end with the uglier side of man. Throughout the Park, there are numerous, and I mean you don't have to walk far to find one, garbage cans and recycle bins. Why? Why, why, why do people have to be so lazy and inconsiderate? These items were just out of reach, and at the bottom of a not so friendly looking drop-off, and I couldn't do my part to help clean it up (at least not without fear of falling in, and I didn't think the Canon would take too kindly to that. Although I did fall in the fountain at Nay Aug in the middle of the winter a few years ago and tested the Canon's swimming ability - it survived, and I'm still using the same camera today - but that's another story).

This one, I did pick up and carry through the woods with me until I got to the next nearest can - a whopping 300' or so - boy was I exhausted from carrying a plastic water bottle (which according to the International Bottled Water Association weighs approximately 12.7 grams - less than 1/10 of a pound) that far. No wonder the previous owner just dropped it along the side of the lake where it can do far more harm than good. I really don't understand people! 

Aside from the litter bugs and their sloppy laziness, I hope you enjoyed today's journey.  As always, if you would like to comment on individual photos, please use this link:  Today's Lens (06/26/14) Photo Library.

Join me again next time for more "Today's Lens."

Thanks for joining me!

Laura

Today's Lens (06/23/14) - An Iconic Celebration: Murti-Pratishtha Mahotasv

On Saturday, June 21, 2014 Brookvalley Farm was once again honored to be a part of a celebration at Shree Swaminarayan Mandir on Prescott Avenue in Scranton: Murti-Pratishtha Mahotasv. We were a part of the celebratory parade that took place that evening. Below are a few photos of the event, and a video.

Aside from being a wonderfully fun event, this is a true testament to our horses, and to my husband who has trained and worked with them. The music is loud, the people are energetic, and the dancing continues for blocks. The horses, April and Molly, were incredibly calm and took it all in stride.

If you would like to comment on individual photos, please use this link:  Today's Lens (06/23/14) Photo Library.

Enjoy the celebration with us!

Everyone gathers, as we wait for our honored guests to arrive.

He's here! Let the parade begin.

The women are absolutely gorgeous in all of their vibrant colors.

And we're on our way. The men lead the way, and sing, dance, clap, and celebrate in the street. In the video at the end of this post, you can see it live. At one point, they circle around the horses and carriage.

The dancing, singing, and celebration continues for blocks as we make our way to the Temple.

Such beautiful work!

Fun along the way!

This is a stressful day for the horses, but they handled it like pros!!

So pretty.

I always get a kick out of the young girls with their cell phones as they celebrate. For some reason, it seems like such a contradiction. But they were not alone, the men had theirs as well.

Beautiful.

I tried to capture the full parade, but it was impossible. What a great celebration, attended by many!

I was so proud of our girls, and my husband - very professional and very well trained! Well, my husband was very professional, the horses were well trained - still working on my husband. LOL

The view from the wall of William Prescott School. You can see the Temple tower (brick) in the distance to the right of the red house..

Did I mention the vibrant colors?

This is a very iconic event for the Hindu culture - Murti-Pratishtha Mahotasv

So patient!

A job well done!!

Click here to see the video.

I hope you enjoyed our journey and the celebration! If you would like to comment on individual photos, please use this link:  Today's Lens (06/23/14) Photo Library.

Join me again next time for more "Today's Lens."

Thanks for viewing!

Laura

Today's Lens (06/19/14)

I must say, I've been a bit lazy these last couple of days (with the exception of yesterday which you can read about in my blog post, Just Kidding) and haven't made the trip up to the third floor to sit down at the computer and upload/share any photos. Well, now it's time to get caught up. We'll begin with a view from the bottom, and work our way up, so to speak.

A view from the bottom of the valley up at Brookvalley Farm's Bank Buster on the hill. (06/17/14)

A man, his tractor, and his dog. What more is there? (06/13/14)

From the top looking down, I caught a glimpse of this sweet little family. (06/13/14)

It had just rained, and the vegetation was exceptionally tasty - or so I assume. (06/13/14)

 I'm not good at identifying moths, but this one is in the Geometridae family. I can't seem to get much closer than that. A Mocha and Wave (Sterrhinae) perhaps? (06/16/14)

Flight training! No, I'm not joking. The two resident Canada goose families have joined forces for what we like to call "flight training." They waddle down the road, and then race back as quickly as they can to get the goslings moving their wings and lifting off the ground a bit. It's quite comical really, and we look forward to it every year. What we don't look forward to is all the mess, and the large amount of grass they consume from the pastures. (06/16/14)

And, once the training is done, it's time for a leisurely swim in Powell Pond. This is the smaller of the two families; only three goslings in this one. (06/16/14)

More lazing in the sun the next day. (06/17/14)

And, yes, there are fish in there! Very small ones, and very many, but fish nonetheless. It may be time to get my nephew out fishing more frequently! (06/17/14)

What would a photo blog post be without a shot of our cutest little members? This is Mia. Isn't she just adorable? (06/16/14)

And, of course the matronly Belle. When Mia first arrived, Belle wasn't too sure about her, but they became fast friends, and Belle really watches out for Mia; it's so precious. (06/16/14)

If you saw my Today's Lens post from 06/05/14, you saw what I will swear was this same blue bird - mocking me again, just like he did then. The little smart aleck! (06/17/14)

Another moth - and I didn't even try to identify this one. If someone knows, please post in the comments, so I can update the image. Thanks! (06/17/14)

Nature's flower arrangement. This is a little meadow down near my grandmother's house. It looks so pretty when all of the grasses are gently blowing in the breeze and the flowers are in bloom. (06/17/14)

A handsome Mallard family swam peacefully in the creek. (06/17/14)

That is, until Harlee jumped in. She even managed to stick her tongue out for the camera - smarty pants! (06/17/14)

I know I've identified this guy in the past, but time is short right now. I'll have to get back to you all on this one. (06/17/14)

My mother's peonies are in full bloom; they were always one of her favorites. I picked a few and took them over to Nana to enjoy on her coffee table. I do it every year. (06/17/14)

(06/17/14)

An iris plant has managed to find itself at the edge of the pasture. I'm not sure how it got there, but it's nice to see the burst of purple and yellow amid all of the surrounding green. (06/17/14)

A silhouette of a tiny, fascinating creature. (06/16/14)

A little more color to the same tiny, fascinating creature. (06/17/14)

(06/17/14)

Harlee takes a break as I watch for the humming birds. She was smarter than I was; she sat in the shade, and I sat in the sun. What's that they say about man being the more intelligent animal? (06/17/14)

Foxglove. (06/18/14)

Tiger Swallowtail on Crown Vetch. (06/18/14)

(06/18/14)

The calm before the storm, and a view of our little piece of paradise from the porch looking up the valley. (06/17/14)

I think the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band said it best: "Crickets are singin' and lightning bugs are floatin' on the breeze. Baby get ready." After the storms on Monday night, the lightning bugs came out in full force! (06/16/14)

And the fog rolled in. I was hoping to catch some lightning shots, but I was too late. The sky still offered some pretty neat viewing though! (06/16/14)

(06/16/14)

I hope you enjoyed our journey up and down the valley. If you would like to comment on individual photos, use this link:  Today's Lens (06/19/14) Photo Library.  

Join me again next time for more to "Today's Lens."

Thanks for viewing!

Laura