Please click to enlarge. Hawk landing!

Preparing to launch.

Launching. Note hawk in the back preparing to follow.

Another launch.

Freedom!

The joy of flight!

Responding to call and returning to glove.

Landing.

Landing for Jim.

Coming home! Oh don’t you wish you could fly?

We are on the road now en route to a family mountain ski trip for the holidays. Today we found and got close to more wild red tails and a barn owl. Stay tuned for Pt. IV, the red tails flying close ……and maybe an owl or two!

Cheers to you from the road!

We met this barn owl in Antelope Valley California. (Please click to enlarge).

He was rescued due to an injured wing and lives in a California state park named Velasquez Rocks (more on this park later).

His name is Scooter and he is cared for by the Park Rangers.

The Holler Hawks have been flying closer lately!

Sometimes quite close over my head which is a big thrill.

They have figured out I am not a threat to them.

I can identify different hawks by their missing feathers.

The best way to see a hawk of course is in free flight!

Sending wishes for the Happiest of Holidays flying your way,

From South Lake Tahoe!

I hear it in the deep heart’s core- William Butler Yeats

(Please click to enlarge).

We are spending the holidays with our family at pristine Lake Tahoe in Northern California.

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America.

It is the second deepest lake in America, reaching depths of 1,645 feet.

It is known for it’s pristine clarity.

We are in a draught now in California, and although there is snow, there is not the typical 8 or so feet of it closing roads and making the lake almost inacessible.

The lake views in winter are particularly beautiful!

Perhaps the truth depends upon a walk around the lake- Wallace Stevens

Cheers to you from Lake Tahoe, the skiing/boarding is not optimal, but the lake is purely divine!

The Northern Flicker is a type of woodpecker.

In the western US, Flickers have red cheeks and tail feathers, but in the east they have yellow accents.

This guy was so relaxed around me, he started snoozing while I was photographing him,

and then hopped over for a closer look!

I photographed him in The San Bernardino Mountains, near Big Bear Lake California.

These photos were taken before the region was hit with five major storms, leaving several feet of snow and alleviating the drought.

Cheers To you from snowy & birdie, Southern California~

*

Pathways converging

Travellers meet at the heart

A single centre

Lovers and the weary called

To fragrant serenity

*

The photo for this week’s prompt was taken in the grounds of Waddesdon Manor on a beautiful summer’s day, when the rose garden was in bloom. The Manor is the ‘big house’ in my village and draws visitors from across the world to see the artworks it holds, from portraits of Mme Pompadour to the Sleeping Beauty series in the tower. The gardens are spectacular all year round and include both wild and formal areas. Of the formal gardens, this corner is my favourite as it holds a collection of old-fashioned roses that fill the summer with colour, bees and perfume.

Thank you so much to everyone who took part this week. I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to create their own story from these prompts. I…

I am a great fan of good food, sweet cocktails and great vibes. Spending on experiences I see it as an investment. My partner is a fan of great views and good meat and also a great, well let say a huge fan of beers, he is always searching for the next beer to taste. In 2018 only I don’t know how many times he has tasted new beer. I have came up with a list of our top 10 restaurants/ bars/ rooftops we visited in 2018

Top 10 rooftops/ restaurants/ bars in Gauteng

10. PRIMI Eastgate mall

The Italian restaurant situated in Eastgate mall has one of the best view and you don’t feel like you are in a shopping mall. The view is beautiful and their kebab, cocktails and beer were great. The service was excellent.

9. RARE Steakhouse Clearwater

There is nothing I enjoy more like a…

One of the highlights of 2018 was celebrating my little brother’s birthday at the Soweto outdoor adventures and Orlando Towers in Soweto. Adrenaline lovers and adventurous people this place is for you. They offer a variety of activities : paintball, go karting, quad bikes, wall climbing, SCAD free fall and the ultimate attraction Bungee jumping from the Soweto Towers.

It is the perfect spot for group activity, team building or if you are simply looking for a day full of emotions and laughter. We enjoyed spending the day at the Soweto outdoors adventures. They have various packages which suit all budgets.

Paintball

First activity we started with, I am glad I was in the right team, we shot the enemies with all our hearts

Quad bikes

I was skeptical about doing this activity as it was the first time ever I was on a bike. It turned out to be…

A friend and nature enthusiast has graciously agreed to allow me to use her photographs on my blog. Kathy Marche lives on the West coast of the island of Newfoundland. An avid bird watcher, she has captured wonderful images of our feathered friends. With spring just around the corner it is nice to anticipate the return of migratory birds. Here are a few of Kathy’s photographs taken in various locales near her home.

My sincere thanks…

 I’ve been so bad a reading this month that I thought I’d never finish this collection of short stories. There were so many times that I fell asleep with the page open and had to leave story in the middle. It’s just been a stressful few weeks recently and I’ve been feeling it. I’ve managed to get a few days off this week which has been perfect. I got things done I needed to, had some time to relax, and got a quick break before the madness of Christmas. That’s always a fun time to be working in a kitchen. At least I don’t have to come face-to-face with any customers. Apparently, they’ve already started being quite difficult and short-tempered. It’s the reason I don’t like making a fuss when I’m eating out. I’ve seen what the people I work with have to go through and, when things have gone…