Red Neck Grebe

We went for a walk the other evening down at the marina hoping for cooler air as it has been hot and muggy here all week.  We came upon this nesting bird and a photographer who filled us in on the details, two eggs hatched so far, five more to go. Last evening I went again with my camera and there were several photographers this time.  It was interesting to watch these birds whom I had never heard of before.  Their legs are positioned closer to the back of their body and they are excellent divers.

Papa Grebe was constantly bringing fish for the young ones to eat.

Mama Grebe tending to the nest

Time for a swim with Papa

Whole family out for a swim

Mama Grebe returning to nest

Swim time over, everyone back to the nest.

June Roses

It's hard to believe that it will be July next week.  The roses are out everywhere here and I stopped at this garden on my way home yesterday to see them.  There were so many different varieties.

Strawberry Season

The wonderful season of strawberries is upon us now.  So yummy!  I haven't made strawberry jam in years and when a friend offered me some Mason jars I decided to make a batch this year. One batch made 7 1/2 jars and it wasn't as hard to do as I remembered.

Super Moon

Shooting the moon was something I haven't done before so thought I would give it a try since the moon has been so large lately.

This is the moon last month taken when we were away from the city.

And this was last night's moon taken from my driveway after I googled "how to photography the super moon".  

Brand New Pier

Our city has been building this pier for too many years, but they were finally able to finish it this month after many setbacks.  It's in an 'S' shape and has a viewing tower in the middle.

Buttons, Buttons and more Buttons

As I was cleaning out my sewing cabinet this morning I found this tin of buttons.  The tin is probably from one of our grandmother's houses and the buttons are just a collection from over the years.  Some I recognize from dresses I made for myself or our girls, others are just the spare ones that come attached to our new clothes.  Not sure what I will do with them, probably just put them back in the drawer for now.

Roses

My roses are blooming now.  Such a beautiful flower with so many layers.

They are Here!

On Saturday I discovered that the baby swans had hatched, all six of them.  And a bonus of baby ducks too.  I went back this morning to get pictures in better light but the swans and the ducks were nowhere to be found.

It's a Mansion

This huge house is on the lakeshore and the grounds and gardens are open to the public free of charge.  The building is used for weddings, corporate functions, etc. There is also a wooded area that is part of the grounds.  It's a lovely place to stroll around.

Flowers

There were lots of flowers at the park I visited yesterday.  Here are some of them.

I hadn't been to this park in a long time and it was a very quiet and relaxing place to visit.

And this car was parked in the parking lot.