Thank you for the Christmas Gift!...

At our age one of the best gifts that we can receive does not need dusting, displaying, or fitting into..so tickets to the Red Sox from our daughters for Christmas was a perfect gift...especially since the weather finally turned sunny and warmer...

We arrived before the crowds...

...discovered the Bleacher Bar...

..wandered the souvenir shops along Yawkey Way...

..found our seats early...


...and took pictures of this beautiful old ball park.

I had to take at least one picture of the mascot Wally...named after the "green monster" wall...

Tim Wakefield, one of our favorite pitchers, was the starter......and it was a great game for him against the Toronto Blue Jays who are presently the leaders in the division...

Everyone, including the other players, was cheering Big Papi on...but he didn't get his first home run of the year until the next night...

...As the closer, Papelbon was exciting to watch...and of course we won...

The most fun of being at the game...besides watching them win...is singing along to "Sweet Caroline"...enthusiastically sung by the entire stadium at every home game eighth inning...

...It isn't your typical baseball song...

...but Good Times never seemed so good - so good - so good!

Light Tricks...

I have been busy with house guests but also feeling particularly uninspired in this cold, rainy weather we've been having...Then the sun came out this afternoon for about fifteen minutes and made a crazy pattern on the wall...

Mother's Day Birds...

Last year near Mother's Day I took pictures of baby robins...my header this month is one of those pictures...This year my dog Kaja and I upset another bird family...The entire time I was taking pictures the father goose never stopped honking...the mother seemed rather calm about it all..

Canadian geese have become quite a nuisance in our area lately but I can remember when they were very unusual to see and people would drive for miles to see a flock that wintered in a reservoir near my home...I have to admire how they adapt and I still think they are beautiful.

Visiting Family...

We spent a nice long weekend visiting family that live outside of Washington DC and while there we took a day trip to Dumbarton Oaks Gardens...It turned out to be a good place for three generations to wander about...and a good place to take lots of photos...

Pink and Green...

It stopped raining long enough to get outside and take a few pictures...


The crabapple tree is in full blossom...

And the bleeding hearts are too...

There are a few late tulips still unfolding...

And the hostas are backing it all up...


...This is the only time of year that I think my yard looks really nice.

Wind Power...

For Theme Thursday I'm sharing a few pictures from an exhibit at the Children's Museum I take my grandchildren to... The tubes have air moving through them that propels any light weight item put in the tube as well as the pinwheels...It all happens too fast to get a picture!

First you put a scarf or light ball in the tube and let the flap close...

...The scarf goes flying through the tubes via air pressure...

...and shoots out the top...can you see the scarf in the air?

Evening...

...Catching up

Six Unimportant Things...

Susan of Bear Swamp Reflections tagged me to name six unimportant things that make me happy...I thought that if I'm going to do this I'll do it with photos...and in no particular order...




1...The ocean and the sound of the waves , whether gently lapping or raging surf...



2...Hot soup on a cold night...and now that I think of it, the pictured flatware found at a flea market...




3... A glass of wine in the evening...and having it on the beach at sunset doesn't hurt...




4...This tree along my local walk that looks like it is eating a no trespassing sign...

5...The smell of fresh basil...

6...And the sound of peepers in spring...

...Instead of tagging six more people I will leave it up to any visitors who would like to participate...consider yourself tagged!

Finished...

The floor is refinished, the new curtains are hung, and the furniture is back in place...

Spring ephemerals and tadpoles...

These pictures were taken during a recent walk near my home...a little swampy at this time of year...



Spring ephemerals are blooming...I think this may be a false rue anemone...



...they grow in clusters...



The beech trees have finally dropped last years leaves....


...and this year's leaves are starting to unfurl...


The skunk cabbage is bright green and completely open...

Ferns in their fiddlehead stage...


...are starting to unfurl...

...And the vernal pools are full of polliwogs...