Maryland's Eastern Shore, birds and skies

[[posterous-content:pid___1]]Cambridge waterfront 

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...one of the ubiquitous seagulls...

[[posterous-content:pid___20]][[posterous-content:pid___21]][[posterous-content:pid___22]][[posterous-content:pid___23]][[posterous-content:pid___24]][[posterous-content:pid___25]]Beautiful Fall day on the Eastern Shore..... I paid a visit to the Blackwater Refuge near Cambridge, habitat to thousands of geese, ducks, and other waterfowl...and in summer, mosquitoes! 

I would  like to go back and get better shots of the birds some day soon. I arrived late in the afternoon, when the birds come back to roost in the marsh grasses. It was a symphony of competing squawks and honks as the geese would fly in and land with the kind of precision pilots strive for!

One of the most memorable sights I ever had of a flock of Canada geese was when I was living in Denver. It was around eight p.m. and I was alerted by the sound  at first, glanced up and saw nothing, then.... a few seconds later, an endless V formation flew by overhead, one of the largest flocks I have yet seen. It was spectacular, truly awesome.They were heading south, to wamer climes, and  the chilly Colorado air reverberated with their strident honking. 

 

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I tried to capture the reflections of the setting sun on the water...it was a really wonderful day!

 

Fall Evening Sky and Trees

I took these pics the other evening while I was driving to visit a friend. I wish I could have taken better shots, but I managed to capture these before the rapidly changing sky darkened to night.

 

 

These trees were quite luminous against the bright sunshine, I tried to capture the vibrant, warm colors against the blue blue sky:

 

 

Tonight the weather is changing for the worse, it has rained all day followed by a thick dark blanket of fog, and tomorrow it will be cold, with possible snow falling in the mountains out west. It will be Thanksgiving next week. 

 

 

 

 

Quick and easy.

One of my favorite diet dishes is a frittata, it is quick and easy and goes well with a salad to make a nutritious light supper.

 

I was mooching around in the grocery store, specifically, in the frozen veg section when I saw something called "Potatoes O'Brien".  Diced potatoes with red peppers and onions, all ready to be cooked and enjoyed. Hmmm, I had an idea... So I went ahead and nabbed a carton of Southwestern Eggo type stuff...I knew just what I was going to do....

 

I browned about half a bag of the taters, added some salt, and frozen spinach, about a cup and a half, sauteed it gently and then scooped it all into a baking dish, poured the entire carton of the eggo mix over the potato mixture, topped it with a generous amount of fresh ground pepper and a liberal dose of grated parmesan. Baked for 2o minutes at 350 degrees.

 

It was delicious. A satisfying meal that delivers a little peppery bite and the fragrant cheese crust is a delicious topping to what could have been a boring Wednesday night dinner.

 

As you can see, only half is left.

 

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A visit to Nan Tien Temple, Wollongong, Australia

My daughter and I took a road trip from Gold Coast to Sydney during our visit to Australia. We visited some long lost relatives and dear friends who urged us to visit the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere, in Wollongong.

 

The road from Sydney to Wollongong is spectacular, through mountains and skirting several small towns. Wollongong is the third largest city in new South Wales and is about 80 minutes from Sydney. 

 

The Nan Tien  (which means "Southern Paradise")  Temple is spectacular. It opened its doors in October 1995 and offers classes and conference facilities as well as a coffee and gift shop.

It was such a perfect day, the air was crisp and the sky an unbelievable azure. I treasure the memory of that day and wanted to share it here.