The Voyaging Storyteller

Every New Year, my family has a tradition of going on some sort of hike, to start off the year with exercise, a breath of the outdoors, and valiantly struggling through atrocious seasonal allergies (I’m looking at you, cedar.) This year, we decided to drive downtown and have a picnic next to the river before hiking on the trail. I didn’t expect it to be very interesting, because it was winter and the trees and foliage were bound to be clumps of sticks, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Like a good little photographer, I brought my camera to capture these surprises. I’ll share my favorites.

Meet the Ardea alba, Great White Egret.

I was extremely fascinated by this huge bird and how it could possibly stand on such spindly legs.

Notice the poor forsaken tennis ball at its feet. And its duck attendants.

Honeybees are so cute and fuzzy.

This one was even more impressive. I think it’s a Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias.) It sat so still, yet remained so epic.

Remnant of autumn

I thought the yellow leaves strewn over this bridge were nostalgically aesthetic.

Posing just like a boy band. 😛

There was this hilarious group of honking geese, beaks stuck arrogantly in the air as they waddled around. I never realized how loud geese honk, but let me tell you, they could compete with a car horn.

Follow the leader!

To the water we go!

They look so much more majestic in the water.

There were also a lot of turtles, sunbathing on logs and looking completely oblivious, but if the water rippled even a little bit dangerously, they dove into the water in a flash.

A family of turtles…blurry because I couldn’t get my camera’s focus to work.

Weird stumpy things…I have no idea what they are, but Papa thinks they’re solidified squirrel souls. That gave me chills.

Even though I went home wanting to tear my eyes and nose out and hurl them across the ocean, those birds really made the hike well worth it. I’m used to seeing little ones, like crows and cardinals, so I get super excited every time I see one larger than my hand.

Now I want a pet bird.