I could hear it before I had even closed the van door, the sound of the river flowing really strong and fast. Not the sound Wes particularly wanted to hear, as our intent was to go fly fishing that morning. We didn’t think we had received enough rain to raise the water levels that much, but obviously we did. It was okay though, as Wes fished with his casting rod for awhile instead, and I, well I was just happy for it to not be raining and freezing cold. Moreover I was by the water, my happy place, so I was delighted! While Wes fished I walked about intently searching for wildflowers and was thrilled to find a few. One of the first discoveries was this crab apple tree covered in pink blossoms, which was covered in water droplets and glistened like diamonds. Everywhere I looked was pink flowers and it was beautiful!
There were several intricately woven spider webs and they too were covered with thousands of minute water droplets, glistening in the sunlight. Isn’t it amazing how a spider web becomes a thing of such beauty when covered with water droplets or dew?
There were several lovely purple wild violets tucked amongst little nooks and crannies in the rocks and quite a few of them were blooming.
I also came upon this collection of shelf fungi growing on a big, moss covered tree right alongside the river.
I find it usually pays off to look closely for the little things, for when you do, you find wee treasures like this snail slowly making its way across the forest floor.
There is something so peaceful and relaxing about being near moving water, or any body of water for that matter. The color of the river was really spectacular, as it appeared like the clear, turquoise waters in the Caribbean. The rocks cliffs on the other side of the river provide a stunning backdrop, and the bright, wee leaves budding out on some of the trees was icing on the cake.
After awhile, we found this lovely warm spot in the sunshine alongside the river. We laid down an old plastic liner on the wet sand and it made for a perfect picnic spot indeed! The sound of the cascading water was soothing to the ears and the soul. There were several cardinals all about singing their springtime songs, as well as an eastern phoebe who called the entire time we were there.
I was so thankful to be able to put my bare feet in the sand, and after the original shock of the cold went away, it felt great! The high water was causing waves to crest along the sandy shore and it sounded like the beach. Occasionally a wave would come further in covering my toes with icy water, causing me to let out a wee cry of shock . . . LOL! It was a wonderful place for a picnic and I must say I could’ve easily sat there all day, soaking in the warmth of the sun, whilst being serenade by the symphony of running water.
After lunch we walked further up the river a ways, whilst looking for spots to get down to the water so Wes could try a few casts. This spot below was so beautiful, for it was covered in lush, green moss. It was a relaxing time and now we know not to try fly fishing there after it rains, even if we don’t think we got very much.
In case you read last week’s blog and are wondering how Einstein is doing, well, he’s doing “toadally” wonderful and is usually sitting in one of his many little dirt bowls he made inside the greenhouse. When I peeked in on him awhile ago, he was sitting up a bit, and had just two of his front fingers sticking up in the shape of a “V”. It was quite funny and looked like he was saying “peace out dude” 🙂
SEE OUR PAINTINGS IN PERSON THIS WEEK
Society of Animal Artists Encounters with the Animal Kingdom Exhibition
On display thru April 8, 2023: The Janice Mason Art Museum, Cadiz, KY
Society of Animal Artists 62nd Annual Exhibition Tour
On display thru April 2, 2023: The Ella Carothers Dunnegan Museum of Art, Bolivar, MO
To see our available miniature paintings as well as some upcoming shows,
visit our WEBSITE artofwildlife.com Email us
Until Next Time ~ Rachelle
Under the Magnifying Glass 