Category: Jim’s Daily
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April 19, 2014 – Now you know where I have been. I have so many photo stories to tell – because the trip was fun! So you get a few more photo stories here – and bear with me ’cause more are to come after these!
Hear are 2 signs of spring – in New Jersey, the skunk cabbage – In Florida the lonely flower – they are both beautiful. 
Oops! in New Jersey we still have the last sign of winter – Dyna by the last bits of dirty snow – pushed there weeks ago by the snowplow. 
On a spring walk with my Granddaughter and Daughter – I love the focus each person shows at the moment the shutter was pushed. Heather explaining the beauty of the woods in the spring – Caroline urging Teddy to look into the woods. The dog is Teddy – Dyna walks to slow to go on this rather fast walk – we went on a slower walk with Dyna later in the day. 
The old barn – I spent every day of my youth and teen years doing at least two sets of farm chores in this barn! Before school in the morning and as soon as the bus dropped us off after school. Then of course, every day of the summer “Vacation” – AND I LOVED IT ALL ! – I really did! — I am sure that is why I had a ranch in Texas and still have a horse, tractor, stock trailer, and etc in Michigan! 
Talking over those years with my brother and sister-in-law. The question by looking at our coats is “Has spring arrived in the mountains of the Pennsylvaina snow belt?” 
This was the barn where my Grandfather lived and where the miking was done – only a couple hundred yards down the road from the Old Barn where we lived. The old barn built in the early 1800’s by my great great granddad with my great granddad, housed the cattle that were dry, the bull, and the 4H baby beeves raised by us kids In my growing up my Grandfather and dad farmed together – Then my Dad did the farming when granddad retired. Then Dad and my Brother farmed here together and then my brother with his family carried on the tradition after Dad retired – You see the tradition of passing the farm from generation to generation started in the early 1800’s with my Great Great Granddad Abraham Brubaker – It is sad to think that a Brubaker may not carry on the tradition after my brother – Maybe an offspring of an offspring or a niece or nephew will come forward? I ran off to the big city so my kids and grandkids tend to look to the city for their life style – well most of them any way but who knows? I still tie my “being” to the country life of my growing up. Maybe some of that rubbed off somewhere in the family tree below me (or is it above me) – I am not sure I know how to draw a family tree.. 
Dinner with my sister in Somerset Pa – Somerset is between the steel mills and coal mines of Pittsburgh and Johnstown and near the hundreds of company owned coal mining towns of the appalachian mountains – actually the company towns were in the valleys of the region -(The Brubaker home farm was not in the valley it was on the on the ridge road – we Brubaker kids were known as ridge runners)- The industrialist had their resorts and hunting lodges in the mountains around Somerset and Johnstown too (Read about the Johnstown Flood of 1889, the South Fork Dam, and who’s fault it was) – Here Gloria and my Sister are having a conversation with the developer who is restoring the old mansion to the hey days of the industrial revolution – when the wealthy dined here. 
Too many photos to show – Tomorrow I will show you photos of our next stop – Columbus, Ohio to meet friends and to attend the annual Equine Affair. -
April 18, 2014 – Where have I been for the last two weeks?????
I have been to visit the home that I was born and raised in – Upper left window is the room of my birth 78 years ago – 1 1/2 days. 
What didI see as I traveled – One horse trailer with a flat tire and 7 horses and 4colts!!! 
Went to visit my daughter and my ex-dog – you can see how mean she treats Dyna!!! 
They sure love each other!!! 
Heather, Dyna, Caroline and I hiked – saw folks celebration spring by doing a form of meditation along the hiking trail. 
We saw a sure sign of spring – Skunk Cabbage 
We visited my Brother on the farm – boy, does he keep it in good shape. 
We had dinner with my sister in a restored mansion own by one of the industrialist in the early 1900- Mellon, Rockefeller, Carnegie –one of them rich guys anyway!!! — Next day we left for the Equine Affair in Columbus Ohio — More on that next post — in a day or two! 
More photos of this great 2 weeks soon – return each day and see if I got them posted for you. OK? -
April 3, 2014 — Every photo has a story – OR – Every stories in my day is worth a photo – I try to save some of them with a photo.
The story is: Go chase your silly white ball somewhere else – this is my bank! 
The community has a luncheon for our neighbors who are cancer survivors – Here iis one of their messages. 
My club volunteers to photo document community events – This piper stands with the organizer of the cancer survivors luncheon – Story – not sure but they all had fun and seem to enjoy everyday – getting to make the piper smile was not easy but he actually laughed out loud right after this shot 
I won’t tell who they are but I had fun getting them to clown around – because of the clowning everyone was laughing! 
The story – ? try to see things in the clouds – they only last a second sometimes. I tried to catching him laughing – but the upper-level winds prevented that – they even destroyed his face right after this shot — but I will keep trying. 
Bye -
April 2, 2014 We all love an early morning — Don’t we? Oh well, look here and you got one anyway!!!
Fog almost gone by the time I got this shot 
First I looked east!!! 
The leaning tower of Pizza. It will ,one way-or-tother, match the angle of the house today — the landscapers told me that!!! 
Lookin in. 
Come sit a spell 
Bring on the dirty bottles — We got the brushes!!! 
We are home — just knock and we can sit a spell. 
Looking out from our sit-a-spell chair 
Let’s hide the utilities 
Typical Florida OUTBACK – There is a gator at my heels!!! I am ready for the horses — I’ve picked my seminars, thought about visiting with friends, food, shows!!! -
March 20, 2014 — March 21 update – I have added today’s animation — Yesterday I put my first animation on the bottom of the blog – Beautiful weather in Florida – Took my camera on my bike ride this morning – I have nature stories to tell you.
I think this is Green Heron – He/She just hopped around and posed for me. Practice some camera setting to get I think a nice photo in low light setting 
This turkey walked right into my shadow! Calling and calling for his women – but they did not listen to him – none came. I think that is because he was out flying around all night. He was getting the cold shoulder! 
TGO’s always faithful geyser – called Lake Judy Geyser 
we walk along looking for breakfast 
Today both baby owls have left the nest – the nest in the dead palm on the right – see one baby flew a short distance to palm on the left. 
Telephotoed in and looked at his face – think the flight exhausted him – seems to be sound asleep. 
Baby brother/sister sitting in pine tree very near by. 
But the flight the night before was not perfect for one of them – missed his landing on the nest and flew down to a nearby parking area in front of a public rest room – Think the missed landing scared the s…. out of him — needed the bath room real bad. Oops, that is the ladies room! 
Always like to stop and look at this old canal that I cross each morning. beautiful always in all kinds of weather. 
Hey, what is that chasing a fish! 
It is an Otter! 
My first attempt at animation– I got the how – now need better photos So that has been my morning on the bike in sunny Florida! Go out and about and seen what you can find in the outdoors send me photos via text or e-mail! -
March 16, 2014 — I truly hope you thought about reflections. Now say I — Just look for things of nature as you go out and about.
Look at the wing feathers – I think this guy likes having breakfast in bed — A neighbor told me this morning that Mom brings these guys about 3 squirrels per day!! Really, I only saw one this morning. 
You like this waterfall – I expected to see a salmon jumping but, alas this fall was not out in the wilds at all — It was at the shopping mall in Orlando, Fl 
I have nothing to say about this photo – except, i like it. Nature at it’s finest!!! Both real and reflected. 
Saturday night on my way to take garbage out! 
Sunday night – one half mile away – think it is a different one He was just out walking – I mean slivering in the water. 
Finally, in Florida wild hogs are all around and often dig up the golf course and some lawns as they search for food. They are some times trapped by the “authorities” and disappear – Often wondered where they go – Now I know — into the iCloud of course! 
Let’s all cheer! Miss Heather says the snow is melting and the dogs no longer can just walk over the fence and escape into the neighborhood! -
March 11, 2014 – The outdoors seen in The Great Outdoors Community
My chubby cheeks give me away – I took more then my share – hope those turkeys do not notice 
Hey Brother, you watch the North approach and I will watch the South. OK Sis! Hey, I think someone should clean our bathroom! 
Sometimes I am a silhouette. 
Sometimes, I reflect! 
Do not tread on me. – Not even near to me! – I am sleeping! 
Weed on water and cone in water. Spring is beginning here in Florida. 
If gobblers could talk: “Love is in the air – or at least on my mind.” 
It is not a full moon – but a cloud bank like this with a faint moon -( PhotoShopdid enlarge it a little) It deserves the title “WOW” 
Hiding squirrel – waiting for me to give him an open road to his feeding ground across the fence. 
On the bridge I see a turkey! 
Tom up close – but I chopped his legs off. Anyway, I was trying to show the iridescent color on his back. 
I wish for you to have a good bright day -
March 8, 2014 – Beautiful day in Florida – I went Owl hunting with my real camera today (not just iPhone camera)!
My owl hunting vehicles. 
Why do these humans come to watch me get awake in the morning. 
OK – I will pose for you. Even tho I am just a baby. See I can wink at you. 
Is this a better pose? 
Wait a few days and I will fly away – see my wings have feathers 
Mom runs around all night and now when I want to talk, she sleeps. 
She is always near by – still sleeping! Biking again. My son says he is having a heat wave in Conn. 17.5 degrees!!! -
March 6, 2014 – Please ride with me. A friend snapped this Great Horned Owl with a telephoto lens. See end of this blog for solution to yesterdays mystery.
On my bike trip I only have my cell phone camera – Here is what the owl baby looks like to the cell camera – The baby has not flown yet! But soon, I bet he will fly – I saw him stretch his wings the other day. 
I hid behind this life ring to take this shot – of Mr. Gator! 
Then, I got brave and stood in front of the ring. Mr. Gator is still hungry and I am still on this earth to blog you! 
Yesterday’s mystery – No they are not candy corn as some suggested, nor are they small peppers! They are by this plant called a Coontie – Native to this part of Florida. 
Looking closer – see these “pine cones” growing from the base of the plant – I think, from my reading, that this is the male plant. 
As the female pine cone seed pods are fertilized and mature, they look like this. 
When they are fully mature and “explode” the ground looks like this — Now you know what they are – they are Coontie seeds. Coontie’s have been here since the dinosaurs. They are called “fossil plants” in some material I read on the web. Not only do you need male and female cones for seed-making, you also need one specific weevil, the Pharaxonotha zamiae. The weevil first eats the starchy male cones and then moves on over to the females where fertilization takes place. Next the female cones swell, the seeds become a vibrant orange color, and eventually the cones split apart, that is, if the birds and squirrels do not get to them first. I sure learned a lot about Coontie in my research these last few days.
Maybe you can come along tomorrow! Hope so.
