Squirrel Sunday from Wesselman Woods.....

There were lots of squirrels at Wesselman Woods Nature Center, so here is a selection of photos of my favorite critters.

"Somebody said this is called a 'squirrel baffle'.....wonder what that means?"

"Hey, they need to stabilize this thing....it tips when I try to get on it!"

"Maybe this is the side where I get to the seeds......sure has me baffled....

oh, now I get it....what a rotten trick!"

"I wonder if I buried something here?"

"Water!"

"Ahhhhhhhh......."

I only see half a squirrel here. 

 Some people might say half a squirrel is better than a whole squirrel......

"Who said that!?  Quit taking photos of me while I'm trying to eat."

"I think this chain leads to a feeder I can get to (unlike that "baffle" thing.)"

"I like this one.....but it just has corn in it.  I want those good sunflower seeds."

" I knew there was something good at the end of the chain!"

"Save some for me!"

"I'm king of the nature center....all seeds belong to me!"

"Says who?"

How to beat the heat.....

We went to Wesselman Woods Nature Center yesterday to watch some birds from inside their lovely viewing area.  Too hot to tramp around outside looking for birds and butterflies!  It was around 100 degrees yesterday.

We weren't the only ones noticing the heat!  This little 3 level water feature was the popular spot of the morning as we watched the birds come to bathe and drink.

We arrived just in time for the Indigo Bunting to start his bath......

.......lots of fluttering.....

......and a big splash to finish off!

Mrs. Indigo Bunting decided if he was having that much fun, it must be a good idea.....

......flutter, flutter, flutter.....

......dunk.....

Ah......that felt good!

Next the Titmouse showed up but seemed hesitant to bathe until the Indigos went away and he could have the place to himself.

....but he made up for lost time.....

I like how his orange feathers float out to the sides on the water :-)

The Grackles were more interested in soaking the corn they were eating to soften it up.

Every bit of food they found, they brought to the water to soak it first.

.....but what the heck.....as long as I'm here, I might as well rinse off!

Mrs. Cardinal.....shy as always....decided to hide behind the upper level rocks.  She didn't realize that that nice red beak made her very visible in the water reflection!

I would say this is "flutter time" since the beak seems to have multiplied!

A young Cardinal came for a drink, but no bathing.

"Hmmmm....what's all the fuss about.  It's just water!"

"You are suppose to DRINK it not sit in it!"

"I wonder if I can get closer"

"Maybe just a little more"

I thought his beautiful tail was very expressive as he waded in to drink.

This is a wonderful place to watch birds while inside out of the heat, but the double glass with a large space in between and the dirt on it makes it hard to get good photos.  We saw a wonderful variety of birds while we were there, but some of the shots aren't clear.  I saw a couple of warblers including one I had never seen before.  I'll post a few more shots from here over the next few days.  The water feature was in the best light and position for taking photos.

Odds and Ends at home....

I haven't been taking many photos, but emptied the camera and found a few from the feeders.

The Goldfinches look so pretty in the summer and on the yellow flowers they look even better....I think he knows that :-)

I think this is a young Towhee!  Was surprised to see it show up at the "driveway diner" one afternoon.  That long black tail and the wings are the clues to its identity.

A dragonfly that has stationed itself on this dead branch I tied to a pole to make the birds feel more at home.  I see it in this same spot every day.  I think it might be a Slaty Skimmer, but it is rather large.

My raccoons still visit late at night.

Oh, he is just so pretty, I had to post a second shot :-)

A welcome visitor that I haven't seen much of lately....the Red-bellied Woodpecker male.

Another shot of him.

This Downy did not want that little House Sparrow to join him at the suet.  I don't have as many young House Sparrows as last year, but there are several around.

"My turn!"  Chickadee...dee....dee

A young looking Titmouse.  I think I've seen youngsters of most of my regular birds hanging around.  I never figured out what happened with that House Wren nest in the gourd I was watching.  He was taking in food regularly and then suddenly I didn't see him doing it any more.

This and that family memories from Ohio trip....

While in Ohio, we visited the farm where my grandparents lived.  Now some of my cousins live there.

The C. Herner barn, 1908. 

 My cousin had the barn repainted a couple years ago and the people who did it painted over the name!  He made them come back and repaint the name, but they did a very sloppy job in the writing.  Still from a distance it is the way that I remember it. 

Grandma's house, sort of from the front.  Didn't have a satellite dish in Grandma's day :-)  Otherwise, it looks pretty much the same.  I can remember so many things about this house from the summers and winters we had vacations there.  I always thought it was a really wonderful house.

The side yard view.  I loved the wrap around porch and the dining room bay window.  I have dozens of really old photos Dad took in the 20's-30's of people posing on the steps of the porch.  Apparently that was considered the most photogenic spot for a background.  I was glad to see that my cousins had lots of bird feeders.

The pump in the side yard isn't used any more, but I can remember carrying buckets of water to set in the pantry where a dipper was used to get a drink.

Another family barn.  This one is at the next house down the road where my uncle and aunt lived.  Now that property is being farmed by another of my cousins.

Chipmunk on the porch steps

Another important building from my past.  The little country church that my dad always belonged to.  Even though we lived in Indianapolis while we were growing up, dad never dropped his membership at this church in Ohio.  His ancestors from Germany helped found this church.  When he retired and moved back to Ohio, it became his church once again.

It was a nice day and the sky was lovely in the background.  I had to lighten the photos a little.

Above the door.

The church graveyard where nearly all my relatives are buried, starting with the two sets of great-grandparents who came over from Germany.  Just about everyone in this graveyard is a relative either by birth or marriage.

There are two unusual tombstones that are made of metal rather than stone or marble.  They don't happen to be of relatives.  I like the fact that they seem to last forever with none of the deterioration of the older stone monuments that can no longer be read.

Lots of tombstones with German on them.

This barn is next door to the church and I just liked it.  Don't know who lives there so they may or may not be related.

A vulture sitting on the roof.

I saw this little red squirrel on a feeder at my cousin's house in town.  I have never seen a red squirrel before, so I wish I had gotten better photos.  He was quick!