Monday, January 31, 2011

A Taste of Spring!

Yesterday God gave us a little taste of spring. Our temperature was close to seventy degrees and sunny. It was the kind of day that we look forward to here in the south during the winter months...a short reprieve from cold, dreary weather. It was the perfect day for a woodland walk. We are very fortunate to live near the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge. It was established in 1963 and has 8,443 acres of fields, wetlands, and woodlands that provide protected habitats for many different types of wildlife. We spent our beautiful Sunday afternoon exploring some of the trails at the refuge. Even though the landscape is still a little bleak, there is so much beauty to be seen this time of year.



The refuge has many creeks and ponds to provide habitats for fish and waterfowl.




I don't think this little fellow belonged here in the wild. I sure hope his owner was close by.



I just love walking down the trails surrounded by the tall trees.



If you walk quietly, you'll notice that you are not alone in the woods.



This little woodpecker didn't even seem to notice me.



This covered bridge is kind of neat, don't you think?



I think someone wasn't paying much attention to his fishing.



My goodness, I hope these didn't belong to the same fisherman.



Years ago, the Gaddys' pond was the winter home of many geese. Now, we are lucky to get fifty geese.



We were not allowed beyond a certain point on the trail. I wonder where this leads?



Isn't the bottom of this tree interesting? I love how God provides shelter for all of His creatures.



The Carolina blue sky promises more days like this one.



I wish I could have gotten pictures of all of the different birds in the fields. They seemed to hear us before I could get close enough. Next time I'll have to take a chair and just sit quietly for a while.

Oh well, it was back to reality today. It temperature stayed in the low forties and the clouds overpowered the sun. Hopefully, we will have another taste of spring soon and these dreary days will become few and far between.

11 comments:

Paula@SweetPea said...

This looks like a place that I'd love to visit. Glad you had a nice day to go outdoors and enjoy nature.

www.thewhitefarmhouse2.blogspot.com said...

Love the pics. I wish we would have a day like that here. You can almost feel the crisp air. We are still buried in snow and supposed to get another foot tomorrow or so. I like the fishing lures stuck in the tree. Looks like I am not the only "expert" fisherman!

Glenda said...

Looks like my kind of place! I could almost feel the tranquility of the trail and its surroundings. Love that bridge, too!

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Wern't those temps super! They sure were short lived. Just enought to tickle our fancy for spring. I love your photos and what a place to see all of the lords beauty. That tree...amazing.

Blessed Serendipity said...

Hope you enjoyed your warm day in that beautiful place. It looks like a great place to just be quiet and enjoy nature.

Danielle

Allison said...

I, too, long for spring. What a pretty walk!

Joan Elizabeth said...

Thanks for taking us on this walk. I like to compare the feel of your woodlands to ours.

penny said...

Thanks so much for the lovely walk through the woods, Carla. I could hear the sounds of the birds in the background along with your voice guiding me all the way.

Warm hugs.. be well,
Pam

Rebecca said...

God gave us no such little taste of spring here! But it was good to see YOUR part of the world with you. Geese up here are SO plenteous they have become quite a problem. Wish we could send them down to Gaddy's! The woodpecker picture is classic; the bridge a perfect backdrop for a photo.

From the Kitchen said...

I think there's beauty in those brown woods and leafless trees. It's as if they need to rest before displaying the beauty of spring. And, I love the crunch of those leaves underfoot. We just have snow underfoot at the moment and more is fast falling. It's beautiful.

Best,
Bonnie

tina said...

Gosh I so hope the beagle's owner was close by too! So very sad to see a pet like this-breaks my heart. On a good note-it was very nice yesterday-won't be long now and we'll have many more days like that!