This is the pond in my backyard. I had it scooped out with a bull dozer a number of years back The
same two geese have been nesting on the island for the past three years. I'm told they mate for life.
Romantic, eh? ;-)
 
 

 There they are, wondering around by the back pond. Mom and pop goose keep a very close
watch over those kids. It almost seems as though they do a better job of raising their kids than
some people! The geese make sure they have a safe and comfortable place to live before they
start a family, and never let the kids out of their sight....
 

 The pond in my front yard. Yes, I like ponds. <g>
 
 

 Same pond shot a few feet to the right from the previous picture. Can you tell
that I love Mother Nature? These ponds just teem with life during the warmer
months, and they attract lots of land dwelling critters that stop by to get a drink
or feed on the water dwellers. Sometimes I'll feed on a large mouth bass served
with a freash salad from the garden.

---

 

 I found this painted turtle in the road while out riding my bike. There was another one about ten
feet away that was very flat. So, I put him in my pocket and set him free in the back pond when I
got home. It's hard to see from the photo, but he was only about an inch or so in diameter.
 
 

 A poppy in full bloom....
 

 My house in the country. Like this web page, a work in progress.
 
 

 

 Yours truly on the back deck...

 This is a Great Blue Heron that hangs out by the back pond. That bird is at least three feet high, and a pretty
good fisherman.
 
 

A bee doing what they do.
 
 
 

  I think the Praying Mantis is just about the coolest insect alive. This one showed up on the
front deck, and didn't seem to mind posing for the camera. Sure would suck to be an insect
that's considered a tasty meal by that Mantis...
 
 

 Walking sticks are cool, too. They're almost impossible to spot when they're on the right plant,
but on the picnic table, this one is pretty noticeable.
 
 

 Typical view of nearby hills in the Summer.
 

 "Rat" chillin' in the shade.
 

 
 Behind the house is a big backyard with a pond, a field, and hedgerows. Here's my brother and a
couple of his daughters ready for a morning of dirt bikin' and fishin'! What more could 10 and 11
year old kids possibly ask for?

 

 Bro says he's wanted beautiful brown skinned rug rats since he was a teenager. He got lucky.
These girls are smart, too. Can kids be too smart? Sometimes I address them as, "you little
bitches". All in good fun, of course!

 
 

 A perfect spring day, and the bass are bitin'

 
 

 This girl can be so prissy sometimes. Everything in her room has to be organized - all in its proper
place. Her clothes, hair, and jewelry have to be perfect. So I was a little surprised to see her bait her
own hook with a slimy, squirmy, perforated, and oozing worm. She wasn't afraid to latch onto this
bass, either.

 
 

 Acknowledging  a victory lap around the track with the "#1" sign.

 
 

 Another full throttle sprint to the finish line. I wonder how the residents of that nest box feel about
dirt bikes near by.....