A Whole Lot Of Nature’s Heaven!

 

 

2005-2008

To me there is something so special about nature and what it has to offer.  I love the  animals, whether it be birds, squirrels, coons, fox…well  I could go on forever.  I think my site speaks for me.  Someday I hope  to travel to at least one new place to photograph an assortment of different animals.

   

 

 

 Before my stroke I did intricate woodworking and different construction projects.  Went 4 wheeling, camping and boating.  I went to camp “a friends log cabin in the woods, nestled by a stream”.  Fishing and taking pictures of the wildlife you see here, and more.  Long walks in the woods just to be there.  The extent of my picture taking was just this.  Taking odd pictures as I was fishing or what not.                  

 

Fast Facts

Type:

Mammal

Diet:

Herbivore

Average life span in the wild:

Up to 24 years

Size:

Head and body, 23 to 39 in (60 to 100 cm); tail, 7.75 to 12 in (20 to 30.5 cm)

Weight:

60 lbs (27 kg)

Group name:

Colony

Did you know?

Beavers are second only to humans in their ability to manipulate and change their environment.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

 

 

 

 After my stroke I didn’t know how I was going to deal with not being able to do the things I love and loved so much.  I wasn’t able to do any of it, and further more I didn’t know if I would ever be able to do any of it again.  With the help of family and friends, the sunroom was turned into my bedroom.  Lines were strung, bird feeders hung.  Seed and fruit was put out around.  And the birds and critters started to come.             

 

 

Beavers are famously busy, and they turn their talents to reengineering the landscape as few other animals can. When sites are available, beavers burrow in the banks of rivers and lakes. But they also transform less suitable habitats by building dams. Felling and gnawing trees with their strong teeth and powerful jaws, they create massive log, branch, and mud structures to block streams and turn fields and forests into the large ponds that beavers love.

Domelike beaver homes, called lodges, are also constructed of branches and mud. They are often strategically located in the middle of ponds and can only be reached by underwater entrances. These dwellings are home to extended families of monogamous parents, young kits, and the yearlings born the previous spring.

 

 

We strapped a camera to my right hand and I used my left hand and arm to do the rest. And the more the critters came the higher my spirits soared.  Whether it’s the same bird or the same squirrel, the same raccoon or the same fox.  No matter what animals happens to be visiting, there is always a different picture to take of them.  Playing, fighting, squawking or squeaking. Flying or falling!  Always different…and amazing. 

 

 

 

 

Today, 16 months later, I am still paralyzed on my right side.   I use a leg brace to walk with…but I walk!  I still take pictures of all the critters that come here and all the nature I can soak up.  I  still am not able to drive “as of yet” but fortunately I have someone that takes me around to see different places around town.  The leaves for this year will be turning wonderful colors very soon.  Although I would like summer to stick around longer…I look forward to capturing the beauty of the changing season. My thought process still gets messed up at times.  I can’t always think of the words I’m trying to say. And at times I still say words backwards or mixed up.  Especially when I’m tired or having an especially rough day.  But I can talk.  I have come a long ways since my stroke.  I still do have many hard days, a lot of pain.  But with the Love and support from my family and friends and with the Good Lord above I continue forward.  I continue to hold out hope for a full recovery. 

 

 

 

 

Beavers are among the largest of rodents. They are herbivores and prefer to eat leaves, bark, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants.

These large rodents move with an ungainly waddle on land but are graceful in the water, where they use their large, webbed rear feet like swimming fins, and their paddle-shaped tails like rudders. These attributes allow beavers to swim at speeds of up to five miles (eight kilometers) an hour. They can remain underwater for 15 minutes without surfacing, and have a set of transparent eyelids that function much like goggles. Their fur is naturally oily and waterproof.

 

 

There are two species of beavers, which are found in the forests of North America, Europe, and Asia. These animals are active all winter, swimming and foraging in their ponds even when a layer of ice covers the surface.