Thinking of the Beach

Well, we had a couple of days of 90+ degrees and then were back to 60s and raining... We have a saying here in Michigan (and I am sure many other places)... If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.

Instead of waiting, I am just going to imagine being at the beach...



With Father's Day next week, I hope that there is an opportunity to enjoy a sunset like this



An outdoor activity that I often do with my dad for Father's Day (and any other time that we get a chance) is fishing



Although, I highly doubt that we will be catching any grouper in Michigan!

When people think of the beach, they often think of the ocean, however, here in the Great Lakes State (you've probably guessed) we flock to the lakes!  Michigan is second only to Alaska in the length of shoreline with 3,288 miles!  We have a wide range of lakes and shorelines - from small to large, sandy to rocky or seawalls.  They provide a large range for outdoor activities. Pure Michigan has great information on some of the many ways to enjoy the great outdoors the way it is meant to be enjoyed in a state made of peninsulas - by the water.

GCU Community Carnival

I haven't been the only one looking forward to summer lately.  My fellow GCU artists have also been posting about the exciting summer times ahead.  Take a gander at what they have to say.


BLOG CARNIVAL I:
SUMMERTIME, AND THE LIVING IS EASY


Floating
Lemons, Mariana Musa - Summertime at
Greeting Card Universe
The days are full of sunshine and the temperatures are slowly rising...



It's a Beautiful
World, Catherine Sherman - Summertime
Flowers and Fruit
The fragrance of roses all summer long, the juice of ripe fruit on
our lips...



Sun at Night
Studios, Sun at Night - Summer Celestial
Events and Art
The summer month of June is just around the corner...



What Dreams May
Come, Maryann Nolan - Discontent for
Summers Past
Ah summertime, full of sunny days, steamy temperatures, blue skies
... I long for thee!



I Love
Cuttables, Cindy Johns - More Father's
Day Cards
While I'm on the topic of Father's Day (see the 'funner' stuff below)...



Naquaiya's
Cards, Naquaiya - Summertime, and
the Living Is Easy
Summer is a time for a little fun, a little soaking up some nice warm
rays...



Shelley's Card
Creations, Shelley McLeod - Is Summer Almost
Here?
Well, after two 80 degree days, we are back to 50s and raining...



Painted
Cottage, Judith Cheng -
Summertime
Nothing beats sketching by the water after our long winter...



DogBreedz,
Peggy Mundell - Summertime, Meet
the Breed
Summer is around the corner...



Dragonfire
Graphics, Betsy Bush - It's Summertime
and the Living is Easy!
It’s hard to believe it is approaching summer what with all the
rain we are getting in the northeast...



Salon of Art,
Doreen Erhardt - Ah, Sweet
Blessed Summertime
I was born in 1961 in a suburban area and the memories of those
summers will always make me grateful...



DB Visual
Arts, Denise Beverly - Summertime,
Summertime, Sum, Sum, Sum, Summertime
That song always makes me sing it whether I want to or not...



Cherie's Arts 'N
Crafts, Cherie - Summertime, and the Living Is
Easy
One of the things that I love most about summer is being able to
lay outside...



Janet Lee
Designs, Janet Palaggi - Summertime Food
'n Fun
That`s right folks, Summer Is Finally Here...



Sheryl Kasper Card
Store, Sheryl Kasper - Summertime
Grilling
Have you been thinking about the warm days of summer during the
cold days of winter...



Card Art From the
Heart, Sue Baumgardner - Summertime and
the Kids' Education Goes Out the Door?
Learn how to teach your own children and as many others as you
decide to include...



Aura2000,
Aura2000 - I Love
Summer!
Maybe it's because I'm born in Summer, but I just love this time
of the year...

Is Summer Almost Here?

Well, after two 80 degree days, we are back to 50s and raining.  It seems like Spring will never really come around here and we will just skip over it and go straight to summer.  Those two days of 80 degree weather really have me looking forward to Summer.  I got out into the garden and did some planting and cleaning out of the flower beds. I planted sunflower seeds that I saved from last year.  They are a multi-head open pollinating variety, so it is always a surprise to see what I get each year.


The hostas are starting to sprout


And the Forget-me-nots are really starting to spread


This time of year goes by quickly.  At times it seems like Summer will never arrive, but suddenly it is here.  I try very hard to notice the subtle changes around me as all of the plants around me begin to awaken from their winter slumber and the birds begin to sing.  All of a sudden, one day, everything is green.

With flowers beginning to bloom, pollinators, an important part of the garden are out looking for food.  This is an amazing video by Louie Schwartzberg showing us what is really going on beyond our observation in the great outdoors.

Backyard Birds

This past weekend I was lucky enough to see some uncommon birds in my backyard.  While sitting on the deck, repotting plants purchase at the local farmer's market, I was surprised to see five Cedar Waxwings land (fittingly) on Cedar at the corner of my deck.  It is the first time that I have ever seen Waxwings in my neck of the woods. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.  (All the more reason to spend some time outside - you never know what you might be missing!)

Not the best picture because they had already flown high into a neighboring Maple

A much better view of a Cedar Waxwing by one of my fellow artists at Greeting Card Universe, Digital Midge

While spending time outside, why not spend some time observing the birds around you?  Even better, take it a step further and make your observations count and possibly help in research about various birds. A great site to track your bird observations is ebird.org.  You can use it to track what you see for your own record and your information will also be amassed with others' observation to make usable information to track bird movement.

Happy birding!

GCU Community All-Star

One of the ways that I like to enjoy my time outdoors is through photography.  It is a way to bring all of the beautiful places that I have been inside so that I can appreciate them even when I am not there.  I also like to share my photographs.  One of the way that I have found to do this is as an artist at Greeting Card Universe.  You may have noticed that the pictures that I have used in this blog are some of my cards.  I like the idea that my images help people communicate with each other and help portray the message that they want to pass along.

I was exciting to open my email today to see that I had won the Greeting Card Universe Community All-Star Award!

Spring in Michigan

Spring is just beginning to take hold in Michigan, although it seems like it has sprung everywhere else.  It is the time to start venturing outside after a long winter and appreciate the beauty of a garden as it starts to emerge from its slumber.  The grass is green, the trees are just starting to bud and the tulips are beginning to open.



It seems like the perfect time to begin a new blog. My intention of this blog is to focus on the many ways to enjoy the great outdoors;

everything from gardening,



to enjoying a sunset,



Fall foliage,



even the critters you might meet along with way.




With so many electronics and demands on our lives, Americans are not spending enough time outside enjoying what nature has to offer us. This is especially true for kids.

I hope that I can point out at least a couple of reasons that we should all spend more time in the great outdoors.