Birding in Delaware

Excitement without stress is a wonderful combination. Yesterday we had a wonderful birding adventure at Bombay Hook NWR along Delaware Bay, where we finally saw all those shorebirds that we've heard they have at, you know, shores. And stopped by the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center on the way home-- where we saw two fledgling great horned owls. The little one peered at us suspiciously from the giant nest: amazing! (Though too far away to photograph and anyway my camera batteries ran out).

Alex, then Ben, at the pond where we saw calling, nesting willets.

Ben climbing a little observation tower.

Blue grosbeak (right out the car window).

On a (higher) observation tower at Bombay Hook.

At the beach at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center.

Easter

While Daryl was off singing today, we dyed eggs and baked Easter rolls.

Ben measuring flour for the rolls

The dough rose a lot! (It's very hot here today....)

Alex shapes the dough for the rolls, or "Look Ma, flour-y hands!"

Look what we made!

The best part

This picture of Ben and Kaloo is from yesterday, but I like it so I threw it in.

Going To A Birthday Party

Before the party:

During the party:

After the party.

Mud Season Continues

Yesterday we went to the strangely named Soldier's Delight Natural Recreational Area nearby for some more mud-seeking. If two very muddy children is the cost of a two-mile walk in a neat place (a long way when you're five), I'm willing to pay. Soldier's Delight is also a serpentine barren, which is a sort of crazy geological anomaly where the earth's mantle is very near the surface, the plants are all different than you expect, and the rocks are weirdly colored from all the heavy metals in them. The birds were pretty neat too.

First salamander of the year

With Daddy

Stomping in mud...

Jumping into mud puddles...

Throwing rocks into a muddy stream...

The aftermath

This Could Be a Japanese Game Show

When I was in Finland I would sometimes watch a German-dubbed Japanese game show called Takeshi's Castle (which Wipeout is to some degree modeled after). If the edges of the rug here were, instead, the edges of a big foam platform several feet above a muddy pond, it would be like that show.

One Nice Spring Break Pic

Mostly I forgot to take pictures on Spring Break, but I'm glad I took this one.

North Point State Park

Yesterday the two mud-seeking missiles and their parents went to North Point State Park. Much mud was located, and many and assorted things (rocks, sticks, shells, and just mud) were thrown into the Chesapeake.

Unhelpful beavers built a dam just to the right of the trail, flooding it.

Throwing stuff into the bay is exciting!

Throwing logs into the bay: less satisfying?

Mud removal process.