in case you were wondering

(I know, I don't post in a month, and then twice in one day...)

Check out what we saw in the yard today!



So, yes, in case you were wondering I'm still a dork. I still watch birds. But come on, a bald eagle. That is awesome. Right in our yard.

hittin' the mid-twenties running

Well, I did go running today, so I guess I actually did hit the mid-twenties running...but honestly, I have felt crazy busy lately, which has made it feel more like trudging through mud. This is a kind of crazy birthday, one where you feel like you are supposed to have come to some grand realization about your life, your direction, your "career," and yet I'm not feeling a lot of those pressures. When I was younger, I always wondered what I'd be doing at 25. I'm not sure what I ever thought I actually would be doing, but I thought it was an age where things would finally star to make sense. In all actuality, I'm just trying to soak everything in around me. I've had to preach a lot lately, which has caused a great deal of introspection, examination, and encouragement as I've tried to share from my life in relation to the scriptures the ways I've been able to see God in our midst. Some friends have shared some encouraging words after the sermons, and it has been great to experiment and try new ways of sharing the story of God in our world and in my life with others.

I don't think that I have it figured out what I'm going to "do" or "be" in terms of a career, but I'm beginning to realize in a deeper way how those things should not define us, but rather be an overflow of our lives and our hearts. Maybe it's just the Egyptian monastics starting to shake me up a bit, or maybe it is a lot of Dr. Toom's quotes of Augustine, but either way, I have to echo the words of the great bishop, in that if our reading of the scriptures do not inform us into living a life of charity, we may be correct on a technicality of understanding the scriptures, but we still do not understand them. (my paraphrase)

on a side note, my great friend has forever raved on and on about how a monkey playing baseball with Joey, or driving an 18-wheeler, is the best thing ever, or would be the best new friend. I however would like to state that i'd rather have a bird like this. monkeys suck, birds rule.

here's to 25.

last day at the beach

Well, this isn't the way you typically like to end your bout at the beach, with a bit of cold weather, but we had a good day and tried to make the most of it! We've had a good week, and if you haven't checked out the pics from yesterday, there are some cool ones with alligators, besides all the birds that may be boring to you! Below are a couple of others I snapped today, a sweet brown pelican (one with a friend) and an osprey. Hope things are well with all as we prepare for Easter...peace.

a glimpse of our day

hey folks,

here are some pics from our recent trip to Pinckney Island, a wildlife refuge near Hilton Head Island, SC where Shey and I are taking a little vacation and enjoying our spring breaks from school. As you can expect there are more bird shots than most anything else, but there are a few gators too. sorry for the break from Rollins, i had too many books to bring for school to read at the beach, not to mention books to learn how to garden. but i'll start back up after i get home next weekend. i hope everyone is well, i feel like there is a lot to talk about--a lot of hopes i have for how gardening will bring some whole-life transformation...i love birds more than ever, and i am really enjoying marriage with Shey (vacation with her is just so much fun, and so relaxing).

enjoy the pics...peace.

Pinckney Island

Henry (HT), my favorite barn, and Ash Wednesday

Well, i'm back in Warrenton after the trip to San Diego...upon which i returned to the week of ice, i'm finally back to writing again (though I'm sure school will take over my blog again soon). First, i wanted to introduce you to my latest friend Henry (Hermit Thrush). Shey has a funny and fun habit of naming everything, staplers, animals, cars, etc. and I beat her to the punch in naming one of the most fun birds that has come to the house yet. I first met Henry in the forest behind our place. He followed me around the forest, curious, and trying to communicate...shrugging his wings and flapping his tail at me. This was over a month ago, and yet with all the ice we got last week, the birds have been struggling to find some food and so I think Henry came all the way to the house for the first time in search of food. He's been hanging out by our front door, has followed me down the driveway, and comes pretty close...he's one of the most curious birds i've been around. so, i thought i'd share a picture of my latest favorite bird...

below is my favorite barn from the drive to our house from town. the sun came out for the first time in forever yesterday, and i just absolutely love the way the sun hits buildings and trees in the winter. and finally, the sun was hitting the barn in cool manner yesterday and i got to snap a few pictures. the farm estate is up for sale where this barn sits and Shey and i dream about living there one day. it is a wonderful piece of land.

Lastly, for the first time in my life i am participating in Lent or as the Orthodox call it "Bright Sadness." something had been stirring in my spirit to participate this year and to try to understand a bit better what it means to join the church in this season. the youth talked about it last night for about an hour and they really seemed to catch on with the spirit of Lent. they were willing to fast and be disciplined with some areas of their life that i don't think that i'd have the desire to hold to. i am really proud of them. as baptists, many of them have never done anything even remotely close to this, and yet they seemed to understand the significance immediately. i had them (if they chose to participate) write down what they would like to fast and be disciplined about on a piece of paper of which we then burned and i used to mark their heads and bless them. it was pretty neat. after we had finished, one of the students asked if i would like to be marked as well...so that i too could be included. and two of the students made the mark on my head and blessed me...i can't imagine a better first time of beginning Lent.

i am fasting from all soda and upon Shey's recommendation, not purchasing any new music. i'm looking forward to this time, and hope that this practice may become a more regular one for me in the coming years...

in light of recent technical difficulties...

Well, part of the reason I've been soooo slow in posting is that the new Beta Blogger in co-operation with Picasa, has not been making my life (or many others) life very easy in posting pictures. I've been struggling for a while to get it taken care of, and that day has finally come. So here's another post, one which I've been anxious to share for a while now.

My lovely teacher wife and I moved in the fall (Novemberish) to a new place, a bit outside of town, but absolutely beautiful. We hoped that moving to Jefferstonton would provide a more quiet and open space for us to create, whether in photography, simply enjoying creation, or writing papers, painting, or our new favorite joy--birding. Here are a few pictures from some walks or from the drive home that either the lovely teacher wife or I have taken. The barn and silo is near our place, and a wonderful sight in the winter sun. The bluebird was a fun sighting on another walk one afternoon. And the last two shots are from the drive to and from town.

If you haven't read any of Wendell Berry's novels yet...I hope these pic's inspire you to do so!

snow day!

Well, I'm just going to be up front about this:

I've become a birder.

I know, I'm a dork, and I've dragged my wonderful and much less dorky wife down into the depths with me...but it is true. I just love it. And let me say that when it snows, the birds go crazy. I think they realize that they are going to have to consume a lot of food to stay warm (and alive) through the night. This is all to say, on the snow day this weekend, we saw more birds at the feeder at one time than ever before. We didn't see many new species, but we saw a lot of interesting interactions at the feeder and on the ground below the feeder. I won't bore you with much more...I will share a couple of my favorite picks from the snow day (which was awesome by the way...a needed break!).

our new place

after the craziness of the last couple of weeks, i finally have gotten to enjoy a little bit of what Shey and I hoped for in moving out of town. this morning I got to sit and watch the morning fog move through the fields and over the mountains. I watched as the sun began to peek through the trees, casting its soft morning light onto the yard.



Better still, I watched for quite awhile as different birds moved back and forth and sang their different and varied songs. I saw for the first time (that I could recognize anyway) a Yellow-shafted Flicker, which is a type of woodpecker. It's pretty awesome to see it forage for insects in the trees, and to hear the tapping sound as it searches for food. here's a picture of what it looks like, though its not the one I saw...(hopefully for Christmas I'll get a telephoto lens so I can post some of my own pictures of birds!)