Thanks everybody :-) Yes Brenda your right that purple flower is Canterbury bells campanula medium i beleive. Sara im so glad you liked it. I have wanted some for years and every time i buy them they die! Sooo i decided i would try to grow them from seed and it took a couple of years but i was so proud when they bloomed this year :-) They will probably die now! Hope not but i expect it. They seem really fragile. Thank you Jean! I just loved watching it zoom around and don't have a clue what it was eating but i hope it was mosquitoes :-) Do they eat mosquitoes? I was so worried for her because she was hanging out on the deck under the gutters that the blue jays love to dig around in and i was worried they would spot her and have a nice juicy bug dinner. She sure looked fat to me. Maybe full of eggs? She seemed to be guarding the birdbath fountain. I just havent ever seen one that big before. Usually they are skinny with lots of wings zooming by but she kept hanging around and i was so excited to see her little plump self. I beleive dragonflies are carnivorous aren't they? My son was so excited too. I love nature. I will definitely keep my eyes out for the lovely jewelwings Jean. Thank you :-) Brenda so glad you liked Herman! He/she has me trained. After breakfast or dinner i always carry the scrapes out with some bread and dog food to feed what ever comes by for a visit. Hermon is always sitting in the tree waiting and will "CAW" for me to hurry up. LOL...I hurry up too :-) The Bluejays have fits when Hermon is around but i love him/her anyway even if she eats the other birds babies its only to feed his own. Herman keeps ALL hawks and owls in their place too. I have seen him chase and attack a redtail hawk before. DO NOT mess with Herman! LOL...I feel really touched that he has made a connection with me and the food too. Hermon just had some babies come by for a visit but they wouldn't come down to eat. They just tried to hang on to the branches they were on and flopped and squawked a lot :-) Some didnt hang on to good and fell off so it was kinda funny to watch. Hope they come back for some more nibbles soon. They are always welcome. I will know they are here when the little Bluejay alarms go off. Life is good :-) Bonnie

BEAUTIFUL EDGINGS is a beauty. I love it. and your BUTTERED POPCORN is very nice, too.Mine didnt bloom at all this year and keeps shrinking.Last year it only had maybe half dozen blooms, but the year before it was a pretty one.Not a drop of rain here,and everything is suffereing, even tho I am watering every day, its just not enough. and we back in the furnace heat again with 95 right now, out and heat index is 102. suppose to be 100 plus tomorrow and feel like 110 they said. not looking forward to it at all. I had to go out and wait on the mail man this morning to get a letter mailed,and it was so hot out. He was only a hour and half late today., but better then 3 hrs late like the substitute we had monday. I almost got sick out there waiting for him. jean

The hawk in Menifee, CA can only be a Cooper's Hawk but it is an oddly-colored one. Something going on with the feathers, such as a heavy molt or missing feathers for some other reason. If you have other photos please post.

She's having problems logging in. This is the rest of the above update. 5/21- PT 5- avg 12 - miles 64 Surf City to Cedar Point. great day, rode strong. Got a LOT hotter !! Rode past part of Camp Le Jeune. The firing range. Great Great late breakfast. had ab OJ/mango drink in camp and a bagel and canned pears and coffee. Then we stopped and I had 2 sunny side up eggs and 2 slices of ham and 3 buttermilk pancakes...yum. We passed three little girls on the way here with a lemonade stand. It was $1 a glass...cute sweet gals and we all had a glass.... No lunch stop...not sure why I would need MORE food :) Stopped at a Lowes Grocery on the way and got a HUGE salad bar and an Arrogant "Bleeped out" Ale for dinner in camp..yum. Did laundry...I do the laundry for everyone every day...more on that some time in the future, Great forestry campground here in Cedar Point. If you ever get this way do check it out. Oh and we WAITED for the Rapture...what happened ????? 5/22 PT 5- Avg 12- Miles 73 Cedar Point to Ocracoke Island rode alone to mile 30. Met up with Bob and Pete and we rode to the ferry. Had a mediocre meal as we waited for the ferry. It is a 2 1/2 hr ride. The ride to the ferry is lots of marsh and bridges over the estuaries. Very beautiful but HOT and windy. We were glad to get on the ferry. We all slept most of the way...laid down on the long bench seats. Very nice. Staying at Black Beard's Lodge. Every thing here on the island is called Black Beard. Edward Teach was his name and he was notorious in these parts. Had dinner at the Jolly Roger grill and it was a great burger and fries and beautiful sunset pics...then the mosquitoes came out...ouch ! 5/23 Ocracoke to Cape Hatteras PT3- Avg 15 !!!! ( tail wind ) miles 53 SMOKINg speed. I looked down and was doing 23 mph at times !! Whew....had a bagel and cream cheese and coffee. Pete and Bob and I looked at the lighthouse and then walked out to the point where BB was killed by a Navy officer. supposedly anyway. We then got underway. We stopped at Pop's on the way finally to get some food. There was nothing for a long way. This is a most interesting bar. It was amazing the amount folks were drinking so early in the day...oh well. Had a burger and fries...great fuel !! Nice campground tonight. Walked on beach. Great pic with Blue the dog. 5/Cape Hatteras to Kitty Hawk PT 3:12 avg 12.3- miles 39 ate peaches and ripe banana in camp and 2 tiny donuts. Rode over BIG bridge. Stopped at a little store and had to get a Jimmy Dean sausage biscuit and microwave it in the store....not too bad but have had better :) Went on to Nags Head. Very large pretentious homes for most of the town till you get all the way in. walked around Kitty Hawk and listened to a presentation. Took two pics. Very interesting brothers. There is a peat bog fire in the area and the wind blows the smoke here at times and the air is very bad and then it clears. We are leaving tomorrow and part of the group ( two other women) are staying behind. It is hard but for the best. It will be me and the 3 guys....we get along so well and will all be better for it. We had lunch at Goombays and it was WONDERFUL !! Fantastic grouper sandwich. Also owner called and got us a great price on a motel. The holiday is coming and prices are up but we got a great place cheap. Pete and Bob and I went to the Red Lion and got supper fixings...you guessed it am sure...I got a pint...of Haagan Dazs...not Gentleman Jack!! Hasn't been that kind of trip this year....we are excited to be going on tomorrow...as a group of 4. Stayed at the Sea Ranch motel . Stopped and saw the Bodie Island lighthouse on the way here. TODAY !! 5/25 Kitty Hawk to Elizabeth City. Avg 13.4 Miles 52....we RODE fast. Felt so happy and light...all the guys are smiling and laughing now that we are 4 . Enough of that...it is over and done.