Bigjack, I can't wait for my daylilies to open after seeing yours. The common orange ones are just starting to bloom so it will be a couple of weeks before the other varieties begin. This will be the last year to enjoy my lilies because I've sold my house and will be moving mid-summer.

On our way out of Maine, we stopped at a beach in a state park in southern Maine. Or at least we tried. We got to the beach at about noon, and were told by a park official "The park is Full, you'll have to come back later." We found a nearby restaurant/convenience store that had parking available (for a fee). And as we walked the beach I got pictures of two more lighthouses. Although the second one is only dimly visible on an island in the distance

I took this photo on June 19th at Huntington Beach where I monitor endangered birds every Tuesday morning. I really liked the way the photo came out and vowed to find the surfer with the long hair and give him a copy. Several weeks have passed and I still had not seen him on the beach. Since the birds have all fledged, today is the last I'll be heading down to the beach to watch them. As my friend and I are getting out of my car to start our two hour walk to monitor the birds, I see the long-haired surfer loading his van with his distinctive surfboard. He's there with the other guy in the photo, his wife and two kids. I try desperately to find the photo on my phone but cannot so I approach him anyways and tell him about it. I say if he gives me his email address I'll email the pic to him. He says cool, he'd like that very much. He then inquires about our role in saving an endangered bird so we tell him about the program and other birds we monitor as well. He said he has a home in Costa Rica and a turtle sanctuary and release center on both coasts of the country. Would we be interested in being a volunteer in Costa Rica helping bring back the numbers of Leatherback and Green turtles to the world? My friend Tina and I look at each other and say, heck yes! Who knows ... We may be living in Costa Rica for a while sometime in the future. But for the time being, I'll stay local and continue to take beach photos. :-) This post was edited by jodi_in_so_calif on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 20:43

A snowy egret in Costa Rica This past weekend my wife and I went to Connecticut for the funeral service of a friend who had lost her lengthy battle with leukemia. After the funeral mass there was a brief graveside ceremony. As people were starting to disperse, an egret, like the one above, flew low over the cemetery, and landed in a tree over the gravesite, and then a few seconds later flew off. It seemed as if an angel had come to guide her away. I think she would have liked that.