Jeannie's Travel Addiction

BIGGEST SURPRISE SO FAR at my FEEDER

05 Jul 2016 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: escaped parakeet

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July 4, 2016

How fitting that on Independence Day, along with the day before, I had a very surprising bird come to feed – so much so, that at first I thought I was seeing things. Most likely, an escaped pet parakeet that has, so far, adapted very well to life on the run. He made himself very acquainted with my back yard – checking out the bird houses, all of which are ” full-no vacancy”, the other feeders- though the bell seed is the favorite, sitting on my fence railing , flag post and my patio chair. If he would come to me, I would gladly give him a good home, but even though I can get fairly close to him, he has made it clear, he has no intentions of being caught. I can accept those conditions and hope he continues to visit and hang out in my yard.

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HERE

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A white crowned sparrow was also new to my yard this spring.

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The newest resident in my wren house…..

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who, along with his mate, finds many places to sit and guard their new home.

I have been scolded many times for getting too close to their chirping babies.

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Speaking of babies – this one looks old enough to move out…

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This juvenile cardinal has a 2-tone beak – I love to watch their adult colors emerge.

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Two recently fledged Red Tail Hawks hang out frequently near the nest in my back yard pine.

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or sit on the fence and stare at me.

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Lastly these finch were kind enough to pose for photos with my spring iris.

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“my favorite weather is bird chirping weather” (Terri Guillemets)

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!!

JEWELL BOX GARDENS JUNE 2016

29 Jun 2016 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Cone Flowers, Jewell Box, Water Lillies

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June 29, 2016

Having recently attended a wedding at the Forest Park Jewell Box,

I also enjoyed the beautiful gardens in front and snapped a few photos of them to share:

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Hope you enjoyed !

Thanks for reading!

IRIS TIME AT the GARDENS, 2016

26 Jun 2016 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: chihuly, iris, Missouri Botanicals Gardens

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June 26, 2016

a·sy·lum :

an institution offering shelter and support to people who are mentally ill.

The plants at the Missouri Botanical Gardens come close enough to an asylum if you just move a couple of letters and take time to……..

enjoy some of nature’s spring beauties……

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Chihuly glass sculpture and roses….

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A few of the iris that bloomed this past May..

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These were my Mom’s favorite colors in an iris

and she never fails to pop into my mind when I see them….

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If you look close, this is a double bloom….

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I have no idea what these are but I loved the whimsical look of them …

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Peonies also bloomed in May..

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A pack of pansies…

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Always love the sheep……

Thanks for reading!!!

SPRING 2016 AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS

11 May 2016 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: missouri botanical garden

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May 11, 2016

Just in case you missed the spring colors at the Missouri Botanical Gardens this year, here is a sample of what you missed. Most are no longer blooming now, but the iris, in all of their glory, are still waiting for you. Plus the garden is just a wonderful shade of green all over!

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Bird of the day – a local resident of the Climatron

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There would have been more but a spring shower put an end to the photo snapping and had us running for cover.

Thanks for reading! Another post to come soon to show off the iris.

” I must have flowers, always and always”

Claude Monet

ORCHID SHOW 2016, Missouri Botanical Gardens

27 Mar 2016 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Missouri Botanical Gardens, Orchid Show 2016

March 27, 2016

This is the last day to see the annual Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The show is all indoors and I just love these funny little flowers. Orchids are proof that Mother Nature has a never ending imagination and a silly sense of humor.

Some interesting facts : There are documented 25,000 different species of orchids and some can survive up to 100 years. Orchids can be as small as a penny or the largest weighs a couple of pounds. They can grow anywhere in the world except where it is extremely cold or hot, though most live in tropical rain forests. The flower of some orchids can last a few hours up to six months. Orchids produce millions of tiny seeds but only a few will develop into a plant. Substances from the orchids are sometimes used in perfumes, spices and Asian medicine. Vanilla is probably the best know use that comes from the orchid.

Am I seeing things are does this look like a face? Such a happy, big smile!

The traditional prom or wedding inspired orchid.

These remind me of dancing stick puppets.

Whirligig orchids

Such beauty and detail

Very interesting……..

These last two photos were from an interesting framed arrangement of small bottles strung together in front of a rain forest mural.

Hope you enjoyed the photos! If you are interested in seeing a photo of the monkey orchid, naked guy orchid, owl orchid, bee orchard and the smallest orchid, go to:

http://www.flowerweb.com/en/article/190242/15-Amazing-Facts-About-Orchids

You won’t be disappointed. Happy Spring and thanks for reading!!

ART in BLOOM 2016, St. Louis Art Museum

18 Mar 2016 4 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Art in Bloom 2016, St. Louis Art Museum

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“Sinking of the Titanic” by Max Beckmann

Floral by Cecilia Ann Barnett

March 11, 2015

“Art in Bloom” is an annual event at the St. Louis Art Museum (and also various other locations in the country). This year the event featured 35 floral interpretations of paintings or other works of art through out the Museum’s collection. I had an enjoyable afternoon admiring beautiful works of art! It was incredible to see the colorful and imaginative floral creations along with how it complimented the art piece.

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“La Havre: Le Gran Quai” by Maurice de Vlaminck

Floral by Christine Anson/ S Finch Florist

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“Queen Anne Chair” by Robert Venturi

Floral by David Bovier / Ken Meisner’s Flowers

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“The Sentinel at the Sultan’s Tomb” by Jean-Leon Gerome

Floral by Trisha Haislar/ Elegant Celebrations

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“Long Live Love or Charming Country” by Max Ernst

Floral by Doug Wolter / Children’s Garden Club

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“The Felixmuller Family” by Otto Dix

Floral by Rhonda Lynn-Moeckel/ Baisch and Skinner Wholesale Floral

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“Portrait of a Woman” by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Floral by Susan Schoedel/Freelance Designer

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“Ewer in the Form of a Double Gourd with Design of Boys amidst Grapevines” ( small pitcher to the left)

Floral by Carol Eilermann/ Designers Guild Garden Club

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“Portrait of a Lady” by Hans Mielich

Floral by Ann Rabbitt/ Thorn Studio

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“Untitled (mental map:Lost IV)” by Franz Akermann

Floral by July Blix / The Garden Guild
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“Enforcer” by Alice Gibson

Floral by Carte Blanche Designers of District V, Garden Clubs of Illinois

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“Woman’s Dress” by Wendy Red Star

Floral by Lee J. Martin / Freelance Designer

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“Feasible #2” by Stuart Davis ( lower painting on the left)

Foral by Dawn Ahner / Ahner Florist, New Baden, Il

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Floor Spread, Ottoman Period

Floral by Catherine Thoele / Catherine Thoele Florists

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Figure of House with Figurines, Nayarit

Floral by Sara Ward / Wildflowers LLC

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Mask (kplekple), Unidentified Baule Artist

Floral by Bob Hauck / Walter Knoll Floris

Last and least is my own inspiration , not available at the Art Museum, but only for viewings in my home……

“Honfleur Harbor in Harmony” print by Elizabeth Horowitz

Hyacinths lovingly hand picked from my son’s yard without permission and arranged in my Grand-Grandmother’s cut glass pitcher.

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The lobby of the Art Museum was overtaken by beautifully arranged flowers and the scent of spring for the event.

Hope you enjoyed my favorites. If you are interested in the official winners, go to: http://www.slam.org/news/?p=2626

Thanks for reading!!

SET THE BUFFET AND THE BIRDS WILL COME

27 Jan 2016 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: cardinal, carolina wren, chickadees, finch, leucistic bird, mourning dove, pine siskin

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January 27, 2016

These cold winter days all it takes is some tempting seed hanging outside your window and the entertainment begins. This bird house covered in various seeds was a Christmas gift from my daughter to both me and my backyard birds. It gets picked clean pretty fast but can easily be reseeded by covering with peanut butter and then dipping into a bucket full of seed.

It’s not easy to tell the difference between the Black Capped Chickadee and the Carolina Chickadee. Interestingly, I live right on the dividing line of where the 2 Chickadees reside – Black Capped generally live to the north of the line and the Carolina generally lives to the south of the line – thus, we get both! My best guess, without getting too technical, is this bird is a Carolina Chickadee. These little rascals are also very quick so to get 3 decent photos in one day is amazing luck!

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This Tufted Tit Mouse has a unique feature that she bows her head to say grace before meals.

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The sunlight really highlighted this female Cardinal’s beauty. The dainty Carolina Wren has rarely come to my feeder this winter, so it’s a special treat when I see her.

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The Purple Finch is a colorful addition to my backyard and they are plentiful all year round. It can be difficult to tell the Purple Finch from the House Finch as they are both pinkish in color. The easiest way to differentiate is the Purple Finch’s beak is cone shaped and the House Finch’s beak curves downward a bit.

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The Pine Siskin is another bird I don’t see often so I was doubly

delighted to see 2 !

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This unique looking bird is leucistic . That’s when there is a partial loss of pigmentation , causing white patchy feathers. In my 10 years of birding, this is a first!

Lastly, these Mourning Doves found a comfy place to relax on my patio chair. Normally I see them ground feeding or drinking from my bird bath, but I guess today they decided “to sit and rest a spell”.

Hope you enjoyed this peek into my backyard birding and thanks for reading!

EVERYBIRDIE LOVES SUET

21 Jan 2016 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: downey woodpecker, Eurasian sparrow, hairy woodbecker, northern flicker woodpecker, red bellied woodpecker, suet feeders, yellow-bellied woodpecker

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January 21, 2016

These beautiful Red-Bellied Woodpeckers are daily visitors to my backyard, both at the suet feeder and also drinking from my bird bath all year round.

Hang some suet and the woodpeckers will come. It is a woodpecker magnet. All birds, not just woodpeckers, need a higher fat content of food to give them energy and help keep them warm in the winter but I keep suet available year round and it’s always a popular stop for a bite.

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Starlings love suet also and come in multiples which can be a problem mostly because they chase all of the welcome birds away. Here is a novel moment when everyone is getting along and sharing – or so I thought. The moment I put my camera down this Red-Bellied Woodpecker leaned over and grabbed the tail feathers of the Starling!

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If you have trouble telling the difference between a Downy Woodpecker and a Hairy Woodpecker it helps to have them side by side. I was so lucky to capture this rare moment when both came to feast at the same time. The Hairy Woodpecker is bigger and has a longer peak.

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The Eurasian Sparrows, along with many other song birds, frequent the suet feeder also, but sometimes only as a resting spot.

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The Northern Flicker eats suet but also digs at the ground frequently for food.

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This juvenile Yellow- Bellied Sap Sucker Woodpecker surprised me for the 1st time on Christmas Day.

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But today he ( she?) showed up again and nibbled for quite a while. Temps were below freezing today so he was all puffed up to keep warm. “A bird’s body heat warms the air between its feathers, so birds fluff up in the cold to trap as much air in their feathers as possible. The more trapped air, the warmer the bird” says Peter Marra, head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center at the National Zoo.

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Last photo of the suet -fest is the male Downy Woodpecker (with a red spot on his head) and the Red-Bellied Woodpecker peacefully eating together. If these photos have inspired you to hang a suet feeder – they comes in many shapes and styles. I am pretty sure I own them all and they all will attract birds, but this kind with the tail prop makes it easiest for the larger woodpeckers to come feed. As for the suet flavors – I have served them all and none have been wasted!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed my feathered friends!

E. DESMOND LEE TRAIN COLLECTION – Museum of Transportation

24 Dec 2015 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: E Desmond Lee Train Collection, miniatures, Museum of Transportation, train collection, Weinermobile

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December 23, 2015

For all of the young at heart or who simply love trains and/or miniatures – the E. Desmond Lee Train Collection is currently on dispaly at the Museum of Transportation until Dec. 30, 2015.

Here’s a sampling of what you will see….

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Must have been a cookie overdose…

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King Kong made an appearance also …….

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1870 St. Louis Streetcar was pulled by mules. Fare was a nickel per ride and the driver was paid 9 cents an hour.

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Oldest original railroad passenger car from 1843 – first pulled by horses, then later by steam locomotives.

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Last but not least – 2 of Santa’s reindeer resting up before the big night….

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas!!

GARDENLAND EXPRESS 2015 at Missouri Botanical Gardens – Always My Favorite!

19 Dec 2015 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Gardenland Express 2015

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December 19, 2015

Every Christmas season the Missouri Botanical Gardens presents the Gardenland Express exhibit -a festive mixture of trains, miniature displays, beautiful flowers and plants. Conifers of the World, paired with “nostalgic Germany ” , is the 2015 theme. Hope you enjoy my introduction, but remember, it is best seen in person where you can smell the flowers and the pines.

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