Author Archives: hopesquires

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About hopesquires

I've left behind the daily grind to write full time and to figure out what my own flourishing tree looks like. I'd love to help you flourish and grow along the way, so that you, too, can cultivate a life that pleases God.

The heron, the frog, and the Thanksgiving feast

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Happy Thanksgiving Eve to my American readers (and happy Wednesday to the rest of you)! As you travel over the river and through the woods, or wherever this holiday may take you, I hope good cheer comes along for the ride.

Today’s post is a short one, and it’s all about an ongoing feast in my back yard.

This summer, a juvenile Green Heron discovered an all-it-could-eat buffet of frogs in the pool and became a frequent poolside visitor.

Our juvenile Green Heron in early August

My husband and I had not seen so many (or any) frogs in our pond in previous summers, and their presence added to the daily outdoor chores. Sometimes we could relocate them while they were still alive. Other times, we had to fish them out after they drowned in the skimmer or at the bottom of the pool.

A small, brave frog watches me take its picture.

I haven’t seen any frogs in the pool for the last month or so, and I realized about a week ago it was because—at least in part—we still have frequent visits from the Green Heron. I don’t know if this is the same juvenile heron as our August guest, but I enjoy seeing it stand by the pool.

It’s skittish and quick to fly if it sees me watching it, and so I have to take its photo from inside the house and be careful that it can’t see me from a window. It’s not graceful like other herons. It has a gangly look when it flies, and its squawk sounds like an unpleasant shriek.

Today, the heron sat frozen like this for several minutes. I’ve never seen it still for so long.

The Green Heron stares up at the sky.

Was it asking a blessing for its meal? Was it basking in the joy of having just eaten a frog? Was it hypnotized by something in the sky?

If this is the juvenile heron, its coloring is coming in nicely, and it’s clearly adding girth from eating so many frogs.

This Thanksgiving, may you enjoy your feast as much as the heron enjoys its frogs.

One of the things I’m grateful for is a back yard that attracts interesting birds. What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

The salmon run

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It’s raining here today, the dark type of day that feels all too rare here because of our desperate need for rain. Whereas last year’s rainy season got off to a great start, this one has been slow so far. So I’m especially grateful for the rain and gray skies today.

Autumn means rain, and rain means clouds have come back, bringing more interesting sunrises and sunsets.

The sun sets along the river (with birds on a wire)

Fall trickled in here over the last few weeks, but this is the first week many of the trees decided to put on a show. Continue reading →

The best of autumn in California

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I’ve come to love the salmon run each fall here in California. It’s one of my favorite parts of the season. This October, when my husband and I visited Tahoe, we stopped along Taylor Creek because we had heard salmon were spawning there.

Red kokanee salmon in Taylor Creek

I was stunned to see such tiny fish compared to the huge chinook salmon that swim upriver from the ocean each fall to spawn. These little, red fish are kokanee salmon, landlocked in Lake Tahoe and surrounding tributaries such as Taylor Creek, where they go to spawn each autumn. Continue reading →

The golden trees of fall

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I couldn’t let autumn slip by without talking about trees, especially beautiful fall trees such as the aspens.

I didn’t grow up in the land of aspens, and so they’re not part of my mental image of fall. They are spectacular, though, and it’s hard to pass by them in the fall without pausing to admire them and listen to their leaves “quaking.”

Aspens in Nevada

While driving from the start to the finish of one of my husband’s recent races near Tahoe, I couldn’t resist a quick stop along this roadside. I lost more than an hour because of the stop (thanks, Nevada DOT, for mismanaging your construction zones so entirely that day, and by thanks, I mean the exact opposite of thanks). But as I look back at these pictures and remember the beauty of that morning, it’s hard for me to say I wouldn’t have stopped if I’d known the trouble that waited ahead in the construction zone. At least for all the aggravation, I had these moments of sheer beauty.

A showy autumn display

Other days brought an escape from the car, along with opportunities to see these beautiful trees up close.

The bark offers a spell-binding play of dark and light.

Leaves of gold

I’ve been reading about the growth patterns and habits of quaking aspens. They grow in groups called clones, where each “tree” isn’t so much an individual as it is part of an outgrowth of a single living root system.

They continue to grow through winter, too, an unusual characteristic for deciduous trees. You can read more about the layer right under their bark that allows this to happen.

Aspens even have the power to turn the water into gold. Well, not really. But the combination of aspens and sunlight adds an air of magic to whatever water happens to be nearby.

A heron wades among the golden reflection. (I’m not sure all of the gold reflection is from aspens.)

A blaze of aspen gold washes over salmon in Taylor Creek.

I hope these last two photos whet your appetite for what’s coming next week. The salmon are running, and we got to see a different sort of salmon spawning in Taylor Creek near Lake Tahoe. Next week, I’ll share some favorite shots of the salmon and the birds that hang out with them (sometimes to the detriment of the fish).

How is autumn shaping up where you live? We’re raking lots of leaves and enjoying at least a little fall color.

When your eyes are thirsty for clear, blue water

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Are you a beach person? I used to be but am now firmly in the “mountain” camp. That doesn’t mean I don’t crave being near water, though. Sometimes, my eyes just need to drink in clear, blue water.

As my husband and I prepared for our recent trip to Tahoe, my dad wanted to know, “Is the water still deep blue?” He and Mom made an epic road trip out west almost five decades ago, and he still remembers Tahoe’s blueness.

So this post is mostly for him, and for any of the rest of you who wonder the same about Tahoe from time to time. And for those of you whose eyes ache from too much smoke or too much mud from too many natural disasters these last few months. It’s also for you if you simply need to sit and stare at beautiful blue water for a few minutes but can’t take the time for a road trip.

Emerald Bay early on a Saturday morning

Continue reading →