Magical Moment 512, "Swimming in the Sky"

Eddie and I stumbled across a beautiful park in Bernardsville, NJ. I had never seen such a pristine paradise, and to top it all off, wouldn't you know it? A family of ducklings. (Click to enlarge)

Five happy babies glided behind mamma through a perfectly painted masterpiece of sky.

The water was so clear, it was as if they swam through thin air.

This Blue Heron was surrounded by lush color, above and below him.

They camouflage well with the ripples they create.

And continue on to swim in the sky.

Until they hit a shallow point! Uh oh. It's not the sky after all. Could have fooled me.

Comments

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said…

Isn't it fun to find these "magical" places? You must visit this park often and share your experiences with us. Maybe the blue heron will give you some opportunities for close-ups.

July 1, 2011 at 8:16 AM

TexWisGirl said…

oh my goodness, these are gorgeous shots!!! encore! encore!

July 1, 2011 at 9:00 AM

Elizabeth Grimes said…

Linda, I'll definitely go back. Blue Heron - thanks, I'll change that. :)

Texwisgirl, thank you! :)

July 1, 2011 at 9:42 AM

Kim@stuffcould.... said…

Wow this is so neat for me to see this family of ducks up close! Gorgeous!

July 1, 2011 at 10:06 AM

Rick said…

Beautiful shots, Elizabeth ! Isn't it great when you 'stumble' onto a place like this ! And with such crystal clear water. Some of those shots look more like paintings !

July 2, 2011 at 1:52 AM

Busy Bee Suz said…

I never ever tire of seeing Mama ducks with her babies...they are just the cutest!!!

July 4, 2011 at 7:25 PM

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le...

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-...

Search This Blog