Out and about with me Mum~glorious reflections and a blessed encounter

I am so very lucky to still live in the same city as most all of my immediate family. Each one of us have busy lives but have adopted patterns to keep us connected. Through a series of recent events both my Mother and I have fallen into "retirement" from our jobs. My Mother because of her age and myself because of a decision to leave a career I was unhappy in. Both of us had hectic schedules in the past and often used holidays as the excuse to see each other. It wasn't until recently that we were able to establish a new routine to connect. We now are able to dedicate a few days a week for some exercise and some enjoyment of nature.

Today's adventure was a walk along a river path we have in our city. While it is technically an urban environment, the trail by the river is flooded with natural beauty and all it beholds. We normally walk or hike closer to the morning but today set out in the middle of the day.

One of the first treasures we found was a stoic Grey Heron standing just feet from where we were walking. The light of the day made for perfect reflections on the water and I was able to capture the most amazing image of it's peaceful nature.

Surprisingly this image is totally unedited and taken with my iphone. It looks like a collage representing all the wonders of our day.

Here's another one. I was so amazed that we didn't startle it off.

We walked along grateful for our encounter with that majestic bird. The wetlands we were going through were flooded with all types of birds. The next encounter we had was with this pair of Canadian Geese.

While Canadian Geese are plentiful here this time of year, I was delighted to be so close to these two and stand above the bank watching them do their thing.

We walked on challenging each other with identification of all of the water fowl we saw. Bird watching is such a peaceful hobby. You have to remain calm and still in order not to stir the subjects of your curiosity. Not to mention that just observing the sentient nature of birds is a meditation all in itself.

The reflection on the water this time of day was also very soothing. Having all of the beauty doubled was a site to see.

This first picture has two little coot swimming. I loved the framing ripples in the pond that they created breaking the reflection of the trees.

As we walked back to the car we were able to find the Blue Heron we had started out our adventure with. It had taken a new perch across the little pond from where we had first spotted it. While this wasn't the best shot, I still took the shot because I was so happy to see it again.

I am truly a lucky person to have my family so near by. In this day and age life takes us in so many different directions. We can get so absorbed in trivial things. While not all of us keep strong connections with our blood relatives we all hopefully have someone we consider "family" that we cherish spending time with. I hope that in the hustle and bustle of life you are able to find time to connect with them and share some peaceful time away from the stresses of life.