Park Rapids, MN

You know you are in Park Rapids, MN, when you see this...

...and this...

...and of course, this.

Backyard Orioles

This cute little guy comes to get the delicious grape jelly my mom puts out for him!





(Is it the same delicious grape jelly my dad has on his toast in the morning?)

Itasca State Park

When I was in Minnesota for 4th of July weekend, Jason, Dad and I went to Itasca State Park. 

 "Here 1,475 ft above the ocean the mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way
2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico"

Of course you have to walk across the rocks!  And Jason was happy to do it.

More than once... with a little clowning around.

Beautiful scenery at Itasca State Park, I'd like to come back in the fall to photograph the colorful leaves.

The tall trees made a canopy over head.

And, our finale was climbing the steps of the fire tower to take in the beautiful view from above (while catching our breath!). 

Minnesota Loons

Minnesota is beautiful in the summertime, and this year I made a quick trip home for 4th of July weekend.

We went boating on Fishhook Lake to see the loons.  It was a beautiful, sunny day - nice to be on the water.

I love their black and white coloring.  And their red eyes which are hard to see as they are set in velvet black.

Georgia Aquarium

I was in Atlanta for a few days, and had the opportunity to go to the Georgia Aquarium. 

The Georgia Aquarium features more animals than any other aquarium in more than eight million gallons of water. 

While it is an educational experience, the way they tell the story through water is creative - and amazing.  The water displays were imaginative and breathtaking.

See the kids peeking out of this porthole?

  

And how cool was this tunnel to walk through! 

Don't forget to look up because there was creative displays up and down, top to bottom.

 

 

What's an aquarium without big whales and a few sharks.

It only takes a few hours - make sure to visit the Georgia Aquarium if you ever get the opportunity.  It's worth the trip.

Woodpeckers

Found an old dead palm tree that made a nice home for these Red Bellied Woodpeckers.

Osprey - Birds of Prey

Shots like these were so thrilling to get.  They don't seem to put those fish down once they get one.  They fly around with it and take it in and out of the nest.  If they leave it, another bird will take it. 

The talons on these Osprey are amazing, and it is a lot of fun to watch them - and try to photography them.