Had an unusual visitor this afternoon, a praying mantis on a stool outside. It sat in the same spot for at least an hour and my husband got to see it too.

I haven't seen one in the yard in years, what a nice surprise.

We had to run down to the Tribal Grounds this afternoon and ended up staying longer than planned. The sun was setting behind us as we turned onto the main road.

Within yards we saw large black wings rising up from the right side of the road, and then the last rays of sun caught the brilliant white tail feathers.

I'm so glad we were delayed! Otherwise we would have missed that bald eagle catching a late evening snack.

Just returned from Daytona Beach, FL. What a lovely few days we had! Ponce Inlet Park is on the southern tip of the barrier island and we spent two afternoons walking along the river and beach. Got to see a large tortoise snacking on small purple flowers and many water birds. Driving home we passed a bald eagle perched high in a dead tree. Their numbers have been increasing, and I've seen more this year than ever.