Love every bit of this post! Thanks for the help with identifying warblers. And oh thanks for the mention of homemade peach ice cream. It takes me back to a well-used cream separator in a garage and the smell in the kitchen of the cream recipe being heated and the peaches being peeled and sliced, followed by taking turns to churn the ice cream maker and the reward of the oh so delicious peach ice cream! Enjoy!!
Thanks Sandy! The peach ice cream (and the pineapple upside down cake) was a great success! So creamy and peachy! Took me back to my childhood as well. My daughter brought the hand-crank maker my mom gave her, the same maker we used as kids.
Ken, these photographs are truly spectacular. I had my favorite picked out, but on my second time around , they are all equally gorgeous. Maybe Grace’s warbler, due to his wonderful pose and surrounding stream bed. The wet rocks and flowing water makes for an unusual backdrop for a warbler. I love the location of the family gathering. And Gia with a lovely Brown trout. Did she catch it? Caught with a fly? Lucky grandkids! Experiencing the enchantment of camping in the wild . Hopefully something they will continue to enjoy for years to come.What a menu. Will there be ‘second breakfast’?
(Pippin in ,the Hobbit). My camping buddies borrowed that expression from Pippin, used quite often over the years. Especially when we have over night guests. I’ve been identifying (Merlin) Black and White Warblers here in Vt. In the summer, we have a camp about 45 minutes from the Canadian border. We may have ’your’ warblers as summer guests. We’ll take good care and send them on their way at the end of the season. Thanks for the wonderful photos. Don’t suppose you’d divulge your upside down cake 🙏
Thanks so much Lor! The Grace's is one of my favorites too--that water is the backyard fountain. I caught the brown with my refurbished bamboo fly rod using my go-to, an olive woolly bugger. But Gia ate it! For "second breakfast!" The Dutch-oven upside down cake is easy--just start with pineapple rings and mar cherries at the bottom with lots of butter and brown sugar, then pour your favorite yellow cake batter over this and set the lid with hot coals. Delicious! Enjoy!
Last month a worm-eating Warbler dropped out of the sky near my feet. He was young and stunned. I felt privileged to sit with him while he got his bearings. It was the first time that I was able to get a super close bird photo to draw from. J. Drew Lanham identified him for me. The bird was so young, his mouth was still open for feeding. I was worried. But in twenty minutes time, he flew off.
How lucky you are, Katharine! A worm-eating warbler would be a lifer for me! (So glad he was okay.) How did the drawing turn out? Love Drew's writing...that Orion piece about rules for a Black birdwatcher is a hoot!
Ken, wow-I had no idea the worm-eating Warbler would be a lifer for you. I’m new to all this. I’m reading Drew’s The Home Place, Amy Tan’s Backyard Bird Chronicles, and Birding to Change the World by Trish O’Kane (☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️). I had no idea what the worm-eating Warbler was until i screwed up my courage to ask Drew. He’s so wise and generous. Imagine him on substack!
My drawing is a work in progress. Gosh, birds are challenging! But once i spent enough time studying my guy from the sky, reading your Warbler piece made such sense…that distinctive marking from the eye to the temple!
The warbler is very rare for AZ, and I've never seen one. You are lucky not only to see it but to spend time with it and make a drawing! Yes, challenging--all those individual feathers!
Love every bit of this post! Thanks for the help with identifying warblers. And oh thanks for the mention of homemade peach ice cream. It takes me back to a well-used cream separator in a garage and the smell in the kitchen of the cream recipe being heated and the peaches being peeled and sliced, followed by taking turns to churn the ice cream maker and the reward of the oh so delicious peach ice cream! Enjoy!!
Thanks Sandy! The peach ice cream (and the pineapple upside down cake) was a great success! So creamy and peachy! Took me back to my childhood as well. My daughter brought the hand-crank maker my mom gave her, the same maker we used as kids.
Sounds like some kind of heaven to me! How lovely to have your memories to go with such treats!
Thanks Ken!
I owe you a camp recipe, I think I know just the one. Stay tuned…
Ken, these photographs are truly spectacular. I had my favorite picked out, but on my second time around , they are all equally gorgeous. Maybe Grace’s warbler, due to his wonderful pose and surrounding stream bed. The wet rocks and flowing water makes for an unusual backdrop for a warbler. I love the location of the family gathering. And Gia with a lovely Brown trout. Did she catch it? Caught with a fly? Lucky grandkids! Experiencing the enchantment of camping in the wild . Hopefully something they will continue to enjoy for years to come.What a menu. Will there be ‘second breakfast’?
(Pippin in ,the Hobbit). My camping buddies borrowed that expression from Pippin, used quite often over the years. Especially when we have over night guests. I’ve been identifying (Merlin) Black and White Warblers here in Vt. In the summer, we have a camp about 45 minutes from the Canadian border. We may have ’your’ warblers as summer guests. We’ll take good care and send them on their way at the end of the season. Thanks for the wonderful photos. Don’t suppose you’d divulge your upside down cake 🙏
Thanks so much Lor! The Grace's is one of my favorites too--that water is the backyard fountain. I caught the brown with my refurbished bamboo fly rod using my go-to, an olive woolly bugger. But Gia ate it! For "second breakfast!" The Dutch-oven upside down cake is easy--just start with pineapple rings and mar cherries at the bottom with lots of butter and brown sugar, then pour your favorite yellow cake batter over this and set the lid with hot coals. Delicious! Enjoy!
Last month a worm-eating Warbler dropped out of the sky near my feet. He was young and stunned. I felt privileged to sit with him while he got his bearings. It was the first time that I was able to get a super close bird photo to draw from. J. Drew Lanham identified him for me. The bird was so young, his mouth was still open for feeding. I was worried. But in twenty minutes time, he flew off.
Thanks for your stories.
How lucky you are, Katharine! A worm-eating warbler would be a lifer for me! (So glad he was okay.) How did the drawing turn out? Love Drew's writing...that Orion piece about rules for a Black birdwatcher is a hoot!
Ken, wow-I had no idea the worm-eating Warbler would be a lifer for you. I’m new to all this. I’m reading Drew’s The Home Place, Amy Tan’s Backyard Bird Chronicles, and Birding to Change the World by Trish O’Kane (☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️). I had no idea what the worm-eating Warbler was until i screwed up my courage to ask Drew. He’s so wise and generous. Imagine him on substack!
My drawing is a work in progress. Gosh, birds are challenging! But once i spent enough time studying my guy from the sky, reading your Warbler piece made such sense…that distinctive marking from the eye to the temple!
Thank you for taking the time to comment 🌱
The warbler is very rare for AZ, and I've never seen one. You are lucky not only to see it but to spend time with it and make a drawing! Yes, challenging--all those individual feathers!