As most of you know....
I have been away for three weeks
to Florida.
I have a TON of pictures to share with you
from the Florida trip.
But, as wonderful as the beach was, and as gorgeous as the tropical birds were (which you KNOW I am in love with!)....
I also missed my Michigan, with spring unfolding.
I kept thinking of my tulips coming up at home...
and the green buds of the trees coming out...
and the wildflowers on the forest floor popping through....
and
I did get a little homesick.
So, as soon as we got done unpacking, washing clothes, and getting re-organized at home,
I begged my hubby to once again get our butts in the car...
and
go looking in the woods for some spring photographs.
And, that was asking a LOT.
Our butts were really sore, folks...
We had just logged in 1, 750 miles... EACH WAY, twice...
but
being the Sweetheart he is,
he said
OKAY....
And, so we did.
And I got some lovely pictures, which I will share this coming week or two...
But,
the BEST
was
to
be
the
LAST
pictures
we got.....
Because on the way home, only 5 miles within home...
I looked on the highway
to the right side...
and,
HELP ME RHONDA....
I saw
THIS!!!!!:
(Was it REALLY what I THOUGHT it was?????!!!)
Oh, YES, it was! A MOOSE!!!:
OH MY GOD!
It was SO close!!!
and
just standing there!!
And, it was a BULL moose...with starting-to-get-big horns!
Do you see them?:
It was my dream come true.
I ALWAYS look for moose when we are out in the woods.
I was lucky enough ONCE this past winter to see one, and get it on camera (do you remember?) but it didn't have horns and it was much farther away.
But this fella was CLOSE...
and
I was so thrilled!!!
I got out of the car to get a couple of better shots,
but I have to admit,
I was scared.
And I stayed close to the car, in case I had to jump back in!!
But he was wonderful.
He just stood there, calmly looking about...
But, he DID keep me in the corner of his eye....
I kept saying under my breath....
"Nice Bullwinkle, nice Bullwinkle....just a few more shots and I will leave, I promise!!"?:
And I SWEAR he said:
"Are you sure? Because, really...I have much better things to do, you know....":
And.....
so...
when you hear a bull moose
give you
a
warning...
You'd best listen....
So....
I climbed back in the car with a grin from ear to ear....
a big sigh,
a hug to my hubby....
and we went home.....
And, I knew for sure I was really, really home............
and so happy.
magnificent. i would love to see a moose in the wild...i'll keep my distance, but...wow.
ReplyDeleteSo happy, with your camera fully loaded, with your satisfaction hitting to the highest level.
ReplyDeleteI can understand all these.
Those are awesome shots. You were brave to stay and get so many! My knees would have been knocking--I probably would have tried to shoot from within the car. Chicken, that's me!
ReplyDeleteBrian: I did use my zoom a bit, so I wasn't as close as the photos look, but he was close enough. And guess what? After all these years wanting to see one...the very next day, about 20 miles away, we saw ANOTHER one...but it was too far away to get good photos. I must be the moose whisperer. ha
ReplyDeleteRainfield: I know the way you love nature's creatures, you would appreciate my thrill.
Eva: Don't worry, I was reallllll close to the car, and my knees were shaking. ha
Wow! That WAS really close, and some great pictures, too. I love the ones of him looking at you, making sure you're not getting any ideas... I guess you somehow knew you had an appointment with a moose!
ReplyDeleteI like how you described your story about the Moose, Joan and the great pictures you got from him! He is big indeed and he was friendly because you were friendly to him - in your thoughts, you don't looked like a hunter :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
What great photos! I'm glad he was so accommodating!
ReplyDeleteWelcome home! Looking forward to more pictures!
ReplyDeleteWow!! I am so happy for you that you finally got to see your Moose. And such good close ups too! Never seen a Moose's behind before..Ha! Ha! That's a lot of sitting when you are driving that many miles. I know you are glad to be back home. What a great way to be welcomed back to "God's" country!!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine you were happy, this is just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI share your joy and excitement in seeing this Moose. I too, get excited when I see one of these creatures as they are my Spirit Animal. and I always feels so blessed to see one...especially so close up!! You are also blessed with an understanding husband as mine is as he knows my ongong quest for the perfect photograph. I am looking forward to seeing more of your adventure pics! Enjoy you at home Spring! Gail
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome sight! I would probably freak out! LOL
ReplyDeleteJoan, I've been away too long. So glad you had a safe trip home! And I'm glad the baby is well : )
ReplyDeleteYou'd think I'd see more moose but I never do. We even drove Moose Alley in Maine once and I think we saw one, from a distance. Lucky you! Usually they only come out at dawn and dusk. Great shots!
Djan: As far as I'm concerned, I always keep my calendar open (everyday!) to see a moose. ha
ReplyDeleteSusanne: No, only a hunter with my lens..which is the best kind of shooting to do!
Joanie: I know!!! Gotta love him.
Bossy: stay tuned, more are coming!
Ginnymo: Yes, God's country it is! And yes, isn't that moose's behind s stitch!? I was hoping he would turn around so I could get a shot from his head, but I got his butt. But I will take what he gave me. ha
Jientje: Thanks so much. Something so ugly is really beautiful to me.
Mistaya: Your spirit animal; how wonderful!!! I wonder what MY spirit animal is?
Otin: Oh, I WAS freaking out, too!!
New England: Oh, they are all over the place up here too, but it took me years to finally see one. And now, over the last 5 months, I have seen them three times!!!
What a tremendous Welcome Home to you, Joan. I'm sure that moose was there JUST for you...Why else would he have been there?
ReplyDeleteYou said you made the trip to Florida TWICE... Why was that? I know there was a tiny problem with the baby --but I thought you were there then.
Have a great Sunday --and again, Welcome Home.
Hugs
Betsy
Betsy: I said it wrong...what I meant was that we did the 1,750 miles TWICE (once going down and once to get home). Sorry to confuse you! ha Thanks so much for the welcome home comment...it does feel good. How is the flooding your way? I hope it is all over now and thank goodness your home was spared.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos..everytime we go out on our little road trips we say today could be the day we see a moose or a bear. It was your day!! :)
ReplyDeleteThat moose had as much fun watching you as you had getting pictures of him.
ReplyDeleteA great sequence of photos. Looking forward to seeing the Florida photographs - especially as I have just booked a holiday for next year that calls in there.
ReplyDeleteFarSide: You sound JUST like me!!
ReplyDeleteTechnoBabe: I hope so, because I made arrangements for another date or two with him! :0}
Alan: Oh, Alan, you will love Florida if you go to the right places...don't settle for the hugely populated areas only...ask folks where the beaches are that don't have many people..and check out natural parks and some smaller botanical parks and bird sanctuaries (where there aren't as many tourists)...then you will see the natural beauty of the tropics there.
That is so awesome!!! We have no large animals running around here... just cats and coons and foxes and such :op
ReplyDeleteWow! That is so cool! I've seen plenty of deer around here but not even one moose.
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for you!! To see a moose is at the top of my wildlife list! You got some great shots of him -how thrilling!!!
ReplyDeleteVaBookworm: I'd like to catch a raccoon with my camera too, we have them here but they just come out near during the night and I haven't been able to catch one yet!
ReplyDeleteJames: For some reason they have been out lately. Can you believe that the day after I saw THIS one, I saw another one??? But he was leaving the area so I couldn't get good photos of him...but I have waited here for YEARS to see one and now I have seen three in the last 4 or 5 months!
Shelley: Thanks honey, yes I was thrilled!!!
WOW, I feel your excitement all the way down here in s.e. FL. What a wonderful experience for you. How loving your husband is to take you out on a photo shoot soon after arriving home, and then you were rewarded with seeing a moose.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
FlowerLady: We just got back from the Tampa area (Madeira Beach)...my daughter lives there!...Hope you continue to read my blog and thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
ReplyDeleteJingle: I will stop by your blog soon. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you are/become a Follower of my blog!
ReplyDeleteThis is great! I can feel your excitement. And you got some very good pictures. I wish I could get so close to a moose. I envy you.
ReplyDeleteRatty: I was excited...ecstatic! If you come up to see us in the U.P., you would have a chance to see one in person...let me know if you want to make the trip.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, he is a fine looking fellow. It was very nice of him to give you a few poses, I love the last shot.
ReplyDeleteThere should be calves around soon, wouldn't it be great to get photos of some little ones?
SquirrelQueen: If only he wasn't facing butt first. ha You know, when you look at the photos up close, back in the woods you can see another shadow of what looks like another moose...maybe it was a young one, I can't tell. When we were there in person, I didn't see it,but when we downloaded the photos I could see something back there in the woods!
ReplyDelete