A fabulous day on South Mountain, and we are preparing to depart for a birding tour of Michigan.  A swarm of hundreds of thousands of birds is moving north across the continent.  The crowd diminishes with distance as many drop out, but those heading farther north often pause at the great lakes.  No wise bird flies across open water without refueling, and most fly at night to avoid nasty predators.  So, the lakefront is a good place to look for birds in May and early June.

James Gallup of Corinth clears the last hurdle as he finishes in third place in the 110-meter hurdles during Thursday's Wasaren League meet against Schuylerville and Berlin in Schuylerville, April 24, 2012.
Post Star, Glens Falls, NY

Alone tonight, I write a blog.  Anne and I successfully completed some 134 miles on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia finishing up last Saturday.  The walk went well starting out warm and ending up chilly.  The trees in the valleys had greened up, but those on the ridges remained in gray dormancy.  The wildflowers were putting on a show everywhere.  Trilliums and star chickweed were especially abundant. 

Reflecting on our planned two week hike starting on Monday, I realize that the past four months have been  tumultuous.  We enjoyed them but were stressed and separated by the decline and death of my father and also challenged to provide necessary support to Anne’s parents in Florida during January and February.  My return to PA for two weeks in February for Dad’s end made that tougher for both of us.  We sorely missed each other.