Saulsbury Bridge: Engagement

 After our weekend with Matt and Alex in Backbone, Rick and I headed home to spend the rest of Spring Break with his family.

We took a day trip to the Saulsbury Bridge Recreation Area where we spotted this male Wood Duck,

This Red-headed Woodpecker,

and this Red-tailed Hawk.

Saulsbury Bridge is also the place Rick proposed. We were stalking a Downy Woodpecker when he kneeled down in the snow to pop the question. I turned around and saw him kneeling with the ring and started crying and said "Yes! Yes!" he responded with "You didn't let me ask the question."
His new favorite joke is that he was just going to ask what I wanted for lunch. 

He did, eventually, get to ask me to marry him.

Spring Break

For Spring Break, Rick and I rented a cabin for a weekend at Backbone State Park with Matt and Alex. 

We stayed in Cabin C, Eagle View, overlooking Backbone Lake.

We spotted this white-tailed deer near the Backbone trailhead.

This male Eastern Bluebird greeted us our first morning in the park.

 

(left) Matt and Rick test the ice on a flooded picnic area. (right) Rick walks across a fallen tree to explore a sandbar in the middle of the creek.

Rick and Alex prove you're never too old to play on the swings.

Feed the Birds

House Finch - this guy and his mate eat breakfast at our feeder every morning. 

A poor pinecone crop (courtesy of the drought) drove Pine Siskins south this year.  We were lucky enough to get a few at our feeder.

Sabe` sits awkwardly in Erin's lap.  It looks uncomfortable, but she purred the entire time.

Ferdinand & Ned

These two Hereford bulls were added to Bob's herd this year. I got to name them, Ferdinand(left) was named for the bull in Munro Leaf's "The Story of Ferdinand", and Ned(right) was named after a professor/friend's Newfoundland with similar markings. 
Ferdi and Ned are just babies in this picture, but have grown tremendously in the months since we brought them home. They're good buddies and are never more than 15' from each other. Wherever one goes, the other follows.   

Ted

Theodore "Ted" sits prettily in Bob and Janice's living room near the Christmas Tree.

Christmas Birds

We started Christmas morning by filling the bird feeder at Erin's parents' house.

Pine Siskin

Northern Cardinal

(right) Red-bellied Woodpecker, (left) Downy Woodpecker, (back) American Goldfinch

Tufted Titmouse

2012 Christmas Picture

Rick and I hiked around Palisades Kepler State Park for a while before deciding to take our Christmas photo on this sandbar stretching more than halfway across a very low Cedar River.