Sketchbook Tuesday :: fly away

Late this spring and into early summer we have had all sorts of creatures making their home here at our little mountain cottage. First it was a mother mouse giving birth in her nest made inside my mostly new bag of potting soil. Yes, I was quite surprised to find her there with her brand new babies. Then we had a yellow jacket nest the size of a basketball underneath our front porch. And tucked under our back deck we hosted a nest of baby birds that we believed to be catbirds. Our back deck is a full story off the ground and a door from the garage leads outside under the deck. I discovered the bird nest one day quite by accident but believed it to be empty. When I went down a few days later with my camera I was startled to see little faces looking back at me. It wasn't long after that the babies left the nest to begin their lives in our yard and woods. Late every afternoon we hear their distinctive calls.

 When our house was full with out-of-town guests we took them up to Grandfather Mountain so that they could get a true mountain experience. It was hot and hazy, yet still the views were stunning. Up above everything. Almost like flying.