Birds of the Gulf Coast

The first two pictures are of a Little Blue Heron. It's a lovely bird, as you can see. A Little Blue Heron couple have been enjoying breakfasts in the ponds behind my house and across the street. I was pretty happy to get these shots. The third bird was pretty elusive, as it kept diving only moments after it would surface. It is either a Clarke's Grebe (which would be pretty significant to find it this far east as it's range is not well known) or a female Anhinga. Maybe I'll get another chance to get some better shots of it!
Other birds we see or have seen include Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron (have seen only once), lots of Ospreys, Hooded Merganser, Double Crested Cormorant, Male Anhinga, Black Vulture, several varieties of Turkey, and we do see Bald Eagles fairly often. I think there must be a couple with a nest nearby. It is both neat and scary to live in a place teeming with so much life! I clap my hands and yell, "Better watch out! I'm comin'!" every time I have to go to turn the sprinkler off on the side of the house after dark, for fear a bear or racoon or deer (mostly a bear!) will be ambling up in between mine and my neighbor's house!

"I'm a natural on the stage," Elizabeth seems to say.
Andrew looks skeptically at his certificate of promotion.
Elizabeth is very tickled to have all eyes on her to listen to her as she plays "The Wishing Well" in which the first seven notes are exactly the same as the notes beginning the phrase in the song from Les Miserables "Do you hear the people sing?"
"I see you taking my picture, Mom! And I'm gonna getcha for it! But not right now. I have to settle down and play "The Zoo"."

Promotion Ceremony and Talent Show

Our Andrew has been officially promoted to the third grade, and our Elizabeth has graduated from Kindergarten and been promoted to first grade! First of all, we know they aren't really ours (they're God's), but they are our responsibility for now. Our Homeschool Group (The Fellowship of Christian Teaching Homes or FCTH) had a promotion ceremony and talent show for those students who wished to participate. It was really lovely. Andrew and Elizabeth played a short piece they had learned on the piano--Elizabeth shyly, but confidently; Andrew with gusto, yet great care. This is a picture taken afterward in front of a kumquat tree.