The Meaning of Thanksgiving

THE TRUE MEANING OF THANKSGIVING

The true meaning of Thanksgiving focuses upon relationship. Thanksgiving is a relationship between God and man. Upon their arrival at New Plymouth, the Pilgrims composed The Mayflower Compact, which honored God.

Thanksgiving begins with acknowledging God as faithful, earnestly giving Him thanks, in advance, for His abundant blessings. “. . . In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart that reinforces an intimate relationship with God.

I found this meaning online and wanted to share this with you all. I sometimes feel we, as Americans, have forgotten the path that brought us here to this great United States. Perhaps we have forgotten God, faith, friendships, relationships. To embrace those in need and less fortunate. To know that every person, no matter the color or nationality, is welcome here in this great land we call America. So for this one day, I wish for you a bountiful feast with friends and family and more in an effort to thank God for all the riches he has bestowed upon you and yours. Be safe, be happy and God Bless you in your journey no matter where the road takes you. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Beauty of Winter

A beautiful red Cardinal sits perched on a tree in Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in the dead of Winter. I had paid a visit many years ago to the refuge. Earlier that day I had visited Ewing Bottoms to photograph the Sandhill Cranes. Afterwards, before heading home to Louisville, I drove the route around Mustatatuck once. The only images I captured on that drive were several photographs of this beautiful red Cardinal perched high up in a tree. I had never posted it until now. I can't think why, as he is such a beauty. ENJOY!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm not talking turkey here. I'm talking Happy Thanksgiving to everyone wherever you are, whoever you are sharing this holiday with. Eat lots of turkey and mashed potatoes and don't forget the pumpkin pie. Here's a little Turkey image to get you in the mood. ENJOY!

Fall Color Preview

Fall is my all time favorite season of the year, devoid of all the holiday hustle and bustle. Yet, it brings pumpkins, pumpkins, and more pumpkins. Apple cider and hayrides, and pumpkin patches and corn mazes, and haunted houses too. We decorate our humble abodes with pumpkins and squash, hay bales and corn stalks, and pine cones and acorns. Right in the midst of the fever pitch, comes Halloween with ghosts and goblins and hooligans too. That one special night brings us ugly witches with scary spells, hairy pirates with long black swords, and fire breathing dragons and demons and more. 

Just when you think the season is nie, Thanksgiving arrives. The leaves have fallen, heaped high on the curb. The air has turned to a crispier chill. It's Thanksgiving Day with a feast to thrill. Turkey and dressing and casseroles galore. Pumpkin pie just so sweet and hot mugs of cider, what a treat. Fall, how I love thee. 

These images are from Fall's past taken throughout Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. From along the scenic byways, deep within the wildlife refuge and forest, and high up on the mountains. Fall will soon be upon us. ENJOY! 

A Sandhill Crane Story

Come with me as I take you back to Winter 2013. After a short drive, I pull into the small town of Ewing Bottoms, west of Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, in south central Indiana. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes are spread across the vast farm fields. Moving from field to field, the Cranes lift off, fly a short distance and land to forage for food. The bottom land is the perfect platform for viewing the Sandhill Cranes with its flat expanse covering multiple farm fields and a two lane road that cuts right through the middle of the area enabling you to view the Cranes in closer proximity. Flat and wide, one can view the Cranes for miles and miles while listening to their distinct calls as it penetrates an otherwise quiet Winter's day.

Fast forward to present day in middle Tennessee. Now, as I did in southern Indiana, I will travel to view the Sandhill Cranes yet again. Only this Winter I will travel to Hiwassee National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Tennessee, where thousands and thousands and thousands of Cranes will spend the winter months before migrating back north to build their nests and add to the Crane population. Each January the refuge holds a Sandhill Crane Festival with upwards of 2,500 visitors who travel to the refuge from all over the United States to view the Cranes. One might have thought my relationship with these magnificent creatures ended when I moved south to Tennessee, that could not be farther from the truth. Now I am closer to their Winter home and hopefully, in early January I will have new images of the Cranes to share as I travel to Hiwassee to view the Cranes yet again. Until then I wanted to share with you this image I captured of the Cranes as they flew from field to field in Ewing Bottoms in Southern Indiana several years ago. They are so beautiful. Don't you agree. ENJOY!

2014 Year of Wildlife

As I perused my archives this morning, I was reminded of all of the photo opportunities I encountered throughout 2014 beginning with the prolific Winter earlier in the year to the beautiful foliage of this past Fall season. Come along as I journey back on this New Year's Day.

Row One:

Female Elk, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Redhead Ducks, Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, Indiana

Sandhill Cranes, Ewing Bottoms, Indiana

River Otter, Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, Indiana

Row Two:

Whooping Cranes, Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, Indiana

Female Scarlet Tanager, Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest, Kentucky

Canadian Geese, Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest, Kentucky

Deer, Prospect, Kentucky

Row Three:

Pied Bill Grebe, Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, Indiana

Great Blue Heron, Lexington Reservoir, Kentucky

Cardinal, Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest, Kentucky

Deer, Bluegrass Scenic Byway, Kentucky

Row Four:

White Pelicans, Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, Indiana

Northern Shoveler, Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, Indiana

Barn Swallow, Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest, Kentucky

Mare and Colt, Bluegrass Scenic Byway, Kentucky

What a fantastic year! Journeys throughout my home state of Kentucky and into Indiana and Tennessee. This year found me photographing those beautiful White Pelicans at Goose Pond, not to mention those cute River Otters at Mustatatuck. And I can't fail to mention my journey to the beautiful state of Michigan, where I visited many of its charming beach towns along Lake Michigan and explored in and around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I sincerely hope you had a great New Year's Eve and that you are not sporting a hangover today. Let us raise our cameras into the air and begin to photograph a new year filled with promise and possibilities. I can't wait. Happy New Year. ENJOY!

Linking to City Daily Photo
Linking to Rattlebridge Farm
Linking to Eileen's Saturday Critters
Linking to Mosaic Monday

Herons, Mustatatuck NWR

He's on the prowl for lunch or perhaps it's dinner. As I scanned the marshland and swamps and lakes at Mustatatuck a few weeks back, I managed to find a few Great Blue Herons on the prowl. This guy was at a pretty far distance so I had to heavily crop the image to get you a closer view.

I love photographing Herons because they are such amiable subjects. They stand motionless for what seems like hours so getting a good crisp photograph is easy. This particular Heron stood for an eternity and never moved nary a bit the entire time I was photographing him short of one turn. Does that means he's really hungry and 'hell bent' on catching a fish. I wonder.

Every now and then I will capture the beautiful blue skies along with the gorgeous blues of Lake Rickert to show you how fantastic this wildlife refuge is to visit.

As you can see, the refuge was teaming with Herons the day I visited. In this case, this Heron was fishing intently in the lily pads at Rickert Lake way off to the side. He eventually disappeared into the reeds never to be seen by me again. ENJOY!

Barn, Myer's Cabin

Every now and then I find myself perusing my archives for just the right photo to 'play' with. A texture here, a texture there. An artistic effect, a pencil sketch. It's a guessing game just what one will create. And yes, you have seen this barn before as I have photographed it several times in the past and posted it. But let's face it, even the vintage never really gets old. So here is another photograph.

And I am pretty certain if I search the world over I might not find a barn I am more in love with than this barn that sits behind Myer's Cabin which is located in the very back of Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge. It is not only vintage and weathered, but there are three tall slender trees sitting right in the perfect juxtaposition for photography. And did you notice the vintage, and quite rusty, farm implements sitting in front of the barn that make for a perfect complement. Have a fantastic Sunday. ENJOY!

January Is a Wrap

January was very frigid cold with the polar vortex keeping us hopping every other week repeatedly dropping the temps to below zero and the wind chill even lower. Before I even realized it January was wrapping up and February was upon us. I thought I'd take a look back and share a few more images captured in January.

Earlier this week I drove south of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, to see if I could catch a few thousand Cranes roosting there only to find only three Cranes remaining. The rest of the Cranes had flown in late Saturday, and because of another frigid air mass coming up that day, had flown back out early that morning and were gone. I captured just a few images of the three Cranes I did find and then headed back home.

This year on my annual trek to the Bluegrass area of Kentucky to visit the horse farms in Winter, I stopped to check out my secret stash of White Tailed Deer. Knowing exactly where they hang out and call home, I grabbed a few images of them before heading deeper into the horse farm area.

In the middle of January I traveled to Mustatatuck one Sunday to check out the wildlife at the refuge. Virtually no waterfowl was visible that day, but I did catch a glimpse of an Otter slipping back under the ice on Persimmon Pond in the back of the refuge. Jumping out of my car I climbed a hill and walked over to the bank of the pond to take photos. The Otters tolerated my presence for quite some time. The Otters can be difficult to spot at the refuge because there are many bodies of water. There's two huge lakes in the refuge and another smaller one as well. There are five major swamps, not to mention countless ponds. I consider myself lucky to have caught sight of the Otters as it could years before I see them again.

And finally, way back on New Year's Day, I captured this last image of the Sandhill Cranes in Ewing Bottoms, west of Seymour, Indiana. There were thousands of Cranes busily foraging for food and performing their mating dances in the bottoms near Brownstown. Luckily, I got to the bottoms in time to capture some images of the Cranes before it began to cloud up. It was a great month for wildlife viewing albeit rather cold and downright freezing at times, but I persevered. I wonder, where did January take you this year? ENJOY!

Black Capped Chickadee

A few weeks ago with the sun shining brightly and the skies as blue as I had ever seen and the temps in the 40's, I took a drive up to Mustatatuck NWR. That was the same day I captured some nice images of the ever elusive River Otters hanging out around Persimmon Pond in the back of the refuge. Before I captured those images, however, I had stopped at Myer's Cabin at the end of the road in the back of the refuge and sat in my car watching this Black Capped Chickadee. I had already made my routine drive around the swamps and had seen little to no waterfowl. Bummer. So I sat watching this little guy busily foraging for something to eat.

First he was in the middle of the tree hanging off of a large branch with his back to me which was ok as he is so beautiful. Then he moved on up to the very top of the tree. Can you believe it? Well, that is ok because I had my 300mm on my camera and I just kept shooting. I love Black Capped Chickadees but can never get decent images when they come to visit my feeder as they are so busy up and down grabbing a seed and then off to the brush in the field behind my house to eat it. These aren't the best images either as this one was moving fast too. Working on vacation plans, but haven't picked an exact spot yet. Winter is playing cruel tricks on us here in the Ohio River Valley and keeping temps in the single digits. UGH! ENJOY!

River Otters

I knew eventually I would have an opportunity to photograph the River Otters at Mustatatuck. I just wasn't expecting it to be in the dead of Winter. If you know there are Otters about and it is a frigid cold day with ice covered ponds look for clumps of ice on top of the frozen pond and you just might see an Otter. They carve out holes so they can dive and hunt for food.



River Otters spend most of their time on land mainly to keep their fur from getting waterlogged and only take to the water to hunt or travel.



They eat fish, but will also eat small mammals. I have no idea what is alive in the bottom of Persimmon Pond, but they would dive down into the frigid water and disappear for a minute or two and then their heads would pop back up.


Then they jump up on the ice and lay there eating whatever food they've captured. Sometimes they sit and peer out and occasionally I would see one checking me out with his head arched up looking at me like the one in this last photo. He gradually moved down away from where I was standing, too far to get any decent photos, but the other Otter stayed pretty much where I originally found him and his hole in the frozen pond.

On another topic, we received several inches of snow yesterday, and low and behold, we have more on the way tonight. It has been quite cold and very snowy this Winter. I think the meterologists are saying they haven't seen a Winter like this in years. And I have to agree. Brrrrr. ENJOY!

Otters, Persimmon Pond, Mustatatuck NWR

As I drove up to Ewing Bottoms today, I wondered if I would catch any Cranes there today. As I had suspected the Sandhill Cranes had flown further south after the Polar Vortex hit earlier in the week. I couldn't imagine how they would make it through -15 wind chill Monday night. I did see some Cranes flying around and read earlier in a post from ebird that there are still Cranes at Mustatatuck in the sanctuary area of the refuge. They return each night to roost and during the day hang out in farm fields south and west of Seymour.

After leaving the bottoms, I drove to Mustatatuck to check out the waterfowl. Not much happening as most of the lakes and ponds and swamps were almost totally frozen. Even though it was 50 degrees today, the weather hasn't been warm enough to thaw the ice on the water. As I left Myer's Cabin in the back of the refuge, I was driving past Persimmon Pond and turned to look at the pond. When I did I thought I saw something dark slip into the water. So I stopped my car, got out and me and camera trekked over to the edge of the pond. These two Otters were busily eating, diving back in for more food and jumping back out of the water to munch down their catch. They also occasionally took a peek in my direction.



They were absolutely adorable. And boy do they have appetites. I'm glad I don't have to pay their food bill. This is the first time since about 2008 that I had seen these guys. The last time I saw them they were much young and slipping and sliding all over the ice in one of the main swamps. I hope it is that long before I see them again. ENJOY!

Today's Catch, Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge

As I drove into the entrance to Mustatatuck earlier today, I hadn't even gotten a tenth of a mile in when at the first open field on the left side sat this gorgeous bird of prey, an immature Hawk, surveying the field in search of a meal. I have a photo of him giving me the ole dead eye I'll share later. I also have some images of this same Hawk in a field down a ways as I was leaving Mustatatuck. He must have been really hungry as he was surveying that field as closely as he was the first.

All the swamps were mostly frozen, as was Reichart Lake today, with the exception of a small open area in the middle of the lake. The gravel road traversing the refuge was very, very icy and snowy, but I was able to navigate it with just the minimum of work. I've traveled this road when it had a good 3 inches of snow on it so I was pretty sure I could manage it today. Have you been outdoors lately? I have always hated Winter, but last year I decided to get outdoors more in the Winter and see if I could kill some of that dislike. It's working. I enjoy Winter much more now. Before I leave you today, and least you think I had forgotten, as for the holidays . . . I have officially decked my halls. And I only have a few gifts I have to buy each year and those are on their way to me via USPS right now. Now the real question comes . . . have you finished decorating, shopping, wrapping, etc. etc. And can you believe that Christmas is a week and a half away. Where did the time go? ENJOY!

Snowfall, Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge

It was a cold wintry day in southern Indiana as I took the driving route around the marshes and lakes at Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge last Winter. Visiting a wildlife refuge in all four seasons is great, but especially when it has a few inches of snow on the ground in Winter, it really is a treat.

So if you live near a park, a forest, a wildlife refuge, a nature preserve, or for that matter, a seashore, pay a visit on those cold, wintry blustery days.

And perhaps you will capture scenes like these of the beautiful woods with the tree trunks covered in a blanket of snow or the Tupelo Trees in the marshes sitting in a bed of snow topped ice. It's like someone took a salt shaker and gave it a good long sprinkle. It really does make for a fun day. Although I do remember I had to be a little bit careful where I drove so as not to get my car stuck somewhere and have to hail a ranger for assistance. I understand from some of my friends in New England and parts farther north there is a significant snowfall on the ground right now. It's enough to make me wish it would snow. ENJOY!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A special Thanksgiving photo I crafted from an image I captured in the Fall of 2012 of two Eastern Wild Turkeys roaming around in Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Seymour, Indiana. I wish everyone in the states a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I'll be spending it with my sister at her lovely home partaking of turkey and dressing and all of the fixings. I thank God for everyone in my life and all of the wonderful things God has afforded me. I'll also be thinking of everyone in the states who recently suffered losses from floods and tornadoes, and of the people in the Phillipines who are suffering from the horrific typhoon, and hoping and praying that everyone finds a place in their heart to thank God for life itself and cherish each moment we have with all of our loved ones for as long as we have them. Giving thanks. ENJOY!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE:
My new facebook photography page is open for business. You are welcome to LIKE my page at Carol Mattingly Photography. Just type that in the facebook search at the top of the page. This particular page is where I will be featuring images from an archive of 5,000+ nature and travel database. From Lake Superior National Seashore, Upper Peninsula, Michigan to beautiful Stonington Harbor, Deer Isle, Maine, to Cape Cod and Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, and all of the beautiful places I have visited over the past decade.

Fall's Maple Leaves

What a more perfect way to spend the day than driving around Mustatatuck taking in Fall's gifts.

The refuge was very very quiet today as I toured the marshes, large and small. But that was ok, I wasn't there to take tons of photos. I was there just to take in some scenery. This is the first day in weeks I've been able to get out of the house and into the wild. As much as I love Fall, I hate the sinusitis that comes right along with it. Right now is day two of my prednisone high. Along with Fall's beauty and sinusitis, I get to have a dose of prednisone. Hope your weekend was a fantastic one. ENJOY!

Fall Splendor

Into every Fall a little beauty comes. It's many forms and fashions are displayed in earnest across America paying homage to a season where 'harvest' is the time and 'color' is the landscape. From piles of wind strewn leaves, to pumpkins ready to carve, to porches decked in orange and reds, to apples ripe and ready picked, to hiking leaf strewn paths, to Fall's bonfire flicker, to wagon wheels bulged from riders, to Harvest moons shining a bright. Every Fall each and every one of us are touched in many ways by the season. No matter where you turn or who you speak with there is chatter, as much as there is colorful evidence that it is Fall.

Just a few of the many places I have traveled during this season of color . . . Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in south central Indiana, the quaint Arts and Crafts Village of Nashville, Indiana, the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Tennessee, Blackacre Nature Preserve and Yew Dell Gardens near Louisville, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in central Kentucky. No matter where my travels have taken me, Fall beckons us outdoors with its rusty reds, bold oranges and bright yellows. It's Fall. ENJOY!

Vintage Scenes, By Gone Days

Time and weather worn scenes now, but one day each had their day in the spotlight.

The old Myer's Barn in Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge sits quietly abandoned, but every now and again I feel the need to photograph it once again.

The vintage and well rusted old farmer's Milk Can sat idly by the door of the barn as though it was put there by the farmer many years ago.

The rusted old Wagon Wheel attached to an equally rusted out farm implement used in the fields ions ago stands ready in front of Myer's Barn, hoping to be called upon once again one day.

And last but not least, the old Dodge Truck still sits rusting away behind the barn at the end of the Roaring Fork Nature Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I admit I trespassed to get this image showing the best side of this old Dodge truck, but I promise I closed the gate back and the owner knew what I was up to as he watched from afar. One day called to serve a much needed purpose, now all of these beautiful things are left behind only as evidence to the past. And as fodder for the outdoor photographer. Hope you have a fantastic weekend all. ENJOY!

Great Blue Heron, Evening Light

A warm golden light bathed the green swamps of the main marsh at Mustatatuck on Monday. I pulled my car over next to the side of the main auto tour road and rolled down my window. For a brief moment, just before flying off to a nearby marsh, this Great Blue Heron stood downing his catch, his legs covered in green algae from the heavy swamp waters. Only a mere few feet away stood a Green Heron scanning the same surroundings in hopes of a catch himself. The warm light accentuated the Heron's gorgeous plumage.

I couldn't not share this image with you even though it isn't the sharpest. The sun hanging low in the sky cast shadows over the marsh, while its golden light illuminated areas of the swamp. What contrast. After photographing the Great Blue Heron in the past few years, I've come to the conclusion that vantage point tends to dictate whether the Heron stays in position or flies away as we mere mortals approach. When I photographed the Heron earlier in summer it was well below me in the swampy ditch and I, no doubt, didn't seem so looming. So he allowed me to photograph him for quite some time before I got too close and he flew away. However, on this day I was near eye level with this particular Heron and, no doubt, I must have seemed larger to him. And having just downed a good meal, he decidedly flew away almost immediately. However, he wasn't what I was really after in that swamp. I was really after the Green Heron. Yet, every time I saw this image in my software I would stop. Its warm hues invited me in. And I rarely get a good photo of a Great Blue Heron with his catch. ENJOY!

Green Heron, Mustatatuck NWR

In all of the years I have been visiting Mustatatuck, I had never laid eyes on a Green Heron. Never. I'm sure there were Green Herons present there, but I never saw one. I'd seen many a Great Blue Heron and Great White Egrets, but no Green Heron. I read on one of the birding websites that someone spotted one yesterday so I was looking for him when I drove the auto tour route. And sure enough, there he was in the main marsh along the auto tour standing knee deep in the green swamp water. It was as though he were waiting for me to come along so I could photograph him.

He was a busy guy too. He crept up on quite a few frogs and downed each one quickly only to move on to the next. I was a far distance from him on the road so not all of my images were sharp. These were some of the best ones.

I was amazed at how easy this Green Heron captured each frog time and time again in the short time I sat and watched him from my car. Much more frequently than a Great Blue Heron catches his prey. I suppose being small has its advantages.

There were several Plovers hanging out in the adjacent swamp that I captured some images of which I'll save for another post. It was cooler today and while heavy rain drenched parts of Louisville including around my house, I managed to miss it. As I drove home from southern Indiana today, it was obvious Fall isn't too far around the bend. I got the sense from scanning the landscape from the tiniest hint in the change of colors. Hope your weekend was great. ENJOY!