A quick stop

/ Rebecca / 2 Comments

While we were passing by, we decided to stop and take a quick drive down one of the roads in the Moss Island Wildlife Management Area.

Following the gravel road that led in, we were immediately greeted by a large field of colorful sunflowers.

An old rustic-looking barn, surrounded by tall weeds, sat back on the curve of the road.  In front of us, a deer quickly darted across the road, into a field of soybeans and out of sight.

Tickseed lined the roadway and covered the fields in a beautiful yellow hue.

As we were leaving the area, we spotted a bird sitting high up in a tree.  It was an adult Mississippi Kite keeping a sharp eye out for insects and small prey.

Though we didn’t have much time to spend here, hopefully we can return another time and further explore the beauty that this area has to offer.

“And to this day I wish I had lingered … But we stupid mortals, or most of us, are always in haste to reach somewhere else, forgetting that the zest is in the journey and not in the destination.”  ~Ralph D. Paine

Nest site

/ Rebecca / 10 Comments

A couple of ospreys in a nest built on top of a platform in a national wildlife area close to the Tennessee River

“Great things take time to build.  Great accomplishments come over time, through hard work, diligence, and effort.  Nothing is instantaneous, at least nothing of value. ”  ~Matt Loper

Converging with the Mississippi

/ Rebecca / 21 Comments

One of the items on my husband’s wish list has been to see the place where a local river, the Obion,

empties out into the Mississippi River.  He googled the spot, put a nearby street into the GPS, and with absolutely nothing to do on this particular afternoon, off we went on an adventure.

After a little over an hour’s drive, many fields of soybeans, corn and cotton,

and eliminating several blocked off access roads,

we finally came to the dead-end of a washed-out road which seemed to be the most hopeful place to view the two rivers.

We parked the car under a large shade tree

and off we headed down a secluded dirt path through a canopy of tall trees and undergrowth

to see if it did indeed lead to a place where the two rivers could be viewed.

Mission accomplished!  A perfect overlook from which to see the mouth of the Obion and the place where its waters flow into the Mississippi.

Note:  The Mississippi lies just beyond the floating dock.

Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
Thus the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.
~Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney

Turtle watching

/ Rebecca / 10 Comments

As a small child, one of my favorite parts of going to Reelfoot Lake was seeing the turtles lined up on the logs along the roadside and out in the lake.  Nothing has changed.  This is still one of the highlights of my visits.

“There is absolutely no reason for being rushed along with the rush.  Everybody should be free to go slow.”  ~Robert Frost

Unlikely places

/ Rebecca / 13 Comments

“No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.”  ~ Sheryl Crow

“Wildflowers don’t care where they grow.”  ~Dolly Parton

“I think I like wildflowers best … They just grow wherever they want.  No one has to plant them.  And then their seeds blow in the wind and they find a new place to grow.”  ~Rebecca Donovan

“Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.”  ~Ronald Dahl

“How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold?  Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold.”  ~William Wordsworth

Black-necked stilt

/ Rebecca / 9 Comments

In April, we were delighted to see these delicate-looking shorebirds hunting for food in the shallow waters of flooded farm fields close to the Mississippi levee.  They only visit our area for a short time, and then migrate on.

“Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes.”  ~Charles Dickens