Rhododendron

Moonrise over Satulah Mountain

Wine and Wickets

We arrived in Highlands early yesterday evening, for the first time since we left last October.  We'll only be here for a few days. We have appointments at Emory early Tuesday, and will return to Valdosta after that.  When we come back to the mountains in early June, our summer officially starts.

We DID get here for the first day of "Wine and Wickets" though.  Croquet has become a big thing at Highlands Country Club, convening every Tuesday and Thursday, from late spring to early autumn.  As Jimmy describes it, "You get to wear a costume, you get to drink while you're playing, and you're fed dinner afterwards."  He didn't include the fact that you can also be at home asleep by 9 o'clock, which is a biggie with our older membership!

The wine part...

...and the wickets

View of Whiteside

Road runner

Yesterday, on our way back from Pat's graduation in Jacksonville, we saw a panicked animal darting back and forth in the median, uncertain of which way to run.  We were on I-10, a few miles east of Lake City, and the cruise control was set on 75 mph.

"Oh, Lord, I'm about to hit a deer..." flashed through my mind as I braked, avoiding an impact by a split second, as it streaked across the highway.

But it wasn't a deer.  It was a very large coyote.

Wile E Coyote

The Graduates

This afternoon Patrick received his law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law, after three long years of hard work and sacrifice, on his part, and Rosey's and the children's. Way to go Team Kerns! We are so proud of you.

When Pat's name was called, the children cheered, "Yay, Daddy!!!"

This is the note Jake wrote for his "Dady's"  "gradawashine"

(P)eaglets, as in piggy eaglets

Mom and Dad work hard to keep their ever hungry children, Peace and Harmony, filled up. At a little over a month old, they continue to grow and develop at a breathtaking rate.  Already they weigh in at about 5 lbs each, with a wingspan greater than 2.5 feet.

Mom and Peace, Dad and Harmony

These are the talons of an 8 week old eaglet

I only log in and watch the little family a  few minutes a day, but this whole process, from the nesting to the egg-laying, to the incubation period, and now the eaglet-raising, has been such an enlightening and gratifying experience. The thing that has struck me most is how vital to their survival the father has been throughout.  The male parent is every bit as important in the wild as with humans.