Spring...

We've been having really pleasant weather the past month or so.  A few storms now and again, but mostly it's been hanging around the 70's and 80's.  I've been really making an effort to spend time outside before it gets unbearably hot for the summer.  The boys and I have been going on a lot of bike rides, I've been doing a lot of gardening, and just sitting outside reading has been nice.  A couple weeks ago Jacob and I went out hiking at our local nature preserve. We stumbled upon a copperhead sunning itself on the trail.  I've never seen one in the wild.  After some debate, we skirted behind it, which was probably stupid, since later I talked to a lady who had seen it at the same time as us, but stayed to take some pictures.  She told me it suddenly whipped around and slithered into the grass, and that she had never seen anything move so quick.  Anyway, we continued on our hike into the wetlands section of the preserve.  We saw countless turtles out sunning themselves on the logs, and a few watersnakes as well.  We even saw a gar fish swim by.  We also found a visiting Canadian goose.  

Canadian Goose
A Turtle sunbathing
The Copperhead on the Trail

Back to the gardening, this is a bouquet of one of my roses called Cherry Parfait.  It had so many blooms the poor bush was just drooping.  So, I cut them all and brought them in the house.  I love my spring roses, it's when the do the best.  They bloom every six weeks, but the blooms just don't do as well in the summer heat.