Sunday was a picture perfect day ~ sunny, not too hot. A great day to be outside with my camera.
My first stop was World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park. I had visited here the last time i was in Missouri and enjoyed it. The sanctuary has dozens of birds in their care. Their mission is "to preserve the earth's biological diversity and to secure the future of threatened bird species in their natural environments." It’s located on 300 acres of land so it has a woodsy, isolated feel. It’s a popular place - there were lots of families along the paths. There is great signage with information about the birds on display.
CLICK HERE to see more bird photos on flickr.
After spending time at World Bird I headed north to Faust Park in Chesterfield. This stop had 3 parts - the parks and gardens, The Butterfly House which is affiliated with the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and the Faust Heritage Festival which happened to be that day. When I got there I realized I had visited The Butterfly House on my last visit too, and had totally forgotten it! Sean thought I had been there… he was right.
I started with a walk across the park and the gardens outside The Butterfly House. The gardens were full of flowers and the flowers were full of bees and butterflies. I was loving every minute there with my camera.
With all the butterflies outside and free it was tempting to skip The Butterfly House, but I knew there would be lots of photo ops so I headed inside. I had forgotten how hot these places are - great for winter, a little much on a summer like day, but the flowers were beautiful and there were so many butterflies all around.
There is an outdoor area accessible through The Butterfly House. I headed out there to cool off and to get away from all the people who were enjoying the butterflies indoors. What a sense of serenity walking around the gardens and pond. I was having a wonderful time photographing blue dragonflies that were darting around the pond, when I noticed movement in the water. There was a snake swimming in the pond. I was entranced! I was also trying to identify it and wondering if it could be venomous. I had also seen a frog hide down in the mud so I kept an eye on that spot. There was an underwater flurry - no frog for the snake that time.
As I was walking back through the park I decided to go in to the Faust Heritage Festival to see what it was all about. There were lots of crafters all around the Historic Village part of the park. It’s set up like the mid 1800’s. There were things for children to try, such as trying crafts or making corn syrup.
It’s a thing about vacations ~ just as you have learned your way around the area it’s time to leave. I was recognizing street names and figuring out the easy ways to get back to the motel. I decided to do laundry and thought I lost a sock in the process, finally found it when I packed to head out.
Decided my day wasn’t over quite yet ~ I went looking for sunset. When Sean and I had dinner on Friday the sky suddenly turned beautiful with pinks, purples, and reds. I went in search of those colors. Didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but loved the small town feel of Kirkwood at dusk ~ families out for a walk, children getting last minutes of play on the playground, lines at the ice cream shop. While driving around Kirkwood I frequently had to wait for freight trains on tracks across the roads. I imagine if you live there you learn to plan your travel around the train schedule.
Today I felt so happy being a photographer - it was almost magical. I get a daily email message from The Universe ~ the next day it read "Happiness arrives not in the absence of problems, but in the absence of rules about when you can feel it. Just let it be." ~ The Universe. I am discovering that my MUSAP adventures brings me happiness - I am fortunate and grateful.
CLICK HERE to see Missouri butterflies, bees, and more photos on Flickr
CLICK HERE for photos of the Festival and the night sky.
CLICK HERE for photos of the Festival and the night sky.
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