What is the Sunday Salon?
The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
I spent two days chatting with visitors as I ferried them in a golf cart from the parking area to the wildlife refuge for the Migration Celebration. We had over nine hundred visitors at the event where kids and adults enjoyed hearing speakers on nature; seeing a raptor show; taking a swamp buggy tour; feeding butterflies in a butterfly tent; examining pond water through a microscope; holding snakes, turtles, and alligators; climbing a rock wall; and sifting through sand for nature treasures.
I went with friends to hear Yann Martel speak about his latest book in Houston.
I chased butterflies and birds and other living things (mostly plants, but that does not sound like something you have to chase, does it?) for the City Nature Challenge. I managed to photograph 141 species over four days.
Now we are headed to Dallas to visit with our granddaughter, Bailey, and her daughter, Lucy, for a few days.
What I Read Last Week:
The Museum of Lost Things: True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History by Sam Kean (Nonfiction)
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (Fiction)
What I'm Reading Now:
The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Macfarlane (Nonfiction)
Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance by Richard Powers (Fiction)
What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds
by Jennifer Ackerman (Nonfiction)
What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:
I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:
Good Thing #1:
A new-to-me species
I found during the City Nature Challenge:
Turk's-cap White Skipper
Good Thing #2:
A new-to-me species
I found during the City Nature Challenge:
Wild Indigo Duskywing
My photos: First place (blue) and honorable mention (green) for Invertibrates of Texas.
My photo: Honorable mention (first green ribbon in second row), Birds of Texas
Good Thing #3:
Some of you asked to see my nature photos
from the Migration Celebration Photo Contest.
I am happy that you went to hear Yann Martel, a great Canadian author. Will he ever surpass “The Life of Pi?” I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredibly articulate speaker Yann Martel is! We greatly enjoyed hearing him.
DeleteThe Migration celebration sounds really fun. And congratulations on your photo winning the honorable mention. Well done! Yann Martel? I loved his Life of Pi and will be interesting to learn more about the new one.
ReplyDeleteWell done on the honourable mention Deb! All your photos are beautiful. I hope you have a wonderful visit with family.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first place as well as honorable mention in invertebrates and the honorable mention in birds. Lovely pictures! I will be on the lookout for Martel's new book. I did so enjoy "Life of Pi."
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dorothy!
DeleteI love how you spend your free time: family, nature and reading or reading related things :) Have a great rest of your weekend!
ReplyDeleteAhh, glad to see you enjoyed the Sam Kean! I should read that, I'm sure it'll be my thing too.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've had quite the busy week!
Wow! That sounds like an epic event! I'm visualizing what it would be like to chase plants and now I can't stop laughing. LOL! :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun week you had. The Migration Celebration sounds like so much fun! And to hear Yann Martel. Gosh, it's been such a long time since I read The Life of Pi. Have fun in Dallas with your family! Oh, and thank you for sharing your winning photos. Beautiful, Deb!
ReplyDeleteThe Migration Celebration sounds wonderful. Have a great time in Dallas!
ReplyDeleteYou had a great busy week! I love the pictures!
ReplyDeleteHave fun this week!
How was Yann Martel as a speaker? Must have been fun!
ReplyDeleteMartel was very articulate. I thought his comments were brilliant. I'm thinking about watching his reading again online when the link is sent to us Inprint subscribers.
DeleteYou are doing so well on your challenges so early in the year, congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your prize winning photos! I loved seeing them! They are wonderful! And the migration celebration sounds so cool! How great is it to see new to you species! I use to keep a bird list, and it has been years since I've added to it.
ReplyDeleteI keep both a butterfly and a bird list.
DeleteYour nature focused week sounds great. I'm currently very interested in owls. Well done for the photo award!
ReplyDeleteA trip to the wildlife refuge sounds like a good day... i built a butterfly garden in my backyard about 7 years ago, but the hummingbirds have taken it over and they're always exciting no matter how many times i see them.
ReplyDeleteSomeday I hope to have a butterfly garden in my backyard.
DeleteYour volunteering at the wildlife refuge sounds like a huge success - though you must have been exhausted afterwards! I'm so admiring of your photographs - I've tried taking pics of birds and insects and have discovered I'm not patient enough. Congratulations on your success with them - richly deserved. And how wonderful to listen to an amazing author like Yann Martel talk about his writing. All in all, this sounds like an amazing week:)).
ReplyDeleteI've been doing a citizen science butterfly count for six years now, and I've finally gotten the hang of photographing butterflies.
DeleteI keep hearing such good things about What an Owl Knows! I need to read that one.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome week!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great visit with your granddaughter and family! Sounds like you had a great reading week and just a week overall!
ReplyDeleteWow, you had a very busy week. How wonderful to find a new to you species. Congratulations on the wonderful recognition of you lovely photos, Deb. Enjoy your visit with your granddaughter and great-granddaughter
ReplyDeleteSounds like a busy but fun week! I love that you volunteered for such a wonderful event. Congrats on winning with your photographs! Have fun in Dallas!
ReplyDeleteYou are busy! I'm wondering about Yann Martel's new book ... is it good or too much War? hmm. Congrats on the success of the Migration Celebration. And it looks like you're reading two good bird books ... I'll be interested by your reviews. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the Yann Martel book yet.
DeleteSounds like you had a fun and adventure-filled week. How neat that you found some new-to-you species. What a treat! Enjoy your week.
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2026/05/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-mailbox.html
The Migration Celebration and the City Nature Challenge sound interesting and fun. Thanks for sharing your winning photos too. The Sam Kean book sounds great! I really enjoyed Dinner with King Tut. I had to laugh about your review of Invisible Cities. I swear I’ve read books that the same could have been said. Looks like you are doing very well with your challenges.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really busy week. Your books look good too. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a good week.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are reading Ackerman's on owls. Isn't this book amazing?
ReplyDeleteLoving all the butterfly love!
ReplyDeleteYou’ve been busy as always and it sounds like it’s been a grand time.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the photos and the nature days sound amazing. Enjoy the time in Dallas.
ReplyDeleteI'm adding The Museum of Lost Things to my TBR.
ReplyDeleteI hope your trip to Dallas goes well!
Congrats on all your award winning photos! Driving people around in a golf cart sounds fun! So does riding in a swamp buggy!
ReplyDeleteYour nature photos are so lovely!!
ReplyDeleteJulie @ Chapter Break
Lovely photos!
ReplyDelete