Ethereal Beauty

In the morning while I was eating breakfast I noticed that there were two hummingbirds having a dispute over the fuchsia. One stood guard for awhile on top of one of the feeder hangers until the other bird went away. Then the watcher flew in for a snack. It was a male Anna's with his beautiful red gorget. I took a series of photos of him through the screen door. The weather was so lovely we had the sliding door open. You can see a bit of the texture of the screen but still the bird shows up well. What a little gem he is. 

Helena got home yesterday and I picked her up and brought her over to spend the day with us. We got the house ready for the arrival of H and L's cousin Marla and their cousin once removed Janine. The two had flown in from the east coast to attend Arvin's green burial on Monday. Before everybody arrived, Helena, Lynda and I took another long walk in the park. We were lucky to see the beaver again. This time it was even earlier than before. He was in the water eating lilies and soon dove and disappeared.

Steve and Kai came over and we hung out on the deck enjoying the warmth and the beauty of the day until Marla and Janine showed up. Then we had salmon burgers and veggies for dinner. The cousins and sisters spent much time reminiscing about Arvin and their memories of their childhood with him. I learned so much and really enjoyed being included in the conversation. It was a delight.

At the end of the evening the cousins went back to their hotel and I took Helena home. Steve and Kai had gone home a bit earlier. It was a lovely day. I loved learning new things about Arvin and sharing in the happy stories.