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Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Geese at Pine Lake

This fall my family and I went biking in the Pine Lake/Iowa River area and enjoyed watching the geese on the lake.  
Many seemed to have characters all their own.  A dear old friend of mine used to say "We're not all made from the same cookie-cutter!"  Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we were?  Apparently geese don't all come from the same cookie-cutter either.
This one even had a unique hairstyle (featherstyle?).
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."  
--Robert Frost
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect."  --Mark Twain

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, 
and few there be that find it."  --Matthew 7:13

102 comments:

  1. Seldom have so many ducks are together.

    Tomás.

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    1. There's quite a flock that seems to like to stay at the lake. I was at the lake again yesterday, and many birds were still there.

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  2. WOW! Such a lot of geese. Have a great Christmas day tomorrow.

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  3. Looks like a great place to watch wildlife...

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  4. Beautiful picture Bethany!!! I love all the geese!

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  5. Beautiful pics! I like the stray feather one.
    Merry Christmas Bethany!

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    1. So do I. When I first saw him, he was apparently sleeping with his head in his feathers, and the stray feather reminded me of a sail.

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  6. Always a delight to see so many of one species together.

    Have a wonderful Christmas Bethany.

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  7. Looks like a duck convention going on! Merry Christmas Bethany!

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  8. Yes, we are all individuals Bethany. Thank You for visiting my blog and have a Happy Christmas.

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    1. It's neat how everyone is different in a special way.

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  9. Great photo of all the geese. I am sure it was even better biking around that area.

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    1. We had fun, and just went back there for another ride yesterday.

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  10. None of them are the same, on the contrary, they have something about that them. Have a happy christmas Bethany.

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    1. Thanks, I hope you are enjoying a beautiful holiday season.

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  11. The birds are very nice. And looking at them is great time for reflections. Merry Christmas for and and your famly from heart of Europe. Gosia from Poland. Have a great festive season

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    1. Thanks Gosia! I hope you are enjoying the holidays!

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  12. Wow, what a beautiful place! I like your close-up of the goose with the feather-do. Hee hee!

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    1. Thanks Paige! I really liked that goose's expression of individuality as well! :D

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  13. Aww... What a sweet post. I especially liked the"feathered" one. :-)
    A have wild Turkeys come to our yard daily and many times they have feathers hanging as if their ready to fall out.

    Merry Christmas dear.
    Joy! Debbie

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    1. How neat that you have wild turkeys in your yard! They must be neat to watch. We've seen a couple at parks, but never in our immediate area. Occasionally we'll have some pheasants visit our yard though.

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  14. There are probabably family connections and old friends communicating with each other, beyond our comprehension.

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    1. Yes, that's very likely. If a goose could learn how to blog, what stories it could tell!

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  15. So gorgeous, Bethany. Merry Christmas to you, and God bless you. :)

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  16. We wish you a Merry Christmas! !
    I pray a lot of "happiness".
    Ryoma

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    1. Thank you Ryoma! May God bless you with happiness as well!

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  17. Beautiful pictures Bethany.
    The second is my favorite.
    I wish you a Merry Christmas.

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  18. A wonderful sighting of the geese from your bike ride. I like the stray feather shot, cute! Merry Christmas ot you and your family.

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    1. Thanks Eileen. It was very nice and warm here yesterday, so we went for another ride. This time, thanks to my mom, I was able to get a shot of a woodpecker. The lake is a very nice place for seeing wildlife.

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  19. I love all the photos. They are so pretty. :)

    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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  20. What beautiful images. I can see/feel how much you are enjoying photography!! Wishing you a holiday filled with joy!!

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    1. Thanks Debbie! Yes, as I'm sure you already know, photography is a lot of fun! May your holidays be filled with joy as well.

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  21. What a great place! The older I get, the more I understand that animals have many human characteristics.

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    1. True. Some even have characteristics that are, in a way, perhaps better than human characteristics. My family's dog, Ginger, for example, would never betray us. She loves us unconditionally and would gladly give her life for us. Sometimes dogs can be more loyal and trustworthy than humans.

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  22. What an abundance of geese. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

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    1. Thank you, and I hope you have a very happy New Year!

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  23. Enjoyed this post Bethany! Beautiful place, quotes and scripture! LOVE your stray feather goose ;-)
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: Hope you had a joy filled Christmas!

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  24. Ah, diversity! Where would we be without it.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

    PS: Hope you had a good Christmas

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  25. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for You:-)

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    1. Thanks! I hope you're enjoying a wonderful holiday season.

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  26. Hi Bethany, Kind of like leaves off a tree ... from a distance they all look the same ... up close, each one is different. Like fingerprints ... amazing to think about. Thanks for the neat photos. John

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  27. Absolutely stunning image. I used to bike around town [when we lived in Colorado] along the river walk...it was such a wonderful trek with bird life...trees of different seasons...why even the flooded to the banks river was pretty...dangerous, of course, but still natural beauty.

    LOVED this photo Bethany.

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  28. Bethany, I've never seen so many geese in my life! Your photos are lovely!

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  29. Wonderful captures.
    Hope you had a lovely Christmas!

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  30. Nice photos Bethany. You do good work.
    R

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  31. Very nice captures of the geese! My hubby and I grew up in a town that also had a "Pine Lake." :-)

    Thanks for all your comments recently.

    Lindy

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  32. Great post, and awesome image of the geese!
    Happy New Year, sweetie!
    Debbie
    xo

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  33. Bethany, I wish you many blessings of God in the New Year !!!
    May Jesus watch over you, to always on your face was that charming smile and always just smiled at your heart.
    :)

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    1. Thanks Mariusz! May the Lord bless you with a very happy New Year as well!

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  34. Stopped by to wish you a great 2015 ahead! All the best!

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  35. Love the Canada geese in the pond! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

    *:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
      *H*A*P*P*Y* *N*E*W* *Y*E*A*R*!*
    *:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*

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  36. Yep, it sure would be boring if all of us came from the same mold!

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  37. All things bright and beautiful ... the LORD God made them all. Lovely shots Bethany.

    Thank you for your kind words on my post today.

    Happy New Year!

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  38. beautiful picture!!

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  39. The unique 'featherstyle' is so droll!

    Happy New Year when it comes. (In my part of Scotland we always add 'when it comes' if giving New Year wishes before the day - we're cautious folk!)

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    1. Ah! That's very interesting to learn! You have a happy New Year when it comes as well ;).

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  40. I'm a Mark Twain fan anyways, and I particularly love that quote from him. Isn't it amazing that you could notice personality differences even in observing geese?

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  41. A beautiful, peaceful scene. Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. I've enjoyed my first visit to yours.

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  42. The same applies to places. As an American living abroad (long ago) some American friends complained about how different things were. Thank goodness they were or who would want to travel? We should celebrate differences....

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  43. Hi Bethany, Happy New Year to you and yours. John

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  44. Great photo, Bethany! Hope you had a very blessed Christmas, and a wonderful new year...God's blessings for the year ahead!

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  45. So pretty! I love looking at your blog! I actually started a photography blog last week because I love taking pictures and looking at other blogs :)

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    1. Thanks Maddy! Could I have the link to your photography blog please? I'd love to see it!

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  46. You are so right that each creature's personality is unique. We recognize our own differences from fellow human beings but sometimes forget to do the same for other species, and even, for other races. Love the thought of you and your family biking together along that beautiful lake. Looking forward to lots more of your beautiful posts in the future as you explore your thoughts and the life around you.

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    1. Thanks Carol! There is so much to see and learn about everyone and everything if we just look. Pine Lake has been a favorite spot of my family to hike and bike for years, and it never loses its interest. Blessings to you!

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  47. Haha I love this! I love that one feather sticking up!

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  48. I loved this post, these little animals look so beautiful- love how they are looking at different places with such curiosity

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    1. It would be interesting to know what they're thinking!

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  49. I think it's cool that you can go biking with your family. The last time I went biking with my family was five years ago. Reading your post inspires me to go biking again.

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