2014 Spring is still springing

One of my favorite areas of our yard is where I planted lots of Phlox. The butterfly love it.

You always know spring is here when you see violets.

And when the humming birds come back - spring is definitely here.

We planted some honeysuckle on each side of the arbor. We try to get as many local plants we can from local growers. We look for things that have proven to do well at our altitude.

We know it is spring when the Lady's Slipper pop up

We see turkey all the time, but in spring the toms look a bit more dashing.

On one of our walks through our property we found more Lady's Slippers that we hadn't seen in the past. We always discover new things when we walk the property.

Yep, it is spring!

We didn't have to wander the property to see the Bobcat. He was outside the front door near the bird feeder and bird bath.

Jim's work with Wild For Life presented him with an awesome experience this spring. He was given the privilege of releasing two Screech Owls.

We invited some friends to join us in the excitement.

Both flew right to the trees and blended in so well - we didn't see them again. Several months latter we heard the trill they make. Not the horrible screech that people associate with them, that is a barn owl. We don't know if they are still in the area but it was nice to hear the sound and have hope that they are doing well.

One of our adventures this spring included climbing the Via Ferrata in West Virginia.

This was the very beginning of the climb. We are both hooked to the rocks by two cables. You have to stay several feet below the person in front of you just in case they fall. Thankfully for us this didn't end up being a concern. But we were properly spaced just in case.

Once at the top we posed for a photo - taken by our guide. You can't do this climb with out a guide. We were glad to have him along.