Flicker! And Fall flickers upon the hillsides.

I was racing around trying to get out the door for work when Bernie yelled "Where is your camera?"

I yelled back "In my purse!"

A few minutes later he chased me down and showed me the above picture.

"They are still out there if you want to see them" he said.

Swoosh...I grabbed the camera from his hands and was out the door...forget being on time for work!

The bigger bird on the right seemed to be the baby. At least he/she kept a close eye on the other bird and occasionally there would be a meeting of the bills.

I've always known there was a bird called a Red Shaft Flicker, and have found a feather or two in my life time, but this was the first time I had actually seen a flicker in person. They were a lot bigger than I thought they would be!

Cute little spots and red mustaches!

And I'd like to report that on Monday the first sprinkle of fall color arrived on the hills and mountains surrounding our home.

This is the hill at the end of our street.

Our son is actually quite poetic, even as a child he would make poetic observations.

He was the one who told me "Spring comes up from the valley, Fall comes down from the mountains."

Yes, Fall is stealthily streaming down the mountain, weaving through the summer's green, and setting the scene ablaze.