Flying Things

On a recent Saturday we loaded up into the van and drove to the small airport we sometimes visit for a few hours to relax and watch the little planes take off and land, and the gliders being towed into the sky and soaring overhead until finally they sail softly to land in the grass next to the tarmac runway.  It was one of those rare summer weekends where the humidity was low, the sun was bright in a deep blue cotton ball cloud dotted sky with a gentle breeze whispering through the tall pines.  It was a restful afternoon made even better by table service from the airport luncheonette and a plethora of other flying things to observe when there was a lull in aircraft action.

It began near the beginning of our journey when as we passed through a small town a couple miles from our home a katydid landed on the radio antenna as we sat at a red light. It was a pretty sizeable insect as you can see from the pictures below and we expected that once we were out of the town and picked up speed it would fly away.  We were wrong and amazed to see that the tenacious creature clung to the antenna, it's little bottom legs straight out in the wind, perhaps for balance, all the way to the airport.  I took a proper picture of it when I exited the van as it was still there, but by the time we left a few hours later it had flown away, perhaps to explore the vegetation in its new home.  I hope a bird didn't swoop down and make a snack of it.

The luncheonette has a garden outside the kitchen and we watched bright yellow and black butterflies enjoying the nectar in the flowers there as we munched on hot dogs and fries.  There are hummingbird feeders and windchimes hung under the eaves and the tiny birds flew from the pine trees (where I assume they built their tiny nests) to the feeders and back again to their home all afternoon.  There were sparrows playing in the shade under the empty picnic tables and on the post and rail fence, and the occasional honey bee on the clover which grew along with the grass under our feet.  We also noticed some young people flying a toy plane over by the rental office for the gliders. 

There were many sights and sounds that day as we spent a lazy afternoon under the pines before loading back into the van and returning home.  It was a perfect summer weekend afternoon. 

Sparrow under  a picnic table.

The little yellow spot on the middle left of this picture is the tow plane and to the right you can see the glider it was pulling into the atmosphere.  There a plane in the center waiting to cross the runway and a white one on the right tied down waiting for its owner to come fly it away.

      The katydid on the antenna when we got parked and I was out of the van---it's so big!

This is the katydid as we were driving, see it's little back legs extended as we drove along?  It almost looks like someone parasailing.  Perhaps that's what it felt like to the little guy.

There's a little yellow bird in among the yellow flowers that grow at a farm market we buy local corn from.

                                                         No explanation needed!