Swallow engineers

Yeah I am a sucker for unusual mailboxes. From our bike ride yesterday

Took some dirt roads to keep away from traffic. With all the rain, looks like a rain forest

Went by the yak family. As soon as we got off our bikes, they started to take off though I finally got them to turn around for my friend to take a better picture

Looks like the nest is half done

Work started on the new barn swallow nest on our porch about 2 weeks ago. Seems that the new 4 fledglings, now indistinguishable from their parents and the parents were building it. For about a week, their efforts centered on trying to drive us off the porch dive bombing us but they have given up and resumed nest building. Much chatter goes on between them. Are they giving each other directions? They don't have it down perfectly as about a quarter of the building material falls to the ground.

 

Josh had a nest of them but the bottom fell out much to the distress of the birds as there were eggs in it.

 

Yesterday was perfect for a bike ride. Cool and windless. Usually I do my long rides on the weekend early in the morning when there is less traffic. I had forgotten that the main business of the township we went through was their huge landfill. Garbage trucks coming in from all directions. I finally had us go on hard packed dirt roads. We head up north in 8 days to do our 295 mile ride. I should be more prepared than I was last year.

 

I thought I had done pretty well buying the bicycle trailer for $15 at a garage sale a few years ago. It has provided lots of rides for the grandbabies but Josh did better. I had told him that Costco was selling one for $200. They went to check it out. While they were examining it, a woman told him that she had one just like that at home and never used it. Why doesn't he just come over to her house and he can have it for free. I assume he gave her some sort of gift. Allie had her first ride in it today. This one can be used as a running stroller too unlike mine.

 

For some reason, on this road near us, 3 different families keep peacocks. I hear them but never see them. Today one was right by the road but alas, no camera.

 

And Shanna is back from a week in Boston showing the kids where they came from.