Nature Brought Me a Birthday Gift Today

It is, as my good friend Marda said, my Heinz birthday today, a celebration of 57 years of living, My email, voice mail, text messages, Twitter time line, Facebook page and mailbox are filled with the well wishes and love of countless friends and family. These birthday offerings are the true measure of my life and I feel incredibly fortunate. 

Even nature found a way to send birthday greetings to me today. Jerry and I took a walk around Eckerd College this morning. Located on the shores of Boca Ciega Bay in southwestern St Petersburg, the college has a series of beautiful ponds and lagoons and a white sand beach along the bay. I took my camera in the hopes of catching a shot of the relatively shy roseate spoonbill that I’ve seen a few times in the pond near the main campus entrance. 

There was no sign of the rose-colored, feathered gem at the pond. We decided to head to the bay front. Walking under the curling branches of big oak trees and weaving around classroom buildings, we turned the corner to a pretty belvedere I remembered with a view of one of the campus lagoons.

There she was, the roseate, waiting for me.

She was standing in the sun, glowing pink and rose. As if to say, “Happy Birthday” she turned one way and then the other. She stood on one leg, preened, and then walked into the shade. She flew off and circled overhead, letting the near noon day sun show off her vivid colors. Then she landed back on the shaded, far corner of the belvedere, as if to say…”Happy Birthday but the show is over”.

Here are a few photos of a great birthday present.