KEEPSAKES OF THE HEART...AND MALLARDS

What do keepsakes of the heart and Mallard Ducks have in common?...my father. Not only did Dad have a lot of Irish in his blood, Patrick was his middle name and he was born on St. Paddy's Day. This past week, as every spring, the Mallards have returned. Whenever I see them, I think of him.

When my children were young and Dad was still alive, he had a weekend ritual with his grandchildren. We lived right next to what is referred to the Emerald Necklace, a stretch of the Metroparks that extends for miles. There are several areas to enjoy the wildlife, picnic areas, ball fields, bike/walking trails, playgrounds, nature centers, toboggan chutes and the list goes on.

He would take them there to feed the ducks. After a couple of years a sign was posted asking visitors not to feed the wildlife. That didn't stop Dad and the kids from their visits, though. I truly believe he had even more fun than the children. He came back with just as many stories as them!

My father loved being in nature, we went camping almost every weekend. Many vacations were spent traveling state to state for 2 and 3 weeks at a time. I feel he played a large part in how I appreciate nature now. It's really something how seeing a simple image as the ducks swimming on our pond, or anywhere for that matter, calls on certain fond memories... the keepsakes of my heart.

I chose to share my images of the Mallards on this day, his birthday, as I remember my father...who I miss very much. He's passed on to a better place, but he's still alive where it counts. I have lots of fond memories.

Now on to the Mallards! I took these photographs from inside the cabin, I just opened the window and went for it. Now what I'm going to tell you...you may not believe, but in my fathers' name...I speak the truth. I was going into the kitchen and thought to myself...hmmm?...I should start looking out the window for the ducks, usually they fly in around now. I walked over to the large window facing the pond, and there they were! My radar was in fine tune that day!

The sky ranged from slight sun to overcast. The male got most of my attention due to his brilliant coloring. It's too bad that I couldn't get this shot from a different angle, that's the railing around the top portion of our dock in view. I like their reflection on the water, too.
The couple were quite lovey-dovey the entire time... playing around, searching for food, and they seemed to enjoy each other's company immensely.
Last year, I think I witnessed a turf battle as two pairs of Mallards showed up around the same time. One pair stayed on one side the majority of the time and visa-versa. When the two males both swam towards the center of the pond, there was alot of noise and flapping going on! Eventually, both pairs just flew off.
I often think too bad Dad isn't around, he would've loved it here in our woods! My husband and I didn't know it when we first met, but quickly found out that his father was my fathers' supervisor at their mutual workplace. Both of our fathers were deceased when we met. My husbands' father loved the outdoors, too, and was into fishing. I wonder if they're both up there, looking down and smiling?!