Saturday, October 24, 2015

Gatherings - Our Beautiful World

So........driving up to the first lighthouse last weekend I caught a glimpse of this guy on the backstop at the ball field adjacent to the lighthouse property.  I told HWNSNBP that I wanted to stop on the way out to see if I could get a close up of him.  Yes, they're not the most beautiful birds but they do serve a purpose.   


He even tried turning his back to me. 


Then I noticed some movement off to the left.


There were 9 more in the bleacher section.  It was still very cold and I'm sure that they were trying to warm up in the sun before they took off.  I didn't try to get any closer because I remember from a chance encounter several years ago that they hiss and like any other animal, when there is a gathering of them, they are at the advantage.  

By the way, I had to look it up and "group of vultures is called a wake, committee, venue, kettle, or volt. The term kettle refers to vultures in flight, while committee, volt, and venue refer to vultures resting in trees. Wake is reserved for a group of vultures that are feeding."  

I had a little "gathering" with some friends this week also.  I had been wanting to try one of those "painting parties" that seem to be popular around here now and by chance I had seen an advertisement for one that was being done as a fund raiser for breast cancer research sponsored by one of our local medical centers.  When I asked some of my table 7 cohorts if they would be interested they all said yes.  So here we are - dressed in pink as was requested by the organizers - at the end of our painting session.


We started with a blank canvas, a palette of paint, brushes, a rag, and a jar of water.


With great instructions and guidance by the presenters we gradually turned our canvasses......


Into a lovely scenic painting.  


The same subject matter, but all different.


It was a lot of fun.  We were able to bring snacks and drinks and they had music playing in the background.  There were about 30 ladies there that evening.  And just prior to the instruction there was a brief information session on the hospital's breast care center.  

And looking around the room at some of the past classes and some of those in the future it was decided that we would definitely do this again, sooner than later.

And just as a wrap-up, yesterday, on our way to the condo, we happened to look up and saw this group gathering in the trees at the end of the day.


Another group of vultures.  


Kind of apropos for this time of year!

So if you haven't guessed by now, this week's theme for Our Beautiful World is "gather".  Won't you join me here to see what other gatherings from around the world have been shared?

6 comments:

  1. Wonderful pictures of the vultures, but lovely photos if the ladies painting as well. So glad to have found you through Our Beautiful World.

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  2. oh my goodness, I cant imagine seeing vultures where we live. I've seen them on wildlife programs, but to see them ... where you live... goodness! Interesting to read the fun facts about them. What an amazing painting session you've had too! Looks total fun!
    Thanks for sharing with Our Beautiful World!

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  3. My, they are big birds ... not ones you would mess with! I loved seeing your photos ... Your painting day looked really good and what a nice thing to do for the cause... Thanks so much for sharing at OBW!! Have a lovely day!

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  4. I think I've only ever seen vultures once, in a zoo we went to in France many years ago. It must be quite fascinating to see them in the wild like that. The group terms were interesting - the association of wake with food intrigues me.
    And your painting party looks as if it has been a great success. Fun to see the step by step photos starting with the bare canvas, and also very interesting to see the shot with several paintings and how slightly different they all were. The sunlight on your grass is so lovely (it's grey here again!!).

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  5. That's awesome Lorraine, thanks for sharing with us at Our Beautiful World!

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  6. Oh my, your painting is stunning! Gorgeous work! I'm sorry I missed this post Lorraine. A wonderful take on the word Gather. Wishing you a beautiful day and thank you for joining OBW :)

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