Friday Foto Friends Oh, Deer Me!

Welcome to Friday Foto Friends...the time when we gather together to share our favorite photos from the week.  I wasn't too sure what I was going to share this week, and then on Thursday morning I took an early walk about the neighborhood, and God provided plenty for me to share with you.

We'll start with this deer playing peek-a-boo with me. He wasn't really as close as this makes it appear, but I believe this is the closest encounter I've had with the deer in quite a while:

See what I mean?  I thought he was going to walk right up to me and say good morning! Yes, I did say good morning to him (or her?)  After giving me a good looking over, she bounded into the woods to join the rest of the family...

Except for this one that was still across the road...

And this one that came down the road a ways to see what was going on...

Kind of looks like she's dancing and prancing for me...maybe this is "Prancer" or "Dancer"...perhaps they are getting in practice for you know what that is coming up in about 95 days?

So, after those deer disappeared into the woods, I walked around to the other side of where they were, and noticed these lovely morning sun rays shining through the trees...I just had to pause and breathe in the morning air, and give thanks to the Lord for another beautiful day to be alive...

And then I turned around and looked into the woods, and what did I see staring back at me?
Another deer playing "peek-a-boo"...

As she started to move on, I noticed a lot of movement coming along behind her...

And so I stood there and watched quietly...

And they just kept coming...that third one in the row is the BUCK...He stood and stared at me for quite a while. I couldn't get a very good picture because he was behind the bushes, but even though he is still a young buck, he is definitely the buck of this family, and he shook his head back and forth as if to say to me, "Back off...this is MY family!!"

 I believe he is still standing back in the shadows in this picture below, waiting for all the family to move on to safety before he brought up the rear...

And then they moved over into another area, and kind of corralled themselves there for a few minutes while the young ones caught up to their mamas...

You can see the youngsters here...one is still nursing, and the other is very curious about me...
I believe I counted over seven or eight deer in total in this group...it was quite a fascinating experience.  I've been watching this family all summer long, but have never seen them ALL together like this before. Wish I could have gotten better pictures, but they just kept moving and camouflaging themselves in the woods.  I didn't dare get any closer, or that buck may have bucked me out of the way!!

Then I noticed this lovely pond, which is the area where the deer were headed.  I waited for a few more minutes, but they stayed hidden, waiting for me to leave...so I decided I'd better move on so they could get on with their daily routine.

It looks like fall leaves are starting to show here...and they are here and there. I love the golden hues of fall in the morning sunshine. Now if we just had the cooler temperatures to go along with this I could be in "hog's heaven"...or maybe I should say "deer heaven!"

Some thoughts from God's Word for today:

Psalm 63:1-5

1.  "O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for you;

My flesh longs for You 

in a dry and thirsty land

where there is no water.

2.  So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

to see Your power and Your glory.

3.  Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

4.  Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will life up my hands in Your name.

5.  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips."

An Afterthought:
For my less woodsy friends who may not always appreciate just pictures of more DEER, (Oh, dear, I can hear you saying...what next?)
Last Saturday I found this delightful little plate at the flea market, and couldn't resist it as a little early birthday present to myself. (next week) It came already equipped with the little wire hanger thingy, so all I had to do was find a suitable spot to hang it and voila!

I probably need to clean that rust off that wire thingy...hmmm, didn't see that before, but anyway, you can see here that it is entitled "Coaching Scenes" made in England by Johnson Bros., The Ironstone Coach Office!

maybe you can read the details a little better here:

I know it looks lost on this wall, but wanted you to see where it now resides:

right under the picture of the beautiful large wicker chair with a lady's hat, next to a tea table ...ready and waiting for your visit, "mi' lady", so hop on that coach and come on over!
The Teapot is ready and waiting...

Now let us hop on a coach and trot over to visit our other Friday Foto Friends who are waiting patiently for us at Deb's place at Breathing in Grace. 

May your day be blessed with the joy of seeking and finding the Lord in places where you might not have expected!