Category Archives: James River

Life goes on

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Jay McLaughlin

21 February, 2016 Life goes on My mom recalls me living in a box. One of my siblings wrote “Didn’t you once spend a night in jail for punching someone?” Reactions to my last blog post … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, daffodils, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, hyacinths, James River, Northern flicker, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers | Tagged daffodils, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, hyacinths, james river, nature, Northern flicker, outdoors, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles - human AND dog smiles! | 6 Comments

Change your evil ways

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Jay McLaughlin

14 February, 2016 Change your evil ways I was kicked out of the dorms at VCU for starting a fire then out of VCU itself for my poor academic performance. Late 1979 or early 1980, I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, James River, raptors, red-shouldered hawks, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers | Tagged bluebird, Fun, james river, nature, red-shouldered hawks, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers | 7 Comments

Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Jay McLaughlin

31 January, 2016 Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play Kids threw poop at me. “It was twenty years ago today,” give or take a month. Not when I was a kid – when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, disability, Dogs, Fun, James River, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), whitetail deer | Tagged disability, Dogs, Fun, james river, nature, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, smile, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, whitetail deer | 6 Comments

Red, white and blue

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Jay McLaughlin

24 January, 2016 Red, white and blue I started this post before the snow. The first title was “I’m seeing red” because I saw this Red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) while hiking with Ethan at Bryan Park … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Blue Jays, Bryan Park, cardinals, cats, dog booties, Dogs, firewood, Fun, ice, James River, moon, People, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-headed woodpeckers, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers | Tagged blue jay, bryan park, cats, dog booties, Dogs, Fun, ice, james river, nature, outdoors, People, pictures of the moon, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, waxing gibbous moon, wood stove | 6 Comments

One person’s kryptonite…

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Jay McLaughlin

20 December, 2015 One person’s kryptonite… …is another person’s gesture of gratitude! Evelyn and I have a friend named Joel Elston who is a life coach specializing in health and addiction recovery. He recently published … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, buffleheads, Dogs, Fun, fungus, Ghirardelli, James River, People, Peppermint bark, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), Turtles, whitetail deer | Tagged Ghirardelli, Kryptonite, Peppermint bark, the bench | 4 Comments

Cloudless sulphur

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Jay McLaughlin

13 December, 2015 Cloudless sulphur That’s the actual name of a butterfly I photographed at the river this week. It caught my ear (the name, not the butterfly) and I like that quality in blog post … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs, Fun, Insects, James River, People, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | Tagged bluebird, bryan park, Dogs, Downy woodpecker, Fun, james river, nature, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles - human AND dog smiles! | Leave a comment

Eating mac and cheese with chopsticks

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Jay McLaughlin

15 November, 2015 Eating mac and cheese with chopsticks I did that earlier this week – totally did not anticipate it. To be honest, it never crossed my mind since I was born that … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, buffleheads, firewood, Fun, ginger juice, goatacado, James River, People, Pony Pasture, raptors, red-shouldered hawks, Red-tailed hawks, richmond marathon, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), whitetail deer | Tagged buffleheads, Endurance, Fun, ginger juice, goatocado, james river, nature, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, red-shouldered hawks, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, smile, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, whitetail deer | 2 Comments

Except for all the others

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Jay McLaughlin

8 November, 2015 Except for all the others “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” ― Winston S. Churchill This blog is a dedicated politics-free zone, except I like to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Flowers, Fun, goats, James River, moon, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | Tagged Diary of Anne Frank, wether | 4 Comments

The dogs sniffed me suspiciously…

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Jay McLaughlin

25 October, 2015 The dogs sniffed me suspiciously… …when I walked in the door Tuesday afternoon. My friend Ethan and I were hiking at Bryan Park when we saw this crowd hard at work clearing invasive species: … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, coffee, goats, James River, moon, People, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, squirrels, Starbucks | Tagged bluebird, bryan park, coffee, Fun, goats, james river, nature, outdoors, phoebes, pictures of the moon, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers | 2 Comments

Throw it up against the wall…

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Jay McLaughlin

18 October, 2015 Throw it up against the wall… …and see if it sticks! Shorthand for trying something out to see if it works. That’s what I’m doing at the end of the blog this week. … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Flowers, Fun, garter snake, James River, ospreys, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, roses, Snakes, squirrels | Tagged bryan park, Flowers, Fun, garter snake, james river, nature, Ospreys, outdoors, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Roses | 4 Comments