Wondrous Moments

Throughout my life, I have experienced certain, rare magical moments in time. They happen quite spontaneously, out of the blue and totally unexpected...which makes for utter delight when they occur.

We were on our way to meet friends and family for dinner and on our country drive there, we passed a mowed down cornfield. I saw some light grey blobs of color among the straw-colored stubble, but couldn't quite distinguish what they were. To my surprise they turned out to be a large flock of Sandhill Cranes! I practically yelled at my husband to stop the car and he pulled over to the side of the road. I could not believe my eyes, so used the binoculars that we keep in our vehicle for such viewing occurances. I counted 40 of them. I have never seen more than two at once and only rarely. It's migration time and they had stopped to eat corn and insects in this farmer's field. Wisconsin has harsh and long, cold winters, and these cranes migrate to the southern United States and into Mexico. (Seem like pretty intelligent birds don't you think? I was tempted to go along with them.) They are usually quite noisy, but all was quiet as we observed them. Watching them fly is a gift in itself. I have never seen such slow, graceful wing motions.... and these are huge birds. Their wing spans are six to seven feet across and they are just as elegant when they gently land on those long. slender legs. Truly, poetry in motion.

Because of our dinner plans, I happened to have my camera, which almost NEVER happens. We were rather far from them and the pictures I got, don't show them to advantage, not to mention I couldn't get all 40 in one picture. But, the experience will always be treasured by me. I am constantly awed by the beauty and grandeur of the natural world and collect these "Wondrous Moments"in my heart.