And even more hummers!

While all the activity is happening at the feeders on the front porch, this activity is happening at the feeders on the studio, about 30 feet down the hill from the porch and facing the opposite direction. It seems to be a good year for hummers around here!

We have LOTS of hummers!

What a Summer!

We've traveled quite a bit this summer. We just returned from a trip that took us through Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Colorado. We saw the effects of this extremely hot and dry summer everywhere we went. Farmers and ranchers are suffering now, and I fear we will all feel the effects later on when we go to the grocery store and when the electric companies raise rates to make up for the high useage with air conditioners running continuously.

This may also explain the heavy, heavy activity we have at the hummingbird feeders - there's simply nothing out there for the birds to eat. Or maybe it's just that our lazy birds prefer the ease of sipping from a feeder. Whatever the cause, the activity is totally amazing. Terrie's nieces stayed at the house while we were gone to keep the feeders filled, and even they (who had never seen a hummer before) are now taken with these amazing creatures. Both girls were able to hand-feed them!

Our first stop was the 30th Annual High Country Arts and Crafts Festival held in Eagle Nest, New Mexico, July 28-29. Sponsored by the Eagle Nest Chamber of Commerce, the High Country Arts and Crafts Festival is a proud tradition of juried talent that brings many area and out-of-state artists to the Moreno Valley area each summer. Located on the Enchanted Circle between Angel Fire and Red River, Eagle Nest is surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and is home to the beautiful Eagle Nest Lake. Each of the more than 70 attending artists selected one piece to be judged in one of the four recognized categories. My multiple-station hummingbird feeder was awarded First Place in the Craft and Fiber Art Category. There was even a cash prize in addition to the blue ribbon!

We toured parts of New Mexico and Colorado before heading on to Sedona, AZ, where The Hummingbird Society hosted the first Sedona Hummingbird Festival. Executive Director Ross Hawkins and an extremely dedicated cast of volunteers did an amazing job of organizing and promoting this festival. We didn't have a chance to attend any of the seminars or presentations since we were a vendor in the Hummingbird Mall, but every report we heard was that this was THE HIGHLIGHT for hummingbird lovers. We're already making plans to attend the 2nd Annual Hummingbird Festival!

A bonus to being in Sedona was that Terrie re-connected with some old high school friends. Even Terrie's mom joined us and it was a thrill for this former Girl Scout leader to see some of her girls all grown up. And in Ozarklake news, our feeders can now be purchased at Dorine Daniels in the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village, 336 State Route 179, Sedona AZ.

We're doing a local event here at the Lake on Saturday, and then it's on to Trails West in St. Joseph, MO. Shortly after that we'll head off to Silver Dollar City and the National Harvest Festival.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbirds are the world's second largest family of birds with an estimated 328 species.