treasure hunting
i love treasure hunting. in my case, that treasure is often feathers.
last year, a friend mentioned that she was gifted an owl feather. for a second, i imagined how fun it would be to find one. months later, i was hiking with the pup at a nearby state park – 2000 miles away from my friend and her feather – when i glanced down and saw the most beautiful feather.
after a thorough review of the feather atlas, i determined that the feather belonged to a great horned owl. so, my wish-in-passing came true. i found an owl feather! i am still over-the-moon delighted by this.
i created a vignette with my owl feather and my other michigan treasures.
there is a shed antler, found by my dad years ago and given to me when i found it in a box in the basement, exclaimed over it, and asked for it. (atlas doesn’t care about antlers in the store, but he is fascinated by this antler.)
there is a circle of birch bark, found by me in the woods. (it’s around my favorite candle, which i bought in portland and which smells like a candy cane. exactly like a candy cane. i can sniff it for hours.)
and there is a heart in a walnut shell, found by me in my grandparents’ yard when i was raking this spring.
i thought nothing could top my owl feather.
until i found this.
i was sitting in the passenger seat, on my way to a camp in jacobsville with a sister, when a feather on a gravel road caught my eye as we drove by.
when i exclaimed over the size of the feather, my sister turned around and we drove back over the road slowly, looking for it. it wasn’t there. sadly, i told her she could turn around. but when she did, i saw the feather up ahead, and this time i jumped out and grabbed it.
after another thorough review of the feather atlas, i determined that this feather belonged to a wild turkey. coincidentally, two wild turkeys had crossed the road in front of us en route to jacobsville.
next, i would like to find a cardinal feather.
i saw a cardinal – in rhode island – so i think the feather must be on its way.
do you keep an eye out for treasures?
what are yours?
LOVE the vignette, Elizabeth! We have a windowsill where we make sillscapes from finds while on walks. We lately added a chestnut just bursting from it’s spiky shell. It’s rather comical to look at it for long–it looks like a little monster with a big mouth. LOVELY feather–and fun find of the turkey feather. :o) Happy Days ((HUGS))
I love treasure! I’ve found some lovely feathers (nothing nearly as large as that Turkey one), many shells and rocks, and a piece of someone’s vertebrae. Whenever we’re out in the woods/near the sea, I look for presents from nature. Still hoping for a big/fancy feather or a nice chunk of bone/antler.
Tracy: I would love to see that chestnut! I can almost picture it.
Casey: The vertebrae sounds cool. My brother once found a beaver skull, including teeth. Unfortunately, when he pulled it out of the box years later, the teeth had broken on him. Hoping with you – for your feather or bone/antler!
your finds make me think of that wonderful book anne morrow lindbergh wrote so long ago.
gift from the sea.
things she found on walks that she used to decorate her tiny cottage.
love that book. and
love a friend who recently sent me such treasures!
happy hunting! xoxo
I wonder if I read that. I remember writing it down once, but I can’t remember if I ordered it from the library or not. Must investigate.
Love picturing your treasures in your wren cottage!