Hawk accompanied my sister and me on an adventure to Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY. This place is the best-kept secret in upstate New York! Recreation, visual arts, performing arts, religious studies, and renowned speakers, not to mention a beautiful lake.

We watched an organ concert from the back of the amphitheatre. The crowd was small, but Hawk was thrilled because this is the last year the amphitheatre will be in its current form. They're rebuilding the structure to be safer and more up-to-date:

Outside the amp, lots of bicycles waited for their riders to return. Hawk can't ride a bicycle. She wants to learn:

Park Place is one of my favorite homes on the grounds, so I had to get a shot of Hawk out front:

While in the area, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to visit the Lucille Ball museums -- there are two in downtown Jamestown NY, Luci's hometown. This was the first visit there for all three of us. No photos allowed inside, so I got this shot as we were entering:

And this one:

The hotel where we stayed has a trolley they use to shuttle people to the institution and back. Hawk loved the old-world style and the colors:

Near one of the shops in Mayville, we found these huge hostas, and of course, Hawk thought it was a great spot to pose for yet another portrait:

Or  two:

Such a lovely place. We had a relaxing trip. Then it was time to head back to Pennsylvania. Hawk was our lookout:

Are there bigger and wilder adventures yet to come? Stay tuned to Hawk in the Pennsylvania Wilds to find out what's in store for this stuffed ostrich, AKA Traveling Little Visitor!

A graduation party for a friend gave us the perfect opportunity to spend some time at Quiet Creek Herb Farm and School of Country Living. What a delightful place!

http://www.quietcreekherbfarm.org/

Hawk was excited just seeing the sign at the entrance:

Right away, she found some fragrant herbs to enjoy:

Pretty sure this is alllium:

The teens had never seen a stuffed ostrich, or a crazy woman with a camera, posing said ostrich:

Hawk loved all the flowers and herbs. She jumped right into this raised bed:

Then it was nap time:

Time to head for home, but first we had to sign the "guest book" chalkboard:

I helped her hold the chalk and spell her name:

Goodbye, Quiet Creek and friends. We take home plentiful good memories and pleasant aromas.

A sea of books. That's what Hawk thought when she visited the 25th annual used book sale at Rebecca M. Arthurs Memorial Library. Literally thousands of books!

Hawk is perched way, way back there. And that was only the first aisle! Here she is in the hardback fiction section. She thought it was fun to use the books as a place to pose.

We found a section on health and fitness:

And then there was the art and music section:

Now she really wants to learn to read. We'll start with B for bird and go from there. We'll keep you posted.

Our swap organizer Wildfyre has issued a new challenge: Nature.

Lucky for Hawk and me, there's an abundance of nature around here!

After much consideration (at least a couple of seconds), Hawk decided the place to start would be Beartown Rocks in Clear Creek State Park. (Besides, we got lost while driving around looking for the Laurel Fields, and that's where we ended up!)

She happened to find a round sprig of oak leaves on the trail, so she posed for this snapshot:

Then there was the climbing on the actual rocks. Hawk made a valiant effort and got about halfway up:

The picture feels a bit other-worldly. Alexampersandra on Craftster.org says it brings to mind the hobbits hiding from the ringwraiths near the beginning of that movie about the ring.

Check it out: http://concerninglordoftherings.blogspot.com/2013/08/scene-analysis-encounter-with-black.html

Read more: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=446286.260#ixzz4BxTdaIwo  

Hawk came back breathless and just a bit dirty.

And so goes the Pennsylvania Wilds adventure.

At last, Hawk and I were able to meet the challenge of a picture with our state symbol. Thank goodness the weather has finally cooperated -- Hawk was so bored with sitting on a shelf, waiting for sunshine and warmth.

We were able to snap pictures with two, yes two, of Pennsylvania's symbols. First, the eastern hemlock.

We couldn't get close enough for her to sit in the tree, so instead she decided to sit on the rope railing, next  to a utility pole, but you can see the big old hemlock behind her.

She wanted a closer shot, so even though we were losing the light, I managed to get this shot with the branches.

Hawk really liked the light/dark contrast of the new spring growth against the older needles.

Earlier in the day, my friend Judy alerted me to the fact that there is a mountain laurel bush in bloom right behind our library! As Hawk shouted hooray, we walked right over there and got some pics of this once-a-year Pennsylvania treasure.

The state made a smart decision when they named mountain laurel as the state flower. The delicate little blossoms with their pink stripes are a treat for any human or ostrich's eyes. Hawk just couldn't stop admiring them.

In fact, she insisted on a pose pointing to the blooms.

Groundhog Gus, move over! Hawk wants to be the new Pennsylvania mascot. I think she stands a good chance of being chosen.

Hawk went to work with me at Rebecca M Arthurs Memorial Library last Thursday, and was she ever impressed with all the books. If only she could read!

Anyway, most of the librarians were wearing glasses, and Hawk kept saying maybe she could learn to read if only she could see better. Some of my co-workers just rolled their eyes, but you know what? If Hawk wants glasses, Hawk shall have glasses.

I made them with a green chenille stem AKA pipe-cleaner:

She assisted me in my computer work by watching me type and periodically asking if there was any birdseed for a snack.

Then we looked around and found some books about birds:

No, we did not find any books about ostriches. Of course, there is always inter-library loan!

Hawk says "Read and get smart!"

Nesting

The swap coordinator challenged everyone to post a picture of their Traveling Little Visitor with our state flower, tree, flag, animal, or whatever. I figured it wouldn't be too hard to find the state tree -- the eastern hemlock. Hmm...

But in the process, at the foot of a big old pine tree, Hawk spied this nest, nestled on the ground among wildflowers:

She insisted on having her picture taken among the natural PA treasures, because we need help identifying the wildflowers and the nest. Please leave a comment if you know the name of this wildflower, or what kind of bird made this nest.

Hawk says, "Hank uin vans." (Translation: Thank you in advance.)

UPDATE: A kind soul told me that this is Canada Mayflower. It's quite pretty, with its shiny leaves and delicate white blossoms. Still no word about the nest, though.