About Us-Flowers, Bears and Birds

The juvenile (over 200 pound) bear actually sat in this white Tupperware water dish one day in July, he was so hot. We took pity, and found a boy's plastic car bed, sealed the screw holes, and filled it with water. It only took two days for Mr. Bear to decide to take a bath, a ritual he performs at least once a day:

Today he was a good boy and cleaned his claws during his bath (smile):

BEARS EATING

They go from the cracked deer corn pile, to the cat food, and back again

What big PAWS you have:

Carrying off a half a bagel we put out for the coons:

Occasionally stopping to scratch an itch:

Heading over to the cat food for dessert:

On the far right you can see one of the cats eating from the large dish, this is a daily occurrence. A few times the bear has playfully chased the cat, who is not alarmed but plays along:

Just for fun, he stretched high on the tree, reached around and knocked off the tree face, then sat and played with it (no damage done):

We finally figured out why the fence rail was broken, it wasn't deer jumping the fence at all!

A rare visit by two juvenile bears, not necessarily siblings. One stayed at the corn, one at the cat food, then warily changed places:

A shy deer visited the yard during the day:

Just one of many van loads full of flowers:

The tiger canna lilies are awesome that Glenn planted for the first time this year:

Note the fly on the left side that has lit on the petal:

The hibiscus "trees" we planted have bloomed phenomenally this year, even we can't believe how large and how many blooms have come out:

An interesting beetle on this hibiscus:

Our bushes bloomed in July (single & doubles), my memory of the name of these bushes escapes me (a type of myrtle?) not azaleas:

and the Crepe Myrtle bushes:

Our red "Mary Jane look-alike" plant blooms beautiful red flowers:

Hibiscus coccineus (Red Rose-Mallow) - Tall open perennial with maple-like (or Marijuana-like !) leaves and bright red 3-5 inch flowers. Stamens extend from flowers. A striking ornamental Hibiscus that grows naturally in very wet sites in the southern U.S. but is widely cultivated in any good garden soil with a sunny location. It is root hardy, especially with mulch, well north of it's Deep South native range.

We found a few strands of Spanish moss in the woods 4 years ago, transplanted it to this tree in our front yard, here are the results:

Glenn weed whipping in the gentle rain, around the dinosaurs:

Our Texas Rose (hibiscus family), the blooms are the size of dinner plates!

Below you will note Glenn enjoying the fruits of his labors, from the comfort of the swing

We peek outside each morning, wondering what new blooms have arrived.

Tiny yellow flower clusters & berries bloom in our "island" in the side yard. Note the visiting ant in the 2nd photo:

Also an incredible array of day lilies, thanks to Glenn's hard work of planting and nurturing:

And our "fall mums" blooming in July:

Beautiful bouquets of flowers in the flowerbed:

Fooled you! These ones are glass:

Wildflowers blooming in the side yard that Glenn planted earlier:

Few roses, but here were two beauties:

And a Japonica bloom from the bush beside the front porch, just one bloom fills the air with a delicious heady perfume:

A photo of a mimosa bloom from friends Bob & Laura's tree when we were there for supper:

Ok so we had a weird mushroom this day:

Our two of our herd of cats, descendants of Hairball who is with us no longer. The gray cat we call Gray Ghost is the alpha cat of the group. They are still semi-wild but enjoy regular meals thanks to Glenn:

Close up, then panning away so you can see how invisible the cat is where she is hiding:

Let's not forget the family of raccoons raised under our storage building, they, the cats and the possums eat comfortably within sight of the bears.

Our favorite Sherman's Fox squirrel, accompanied by red cardinals and blue jays makes for a pleasant view from my office window:

Glenn's June birthday, a morning surprise visit from our neighbors Craig & Lisa and family, they trooped over in their bathrobes to make us feel right at home. Cake by Craig. As good as it gets.

We won't say how old he is, but he got his first train, thanks to good friends in Virginia. A kid at heart. Nothing wrong with that.

Another gift of tree faces to make the woods a special place:

Frank & family visit each June. Here's Frank with daughter Danielle checking out the lily garden:

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? And gator? Not this toddler, she thrives in our weird home. (remember, they're just rugs but they DO still look alive).

Danielle's first real visit to the beach

Enjoying the feel of the waves

Danielle with mom, and her two brothers Josh and Noah

Dinner with our neighbors more-like-our-kids Craig & Lisa at the Brazilian restaurant experience at the Rioz in Myrtle Beach

MAY 2007

Beautiful amaryllis blooms off our back porch surprised us, we have never seen them bloom here before. We actually had four blooms on one stalk within a week:

Glenn has gone to the industrial strength/size of home-made cat feeder to take care of our "stray" critters when we are gone (cats, possums, raccoons, rabbits). Of course, now the bears think this is a major food source too, so he has had to reinforce it even more since this photo was taken:

MARCH-APRIL 2007

Cardinals and a blue jay enjoying the bird seed and water tub:

Enter our ever-humorous Sherman's Fox squirrel ("Sherman" for short)

As our smiling Tree Faces look on:

Our "stray" cats sunning themselves before their daily milk treat:

And a lone turkey has visited our yard the past few mornings:

A drive through Conway in March, just to see the early flowering of the azalea bushes, before most of them froze from an overnight cold snap:

FEBRUARY 2007

2/27/07 Lilies bloomed beautifully today!

2/20/07 Crocuses

One of Heidi's most interesting acquisitions at the Tucson Gem show this year...a hippo tusk carved (in China) into an EAR OF CORN, on a beautiful stand. Note the critters within the corn. An incredible piece.

JANUARY 2007

Here it is January 4 and we already have daffodils blooming!

DECEMBER 2006

Always a surprise, this bush near our porch blossoms in December just when color is most appreciated, even in South Carolina:

New additions to our Christmas outdoor display are two lighted polar bears (one a gift from "adopted son" Craig. Also, the leaded crystal snowflake - thank you, Frank (Glenn's brother) and wife Diane! - this beautiful piece gives a different look to the Santa outside:

And this year's Scary Santa award in 2006 goes to: GLENN:

Glenn's comment: There is something in the water in Barrow (Alaska, our trip in October). It sure made my hair grow. Heidi said at least the bears won't be a problem as they sure wouldn't want to mess with a crazy man like me.

Heidi's comment: Okay, so it's this wig he found at a store in Barrow, he scared the heck out of me (and the store clerk) trying it on at the store, now he's scared all the neighbors as well!

A new gift to ourselves of a blonde wolf skin from Alaska to add to the black wolf skin we already had. Displayed at their fighting best by Glenn and Craig, then shown "guarding" our Christmas this year:

Going to a new level, the largest Chinaberry wood carved Mako and Hammerhead sharks we've had yet! Gifts to ourselves:

The plush black bear footstool I bought for Glenn:

Our neighbor had a surprising new visitor to their pond, we identified it as a cormorant!

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2006

Bear with us, we have MORE PHOTOS THAN TIME since August. We will post them as we can!

For Heidi's 52nd birthday, her son sent 10 pints of her favorite KOPP'S FROZEN CUSTARD from Milwaukee Wisconsin, packed in dry ice. WOW, the perfect gift. It seems to be a Northern thing, the closest Custard Stand is in Wilmington NC.

But it was the dry ice it was packed in that pressed Glenn's buttons. Priceless.

Two of the five "stray" cats that Glenn nurtures, photo taken through our kitchen window onto the front porch. We can occasionally touch them when they come to eat. Guess how much they enjoy the warm sweet milk they get each night?

and 4 of them in our side woods near the cat food dish, where they like to prowl:

and snoozing on the warm blanket on our porch at night:

SEPTEMBER 2006

Our September rose

AUGUST 2006

This is what happens when you drink too much wheat grass juice:

Photo compliments of our more-than-a-neighbor, Craig, of a tree right outside my office window. Actually, this is what happens when birdseed-in-mouth meets torrential rainstorms and daily sprinkler.

Speaking of Craig, here he is on our porch with a visiting black bear in the background. Does he know it's there? You bet he does. He's trying not to draw attention to himself, does it show?

and with the sun shining on the bear's coat:

This is how close Heidi's office is to the two bears that are visiting (we've counted 5 different bears that have visited our yard)...

Magnificent, awe inspiring...

Drinking the water left for the deer

You can't see me now!

See also June (below) for photos of the BIG papa bear)

Heidi has finally begun photographing the hummingbirds that feed just outside her office window. This is a juvenile ruby throated hummingbird with a bedhead:

JULY 2006

A life-changing trip to Alaska from June 21 through July 8. Please see the Latest Travels page for details, and more to come. Below is our living room wall adorned with the fossil whale bone and ivory masks we acquired in Alaska, for a taste of what we experienced..

and a photo which includes a display case of some of the ivory and bone carvings we treasure too:

July 15th our dinner plate sized Hibiscus bloom in our yard:

Other beautiful scenes around our yard:

Our mystery flower that has come up for a 2nd year now, YES we know it LOOKS like marijuana but it's NOT. Thanks to Nancy here in South Carolina, it is identified as a Texas Rose, a member of the hibiscus family. Thanks Nancy!

JUNE 2006

An amazing photo only 10 yards from Heidi's office window, a papa black bear eating the deer's cracked corn. Wow! Okay, I admit I took the photo from between the Venetian blinds, yes I am chicken! A SMART chicken!

Our outdoor mama cat faced off with the bear, as she feared her babies were threatened (they weren't). One brave soul!

June 1 - Our Lilies (calla and day lilies do very well here)

An unexpected turkey crossing through our yard too!

FEBRUARY 2006

For those of you following our home decorating, we have now mounted this tree trunk of solid teak on our bedroom wall on a custom made oak book case (thanks to a master craftsman, thanks Bob!!) with a solid wood top to support its weight (NINE FEET long x Two feet high x 5 to 11" thick variation). It was carved in Thailand with 20 elephants, all still part of the tree trunk. We estimate its weight at 300 pounds

To accompany the elephant teak log, we purchased this two elephant head carving (also of teak) that even has EYELASHES on it, it is stunning (not for sale):

And here are updated photos of our bedroom showing the new bookcase (though at the rate we're buying books, there will be no room for displays soon, only books), the "elephant hide" microsuede chaise lounge and pole wall hanging, etc. that we have added since Christmas. The room continues to evolve into an African theme, stay tuned!

and our living "entertainment" room with our infinitely useful new end tables we had custom made, thanks to Bob Johnson, a great woodworker that lives nearby:

And Heidi's unique & colorful Rain Forest Bathroom (frogs & lizards & turtles theme) that delights the children who visit, especially, and Heidi every day:

In addition, we had a custom-built 12 x 24 foot storage building delivered just for the cameo inventory that we will be adding soon:

Update 4/17/06 (shelving & bins delivered, Glenn is installing them in the building:

4/30/06 FINISHED! We'll be bringing home the cameos NEXT WEEK:

In January, our sport camera with motion detector & flash (Walmart, Sports Department, $98), bungied to a tree, caught photos of a few of the deer herd feeding on the corn we put out, and a large mama black bear in its sights, which is right outside Heidi's office window. Yikes!

Here is a recent article about us when we had our store in Boulder City, Nevada from 1999-2001and sponsored the mural on the back wall of our shop with scenes of the Hoover Dam history (in pdf file form):

https://www.bcfree.org/4-2-4.pdf

Recently the artist brightened the colors and made a few changes, the most significant being that our landlady Bette Porter's family has now taken credit for the mural, evidenced by this addition to the mural. Sad but true.

CHRISTMAS 2005

We hope you had a peaceful and pleasant holiday season.

Here is a road sign near our house that is decorated for the holidays...

and this year's Christmas decorations, thanks to Glenn's loving labors. First is the entrance to our driveway with the Snowman and Santa sentinels, a cable of lights overhead, the fences on both sides lined with lights like an airport runway, ending in a HUGE 7 foot wreath Glenn made:

The front & side house lights, and the Christmas tree of lights from our pine tree "flagpole", the tree this year is made up of 9000 lights.

And for the first time, our Dinosaurs celebrated Christmas with us:

From our home to yours,

Glenn and Heidi Reed

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2005

For Heidi's 51'st birthday in October, we "went out on the town" to two Las Vegas style shows in Myrtle Beach

Heidi and Glenn are the proud parents of twins - one of Heidi's gifts from Glenn. These incredibly lifelike babies are lovingly made from resin with hand crocheted clothing, resin egg, mohair hair, limited edition, by Camille Allen, a talented artist in Canada. Here's her website if you wish to view more:

telus.net/camilleallen

More deer photos from the side yard as seen from Heidi's office window in October. As you can see, the triplet fawns are growing fast, under Mama's good care...and of course, the corn provided by Glenn, you can see them hock-deep in the feast!

October 5, the mums were beautiful. Here is Glenn enjoying the view from our swing, along with our "stray" cat Hairball; the flag flying proudly;

and our new family of "stray" cats living under the neighbor's porch, a mama and two babies Glenn has taken under his wing:

and again, Heidi can't resist pictures of the mushrooms:

AUGUST 2005

This shows two generations of customers that have continued to visit as customers & friends of Where on Earth. Third generation grandmom was not here for this particular visit. Kristen, Patrick and now Ryan have joined the Where on Earth "family"!

We have triplet fawns visiting our salt lick and piles of cracked corn, just 50 feet from Heidi's office window. Mama has not been seen for 2 weeks, we fear the worst:

We have a black bear visiting our neighbor's corn cob pile put out for the deer, he stands about 4-1/2" feet tall. We are on the edge of the Heritage Preserve where black bears are living. This feeding area is about 100 feet behind our dinosaurs, and in clear view of our house. Two of our neighbors and we have mounted 3 motion cameras to capture his grazing. Only this morning (Sunday 9/11), Glenn saw the big boy lumbering across our road.

Glenn put his new lawn tractor to good use, mowing both sides of our dirt road first. Can you tell?

And the new Lawn Tractor Shrine:

JUNE-JULY 2005

On July 8, this incredible eight inch hibiscus had bloomed overnight, what a sight! Notice Glenn's arm and hand to appreciate the size. And in the photo below of Glenn beside it...

APRIL-MAY 2005

A good year for roses in our back yard...

But in early April, the azalea bushes and daffodils excelled too...

also the purple irises and lavender calla lilies...

and our South Carolina was just MADE for day lilies:

THESE blooms are protected by our resident Fountain Gator...

Canna lilies flourished, though the dahlias are nowhere to be seen this year!

Our "island paradise"...

Lovely floral arrangement? Real? NOT! We slipped these silk flowers in to keep color in the yard, fun to fool the neighbors too!

MARCH '05

Our spring flowers are bursting at the seams. Glenn has planted hundreds of bulbs, even he doesn't remember where they would all turn up... crocuses

Grape Hyacinths...

Daffodils in cheerful yellows...

Even irises...

Pink tulips ...

Azaleas...

Another form of hyacinth, I believe:

We hope these bring the beauty of our South Carolina Spring to you in a special way.

Enter the flower children (or Children of the Corn?)..neighbors Craig and Lisa's children decided to pick flowers for Daddy...SO many to choose from, they had their hands full by the time we found them...

And a common sight for us is the Red Bellied Woodpecker...

And here are new flower arrangements of our own making, in silk:

and in glass:

Friends visiting from Virginia found our fossil pile in our back yard a real treasure hunt. Glenn was upset every time the boys took one of "his" teeth from the pile:

and the dinosaurs never fail to entertain our young visitors Josh and Noah:

even sitting on his arms:

and even the rhino in our neighbor's yard didn't mind a little giddi-yup:

Friends from Oregon came to visit too, and ended up with a strange Pumpkin car from National Car Rental, they took plenty of ribbing from us about it:

And a current chilly photo of Glenn and Heidi that same evening...

And our guests also enjoyed our new Christmas present to ourselves, a 60" Sony television:

JANUARY-FEBRUARY -05

Glenn has managed to lure a family of turkeys (1 tom, 4 hens) to eat the cracked corn in our yard on a regular basis, you see Heidi's view from her seat at her computer:

And of course, evidence every night of the possum visits to eat the rest of our "stray" cat's food on our porch:

we'll get a good picture of him, we just have to have the camera ready!

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