Last Saturday I spotted this stunning female Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly (Erythemis simplicicollis) during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The thorn-like projection near the tip of the abdomen that helps her to lay eggs made it immediately obvious that this was a female. The bright green coloration, distinctive black bands on her abdomen, and her green face make it almost impossible to misidentify this species.
As I was checking my blog yesterday, I came across a notice from WordPress informing me that I had started my blog 13 years ago. Wow! It’s hard to believe that I have kept this blog going for that long. According to the statistics from WordPress I have had 524,468 views of 5,417 posts since I began posting.
It is a bit of a cliché but it is absolutely true that I could not have done this without all of the support, suggestions, and encouragement. Thank you to all of you. I remember my modest expectations when I started the blog, looking simply for a place to post my wildlife and nature photographs. Over time this blog has become a kind of diary in which I have been able to express a lot of what I think and feel as I experience the beauty of the natural world. I have come to enjoy expressing myself as much in my written words as I have in my photos, reflecting on many different aspects of my life, including religion, poetry, and various artistic pursuits.
I remember deciding on the subheading for the blog some 13 years ago, calling it “My journey through photography.” Though the path has often been meandering and full of detours and distractions, that journey still continues. Once again, I thank all of you who have chosen to walk alongside me and to experience the world in part as I see it.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Congratulations Mike!
Thanks, Dan. I can’t remember when you first started reading my blog posts, but I seem to recall that you’ve been following them for a long time.
I have been. I generally read the email now, as I’ve been having so much trouble liking and commenting on blogs.
Thanks, Dan. I somehow find WordPress to be a bit less user-friendly than when I started, from my perspective as both a writer and consumer of blogs.
Well done, Mike. Congratulations.
Thanks, Michael.
Quite some achievement, Michael. Well done 👏
Well, Happy Anniversary! We, too, are grateful you chose to share your journey through nature with your wonderful photography and commentary. May we all enjoy many more years of such beauty.
You make a wonderful contribution to our (the readers) world. The photos are lovely and the musings are fun! Congratulations! Don’t stop now!?!?
You’re welcome, Mike.
Congratulations and Happy Blogversary!
Thanks so much, Laura. I particularly appreciate the way you prompt me to the see the world (and my photos) in new and artistic ways.
Congratulations! Wishing you many more years of blogging and many more photographs to come!
Thanks so much. I certainly did not expect to be doing this so long, but it has become a part of my routine and I enjoy sharing my adventures, photos, thoughts, and feelings in my blog postings.
Happy Anniversary, and best wishes for continued natural encounters!
Thanks so much for your kind words. I too look forward to new adventures in nature–I never cease to be amazed by the things that I see and encounter on my treks with my camera.
Congratulations Mike. Keep posting your beautiful pictures. They always make me smile!
Thanks, Michelle. Beauty, of course, is in the eyes of the beholder, but, of course, I am happy to hear that my photos make you smile.
You’re a champion, Mike!!!
Thanks, Liz. In many ways I like I used to feel when I ran marathons (the 42 km full ones). My sense of accomplishment came mainly from the fact that I had been able to endure, to finish the race, rather than from the amount of time that it took. We all define success by our own metrics. 🙂