Cool beans...

As the sun moves north, I get a great view of the old oak tree to the east of our place. The skies have offered up a few nice sunrises this week.

 

Other projects I have going on are fun and playful.

This Steampunk Character Minifig is one that I've been pining for! So many possibilities for portraits and cool dioramas I can make from junk stuff!

I actually made Digital Backgrounds for this guy...Cog and his dog Gear. 

Oh I do so LOVE Steampunk! If I could dress like that and just walk around our little town, I'd be happy for the stares. 

In fact, I'm looking at getting some tiny craft Steampunk gears to make a diorama of my own for just this character!

Next we have Boooo! How on earth did anyone know that I also secretly coveted this crazy blue monster???

I had even imagined how I'd photograph him in an eerie way.

In the early afternoon I took a break from indoor things to do outdoor things and take Charlie into the valley to see if we could find a skunk cabbage or a Marsh Marigold.

We were 'skunked' on the skunk cabbage, but the Big Spring had a few Marsh Marigolds popping up!

At the start of February, I went to a large dry run that was filled with ice from a small spring. The dry run is a 1/4 of a mile long and filled with boulders and rocks.

In the winter the ice forms in the run and actually covers up the boulders.

The layers of ice formed over the winter are too many to count!

Meltwater has created a canyon in the thick ice.

In this spot I measured the ice. It was up to my hips which is well over three feet thick. I just cannot wrap my mind around the power of ice and the power of water. Nature is simply amazing. I'm almost sorry to see winter go because the ice will leave and I'll have to wait again for cold weather to enjoy it.

Once spring really starts I will enjoy hunting each wildflower in the forest.

Until then I will continue to await the appearance of the skunk cabbage flower. It is quite an unusual flower and generally shows itself in late March and early April.

Meanwhile, my partner in 'crime' is assisting me in some Lego Therapy.

And I am thinking up new ways of presenting Legos. The dirt pictured below is simply dried used coffee grounds.

"Our birds may be small compared to you guys, but they have magical powers too!"

I have these awesome Aarakocra Rangers now who may join with Princess Sara in her quest to save the Magical Dragon Egg from the Rock Monsters...

Yep. Good versus Evil. Who can resist a story like that?

I'm still working on a couple of more 'scenes' for the other minfigs I received as a Happy Up Day Gift!

Stunned...

 Below is a place we call PeeWee's Dump. I thought it would be a great place to explore with some of my characters. 

Yeah...
that didn't work out well....

That gaping hole in the earth that is surrounded by metal, plastic, old bottles and shredded unidentifiable things made Charlie very nervous.
It is a perfect place for 'possum and perhaps other critters to hang out. 

However, it is close to home and it is a perfect spot for some toy shots that would include the MiniBots and perhaps some evil Lego characters or other nefarious toys.

I've used the partial milk can more than once in some photo 'shoots'. Getting to this spot in the summer is really difficult because of the brush. I always seem attracted to junk piles when the forest is resting itself..

Last January I fell in love with this spot.

Well, that was a wash, so I moved on and followed Charlie down the gravel road.

That lead me to these shots...

I had a productive walk. I went in by the fire number for this land and discovered another tennis shoe, barbed wire, bent t-posts, and a rusted bucket. 

I couldn't help but investigate the possibilities of the rusted bucket.

The day was heavily overcast and rather dull looking, but the air was fresh and felt nice. We walked out onto the cropland and looked over the ridge. I hope Linda [the farmer that rents this land] will plant soybeans on this field this spring. It is easier to enjoy all year long when walking out to watch the sun come up.

When I got home I was floored by more dreadful news. 

Who let Musk into the Treasury and what are they stealing? This should strike fear into everyone.

Another spot I've followed ....

...through the years.

I went hiking on PeeWee's. The large tract of land next 'door' on Saturday. I wanted to check out one of the first ice formations I discovered.

The hike to there is done through two valleys and a ridge and across a large field that used to be pasture for cattle. It is now cropland that is rented out.

The hike to this spot is 1.5 miles. To get an idea of how remote this spot is...

well there are no houses or roads anywhere nearby or within sight. 

The guys that inherited this land call the area below this dry run... The Lost Valley. 
The valley is very remote. It is steep and narrow. More on that in another post.

This is another favorite spot of mine. It starts at the top of the ridge and drops about 150 or so feet down into the Lost Valley.

I've followed this spot over the years ever since I've discovered it. 

Some years this part of the dry run gets an ice sheet over the opening of the rock shelter. Racoons, love to use the 'cave' as shelter in the winter.

This black and white shot is from 2019 when I was brave enough to take a rope and climb down into the gully.

Close up to the jaws of ice...

2011 another time I climbed down into the gully. I couldn't climb out of the dry run so I had to scramble over boulders and ice to follow the dry run to where it emptied into the stream below.

[The reason I now take a rope if I am going over the side.]

And when spring arrives...the ice loses its beauty.

I shot this shot last year leaning against the same tree as I did for the second photo.

This next shot was taken in November of 2001.

I climbed up the dry run from the creek in the valley wondering where it went. I had a Pentax K1000 with a broken light meter but I was able to guess at the exposure.

This shot may have been the very beginning of my love for Ice Caves, Falls, and Ice Formations.

If we get moisture in the form of snow and rain, this may develop into a more spectacular ice formation by late February or early March. 

The hike took me to the west side of this ridge and a newer ice falls. During the huge and devastating flash floods of 2016 and 2018, the small dry run turned into a huge ravine.

To my utter amazement and delight, this too had ice formations. I'll have to check out a safe way to get down into the area, but color me happy to find more ice.

The edges of this dry run in the spring have the most amazing spring flowers. I also visit this area in the spring to see all the Hepatica, Trillium, Skunk Cabbage, Spring Beauties, and more.

It was a long and satisfying hike. The ice falls/caves are doing well but need more moisture!

Well that was something!

Three days ago, I found myself seated on the rocks at the bottom of my creek, creating a 'space' story against an 'interesting' backdrop. 

The creek bottom was my chosen spot, thanks to its cool rocks and mosses. I like this spot and use it often. I gives me a chance to get away from the house and enjoy some peace and quiet in the forest.
For the past 28 years, this area had water flowing through it. Not deep, just a few inches of water flowing over the rocks.

Now?

Anyway, I was literally able to sit on the rocks and arrange my setup in a dry section. Recent rains have cleared many weeds and rocks from the creek's bed.

24 hours later, the scene had changed.

And then, another day passed...

A boulder was moved along with several logs. It was the result of 3 inches of rain for the day's total along with one downpour that dropped an inch and a half in less than 45 minutes.

Yet, the rain performed its intended role in the Dry Runs. It cascaded through the boulders and 'washed' into the creek.

We call this event:  A Gully Washer

The heavy rain sweeps out the dry runs of old leaves and debris, also cleansing the creek beds.

I can't wait to return and discover the creek's new appearance once the water recedes. Observing the valley's subtle transformations over the past 28 years has been remarkable and it feels like Mother Nature puts on a show just for me. 
[not one other human aside from myself explores this region]

I presume the township will also have considerable work, given the damage the rain caused to our gravel roads. 

Welcome to the start of a new week.

November ~ Rocks & Trolls

So, I have claimed to dislike November and sometimes I certainly do. The fading colors of October can be brilliant with the oaks showing off their colors.

I headed out with Charlie to grab another SD card and to wander about. I'd set hubby up with another football game from years past and had some time to spend in the fresh air.

I was cold when I stepped outside. The winds were WNWish. When I walked across the meadow out back, the winds cut right through my jacket.
Charlie ran ahead darting this way and that smelling where deer or other critters have traveled.

I only brought my pocket camera. I didn't have a plan in mind or a real destination either. I figured it would come to me eventually.

Neighbor's Land to the east of us. Nearly one square mile of woods, valleys and brush. One of the most remote spots in our county.

All trails are shared by all the wildlife around.

No wonder Charlie's nose is SO busy!

I decided to just follow Charlie as he took a different path from the creek to the backside of our acreage. 

I dropped down, slid down a critter trail into the dry run on east end. It is one of the more amazing places we have on our land. Huge boulders seem to have been tossed into the run. Massive trees grow on each side of this ravine.

Most of the time it is dry as the name implies. During flash floods and winter melts, it roars with water and washes rocks, logs, and leaves to the creek below.

View of an oak tree roots from above the dry run.

View of the same oak tree from the bottom of the dry run.

How on earth does this tree stay there? Erosion will topple it eventually.

We have two dry runs which catch the water overflow from the ridge above during storms and direct the water to the creek below. 

During the summer, it is nearly impossible to explore these areas. 

In the fall, winter, and spring, however, it is like entering every child's dream. It is deep, it is quiet, and it begs to be a fort or a play space.

It is out of the harsh winds of winter. It has nooks and crannies. 

With a bit of imagination

this could be a place 

where Trolls and

Dragons live?

I also like looking for unusual rocks while I am in the creek area. I can usually find neat iron concretions after a good flash flood.

I didn't expect to see this though. 

Our rocks are rough and not like those found elsewhere in our state. I stepped over this rock and glanced down. A fossil! I have no idea how old it could be or how it was formed.

I guess I could spend more time hunting our dry runs for interesting things.

Dragons

Trolls

Fossils

Lichen

Mosses

and

cool rocks.

As November progresses and winter arrives, it is time to go back to searching for those other things that interest me. Lichen, moss, and rocks.