Something Curious

In all my years on this planet, I've never really given a second thought to something like:

Grass.

I mean, grass is something that is walked on, stepped on, mowed, or waded through in the summer if you walk through a wild meadow.

I went out looking for something interesting in the morning light and found this.

It was grass that was at least 4 feet tall on the other side of the fence in the neighbor's meadow. At one time the neighbor let us use this meadow for extra pasture. We mowed it and maintained it. It has been left alone now for 7 years. 

I was surprised at how beautiful this grass appeared in my lens while I was searching for spider webs with dew drops on them.

So I took some photos of it. When it came to saving the file, I had no idea what to call the grass. So I started a search. I kept getting frustrated because I couldn't find good information regarding grasses anywhere.

So I ordered a book. Field Guide to Wisconsin Grasses.

I didn't know there were so many kinds of grasses! There are over 11 thousand species of grasses in the world.
I never thought of grass as very important.

In fact after looking at this book, I am beginning to understand that I don't know much about grass, period.

I never knew the difference between grass and sedges.

So I'm starting to muddle my way through Agrostology. I'm more or less just curious. I'll walk around and clip some tall 'grasses' or photograph them just for fun.

Grasses can be beautiful once you start looking at them without just thinking about the lawn.

I collected this variety just by walking up my driveway to the mailbox.

I have figured out what one of the grasses may be:

Rye Grass.

Here is a hint. My neighbor said he spread a mixture of Rye and something else alongside his driveway last year after we had work done on it.

I need to figure out how to use the book and become familiar with the terms it uses, but this looks to be a good learning project. 

The real test will be getting good photographs of grass in the 'field'. I'm always up to learning new things and photography challenges.

I wonder where it will lead me?

[Oh, that first photo? It just might be Orchard Grass. But I won't say it for sure. I have so much to learn!]

What a nice hike!

 

Another great hike in the books!

The two images above show how different devices record one's hiking or trekking. My MapMyWalk app said we did 8.6 miles, Candace's Google Pixel watch recorded 9.35 miles.

Who cares? It was a nice long walk/hike. 

The morning started out very foggy. I mean fog like pea soup fog! It had rained off and on all day for Saturday so I expected we'd find some soggy places.

After meeting in the parking lot, we set off. Our shoes instantly got soaked with the wet grass and we jumped or stepped over muddy puddles. I quipped that it looked like we'd get wet feet right away. And we did.

That did not dampen Candace's or her daughter's spirit. They were excited and happy to explore trails on a foggy wet morning. 

I asked her to tell me more about herself. We often meet up at the gym and have short conversations about work outs or other subjects. But a long walk is a great way to learn about someone else. 

I learned a lot about Candace and her daughter on our walk. 

Our feet got wet a few times. We were able to avoid the standing water on low spots and other times we couldn't. So we'd get wet feet and then they'd dry out again, only to get wet again. Shoes and feet wash!

The bugs actually were not as bad as I thought they might be, but bug spray was used especially while walking in the low areas next to the Kickapoo River.

The sun came out just before we were midway through our hike. The woods and nature were amazing and beautiful. 

Below---> Candace and her daughter.

We stopped around 7 miles where we found a flush of oyster mushrooms and several other tiny mushrooms growing along the trail. We peered at beautiful mosses and scenery while we had a short snack break.

When we got back to the parking lot, Candace asked if they could go again. Sure! I asked her if she wanted to do a hard hike. I had planned on my next one being a more technically difficult hike around Hanson's Rock. It involves steep hills and some careful foot placement around rocks and roots.

She and her daughter said they'd love the challenge.

During the hike, I only took my camera out twice. I didn't think of taking photos of the trail or of us. I didn't do selfies. I just enjoyed the company of others who walked with me.

What a perfect morning.

Good bye May...

That's a wrap for May 2024.

We made it one more month!

Spring did its Springing and babies were born. I saw a newly hatched Sandhill Crane! I saw leaves sprout and come out in full force!

Yesterday, after checking fences, I saw a fawn standing in the pasture staring at me. When I pulled the photos from the trail camera in the woods, I saw another fawn. They are cute little buggers aren't they?

I found 3 morel mushrooms.

I found several meals of Golden Oyster mushrooms!

We saw some amazing lights in the sky with the Aurora Borealis.

We had rain. Rain, rain...

and for the first time in a year, we had water flowing in our creek again!

Our Ridge had a new human birth! Now the little ones out number the elders on the ridge!

We mowed our yard more often in May than we did all last year.

I took a sneak peak at my 'logged' hikes/walks which are not terribly accurate because I don't always take my cell phone with me when I go check fences and whatnot. This month I had 27 miles of hikes that I actually was mindful of 'logging'.  

I enjoyed 4 great hikes. Two at Duck Egg and two at KVR. All of those hikes were meandering hikes up and down hills while searching for spring flowers.

I'm looking forward to June.

Tomorrow I am doing a long hike which I've done before a couple of times. Two ladies from the gym are joining me. So this should be very interesting.

One youngster is a nurse who visits our local nursing homes. She is easily 20 years younger than me. The other lady is closer to my age. She raises show quality sheep. We kayaked together last year on the Mississippi River.

We aren't going to try and break hiking records, but are going for fun and I'm sure the conversations will be interesting. Put three ladies together on a journey and you each learn more about each other.

Goodbye May.

Welcome June. 

Interesting Times

Interesting times

I'm just leaving that up there because yesterday afternoon I was actually glued to watching History being made.

My thought is this. I couldn't get a job with a driving infraction, or any kind of arrest or charge at my last job. Yet a criminal can run for the President?

Enough.

Meanwhile in my little succulent garden...

It looks like an invasion of Lego Aliens!

I really should get a copy of this next week:

A man of convictions....

Some Infrared Photography

 Of all the paths you take in life,

make sure some of them are dirt...

John Muir

I love all sorts of photography. Some people can play instruments, some people can sing. Others can draw or paint.

I enjoy the power of the camera's creativity. I started exploring Infrared years ago when I got a filter and stuck it on my camera.

At that time I had no idea what I was doing. The filter made everything so dark and off color. The 720nm filter I purchased created super long exposures with a black and pinkish tint to everything. I soon learned that the way to go Infrared was to have a camera modified.

I found a place where they sold a used pocket camera that was modified. I figured it wouldn't be overly expensive and I could try it out.

For the first several weeks that I had the camera, I carried it everywhere turning it on just to look at the back screen and enjoy the view of seeing everything in a different light spectrum. I didn't understand how it worked really, but it was fascinating to see green turn to white in the camera. Or greens turn blue and skies turn orange.

The Infrared works best on very sunny days with foliage. These are the times when a regular camera in our visible light spectrum doesn't work as well. Suddenly I found myself taking the pocket IR camera everywhere and trying it out on everything I could find.

I admit, shooting in a different light spectrum can be very challenging. The photos come out with a strange color to them. The photographer can choose to edit the photo or leave the strange colors in. No matter what, the photos become an experiment in magical, mystical, and artistic formats.

My first Canon ELPH shots were of everything and anything around the farm.

The grass looked like snow, the sky had some incredible depth to it. 

I read that IR photography was popular only in the spring and summer. Yet I found that I could have fun with it in the winter.
What was a boring mid afternoon photo turned into something a bit different.

Eventually I took my old Olympus camera and had it converted to 'Full Spectrum'. That meant I could use different filters for Infrared on the lens.

The most amazing thing about infrared and its different light spectrums is that sky details are more intense. The shot above was taken in the winter. The trees and some of the dead plants had a tint to them. The spectrum of light picked up clouds I could not see with the naked eye.

Last year, I sort of left my IR camera at home and didn't pick it up very much. I was really focusing on toy photography and macro photography. Besides, with our drought, everything was so dull and uninteresting.

Then this past week, the weather proved remarkable. 

Another foggy morning with sunbeams shining through the light fog. 

A storm approaching...

This was when we had a severe storm warning, with possible gusty winds and hail coming in with the front.

The last shot was done inside on a rainy day. I took a photo of a red geranium. I lit up the geranium with an Infrared Flashlight and got this beautiful ghostly blue tinted flower portrait.

Infrared Photography to me is an outlet for creative art. 
Watch out...I'm finding my groove again in IR.

I'm doing it again.

3 years ago to celebrate turning 65, I did this awesome long hike. I took Charlie with me and it was a hot hot day.

I ended up carrying him for half of the hike. That would make it about 4 miles, give or take. Charlie is 6 now and very sensitive to hot days, so this year I am not including him. I just want to walk or hike at a leisurely pace.

Map of that hike at Kickapoo Valley Reserve.

I mentioned that I was going to do this hike again while at CrossFit the other day. The nurse who was hanging on the rig next to me said: "Count me IN! I want details!" I informed her that I intended to do a Joy Hike. 
Not running, not for time, but for the simple joy of being alive.

Yes, the map shows the hike to be about 9 miles, give or take the accuracy of the MapMyHike program I used.

But if you are not in a hurry and are just out for the enjoyments of it--really, it is doable if you are mobile.

So I posted the plan on our private group of gym folks. 

No hurry. Things needed:

Water. Lots of water.
Snacks.
Good shoes.
Bug Spray.
Happy Attitude.

A refresher for those who may not have followed me 3 years ago. The Hike.

I love hiking almost more than anything else. The equipment needed:
feet, backpack of stuff, and a good attitude. 

[Maps and compasses do help]

I know not everyone can do this, but I've had folks ask me a few times to take them along hiking. Most of the trips I've done with other brave souls are 2, 3, and 4 mile hikes. 9 may seem like a lot, but it isn't if you take it at your own pace.

We'll see if I go solo or with some friends.

Recently I offered to go walking with a friend of mine. We've known each other for years. She said that she wasn't up to my speed. I answered "But I can match your speed!" Sometimes the hike is not about how hard it is or long. It is about walking and friendship in nature.

You keep me safe, I'll keep you wild.

Move the body, still the mind.

So it goes

Have you ever felt like you are going in multiple directions at once? Or do you stand in a room sure that you came in there for one thing and then discovered that you are actually going to do several things?

You pick an item up and then walk to another room to put it away and suddenly you are reorganizing a spot that you didn't intend on doing?

Oh wait? Wasn't I folding that pile of laundry that I tossed on the bed? Hmmm. Easier to throw it back in the basket and just pick out a few things I need.

If I put the battery charger away for the electric weed whacker, shouldn't I just take the battery out to the porch and start whacking away? Oops, no, I need to feed the birds.

But when I feed the birds and clean the hummingbird feeders, I get an idea of another sort.

Geeze, how does such a little dog like Charlie shed so much? A quick vacuum to catch the dog hair balls...and then another trip to the kitchen to finish what I originally started.

Wait. Wasn't I going to make a grocery list? Oh yes. I keep a pad on the table so I can add things as I come across them.

Oh darn, there goes a reminder on the phone to call in meds and another reminder to go to the gym tomorrow. Hey, wasn't I going to move the mules to another pasture?

I get out to the pasture and go back to the shed to get the scythe. How did those thistles grow up like that overnight?

Oh crap, wasn't I going to get my bike out and clean the dust off from it? The tires need air.

When my days get like that, I have to sit down and make a list of things to do and an order that they should be done.

I open the frig to grab the milk to make my cereal before the other half gets up and...oh yes...

I was going to go get milk.

So it goes....