A day at the Track

I got a text from Olive. She is an assistant coach for Track & Field at our local High School. Since she started coaching, she hasn't really been able to do our weekly hikes.

She invited me to come and watch a huge conference meet in town. It has been since ages since I've been around any Track & Field events. so I watched some of the Field events early after I hit the Farmer's Market in town.

I couldn't find Olive in the mass of people so I took my goodies home and made sure hubby had some fresh strawberry pie. He said he was fine with me going back to town to enjoy the meet.

But the possibility of trying out 'action' shots was too fun to ignore.

These kids were defying gravity in the most amazing ways. I was fascinated.

When I got back, I found Olive's hubby with their son Aiden. Aiden saw me and came running over with a handful of dandelions. They pointed out where Olive was. She came running to the fence and expressed how happy she was I came.

I pointed to my messenger bag and said I came prepared with my camera but I needed to find a good spot to see the action. 

And then a funny thing happened. She called over the other coach and introduced me as her friend and neighbor. She followed with "Hey, she can be our official school photographer for the day!"

I was inside the fence and ready for a new challenge. I sure hoped I was up to it. 

Why not try something new and out of my comfort zone of Legos and Fungi?

I think the hurdles were the hardest to get shots of. But as more of those races happened, I started to figure out where to stand and how to follow the action. It took me a bit to be able to pick out our home team's uniforms.

As kids came in to check in with Olive, she introduced me to them. An exchange student from Russia and I chatted. Her expression didn't change a bit when I told her the last time I'd been on a track and competed for a school was in 1976. She thought for a moment and then said seriously.

But you don't look like you're of that age.

I enjoyed her company and all of the others. 

I learned to appreciate all of the effort that Olive puts into to her charges. She was in constant motion, running back and forth across the infield to encourage her runners.

Below she is encouraging a runner to really push through the finish line. She is that tiny lady with red hair and boundless energy.

The girls and boys set personal records and although I didn't keep track of who won what, I was impressed with the crowd of people supporting their teams and the young people themselves. 

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for everyone.

I have many more shots of the girls running but haven't really done anything with them yet. I may just go through and delete anything that looks awkward and then make a file and put it on an SD card for Olive to share with the kids.

If asked to do this again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Would I charge for it?

No, not at all.

The joy of being there would be payment enough.

Un Mother's Day

Don't get me wrong. I like Holidays but I don't really care for things that seem to me to be made up days.

Okay. It isn't a made up day. In the US Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's Day to be a National Holiday in 1914.
Anna Jarvis then spent years trying to abolish the Holiday because it became too commercialized. Her efforts failed and she died in 1948.

There is a lot more interesting history if you look up the History of Mother's Day. It even dates back to the Greek and Roman Era. I imagine it wasn't as commercialized as it is now. It probably included some sort of appreciation of a mom, a woman, and a fertile figure of some sort.

Now Mother's Day is a fanfare of marketing commercials. Restaurants are full on Sunday, flower shops and garden centers are mobbed. Card makers sell cards. I can recall trying to phone my mom many years ago [remember phones that you had to dial?] and getting a busy signal for the phone lines because they were overwhelmed by calls.

I let Mother's Day slide by now as my MIL is gone and I don't have to run out for cards and flowers to show my appreciation for her. I showed her my appreciation all year long by helping her out for years. Geographically we were close so it was easy to help her out. She was always grateful and kind to me. 

My own mother is alive and apparently well. She thrives on drama and I don't. Our last conversation ended quite badly as I apparently was quite busy with my husband's failing health and didn't bother to check up on her. I don't do guilt anymore and I don't try to make her happy.

She taught me well with her own mother-daughter relationship which was quite strained. Her family dynamics [big word for how everyone gets along] was and still is difficult to understand. 

Some mother - daughter relationships are toxic or difficult. That is just a fact. Our relationship has always been a bit strained and I tried so hard for many years to make her happy. 

I couldn't.

Do I love her? Of course. I have so many attributes that I have learned from her. Her incredible strength in the face of adversity. Her variety of skills are amazing. Cooking is not one I inherited. 

My husband used to ask what I wanted for Mother's Day. I would answer: Nothing. Just some time to do what I loved. Photography and Hiking, or riding.

I usually hear from my sons and that is plenty for me.

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers:

Exploring...

 

The photos above are some of what is left from the farms that used to exist on the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. In some dry runs you find car parts, tractor parts and things that the previous farmers tossed out on their farms. I have yet to find an old vehicle that still has an engine in it. I imagine recycling wasn't a thing in the 1960's and early 1970's.

149 farms were purchased to make way for a flood control project. What is not mentioned are the farms that were condemned for the project. I've heard from those whose families who were left with almost nothing for their land and homes. They are quite bitter still. The flood control project was halted in 1973.

That said, Kickapoo Valley Reserve has become a popular place for hiking, bicycling [no E-bikes allowed], trout fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and equine riding. 

In a way, it has actually benefitted the region more than the flood control project would have done. It took time, but local businesses are flourishing with the draw of the Reserve and Wildcat Mountain State Park not far away.

My reason for going was twofold. I needed some 'quiet' mental time, I wanted to look for Morels, and I had one more set of steep valleys to explore before the undergrowth got too thick.

I knocked off the Mule Trail Section 15 while I was at it. The Mule Trail joins Mule Camp also known as camp J [Mule Camp to the old timers] to old 131. From old 131 you can head off north, south or west towards Little Canada and the Ice Cave Trail.

I wanted to stay on the east side of the river. 

So I searched along the south side of the valley and enjoyed meandering along a stream that flowed into the Kickapoo.

The land varies. Pines dotted a section of the hillside, no doubt planted for harvest at some point by the original owners of the land.

The stream had a variety of trees in it. It was tangled with fallen trees and very wet.

I eventually came to this place of rocks and boulders. The north side of the valley was full of river birches and fallen boulders. 

Then I started the climb to the top.

...
I feel my boots
trying to leave the ground
I feel my heart
pumping hard.
I want to think
again of dangerous
and 
noble things.
I want to be 

frivolous and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable beautiful

and
afraid of 
nothing,

as though

I had

wings.

~Mary Oliver

I sat here and rested. It was a great place to watch the cliff swallows flying low over the wet lands and the river.

Views from the bluff.

Watching swallows.

I climbed back down and took a shot from the base of the bluff. I was standing in a wetland.

The red arrow points to where I think the 'hole in the rock is'. I guess I may have to get wet to actually walk up to it!

The bottom of the bluff where I was sitting and had lunch.

The rest of the hike was just not very interesting. I mean it was...but not like the feeling of sitting on the bluff eating an apple and having an orange.

I drove home feeling complete once again and vowing to go back to watch the river flow and the swallows fly.

Foodie? Catch up...

Spring calls for wild food. I skipped the wild ramps this year, Rich doesn't like onions that much and I have a tiny plot of chives out the back door that I can use anyway.

However, he had a taste for Morels. I hadn't been able to find any until yesterday. I found Morels and I found several places that had Oyster Mushrooms. I leave enough oysters alone so they will spore out and create more on the same log or tree.

The Morels were not huge, but I will cook them up for hubby. It is his favorite. 

I thought I'd try some Pheasant Backs too since they are so plentiful.  They can be found mainly on box elders that are dying. I read up on when to pick them and how to process them.
 

I decided to just try a few and see how they tasted.

Scrap off the spores with a spoon. And it surprisingly smells 

like

cucumber!

Then peel off the brown top...

Chop into thin slices...

One recipe called for white wine and butter. I went with another that called for dipping them in eggs and flour/seasons, then frying. 

I can fry or sauté pretty good aside from boiling water that is...

They were okay. After all, what doesn't taste good fried in butter? Not as good as Morels or Oysters though.

Meanwhile there is mowing, fencing, grooming, to do.

The toilet took a dump and died. I was impressed by the same day service from 608 Plumbing. The price was?  Well. You pay a good price for a plumber. Joe was super nice and said if we wanted him to adjust the flush, just let him know. 

I quipped, as long as the s--t goes down, I don't care about the flush!

The farrier[s] were here too. They are a father son team. All mules behaved and Lil' Richard was probably the hardest for them to do since he is only 31" tall.
One of his jobs is to keep the hill in front of the machine shed trimmed.

We had some rain overnight so I'll be out foraging again for Morels and perhaps dig up some parsnip for fresh veggies.

I did manage a trip to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve to knock off another trail section and do some exploring. More about that when I get time.

Hectic Week! I'm looking forward to 2 quiet days! Next week the Mini Split will be installed!

20 seconds of Orioles

Weekend recap

Early morning hunt for eatable's in the forest with Olive.

Olive took a shot of me takin a shot
of the twisted trees...

Olive. Just as nutty as me!

Sunday morning's fog and morning walk...

Infrared IRChrome shot.
IR picks up more light and works

well on foggy scenes. IRChrome sees green

as red.

Cherry blossoms in the fog

Dandy-lions...

Multiflora Rose

Virginia Pinks

Wild Strawberries

Pheasantback mushrooms starting... I wasn't the only one interested in them!

It was warm and humid Sunday with occasional showers but I got a lot of gardening done. I hauled buckets of dirt from the old manure pile to patch up holes in the yard. I cleaned the gardens around the house and added dirt from that old manure pile to enrich the soil.

I dumped the old dirt out of my 3 containers I have for geraniums and refreshed them with new dirt. 

The mules all walked up for a grooming and I had an assembly line going. Each one walked up to me, got curried and then I tapped them on the rear end to move them along for the next in line. 

Last but not least. The first hummingbird showed up as well as the first Oriole. 

Tweet Tweet....

Tall tails of Trails

Trail Challenge 2023 is coming along nicely. Of course a lot of my hiking is with Charlie or totally solo. 

My buddy Bill is dealing with asthma issues as well as honey-do issues. Olive has Spring Track Meets and she is coaching 5 evenings a week so she pulls double and triple duty, working full time, being a mom and a coach. However, she is enjoying it which truly matters.

I took Charlie with me to do the south end of the Hay Valley Trail which I did last summer. Time Out ~ If you want to review it...

I thought it would be neat to see the same trail in the springtime.

I brought along my infrared camera of course. I can't resist viewing the world in a different light.
These were taken with a 720nm filter.

Bridge 10 with traffic

Kickappo River

Kickapoo Backwaters

The North end of Hay Valley offers some neat places to note. One of the harder places to cross is what I dubbed 'The Swamp'. Last year it was wet, mucky, but doable by walking on logs and clumps of grass. It was rather shaded when I did it, but still noteworthy. A walking stick would have been good for some extra balance, but I'm terrible at walking with one. 
I generally set it down and have to go back for it.

Anyway. Spring brought a different view to The Swamp.

It was a bit more wet but more trees had fallen down. Over the years, hikers have place pieces of wood in strategic spots to use while crossing this spot.

All the plants that are in this photo below are Skunk Cabbage plants leafing out. The bright greens of fresh leaves and sunlight were amazing. 

Skunk Cabbage:

The next attraction was the Twin Caves. I don't know if anyone else makes up the names like I do, but it helps me remember exactly where these neat spots are.

I'd seen a hint of a rock shelter when I went through here last year. I wanted to see it in the spring before the undergrowth hid everything.

I was not disappointed as I found a trail that went right between them.

Each 'cave' or rock shelter was at least 6 or more feet tall inside. I didn't have time to hike down into them. I'll have to do that at another time. Perhaps in the winter when the water flows over the rock and forms ice walls.

The forest floor was littered with Virginia Pinks blazing away. We walked the trail rather slowly. I wanted to look at it all.

Most of the trail is part of the original trail system that existed before Kickapoo Valley Reserve took over from the Core of Engineers. Some of the trail has been re-routed to stay out of the steep gorges.

I don't find that trail extremely difficult, but this can be a long hike if you have to go back to where you started from. It was just under 5 miles when I hiked along Highway 131 to get back to where I parked.

Otherwise the distance from bridge 10 and Hay Valley to Bailout Trail is only a bit over 3.5 miles.

It took Charlie and I 2 hours and 40 minutes which included stopping often to look at things which included a trailside chat with a couple of older folks that were out hiking.

The next time I visit this trail, it may be during the fall or winter. Then I can say I've seen it in every season.

Sections 38 and 39 have been knocked off....