Just

This....


 

Getting an apple.

Flowers

 Things are really popping with colors.

Here is one of my Wild Gardens with about 25
Sunflowers.

Nasturtium..

These are my tried and true flowers...

I think I'll go with mostly these 

next year around the porch.

Bug!

Best guess?
Damselfly resting on a Blazing Star in

my east garden.

 

We've been taking evening walks and early morning walks. 

I sometimes just let the dogs lead on my land and follow them through brambles and brush.

I'm glad I did.

Ghost Pipe Plants also known as Monotropa uniflora

Another evening bonus.

Black Berries. Generally our forest isn't blessed with a lot of them. But.

This summer they are flourishing.

...and then.

As I picked them and ate them both

Charlie and Hannah had to investigate.

I handed berries to Charlie.

I handed berries to Hannah.

Hannah figured out she could pick her own.

and on the way home she hunted berries and found them in underbrush were I wouldn't have looked. 

Now we've been going out to the forest in the evenings to hunt up dessert. 

Weekend Wanderings

Yesterday morning, we went early to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. It was quite cool out still so we hoped to avoid the worst of the mosquitoes. 

August is a great time to hunt for mushrooms and odd plants on the Wintergreen Trail, especially after rains and humidity.

I think this is a Russula mushroom of some kind. Most of the ones I found were only about an inch tall. There were quite a few of them!

Here is chicken of the woods with slugs on it.

I have no idea what this is but it was inside a log and I had to use my cellphone flashlight to light it up.

Perhaps this is White Coral Fungi Jelly. It is quite rubbery feeling.

I think this is a type of Coral Fungi too, but it is still slightly different in shape and texture from the typical Coral Fungi I normally find. It seemed to be also growing from the earth which could have wood under the debris on the forest floor.

These below are the normal Coral Fungi that I am familiar with.

I have no idea what this is, but I liked how the texture appeared in the photo.

This in not a mushroom or fungi. It is actually a slime mold called Wolf's Milk.

These are not fungi, they are plants that don't have chlorophyll and go by various names. Indian Ghost Pipes are one. It was the name I learned as a kid. They actually do flower and drop seeds.

Then they turn black and whither away.

I also found Rattlesnake Plantain which has the most beautiful leaves.

It was a fun morning, we were at the Reserve before anyone else showed up and were leaving as the people started to show up around 10am. 

We found so many things to see and enjoy. 

I'll probably go back or to another similar place this week to enjoy looking for the odd things one can find along the bluffs of the Kickapoo.

The rest of the day was spent with boring yard work and getting Sunshine a pedicure. I was so busy visiting with Danny and Kristi that I never took any photos.

Oh well.

All is good. It appears that we are in for an all day rain.

Sunshine and Forest

Sunshine still likes to ride on trails.

According to an internet search 28 years old is like being 83-87 years old in human years. I hope to be in as good of shape as she is when I get to 87!

Right now she is showing off her glossy red summer coat and in a few weeks, she'll be starting to grow her winter coat.

I'm able to ride her a couple of times a week and our rides are not difficult or demanding. 

The next shot is of Sunshine's new pasture mate, Willow. Willow is half Halflinger. 

Willow is beautiful! She is also the same height as Sunshine. If I were to have a horse, it would be Willow. 

Sunshine gets along with her just fine. When Cash sees Sunshine though, he does whinny and carry on. Equine are so funny with their attachments.

Sunshine is getting a pedicure from my farrier this weekend. Kristi is going to have Danny [my farrier who learned from his dad Dan] trim her horses and probably shoe Willow on her fronts.

I decided after a busy week of doing 'stuff' and exploring, that we'd have a quiet day. How much quieter can it get than an afternoon in the forest with a good book? Nothing but birdsong and the whisper of a breeze to keep us company.

Oh. And both dogs did get up in the hammock with me while I read. I think I feel asleep in the gentlest of ways and took a short and deep nap.

We went back after supper and hung out watching for wildlife and enjoying more quiet

Apparently, they both believe they can fit in my lap at the same time.

I do live in a quiet area and do have a nice porch to sit on.

But in the forest, there are no walls and almost no cell service which eliminates the clutter of the modern world.

Happy Friday.

Went for a drive

 Oh that sounds so darned silly doesn't it? 

I went for a drive because. Well. Just because. I had a destination in mind and thought I'd take some back roads on the way just for something different to do.

My two trouble makers came along for the ride. My destination was a small State Park called Mill Bluff. Now I could have used my GPS in the vehicle to do the route but I decided to 'wing it'. 

Charlie is not a great dog to travel with. He is nervous all the time and loves to whine and whine and whine. He even gets a bit hysterical when I stop for a stop sign or he hears the turn signal going. Hannah on the other hand is mostly silent and listens if I tell her to be quiet.

When Charlie has a meltdown, she hops out of her car seat and tries to get in his. If she is not tethered she will actually get in with him. That makes for one very crowded spot. 

Charlie has been this way for 8 years. I have at times put a vibration collar on him and sometimes that helps keep him quieter. I think he actually calms down faster with Hannah as company. We are still working on that issue.

Any....way...

I got way off track while driving, but I got to see quite a bit of scenery on the narrow back roads. There were plenty of times I wanted to pull over and just take in the sights. But I was on twisted narrow roads so I just kept going.

We eventually made it to the park. 

I had intended on taking the dogs to the far side of the 'beach' for a dip, but it was crammed with people so we went straight to the Bluff Trail. [no dogs allowed anyway]

This trail of a stone stairway is steep and long. I don't know how many steps one has to take to get to the top of the bluff but it is not for the faint of heart.
One can rest along the way.

Charlie didn't find it that hard going up and we did stop a couple of times. I wanted to get some shots of the stone stairs. I stopped and tied the dogs to the railing so they wouldn't run up or down the stairs. I had to think about what might happen on that terrain if they got excited by seeing another hiker. 

We climbed 120 feet up to the top of the Bluff.

When I first read this sign I thought we were standing on the Long Bluff. What you can't tell is that the sign has been there for quite a few years. I'm supposed to be looking across the way at Long Bluff. It had been so many years since this sign was posted that the trees on this bluff have grown up hiding the view.

The sign says:
Long Bluff which is named for its shape, is one of the many bluffs found in this area. It is approximately 199 feet tall. You are standing on Mill Bluff which is approximately 120 feet tall.

A portion of land visible is an abandoned cranberry marsh. Cranberry farming is an important industry in the Warrens area.

The rest of the sign disappears into old age and water damage.

The state put up a chain link fence around the top of the bluff. I'm guessing to keep fools from trying to climb up or down its steep sides. However, you can see where those fools have gone over. 

I found the fence convenient to tie the dogs to while I took a few shots. We did meet another hiker who was from Pennsylvania. The dogs went nuts as he was a dog lover and cooed over the both of them. 

The second time we saw him, I was able to make both dogs sit in front of me while I used the magic of 'treats' to hold their attention.

At the south end of the bluff we found another old sign.

Sign: 
Volk Field Air Strip
The air filed lying east of Mill Bluff is part of the Volk Field National Guard Training Site located adjacent to the Village of Camp Douglas. 

The airplane runway you see is oriented due east to west.
It is 9000 feet long and 150 feet wide with a 1000 feet overrun on each end. It is capable of receiving and sized air craft presently made.

The farm field in the foreground has been partially drained and is used as pasture land. Most of the land in this immediate area is either very dry or wet and has marginal use for agriculture.

Once again. There is no view here but there it is. Trees grow even on the sides of bluffs.

We decided to go to the other end. 

There was a view! 

You can see for quite the distance from this spot. It is obvious that people have climbed over the viewing area fence to go out to the tip. Mill Bluff sits between WI Hwy 12 and interstate 90-94. As a kid we traveled Hwy 12 and then later the interstate to go to spend the whole summer where our grandparents lived.

We'd stopped at Castle Rock Wayside to have a lunch and a break from travelling. It isn't far from where Mill Bluff.

At the overlook there is a bench and ... this!!!

A selfie stand?

Of course, why not!

After the 'selfie', I set down the dogs on the bench so I could grab a shot at the sign behind me....but....

but...

an older lady was coming up to the overlook and she was tottering along with two walking sticks. She gave me a 'look' when I grabbed my dogs' leashes. They bounced up and down and of course wanted to go see her.

I didn't let them, but made sure we gave the woman space to enjoy what we had been looking at. I'm disappointed that I didn't get a photo of what the sign said.

However, we took the stairs down which were actually harder than going up. I used the handrail for one hand and the leashes in the other. My balance is pretty darned good, but it was a slight challenge. Charlie had a harder time going down than up. I even stepped on his tail one time.

When I got to the car I thought about the lady I'd met at top and wondered how she'd negotiate the stairs coming down.

I considered doing the interpretive trail around the bluff, but the skeeters convinced me to come back after a hard frost.

I grabbed a map/brochure and realized that the park was much bigger than I thought and had another whole section to explore. 

The Ice Age Reserve National Scientific Reserve. There is a trail that goes around 3 more formations.

Cleopatra's Needle
Devils Monument
Camels Bluff

It appears that we will have to go back this fall to check it out.

Rocks and bluffs fascinate me so I'll put this down for a return trip.

Perhaps I'll actually take a shorter way next time. The trip home was much much shorter. I let Google Maps help me.

My intentions this year were to explore more and check out many of our State Parks as day trips before I ever started any overnight trips.

Moving right along...

It was a 'week'. Charlie is feeling 100% better. He seems more chipper and brighter since his surgery. I am now thinking that the teeth had been bothering him for a while and he just didn't know how to tell me.

He wants to go on walks and he is more attentive and playful. I'm so happy! I keep reminding him that he is on light duty. 

Sunday evening I went riding with Kristi. She rode her daughter's mare, Willow.  Willow is Haflinger and pony cross. I absolutely adore Willow as does Sunshine. Sorry, I didn't get a shot of Willow.

Willow looks much like a small horse I had called Lily. 

Lily was Halflinger and Arab which meant she was small, tough, and had a go get 'em attitude. Rich rode her in team penning and I rode her trail riding and she never missed a step and had so much stamina!

Willow is Halflinger and pony cross and is the same size as Sunshine. Willow and my old horse Lily were caramel colored with flaxen flowing manes and tails. If I was to keep a horse from this point forward, I would definitely want one just like Willow.

Here is Sunshine after our ride. Yeah, I took scissors to her bridle path and did a crap job of it. I'll need to roach her mane again. 

Monday was saddle cleaning morning for me. I am pretty convinced that these saddles hold no huge value as they are not even made anymore. They weren't top of the line when I purchased them. 

The one in back is one of my favorites. It has a name on it 'El Dorado' and is a 13" seat. I've had it for 36 years. I've kept it clean and oiled. 

The one in front is a Circle Y with a 14" seat. 

I used it mainly for trail riding. I took it to the Amish for a good oiling and they really screwed up by getting oil on the suede seat. Honestly it wasn't a top notch saddle but it is 31 years old and Rich bought one to match for our wedding. I still have both saddles.

Who has wedding saddles???? 

I'm keeping Siera off from the pastures with clover and she has stopped gimping along. She and Sundance are browsing on some of the weeds and are getting hay on the side. They are not happy about being confined to this area, but it seems to be helping Siera. 

Mr. Pony is doing yard work for me. Every few weeks I graze him on this hillside next to the shed, he picks out all the delicious stuff first and then goes back and works on the grasses leaving the weeds for me to mow.

Once he finishes this section, I move him to the next. You can't see his water pan, but he has water available which is refreshed twice a day. 

If I recall right, this guy has been doing yard work for us for nearly 30 years. He eats, fertilizes, and provides us with constant laughs.

Here is Little Richard and Mr. Morris 19 years ago hanging out together. Little Richard loves the gravel driveway, he can lay down and itch his back and so many times he'll sleep on it.

He also serves as a guard pony. 

You cannot pass ... unless you pet me! Photo taken in 2009.