Places less traveled ...

Below, Charlie stands in a wide expanse of Wild Ramps aka Leeks in the forest.

The location of this place won't be shared at all. I wouldn't want JohnQPublic coming in and digging them to sell. 

These plants take 5 to 7 years to mature from seed so they are slow growing. I have some in my forest and I generally just leave them alone. Their beautiful green provides me with joy. I may dig up one or two for an addition to a meal, but rarely any more than that.

They do actually flower and have seeds. In the fall animals walk through the area knocking the spindles of seeds which spreads the plants.

The hillsides were covered in them! In a few weeks the plants will disappear under the forest brush and they will be hidden from prying eyes.

I took a back trail along the river. I came upon some Canada Geese and their new little family. 

These geese were neat to watch ... the river was swift here and I was sure hoping all turned out okay for them in the end.

22 seconds of cuteness!

I assume they made it safely to wherever they were headed.

Below, my fearless leader. Since he has hiked with me since he was 10 weeks old, he knows the trails I take as well as I do. He bounds forward and turns to wait. At a junction he sometimes makes a choice and sometimes I follow his choice.

I finally did get a decent shot at a Red Wind Blackbird. There were several of them hanging out by the pond where I'd met the other photographer. I backtracked on the less muddy trails to the parking area.

I got home and the boys were having a good time chatting and solving all the world problems. I must give it to Jason, he can talk about anything to anyone and he does have a lot of experience and knowledge.

I'll leave you with a couple of shots that are a bit artsy. I have a Lensbaby lens and it has taken a lot of practice to work with this 'art' lens, but I am absolutely loving the challenge.

These were taken after my 'day' off when I went out to check the pasture and enjoy some more sunshine.

PS...we survived the storm, it went past us to the north.

Respite day

I finally got the cot I ordered and set it up. It looks pretty cute where I put it. And it is handy. I have a nice light to read by and it is almost comfortable.

I ordered a more comfy cot mattress as this one is a bit thin. I can feel the supports underneath me as I sleep.

My friend Jason showed up early on Saturday morning. For him to come out, it is a 2 hour drive. I should say now...our friend as he and Rich really enjoy each other's company. The guys shooed me out the door and Charlie and I took off.

I hit the trails walking. Charlie and I stopped once to talk to a dude with an extremely impressive long lens and a shiny new tripod attached to his shiny new Canon with a huge flash on its top. He was by one of the ponds I'd been to last month that had been filled with a variety of ducks and Canada Geese. I said hello and asked if he'd seen any cool birds.

He said he'd just seen Canada Geese in the ponds. I said that he'd see turtles in the afternoon once in warmed up and perhaps he could find more birds if he took the field trail towards the river. He said he was staying on the old 131 trail so he wouldn't get lost.

I asked if he'd seen the Virginia Bluebells yet. I'd passed some walking towards him. He said no, they weren't up yet. 

He commented that it was a nice sunny day. I commented that my favorite days were slightly overcast as the sky became a softbox.

He asked me what a softbox was and then he shrugged and said "I'm new at this." I directed him towards where I'd seen the Bluebells and the Virginia Beauties next to the trail and bid him good luck.

Charlie and I were headed for a deep narrow valley to look specifically for wildflowers.

We were not disappointed. This valley has a tiny creek running through it. It is perfect for producing massive growths of Skunk Cabbage plants.

Once we made it to the south facing rocky hillsides, we found Virginia Beauties everywhere and a huge area [s] of Dutchman Breeches. 

I was literally in heaven. 

As always, my sidekick and photography assistant helped me out...

I didn't care, I was in a huge patch of these beauties.
Ever try to walk through a huge patch of wildflowers and not step on one?

Before I left this valley I found Blood Root, Dutchman's Breeches, Skunk Cabbage, and Virginia Beauties and a plant I hadn't found before. 

Here is a Cutleaf Toothwort. Now there is an odd name. I saw large patches of this on what used to be a county road over 55 years ago. The road is gone, but these plants grow all over the place.

My regret is that I won't see them flower, but will add their location to my list of places to see next year...I hope.

[cell phone shot]

I may or may not get to see the Trout Lilys flower this year, but I did get to see some buds. I think they are some of the most beautiful little flowers.

After explored this valley, I climbed the bluff and went to the pine forest on top to explore. I'll save that for another day I think.

Hopefully this monster storm will leave us intact. I have a few things to take care of to prepare for it. The Hospice Team called today [Sunday] to see if we were prepared for bad weather with all the meds and O2 tanks in case the power went out. She assured us that we could call their number if we needed any assistance at all and they'd send someone to help.

I assured her that we had a plan and I was dealing with that at the moment by moving the things we could need into the basement along with a way to get my husband down the stairs and back up the stairs safely.

Ephemeral & birds

I was going to try to pick a favorite spring Ephemeral and I can't. 

They all are.

The Meadow Anenome is a delightful little white flower and in Tainter Land, they are abundant on the DNR land next to Tainter Creek.

In 'Tainter Land' there are 4 roads which are all in this crazy narrow valley. Tainter East, Tainter West, Tainter Hollow, and Tainter Road.

Tainter Land is infamous for its steep valley walls and narrow valleys, it floods often. It is wild and it is ruled by Tainter Creek which is sought after by Trout Fisherman.

I like it because I can find all the spring flowers within 500 yards of parking my car on the DNR land.

All Ephemeral flowers make their appearance and then fade away. I like to try and photograph them each year.

It's a very short drive from my house, so I can get there and back quickly. I know where the flowers come up from years of exploring the public land. I have yet to ever run into another soul while walking there.

The bees were enjoying the flowers with me.

Most of these flowers are almost 4 or 5 inches fall. I thought it would be fun to try a 'shoot through' shot. Shoot Through is a method of shooting through other plants to soften the look of your flower. It took a bit of positioning to do it.

I was so pleased to find Dutchman's Breeches near the parking entrance. Just a few feet from these flowers Trout Lilies were pushing up. I was really excited to see them.

Here is a Trout Lily from the spring of 2020 in Tainter Land --> hiding in the Meadow Anenomes. 

Last year I found them on a hike at the Reserve. 

I had some toys in my bag. I never leave home without some ...

Ned-B is such a thoughtful Droid. He gives Peazy --- PC 4C0, a flower.

While I was out checking the fence line in the meadow, I heard a racket. I used the Merlin app to ID the bird. I was surprised by the beautiful songs of the Brown Thrasher.

The lighting was really quite poor for this, but I took the shots anyway. At one point there were 4 of these birds in this birch tree.

This one flew to the nearby Hickory tree right above me.

This is the third year that I've heard these birds here [they probably have been visiting all the years I've lived here, but three years ago is the first time I paid attention to bird song]. 

I walked down into the woods to look at the fencing I had to put back up this week. I thought I saw a little bird hopping around in the brush and brambles.

And...

so...

I got a shot of it. 

It was pretty camouflaged so I circled it. Still, it is very hard to see!

I think it is a Palm Warbler.

The things you can observe when you sit quietly in the forest!

I found another plant that I'd never noticed before too. Another reason to just sit still and look around. 

Pennsylvania Sedge. Obviously a little grass I've never noticed. It blossoms also!

One more grass to add to my collection of grasses!

More rain is in store for us so that means the fungi and mushrooms may decide to make an appearance this year also.

I hope to find some Hepatica soon too. I saw a couple of Blood Roots emerging and the Virginia Beauties are anxious to show off their beauty too! 

Hello Spring, it is nice to see you.

One two three...onward

Monday Monday. Who loves Mondays? Tuesdays, Wednesdays...oh bother...I started this on Monday and it fell into Tuesday...and I landed on Wednesday...

Rain. Sunshine, repeat. That is what April showers are all about.

Moss continues to be the big attraction out in the forest. Phoebe loves macro photography and she loves mosses. Why not?

She sees mosses as delicate little flowers that no one appreciates.

She really enjoys seeing the small world through the camera lens.

But I think she should be more aware of her surroundings, don't you?

While I was out on Sunday morning, I found a dandelion! Actually I found two of them just starting in the pasture. They were pretty small.

Since I had my macro lens on, I thought I'd even get closer. I don't mind laying down in the dirt and grass. This is one of the reasons I wear coveralls.

Closer....
I chose black and white to accent the curly parts of the flower that carry pollen. There are cool names for these but I would never remember them.

Even...

closer!

I felt like this was pretty interesting. Most folks don't give a dandelion a second thought. Photographers love dandelions though. They go through so many changes quickly and there is an easy access to them as they are found everywhere.

My yard pony loves the dandelion flowers. If I stake him out where the dandy's grow, he carefully walks around and eats all the blossoms first.

Apparently, he thinks they are delicacies.

I ordered my cot for the living room. It arrives on Friday. I decided to get a new blanket and dress up that part of the living room with new curtains. Me oh my! I got a matching blanket and curtains! How special am I? 

The cot is easy to fold up and move. I did want one for watching the stars from the porch, so it will have more than one purpose. It may even become a 'guest' cot at some point.

Here is a shot of the curtains along with the blanket draped over the old Captain's Chair I need to find a place for...

Bear approved of it. The window behind the chair will have matching curtains also. It will be my 'open' concept sleeping area and I suppose could double as a 'seating' area [since I always have so many people visiting!].

and then Tuesday went right by and suddenly I woke up Wednesday....

Yesterday, was farrier day with Danny. This shot is from 9 years ago when Danny started working on our animals under the close eye of his dad, Dan. Danny has become an incredible farrier and blacksmith. He carries his portable blacksmith shop in a specialized trailer he had built. 

I don't have any photos of him from yesterday. I was busy chatting and holding the mules.

Before supper, I took a few minutes to trot out to the woods to see if I could find any Virginia Spring Beauties.

They are just barely popping in my woods. 

I even found a Mayflower! It isn't very tall yet, I stuck a Lego Gator and his toy bunny along side. The Mayflower was about 2 inches tall.

So I am closing this out and heading into Wednesday.

Moving right along...

Mr. Pony is shedding! My little self propelled lawn mower got a good curry Saturday. In one hand I had the curry and in the other I had a shedding blade.

I hope the birds find his piles of hair. 

The weather for Sunday afternoon has promised us heavy rain and lots of it.

Up to 2 inches or more are expected.

I did get out in the morning to explore the valley and the creek for a little bit while Rich was busy watching a program.

The rain that was coming would keep me indoors for the rest of today and most of tomorrow.

I set my watch. I know how long it takes me to get to a few spots that I want to check out and get back home before he needs me for something.

I admit it. I'd rather wander with free will. But life doesn't always allow it.
Other chores around the house will wait for when the rain descends on us.

Mr. Chipmunk [Chippy] had a great time this morning checking out my daffodils. 

Isn't he cute? 

I washed and dried him and he came out looking just great. I'll add him to my collection of Stuffies. I do have my eye on the Prairie Dog I saw at one of the resale shops. He'd go great with my Chippie and Beaver!

I did some studies of lichen, mosses, and ducks Sunday morning.

I think it is Acarospora strigata lichen. I'd call it scaly white lichen on a log. I didn't find a common name for it, but still the macro shot is sort of abstract in a way.

My favorite green stuff found with mosses? Simply this: Snakeskin Liverwort.
I think that is a fun name for a Liverwort.

It has a Scientific name if you are interested. Conocephalum salebrosum.

Folklore says it is good for warding off evil spirits and brings good luck.

I just love the incredible texture it has on the small leaves.

I got to the creek and couldn't resist pulling these little ones out of my bag.

Go ahead and laugh. I'll never have my ducks in a row figuratively. But I can try.

I was careful and checked my time. I had some shots in mind and set them up quickly. I grabbed my stuff and dumped it in my backpack to head home.

Halfway home, I stopped by a little rock that had moss on it. The day was overcast which is like having the whole forest in a huge softbox.

I put my little 30mm macro lens on the camera and enjoyed a few minutes of 'close ups'.

One takes what conditions the weather gives you for photography. I like slightly overcast days much better than bright sunny ones [unless I am shooting Infrared, then bright sunny middays are perfect].

Now onto Monday's duties. We had an inch and 3/4 of rain last night. I expect my equine will be a bit muddy today.

Visit and experimenting

Ariel, our oldest grand daughter came for a visit. She arrived on Thursday just after Grandpa finished up with his Hospice Nurse and his Home Health Aide. He was like a little kid in a candy shop. He was excited and beyond happy. 

Thursday night and early Friday morning there was a one heck of a noisy thunderstorm. The lightening shook the house a few times and the storms just kept coming through 8AM.

I grabbed this shot while on the porch just as it was getting light. I tried a composite of the clouds and the storm, but it was too dark and I had to retreat when the winds blew the rain under the porch roof. 

The color is bit off. I had it in the mode I shoot for starry skies which is a cooler temperature. The storm was pretty exciting for a while.

The really bad stuff with huge hail went south of us. We got 1/2 inch of rain which we really needed.

I had volunteered once more to care for my neighbor's cat and two dogs through the weekend. I love their pooches. Their pets are so well behaved. 

So when the storm was all done, Ariel helped Grandpa with his coffee and breakfast while I ran up and took care of the pets.

Here is the sun breaking through the fog
from the cold rain hitting the
warm soil.
The black dog is Rupert.
He is the happiest dog I've
ever met!

 

This is Tijo. I don't know if I am spelling his name right.
He is part Basenji. He has no bark.
He does squeak though.
I adore this guy. He seems to be 

standoff-ish. But once you are

pals, you are really pals. He is so

dignified.

No goofy wagging or 
bouncing. 
Just quiet closeness.

I don't recall this cat's name, but he is really quite striking.

I think he is also a special breed of cat. My 
neighbors ended up with him

because a friend moved and
her new place didn't allow pets. 
I think this cat likes me 

now, he no longer hisses 

at me. He wraps himself

around my legs.

My buddy Rupert.

See?

He is goofy and so darned lovable.

Ariel and I went to the indoor Flea Market just a short jaunt away.

We always like to walk around and browse at the things people want to sell. It is our thing. There are two indoor Flea Markets and a Resale shop in close proximity. 

Some of the stuff was pure junk. Some stuff was interesting. Over the years I've picked up a few neat things.

This time I purchased some toy related things and Ariel got a beautiful insulated water bottle thingy for a friend of hers.

I also found a unique metal chicken for my flower garden. We decided to do the other shop on Saturday morning.

Ariel wanted to make a cake for Grandpa and cook a special dinner. Boy was it ever good!!!

Since no one slept well with the storm on Thursday night, we called it quits early and went to bed.

This morning I got up before everyone else and went out to do chores. I noticed that the morning sun looked stunning on the daffodils next to the house. 

I thought. Goodness. I wonder if I can do an in camera Double Exposure? Like Anvilcloud!

I figured out how to do it. 

This is a shot of Virginia Bluebells and a shot of blades of grass with water droplets.

We hit up the other Indoor Flea Market and then headed home in time to make lunch for Grandpa. He had cake. Why not? Life is short. Eat cake first.

Ariel got ready to leave and both Grandpa and Charlie had the longest faces. She had planned her trip to see us for two days and be home in time to go to her church on Easter morning and join her family later on.

The visit was really quite nice. Grandpa was worn out but all smiles.

Tonight he sat at the table and kept saying how much he missed her and he couldn't wait to see her again. So sweet.

Charlie is pouting on the couch.