The old table - stand

I decided to work on Rich's old night stand that he'd had for years. It is a simple piece of furniture with nicks, scars, and chips on it. The top of the table is a nightmare of circles, scrapes, scratches, and water damage from his CPAP.

I find it actually quite charming and a good reminder of what we have gone through for so many years. The top will be preserved like this with scars, scrapes, scratches, nail holes and layers of dark old varnish finishes that had been used over the years. 

The water marks from the CPAP will remain as it gives the top a certain charm.

Gnarly. Just like my pet name for Rich.

Below is the table before I started work on it. It is a simple piece that he purchased at auction years ago. I rescued it from storage in the garage where it had gotten wet and muddy. I'd cleaned it up and offered to paint it then. Rich said no, it was just a crude piece of furniture he'd picked up and it wasn't worth the effort. He said it would serve his purpose as a CPAP holder.

I didn't want to toss this table with so much character and history. So I decided to paint it.

It will take more than a coat or two. But the top will stay the same with a coat of acrylic on it's surface to preserve the scars.

I can hear Rich telling me that it is not worth my time and effort and that I can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

But here it is. A fun little project to keep me busy. I'm not sure I like the feel of the chalk paint after it has dried, but I can deal with that in a top coat to seal it. I do like the soft pastel colors though.

The table will end up resting at the end of the new cabinets I built for storage. I'm using one of the cabinets for organizing my craft supplies. 

I have my eye on the next two paint projects to keep me busy through the next dark months when I may be stuck inside with poor weather.

I'll start work on the first chair pictured here soon and leave the other one until after Christmas when I use it as the Christmas Tree Chair.

In the mean time while paint was drying, Charlie and I took a nice hike. Life in the fast lane sure is exciting.

 

Myrick Park - LaCrosse

I haven't been back to Myrick Park in over 10 years. The last time I was there was probably 2010. So I decided to make the short trip from the Craft Store to the City Park.

One would not think of a marsh land park in a city as a place that would be popular. But Myrick Park is extremely popular for the students of the University of LaCrosse to take walks in and for members of the public to have picnics in.

On any day the park is busy with moms and kids, business folks having lunch, students and teachers taking a walk, or the general public bicycling on trails. 

The LaCrosse River Marsh offers so much in nature to see. Birds, plants, and wildlife. On my walk I saw Herons, Muskrats, Turtles, Frogs, Snakes, Squirrels, and Raccoons. I did get a shot of the Heron when I stopped to talk with a nature photographer. I didn't bring a long lens, but I did grab a shot of him/her.

The photographer, George, was relatively new to the area but was enjoying photographing the marsh's diverse wildlife. He had a HUUUMONGOUS Monster lens that needed a tripod to sturdy it. I thought about lens envy but that left my mind quickly. I didn't want to carry anything that cumbersome.

We chatted a while and then I continued on my walk. The only irritating part of the walk was those who had speedy E-bikes that were racing up and down the main trail. I felt like I had to watch for traffic.

I turned off the main paved trail to walk out to a viewpoint. I did not have a huge zoom lens, so I missed the turtles way out on logs and of course, the muskrat sitting on a stump.

I did however get a shot of a squirrel. I know, not exciting. But hey, it was wildlife.

It is interesting to note that the marsh has a gas pipeline and other utilities running through it. I don't think it really affected the beauty of the Marsh at all. I found the power lines to be a reminder that we were in the middle of a city.

Infrared Photo

 I'd brought my IR camera along as I knew there would be great elements for infrared. Sky, water, trees, foliage, and green pond scum.

I wanted to get to the floating docks to look out over the Marsh to the east where the bluffs rise above the Marsh towards Grand Dads Bluff [another must see in LaCrosse]. 

But I had to stop and admire this giant Cottonwood. It is one of the biggest trees I've ever seen.

There are several Memorial Benches in the area and a few that are arranged in a circle to look out between the willow trees to the west.

Below is an Infrared Image I took standing at the base of the tree looking upwards.

It was at this tree that I met a father and son on little E bikes that were more like little electric motorcycles. The kid nearly ran into me as he was very wobbly. The dad stopped and we talked about the tree. He had a milk crate on the back of his bike thing. He picked up his mini collie and put him in the crate before they took off again.

I decided to be polite and keep my opinion about his wobbly kid running into pedestrians. Basically, I think some of these E bikes are totally out of control. Too much speed for a bike - walking trail.

I made it to the floating docks and looked out over the Marsh to Highway 16 which I'd just taken to get to the Marsh. Far in the distance a train had stopped on the tracks. I could hear the traffic noise in the distance over the calm waters. When the train started up again, you could hear the couplings of each train car clack clack as they engaged.

The train with the bluffs behind it.

The other end of the trail loop was closed for repair works, so I backtracked the same way I'd come. I stopped once more to ask George if he found any more interesting wildlife. He told me what he had seen and we parted ways.

The following is copied from the Myrick Park website. I know I will be going back with my BIG lens to look for wildlife and migrating birds in the spring. I'll probably go back in the winter to admire the stark marsh landscape when it is frozen.

Myrick Park was one of the earliest known parks in the City of La Crosse. This large park is a place for both relaxation and play. It features the Kid’s Coulee play area, beautiful shelters, and lets you see nature up close if you choose to hike on the marsh trails. The La Crosse River Marsh borders Myrick Park and is an excellent example of a riparian (river) wetland. Marshes usually have a greater variety of plants and animals than do grasslands or forests, and are essential for drought and flood control. The Marsh is 1,077 acres and is included in the Mississippi River Floodplain. Trails through the Marsh are accessible from Myrick Park.

Un-hinge or Re-hinged!

I .

Am .

Learning .

In January, before Rich's last catastrophic medical incident, he leaned on this lazy susan door and busted one of the hinges. It was metal fatigue so it was not all his fault.

I looked at it and decided it was TOO difficult to tackle, so I removed the door and let the stupid thing be open. 

I gave the good hinge to Step daughter and she said she'd have her son get new hinges and fix it. Well, that didn't happen through no fault of hers or grandson's.

Grandson Dennis showed me how to use and change the tips on the battery drill thingy. 

Hey. It is a tool which I consider to have a motor. And I don't get along with Motors, so I've avoided using it.

So I decided to randomly take a trip to LaCrosse which is an hour away. I ended up at a Crafty Store which I would say has LOTS of yarn! I didn't get yarn, but got some chalk paint. I wandered by the fall decoration stuff and actually purchased something to 'decorate' my house with. 

My next stop was a hardware store and the guy couldn't match the hinge exactly. However, he thought what I purchased would work. 

So here is my decoration stuff. I was pleased with my 'decorates' as the kids used to call them. I got them with 60% off so I didn't feel like I paid too much.

Besides, it makes me smile when I walk in the back door.

My next project is getting a smaller table in the eating area. One of those tables with fold down leaves?

So...

Onto the Elephant in the Kitchen.
The broken door.
[I was also painting an ancient table with chalk paint that's 

the thing laying on the floor]

So.
I carefully read the directions.
I carefully figured out that the predrilled holes from the other

hinges did not match the ones I had 

for

 these hinges.

So I changed the yellow thingy head from a screw driver

to a tiny

drill and made...

new holes....with

many curse words as 
I forgot what Dennis

had showed me.

 I then discovered that I had to take everything else apart to put things in the place I needed too.

So. I had to take things 
apart twice.
As I must be dyslexic
in reading directions.
I put the hinge
thingies in backwards.
Two hours later while 
using blocks to hold

things 

in place...

I had a Lazy Susan Door!

It could use some adjusting. But I am not worried about it.

IT works.

It only took a couple of hours and lots of redoes to get it this close.

I decided to just leave it. 

Close enough.

I imagine that if I was in a wood working business or carpentry [WHICH I am NOT!], I could have done this easily.

I was very pleased with my afternoon of pretending to know what I was doing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning up gardens that had been frosted this morning. It was a killing frost so Charlie and I got right with the program and cleaned up 3 garden cart loads.

This morning I'd met my friend who had the wedding this past Saturday at her farm. We looked at the photos I had and discussed future photo wedding plans. 

We had coffee. We had conversation. We had friendship. I must say that I have a couple of best ever friends in both Kristi and Olive. We communicate, we understand, we are empathetic, we are friends. And we take time for each other.

While I was in LaCrosse, I did take a hike in the city's park called Myric Park. I'll probably talk about it in my next post. I haven't been to Myric Park in over 10 years. I got to meet a nature photographer and a young son and dad on electric bikes.

But hey!

I got unhinged or re-hinged!

It's a wild life

Another doggy day...of sorts. I am still watching the neighbor's dogs and taking them for morning and evening walks. I took all of these shots with my cell phone. It is a Google Pixel and while it isn't too bad of a camera, I just decided to use it instead of my other one.

When walking the dogs mornings and evenings, it is easier to stuff a tiny phone into my pocket. I asked the camera to enhance the two shots. It added brilliance and colors. I think the shots are more brilliant and colorful than I saw it with my eyes. 
But I'm not going to change it. It is prettier than it was to the naked eye.

 I had a meeting at the bank with one of their financial people, got help from a teller for doing an auto deposit, got a few items from the store. Interestingly enough, I have not been shopping except for milk and cereal since the week before Rich passed away.

He was the ferocious eater in our house. Steaks and potatoes were the meals he requested for the last 6 months of his life along with many special requests. I honored all of them. Now I have frozen meat packages that I can't imagine cooking -- unless my grandkids come up and want steak with their supper.

I probably have a couple of years' worth of food stored in the freezer for myself.  My neighbor gets a CSA box throughout the growing season. CSA= Community Supported Agriculture. The box contains fresh produce each week from local home grown farms. I've had zucchini, squash, onions, peppers, tomatoes, fennel, kale, broccoli, and more stuffed in the boxes from the past two Thursdays from doing my dog sitting.

So my meals come about like this. I cut a bunch of stuff up that is fresh, toss it in a pan with some Olive Oil and sauté it. I eat it like that or make some rice to put it on. In a pinch for some protein, I grab some fresh farm eggs from Olive and mix it in with the rice and veggies.

Viola! I eat!

Anyway.......................

When I got done with my errands, I loaded my bicycle up along with Charlie's pet carrier and decided to try out the trail I'd done two weeks ago. 

Charlie did not seem excited or even happy about being stuffed in the trailer at the trail head, but he didn't whine or cry while I cycled. 

We stopped once in a while so he could get out and look around.

About 3 miles in some ladies were walking and asked if they could see my little dog. Charlie got out and charmed the heck out of them. I learned that one lady had just lost her husband a few weeks ago too. The other lady was also named Valerie, she'd just lost her doggy buddy of 14 years. We chatted on the trial about all the good things in life. 

It really lifted me up to meet them.

By the end of 7 miles, Charlie was feeling quite comfortable in his chauffeured carrier.  I did feel the extra 15 lbs of Charlie and the 15 lbs of the carrier by the time I finished the ride. Not so I'd be sore, but it was a nice workout. We'll do it again as long as I can find good flat trails. Charlie didn't even seem to mind the bumpy trail.

Views along the Pine River Bike Trail.

I will definitely come back in the spring during migration and walk this trail with my camera. I saw Kingfisher birds along with so many cool insects and dragonflies. I'll be heading to LaCrosse to get some things at a craft store and start to explore all of the nature trails that that city has to offer on Wednesday.

We ended the day with another dog walk along with packing up all the old stuff from Rich's sock/undie drawer. It made me sad to see that drawer so empty. So I filled it with my workout clothes. 

Whirl wind weekend [and it was windy too!]

So the wedding was interesting. The couple did 'hire' a cousin on her side of the family to do the wedding photos. However, the groom's parents asked me to go ahead and shoot whatever I wanted.

This first shot is the rehearsal. 

Compare it to the wedding ceremony.

I took shots from behind the pastor.  It was fun to see the couples' face as they read their vows to each other.

Afterwards, the groom came up and asked me if I wanted some shots. I took family photos for his mom in the fall of 2018 so we do have a history together.

I told him what I'd thought of in his Grandmother's shade garden that I'd worked on the past week. He was excited about taking some shots there.

Of course as I was getting another idea together, the bride's friend came up with her pocket camera and had some ideas of her own. Note---> nothing against the pocket camera she was using, it could have actually been a very high end camera.

Friend person had some great poses and ideas for the couple. I decided to assist the other photographer and learn a few things. As she posed and talked to them, I took a few shots of my own.

My shot of the kiss by the pole barn. 

Yep, I liked it best in old 'timey' black and white.

I'm an Old Photographer so....as I was helping Friend Person, I tried to hold something for her and stay out of frame. Friend Person just quipped out "Don't worry, I'll just edit you out."

I think that comment startled me quite a bit. I'm the one that learned compose, compose, compose and watch your background. I'll just edit you out. [LOL like I don't exist!]

My guess is that wedding photography these days are heavily dependent on AI assistance. I know there is a way you can drop any subject you photo into a different background...I think.

Probably my favorite shot of the day was of the Ring Bearer.

This little girl walked down the grassy isle so carefully.  I swear, she must have held her breath for the entire walk. She took her job very seriously.

What did I learn once more at a wedding as a photographer? 

The after photos with posing are very creative. I doubt I could do it.

Plus, being bossy with people to get them to pose is a trait I don't have.

AI is the new helper. 

Bridezilla's still exist. The bride's mom was a Momzilla in a black sequined dress. 

I'll stick to nature and toys. I enjoyed the candid shots. My father was a master at candid photography.

Later on, I walked back to the shady garden and watched people from a distance. I only knew the father and mother of the groom really. 

I guess that's when it hit me that... oh yes, I was now a widow. A Widow with a capitol W. 

I went home and met up with my Grandson who just returned from fishing all day with Steve.

We watched the moon come up, chatted, and the next morning we took a nice long hike to chill out.

Gone to the dogs...and whatnot

 Well, sort of.

My neighbors on the top of the hill had a family vacation planned a while ago. They felt hesitant to ask me to care for their dogs while they were gone.

I've done this for them for the past few years. Their dogs are friendly, fun, and really quite easy to get along with. I enjoy my time taking them for a walk in the mornings and the afternoons. I don't mind feeding them and spending some time with them.

This is Tiyo. They adopted him in Africa and he is a mixed breed Baesenji which is a barkless dog. He does squeak when he is really excited.

Because of his thin coat, he loves hot summers, but doesn't care too much for rainy days or cold weather. 

However, he is a thoughtful dog who is pretty reserved but friendly once he gets to know you. He and I are pretty good pals.

He squeaks when he sees me.

Rupert is the classical mixed breed dog that is impossibly happy and exuberant all of the time. He literally bounces all of the time.

I did catch a shot of him being still. He seems to suffer from quite a few allergies, but that never seems to get him down. He just goes with the flow.

The gals are still grazing in their 'winter' pasture, but have started to eat a bit of hay. Apparently weeds are tastier in the fall?

This is the view of our place from my neighbor's woods at the end of their 5 acres. You can see their fence line in the shot below. We can't see each other's houses which makes it feel pretty isolated. Any other neighbors are at least 1/2 mile away.

The Whatnot...

Well, a friend of mine whose husband was also my husband's nurse is having their son's wedding at their farm on Saturday. I volunteered donate pumpkins from my pumpkin patch as well as help clean up the gardens. 

I actually had quite a bit of fun working at their place on Thursday.

I volunteered to come back on Friday and Saturday to help with setting things up for the wedding and my friend asked me to please bring my camera. Wink-wink.

I assume the groom and bride have a photographer so I would just be the one to get behind the scene candid shots as long as I am not interfering with a paid photographer.

My Grandson, Dennis, is coming in sometime Friday afternoon so we'll have some time together. 

Saturday morning Dennis is going fishing with Rich's fishing pal, Steve at 6am. I don't know how long they will be fishing, but I can always give Dennis the location I'm at and he can join me [after he does chores!].

I am absolutely thrilled to be helping my friends with such an important day in their lives and their son's life.

I texted my grandson and told him to bring a nice set of clothes as he may end up attending a wedding Saturday evening.

My Whatnot's can sure get interesting!

Travels with Charlie....

Tuesday became an explore day. At first I was going to take Charlie in his bike trailer for a ride. Then I thought about another place nearby that I've always wanted to see. It is a small park alongside the Pine River in Richland County.

It's called Pier Natural Bridge Park. It has a little playground, a picnic shelter, and a rock formation that formed a bridge or tunnel. It has 10 acres and some interesting sights to see.

I thought it might be a nice place for us to have a late lunch.

When we first got there we tried out the long stairway to the top of the rock formation that is called a finger. It rises 60 feet above the Pine River. 

Charlie had to figure out the stairs and he did a good job. Not easy for a short legged doggy with a long back.

We walked along the half mile 'finger' and enjoyed the views through the pines.

You can't visit this place without walking through the long crack in the rocks. Charlie and I spent some time inside the 'tunnel' of rocks which had  a nice breeze whispering through it to cool off.

[Disgusting that people felt the need to add graffiti here.]

Cool breezes!

Charlie and I had a picnic lunch at one of the many picnic tables that were scattered all around. There are also benches made by a Scout Troop along the top of the rocks placed so a person can sit and enjoy the sights.

Pano of three shots stitched together from my OM-5 camera.

The Pine River is also a fairly popular little river to go kayaking on so there is a spot for taking your kayak in and out of the river in the park. 

I was actually surprised by the amount of visitors that stopped for a little bit while I was there. There was enough room that felt like we had the place to ourselves.

I think I will come back in the winter and then again in the spring to see how this place looks.

There is nothing more impressive than feeling so tiny next to a 1/2 mile finger of rock that is 60 feet tall. I took this shot of a car that pulled up and parked next to the tunnel entrance for a size comparison.

Let's just say, it was small, worth it, and scenic. Not to mention, a nice place to have a picnic and a nice little dog to accompany you.

By the way. Charlie is getting better about car rides. He used to whine and complain all of the time and now he is settling in with a lot less commentary about my driving.

I seriously adore his company.

We plan to try out the pet bike carrier this week too!