Teddy Bear ~ Percy

"It's hot and muggy," my husband said. "It's awful out there."
I nodded and shrugged on my backpack.

Indeed it was. Hot and terribly muggy. Too hot to take a dog with me, so I stuffed a second water bottle into the side of the pack.

I really didn't need to go out hiking. I was sure the fences were okay. I'd done quick check during morning chores while it was raining and everything was working as it should have been.

We'd had about 3 1/2 inches of more rain overnight and somewhere around 3AM, I'd awakened to lightening, thunder, and the sound of heavy rain pouring down outside.

My only thought was that of Percy, the Teddy Bear, the Creek Bear. Was he high enough? I left him out of flood range, but...the sounds of the pounding rain on the steel roof left me full of doubt. Stupid me and my fun ideas of having toys sit and watch over the creek.

But really, I just couldn't help myself. I like the forest, I like the woods. I like wandering with a sense of freedom. If I don't get to wander for a few days, I begin to feel like a trapped animal and get snippy and snarky. The walls of the house are nice to keep out the weather, but dang, don't let it keep me in!

Besides, I wanted to try something I'd read about. Instead of using an ND filter to 'shoot' scenes of water, I'd try a different method. No filters. So I took my Olympus camera with the broken lens thread. I couldn't add a filter if I wanted to.

And off I went into the heat "to check on fences" of course. And...to check on Percy of course. If you haven't guessed it by now, I have an affection for toys and photographing them in nature.

I found Percy safe and sound sitting high up on the bank. I plucked him off the blue plastic chair by his ear and took him along. He was wet, soggy, and still rather muddy. I was beginning to like this Teddy Bear. He had character.

I stopped in the shade to set up a shot of the 'beach'. The new flash floods had changed the creek flow and washed away a lot of sand and silt. I noted the new face lift and liked it. Mother Nature had re-arranged the bulldozing work to her satisfaction and mine.

 3 bracketed shots merged

I took the shots and then moved on. Water dripped down my face and into my glasses. I stopped to put on a sweatband. I picked my way upstream to the middle dry run and stopped.

Water was still flowing from the ridge top above and emptying into the creek.
I set Percy down in the water flow and watched curiously as the mud from his backside rinsed off and clouded the creek.

f22 @ 1 second

The sun had disappeared under a cloud bank and I shot this without bracketing.

No matter, Percy was now wetter and heavier, but I picked him up and continued upstream. I considered setting him down and just grabbing him on the way back.
I even tried it but picked him up again.
I don't know why.

By the time I picked my way over the slippery rocks and got to the where the fence-line is supposed to be. The sun was out strong and hot. I had finished one water bottle.
I sat down on a mossy rock and decided to just sit for a bit. Water dripped off my chin and dropped onto my lap.

Oh wait. Wasn't I supposed to be checking fencing?

I pulled off my boots and socks and put my feet in the creek. I tried to sit Percy up next to me, he kept slipping sideways. Maybe he just didn't want to sit there.

I thought about checking the time on my cell phone in the backpack, but I let it be.

I decided to try the merge method of shooting the little pond and the tiny waterfalls over the rocks.

I packed up and headed back. I started in on the other water bottle and carefully picked my way back to the trail with Percy in tow.

I kept trying different spots to photograph the Teddy Bear, but none seemed to fit.
Until I got back to the rock where I'd set him a few days ago.

More rain was predicted for the overnight hours and I wasn't going to loose any sleep over a Teddy Bear, so I took Percy with me.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir

The Great Teddy Bear Rescue

So, do you remember the Thrift shop excursion I had in July with my friends?
We thought it would be funny to set my Thrifty Teddy Bears in down near the quiet little creek in a chair and see what occurred when wildlife walked by.

And we got some interesting results.

Alas.

The rain was predicted to go north and I'd been down to see the bears and the creepy doll we'd set up in the chairs that afternoon.

Then the storm shifted and ...

I kicked myself for not anticipating the waters and had left the toys on their own...

After the waters receded from our creek, I decided to take Dixie for a look see.
Most of the main roads in our area were closed because of high water anyway so I really couldn't go anywhere really.
Hiking seemed like a good idea.

Below is what the area looked like after the waters went through. I am shooting towards the top where I had stood the day before looking down.

Dixie was more than willing to go on an adventure.
I left Charlie at home because I didn't know how much mud, sticks, logs, and other items I'd have to climb over.

Dixie is a great hiker, she never goes far and I never have to wonder where she is off too.

This spot was choked with Jewel Weed and other plants just a few days before.

So on we went.

The water had laid down all of the tall grasses as it swept through the area. The creek changes with each flash flood. Sometimes the changes are large and sometimes very minimal.

This wasn't the worst flood, but it did change things drastically. Maybe not to the casual observer, but I have hike this route for 20 plus years and know each boulder, rock, and formation by heart.

This rock is gone...or it is covered...or turned over...but I miss 'him' I called it Old Man Rock.

A sandy 'beach' is new by the place where we have the Ice Wall each winter.

This was filled with so many rocks it was difficult to walk over...

Dixie and I kept our eyes peeled. Well, Dixie's nose was working over time. Both of us smelled a dead animal somewhere close by.

I spotted something that didn't look like sticks...

I saw the blue ribbon and was rather surprised.

I wonder if the Teddy Bear was as relieved as I was!

Actually I'd figured that I'd never find him/her in this long valley. I picked it up by the ear and kept heading downstream.
I found the Beach Chair just a bit further down. It seemed unharmed but stuck under a log.

I'd wait for the Gang to show up to help me dig it out.

Just prior to getting to the snowmobile trail, I saw a spot of blue. And I thought that NO way could this plastic chair be in one piece.

However.

It was. I plopped the Teddy Bear down on the chair and turned to leave. Dixie and I were going to walk to the end of the valley and I'd pick the chair and the bear up on my way back.

I don't think the Teddy Bear was too happy about that.

We found the snowmobile crossing. Hmm. They may have to re route this year.
I'm standing in the spot where the culvert is. I am about 5 feet below the crossing.

I found the culvert downstream.

Dixie and I walked alongside the creek and kept our eyes peeled.
We didn't find the other bear nor did we find the creepy looking doll.

We did find bottles, part of a plate, part of a bread wrapper, some dead trout, and a lighter.
Odd the things that show up after a flash flood.

We headed back home where I gave the Teddy Bear a nice bath in the creek.

I set him high on the bank in the sun to dry.

Smart Bear.

Do not sit in the creek or right on the edge ... even in a dry season!

After the Rains

After the rain yesterday morning, I walked out with Charlie onto the wet grass and surveyed the damage to the driveway. More wash outs.

Mental note. If Rich doesn't call Jeff in the next few days, I will stop by or call his farm and ask him to stop by. For some reason Rich has put off calling Jeff for months. Jeff was the fellow who reconstructed our driveway in 2007 and then also made us a ridge road through the woods with his bulldozer.

The fog was eerie yet beautiful. Droplets of water were still hanging on everything.

I don't think Charlie was impressed much. He sniffed around in the wet grass and did dog business.

I went back to the house before the rest of the farm woke up and to get the laundry out of the dryer and fold it. I had bed sheets to change and a huge load to fold.
I knew we'd had about 3 inches of hard rain and that should have caused a minor flash flood in the creek.
After chores I wanted to explore, so I packed my sling camera bag with items I thought I'd need.
Just for fun I added two Morel Mushroom Candles so I could play a photo trick on everyone.

It actually worked. I did state on Facebook, that the Morels were not real, but the amount of people that didn't realize that was amazing.
I even titled it 'Deception of Candles' and added the character 'Creepy Baby' next to the one candle.

I have to admit, they look like the real deal unless you notice the wicks.

I did get to hike through the creek and wished I had been there when the water was high. That would have been before dawn though.
The water was still running off the hillsides and into the creek creating a muddy look with little bubbles floating on the surface.

I experimenting with some short-long exposures and found that a 4 second exposure gave streaks to the bubbles.

The sun came out and exposures got a bit trickier. So I dug around in my pack and pulled out the Infared Filter.

It didn't change the first photo much, but the second photo did as it should. Greens turned white.

These two shots were my favorites of the day.

My whole intention on going out was to see if any of the wild flowers were appearing because of the rain.
I was not disappointed.

I didn't find blood roots, but I did find what we call Spring Beauties or sometimes just Pinks.

And on the south banks of the creek, the Maidenhair Ferns were curling upwards.

Rich wasn't having a good day, so the rest of the day was spent near the house. I dug hostas out from around the pines where I am going to bury Morris. Charlie helped me and we have a lot more work to do to make things just right.

I cleaned around the east flower garden and quit about 5pm. Charlie was dirty from helping me and my poor hands hurt like the dickens.
It was a fairly good day.
Rich felt better by chore time and the thunderstorms moved back in.

Off to the VA for appointments today...

Morris on Adventures

Well I knew she was going to take me. She put on my little blue collar with the jingly tag on it.
She says it helps her keep track of me because it makes a soft jingle noise.

I prefer going nekked without a collar. But She is the boss when it comes to hiking and I will wear a collar if it pleases her highness. 

I guess she felt that it would be fun to climb down the side of a steep hill on an itty bitty skinny deer trail.
Well, I took to higher ground to survey things.

Then I jumped down and decided to guide her to the bottom where we went into what we call The Back Valley.  It is hard to get to, but always worth the visit.
So many things to smell and mark!

She was more impressed at what the wall of water did to the creek.

It made the creek brand new again. There were big expanses of water here and there, little water falls, and even a lot of sandy beaches.

However the sand revealed that many coyotes had been travelling through recently. I'm happy that She keeps an excellent eye on me.
If I smell coyotes, I hurry up and get near Her.

She got busy with Her camera and I got busy checking things out.  The water was cold and very deep in some spots. She kept calling to me any time She thought I was a bit too far from her.
Sigh. Doesn't she know I am smarter than She is? I'm just scouting around for her own safety.

We found a place where the waters flowed slowly and covered a large portion of the valley.

She found a rock pile in the middle of the waters and set up her camera. She did a lot of muttering to herself. I know She was pretty excited over the view.
To me it was just...cold water, but it felt nice after that very hot hike through all those nasty weeds.

She even got all excited about some little water running over some rocks.

Tsk, tsk.
I was busy checking the creek.

We soon headed back. She had some farm work to do. I could tell she was sad about that. If She'd had her own way I think we'd have spent hours exploring.

She told me, "Morris...blah blah blah...we'll be back." At least I think that is what she meant.

Had She said Cookie, well that I would have that gotten right away.

We headed back up the ridge and She shouldered her backpack. We headed straight for home with a slight detour through a corn field. It was meant to be a short cut, but only was sort of a short cut.
It was really hot in there.

And then when we got to the first valley I turned and headed up the other creek. 
I've been doing these hikes for years now and it is a good thing I am there to direct Her.

She stopped in the creek with a big "Hello! Look what I found!"

A stupid boot sole. She laughed and seemed quite pleased.

Apparently this boot sole has been appearing in different parts of the creek this year. Since She first found it a few years ago, it has traveled half a mile.

Nice.
But not important to me at all. It had no good smells and it was not a cookie.

I was tired when we got home and full of dirt and mud. I had to suffer a quick rinse off in the tub before I was able to curl up on Her sweatshirt and a blanket on the couch.

Oh, you think I shouldn't sleep on the couch? I like it. It is one of my favorite places to relax. I can keep an ear out for most things happening around here.

Flooding in our area

If you follow the news I imagine you've heard about the flooding in Southern MN, NE Iowa, and South Central and SW WI.

We have approximately 60 some roads closed and some of those roads are major highways. Some of the towns near the Kickapoo River have very limited ways to get in or out of town.

Townships have limited resources and apparently a limited amount of Road Closed signs.

There are mudslides, and road wash outs everywhere. Even the scenic River Road aka Hwy 35 has been closed between Prairie du Chien and Genoa. 

I drove up highway 14 from Readstown yesterday to Viroqua and I can say that I am happy that this is not my only route to to town. The roadside is cluttered with rocks, logs, trees, and busted up pieces of buildings and culverts.

Most of the folks who live along the valley near 14 have had either flooding of their homes or lost most of their driveways due to the flash flooding.

I followed the request of the Vernon County Sheriff's Department and stayed home on the 22nd. Two people have died due to the flooding and mudslides. 

Many small towns along the Kickapoo and the Pine Rivers have been affected. 
The flooding is pretty widespread in this state. From the Mississippi River to Hillsboro.

Sole Searching

Gotcha!

But I couldn't help think that when I found this sole from an old boot in the creek today.

We had flash flooding again this past week and I went down today to look around and well, ... just get a bit lost in nature after the hectic week I've had.

This 'sole' is familiar, I've seen it further up the creek in years past. So I thought it quite funny to find that it had moved with the flash flood to another area of the creek.  I think in all it has moved about 250 feet with this summer's floods.

Some things move great distances. Not this rubber sole.

I really went searching for cool fungi. Of course if you search for something, sometimes you cannot find it. So I quit looking and decided to just climb rocks in the big wash and enjoy the peace of the woods.

The little creek itself was pretty amazing. The water was so clear.

I'd seriously think about this as a wading spot to cool off if it gets hot again.

It just seems so inviting.

No, I did not bring Morris along on this little walk. We've had a pair of wolves sited near by. I'm not in fear for Morris, but if I am super distracted I don't keep track of him and ... well... I was afraid that I'd be distracted quite a bit on this little hike.

I guess I didn't want to worry about him. I'd been personally a bit stressed over a few things and wanted to do the 'chill out' thing.

That is exactly what I ended up doing. I followed the deer trail to the end of the property then decided to take the 'dry run' back down to the creek.
I took my time and didn't consult my watch.

Imagine my delight when I saw "NO Service" on my cell phone. I was happy then.

The coyotes are pretty active right now and I found quite a few of their tracks. I admire their stealth and cunning. Some farmers around here have had a lot of trouble with coyotes.
Our Dexter cattle don't seem to be intimidated by them. Especially the horned moms.
They will chase down a strange dog in their pasture and try to gore them.

[They are used to Morris...no worries there..] They are small but they are tough!

Valerie has some awesome horns, and she is not shy about using them.  That is a plus and a minus. But I'd rather her be aggressive with dogs than let them attack.

Anyway...

I went rock walking. Not really climbing, just rock walking.

The flash flooding cleaned out this section of the dry run very nicely. I spent quite a bit of time here just enjoying the sounds of the forest above me and the noise of the water still trickling down through the rocks from the ridge above me.

...Same rocks just a different camera angle.

I really liked it here and I think I spent a lot of time just sitting and daydreaming.

I eventually decided to climb the rest of the way down and head towards home.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that I'd been wandering...daydreaming...for over 3 hours.

I however did find a lot of slugs. And I found some orange colored lichen. I thought this was my prettiest find of the day.
It wasn't fungi. It was the Slug Fest.