Saturday Safari

This week I took a drive on Saturday instead of Sunday.  

I had 3 baskets to deliver for an upcoming benefit for Shelly Skow.  I needed to drop them off in Frederic.

Chocolate Lovers Longeberger Basket

Wine Lovers Basket

Tea Lovers Basket

Once I dropped those baskets off, I stopped at Gus and Lois's and dug up a bunch of perennials that Lois was wanting to get rid of.   Tiger lily, iris, and others.  On my way home, I decided to take a Saturday Safari through a new state park near Luck.  Straight Lake State Park is pretty new and not very developed but it made for a pretty drive.

Along the way I saw some of the residents.

This big snapper looks like it came straight from the black lagoon.

I would estimate about 14" across the shell.  I did not get out of the car.  I have seen these snappers lunge at people and I have heard that they can snap a broomstick with their choppers.  I did bother him/her that she moved off the road.

 Further down the road I saw this deer coming out of the woods.  I braked, grabbed my camera and looked up to see this car coming.  It was close for this deer and driver.

Yikes!

But, the driver was alert and the deer made it out of harm's way.

Safe!

 A small lake with this pair of loons was on a gravel road.

I pulled over to watch and they actually came closer to me instead of fleeing.

I was delighted.

They are a nice couple.

They were diving and floating.

It was too cloudy to get a very good shot of the red eye.

As I was watching these beauties I saw another resident of the area.

It was an a$$hole (pardon my language) behind the wheel of a pick up truck going much to fast for that road.  But not everyone appreciates this beautiful countryside and wildlife like I do I guess.

A little further along my safari I came upon an airport.

Not much congestion on this day.

The last stop of my day was at this lake.

No motorized boats are allowed.

Probably not too many of those left around 

but good to know that there is a peaceful spot not far from home.

It was a good safari, and I'll be posting photos of all my plantings in a later entry.

Life is Good.

Google Maps are up to date

I was using the navigation tool on my new phone and noticed that the satellite image of my house is from last fall.   My trees look great and that is my car next to Dad's van in the driveway.   Crazy.

Wanda Johansen
from my NoteII

Next stop on the Sunday Drive

The Wisconsin DNR in collaboration with Ducks Unlimited as well as benevolent donors, have established many wetland areas in our state to provide habitat for waterfowl, plants, songbirds and whatever else in nature benefits from undisturbed wetlands.

I happened across one of these little pieces of paradise as I made my way along my Sunday drive.

Quaderers Creek is a very pretty spot.

There was a place to park and I grabbed my lawn chair and made myself at home.  I was hearing warblers and hoped to get a photograph.  The very nice part of visiting this spot on this day is that the bugs have not yet hatched.  I am sure in a few weeks, this will be well populated with biting insects.

My stay was fruitful in that I saw a Yellow Warbler.

Yellow Warblers have a wonderful song and look so pretty among the new oak leaves.

A nice day for turtles to catch some rays.  

I'm always interested in how turtles catch any little solid surface to perch to sit in the sun.

I also saw, but was unable to get a good photo of, a Belted Kingfisher.

I hope to go back to this spot and see if I might get lucky and get a better photo, 

but for now, here is the evidence.

Belted Kingfisher sitting on duck nest box.

I was sitting where I could see the road the bridged this water flow.

While I was sitting there, a pickup truck stopped, the driver got out with a bow that had a reel on it,

and he proceeded to shoot arrows from the bow down into the water.

Bow-fishing is newly legal here in Wisconsin.

I'm new to that idea, so have not decided what I think about it, or why you would do it, or?

But I do know that I think what the WDNR has done to preserve wetlands and forests and grasslands, etc for the future, that is priceless.

Sunday Drive - Phase 2

Just over the hill from those domestic geese (if that's what they are), I pulled off onto an E/W road to check out a creek under a little bridge, seeing nothing of interest, I did the Y turn, that I am becoming quite proficient in performing, and headed back to my original route.  At the stop sign, I looked up and saw this face looking at me.  How could I resist taking her photograph?

Yes, she needs a good under-body bath, but otherwise, she's a beauty.

As I was taking her picture, I heard a strange bellowing noise coming from my right.

Dude!

This guy was making some pretty crazy noises.

It made me remember a time when I was a little girl, the neighbors had a bull staked out at the end of their driveway.  I think it was a chain attached to the ring in the nose, gulp.  I was very afraid of that bull.

One night when my parents were out, and just we kids were at home, Glenn pulled all the butcher knives out and laid them on the kitchen table to convince me that we were safe from that bull.

I always wondered what my parents thought when they came home from their evening out.

Children in bed asleep and every knife in the house laying on the kitchen table.

Anyway, back to my story.

So, Dude! from photo above, was making some noise.

I was watching him and snapping pictures when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

Here comes the herd, this one was hauling it to get closer.

The whole herd wasted no time in getting down the hill, galloping down the hill to the gathering spot.

The girls are assembled.

I'm not sure if this was all because of  Dude!'s bellowing or if they thought my car was delivering some kind of snack.  So the unanswered question remains, were they happy to see me or Dude!
Regardless, it was fun to watch.  Farm animals are just as entertaining as wild ones.

Phase 3 of my Sunday drive will be posted later.

Life is Good.

MR BEAR

I have been so pleased that the only problems I have had with bears this year was the front feeder being tipped twice, both times while I was out of town.  So, that made me be relaxed about leaving feeders out at night.  Last night was a typical night for me, awake off and on during the night.  

I would read for awhile and go back to sleep.  I heard nothing in the backyard.

This morning I got up at about 6am to close the windows and noticed that MR Bear had made a visit.

This is what I saw out my bedroom window...
So messy these bears!

At least there was no serious damage.

These stands that Dad and I built can take being tipped over.

It was a little hard on my hanging flower baskets, 

Of course, I had the trail cam going last night, so the evidence follows.

I think it is enough for a conviction.

Here he comes

Checking out the spillage.

Checking out the seed pan.
Please how about a little modesty.

Figuring it out.

Getting the better of the feeder stand.
Plants aswayin'

And the mess.

Checking out his handy work.

Leaving the scene of the crime.
Luckily, he didn't head around to the front of the house to knock that feeder over.

Tonight I took in the seed tray, hopefully he'll leave us alone.

At the very least, if he comes back, I hope it is when it is darker out or lighter out, the trail cam doesn't take a very sharp picture at the in-between part of the morning.

Out for a Sunday Drive - Part 1

I used to love Sunday drives.  Even as an adult, I would come home from Colorado and Gus would take Lois and I out for a Sunday drive to look around.  Sometimes it was to see some property he was interested in, or just to drive by a lake that was remote.  I always enjoyed the outing.

This past Sunday, I had to be in Cameron at 10:30am to pick up the left over plants from a craft/bake/plant sale at the Senior Center.  I had put my camera in the car, so once I was done there, I thought I should take a little drive.

I drove country roads out of Cameron and happened on a pond in a pasture.  I think these might be domesticated geese, but I am still researching the proper identity.

As I drove up, most of the flock / gaggle was getting out of the pond and getting serious about preening.

Several of the darker birds were really showing off.

Conducting the orchestra?

Showing off those lovely wings

Getting the necks clean?

Look at me

Did you see me?

My next stop was kind of silly, I'll write about that tomorrow.

I got ambushed, in the rain

I ambushed myself.

I had read in the Rice Lake paper about a group that was starting to meet through the Rice Lake Library called Couch to 5K.  This system of working out claims to take a person from sitting on the couch to running a 5K in 9 weeks.  I really have not big desire to get running, but I thought if I was walking on a program like this, it would be a good thing.

The newspaper said that the first 'meeting' would be Saturday, June 1st at 4pm.  I thought what harm would it be to go to the meeting.  I've slowed down on my dedication to exercise lately, so I thought this might give me a good jump start to get moving.  So, after doing a little weed whacking in the yard, making at stop at Farm and Fleet, off I went to the 'meeting'.

I knew I was in trouble when I walked into the Library and immediately heard the announcement that they were closing in a few minutes.  So, I asked about the 'meeting' for the C25K group.  Oh, they said, not to worry, as soon as the library was closed, Dawn - the C25K leader, would change her clothes & shoes and we would be off on our first 'meeting'.

Hmmm, I suspected I had ambushed myself at that moment.  Another woman, Beth, showed up for the 'meeting', she was dressed for running / walking.  I had on my walking/running shoes, but the rest of my clothes were not what I would normally wear to go walking.

So, the library closed, Dawn handed us a little piece of paper with a route marked on it and off we went to our 'meeting'.

45 minutes later, and soaked to the skin by a hard rain that started when we were at the halfway mark of our 'meeting', we adjourned back at the library.  

Today's 'meeting' agenda was supposed to be 20 minutes long:  5 minutes of brisk walking as warm up, then 60 seconds of jogging, alternating with 90 seconds of walking until it was time for a 5 minute walking cool down.  I think I needed the introduction to C25K class, maybe the class From sitting on my a$$ to getting off the couch? but I happily lived through it.  No, I didn't run all the 60 second intervals, but I ran at least part of most of them.  If I can stay motivated and stick with it, I know it will get easier.  The good news is that Beth, who is new to Rice Lake and young enough to be my daughter, is interested in a walking / running partner, so hopefully meeting up with her once or twice a week will motivate me.

I was quite a sight at the end of today's 'meeting'.  Soaked completely through my underwear, a cotton tshirt that with the weight of the water it was holding, was stretching down to my knees.  Glasses that were useless and hair looking like a drowned rat!  

After the 'meeting'.

Talk about a natural rain facial (on my whole bod!).

But, I'm going to try to stick with it, I've set up my next C25K 'meeting' for Tuesday morning to travel the same route as today, hopefully with a little less rain.

Wish me luck.
***
Up-date
Today, Tuesday, I did my first C25K workout on my own.
I didn't break any speed records, but I completed the series of walking sessions and jogging sessions, although my jogging is slower than my walking sometimes.
So, I'm planning on doing the 3rd/final workout for this week on Thursday morning.

It is a fun program to use that tells you when to walk and when to run.
It also mapped my route and documented each stage.
Laila asked me if I was going to run a marathon, of course I said NO, not to mention at this speed, it would take about 8 hours to finish.
I'll be pleased if I can run part of a 5K this summer.