Mushroom Tree

A moss covered tree trunk full of mini-shelf mushrooms on a trail at Lapham Peak in Waukesha County.

Bandits-Redux!

UPDATE! This afternoon I was able go back over to the big tree on the corner and get a closer shot of the baby raccoons with my regular camera... there are FIVE of them...(maybe more?) Be sure to double-click the photo to see the close-up of their cute little faces. :-)

[See the original posting and image of them in my 6/25/11 entry.]

Bandits

So, I'm patiently waiting my turn at the 4-way stop at the edge of our subdivision, when I casually glance out my my window at a huge knothole in an ancient box elder tree. Imagine my surprise, when I see these two little guys poke their heads out and stare back at me! (I must apologize for the poor quality of this particular image - I did not have my regular camera with me while out running errands....isn't that always the case?) I quickly pulled over and was lucky enough to get a snapshot with my cell phone before they ducked back down inside.

The odd part about this is that, even though we live in a semi-rural area, and see lots of turkeys, pheasants, ground hogs, possum, and deer, I can't recall the last time we saw a raccoon wander through the area.

SkyWatch: Like a Prayer

This photo was taken just before a recent evening thunderstorm. The cloud formation below the setting sun almost appears to be a pair of hands praying upward.

See more SkyWatch Friday images here.

Waukesha Shops

The open mall area in downtown Waukesha features lots of cute little shops. A favorite is "Coffee & Beans" for an alternative to the big java chains. :-)

Sunset at 65 mpg

A nice view of the hazy sunset as we were driving back to Pewaukee from downtown Milwaukee on Friday evening. We didn't really have spring this year in Wisconsin, but there is always 'construction' season!

See more SkyWatch Friday pix here.

Hot Stuff

Summer is officially just around the corner here in Wisconsin, but with today's temps predicted to reach into the 90's, I think we're already there. At least this potted ranunculus bloom seems to love all this hot weather.

Just Kidding

One of the many shops in downtown Waukesha is a fun spot simply called the 'Joke Shop.' A great place for Halloween and other party items, it shows an array of wares in their front window (below.)

Allo Chocolate

Every Saturday morning during the warmer months of the year Waukesha has a farmer's market. I didn't have my camera on me when we walked through this week, but afterwards we stopped by the car and I picked it up before we wandered around the shops in the old-fashioned downtown area. 'Allo Chocolate' is one of the local establishments that we visited. Trying to choose something from all their options (see below) was a difficult, yet delicious, decision. (We ultimately chose a Macadamia Nut Truffle and a Mint Meltaway.) We will be back!

Remember that the mighty oak...

...was once a nut like you. :-)

There are many giant oaks on the Ryan Road trails. The above photo shows a white oak tree (Quercus Alba) in bloom. Most people are unaware that acorns start out as clusters of little 'catkin' like flowers. To see an example of the resulting acorns in the fall, click here (acorn photo credit to 'jlkuhns').

Flood

In early April, during a visit to La Crosse, we stopped by Riverside Park on the Mississippi River. The spring snows had melted upstream and the flooding had begun. This view is looking south toward the bridge between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The flooded brick walkway below the statues of the children is normally an open path to the steamboat docking. The cement curb beyond the docking posts is part of the levee usually above water. Across the river you can see the Pettibone Island beach house has been flooded as well.

The photo below shows the same landing looking northward, where the Black River (on the right) joins the main channel of the Mississippi (on the left.)

Incoming!

There are several pairs of Sand Hill Cranes that frequent our rural neighborhood each year. This pair is fond of the fields located next to the farmette in yesterday's post. The image is a little blurry because I had to zoom in quickly once I heard their throaty, garbled warble above me as they came in for a landing. Highly entertaining birds!

You can see all SkyWatch Friday entries here.

Eggs For Sale

Up on Swan Road, right at the border of Pewaukee and Lisbon, is a refurbished farmstead. It used to be a working farm with fields of corn and soybeans and several barns with cows, chickens, goats, and even a corral with horses. The elderly couple who lived there recently moved out and sold most of their land for development. The new owners use the smaller tract that remains as more of a "gentleman's farm" with a only few horses and a coop of chickens. Just recently we noticed the "Organic Farm-Fresh Eggs" sign out front. One of these days, as time allows, we'll have to give them a try!