SkyWatch Friday: Along the Boardwalk

Another 'Flashback Friday' photo from last year about this same time, when Nik and I were taking a late spring hike along the Simmons Woods boardwalk. This year the marsh and trees are no where near as green as this picture shows them to be... but at least the sky is blue and the sun is shining!

See more SkyWatch Friday photos here.

Here Comes the Sun

The bare branches were coated in sparkling frost this morning, but thanks to bright sunshine and a clear blue sky, all that had melted by the afternoon when the temperature nearly hit 50 degrees! Hope does indeed 'spring' eternal.

Of course, we still have a half-foot of snow covering the ground, but 'this too shall pass.'

Winter Afternoon

The sun is positioned low in the southwest sky as it begins its decent over Balmer Park during a wintery January afternoon.

SkyWatch Friday: Sundown at Simmons Woods

Simmons Woods sunset with a silhouette of the old "look-out" tree.  Has a spooky, Halloween feel, doesn't it?

See all SkyWatch Friday entries here.

Theme Day - Winter Crisp Apples

It has been a great season for our apple trees this year. We have two trees: a 'Golden Delicious' and a 'Honeycrisp' - a hybrid which yields these pretty, pink-blushed tart & juicy apples; great for eating and cooking.

I'm a day late with this entry, but you can see more "pink-themed" posts for September at City Daily Photo.

SkyWatch Friday: Pewaukee Woodland Sunset

Our recent stretch of sunny days continue to melt into beautiful sunsets! This was taken near the wooded fields of an abandoned farm on Lindsay Road in Pewaukee.

See more SkyWatch Friday photos here.

Grand-Dogger

This is Harriet, my daughter's four-year old Cockapoo.  She is delightfully energetic, yet was being unusually well-behaved and patient during our photography session.  Saturday was warm and humid, and it was quite a walk down to the Washington Highlands creek, so I believe it took a little wind out of her sails.  She was just happy to rest for a while on the cool rocks along the creek before our hike home.

Red Door at the Old School

Autumn brings back memories of walking to and from good ol' Harry Spence Elementary School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, back in the 1960's. Still looks the same, except they painted the main entrance doors red!

Dinner Plates

These giant shelf mushrooms were growing on the base of a decaying tree up on the Ryan Road trails.

Couple at Sunset

In the distance you can see an older couple on a wooden pier taking in the sunset view over the Pewaukee River.

Giddy Up!

This huge mushroom was straddling the base of an old maple tree growing in our tree line. It's hard to tell if it's a single organism split in half, or if it's two separate mushrooms grown together, but it was nearly 2 feet across! Dryad was a wood nymph in ancient Greek mythology, and so this fungus is called a "Dryad's Saddle" because they often have the appearance of a large saddle. They are also related to the "Pheasant's Back" mushroom, which I've posted here as well. Below is a photo of the creamy white spongy bottom of the Dryad, which almost has the look of a slice of bread.

Quoth the Raven, Nevermore

I was greeted by 3 large black ravens perched above my car in our parking lot at work the other day, and they were making quite a racket! Their endless chatter did sound at times like specific words.  To fit in with today's image, below are a few verses from an abridged version of Edgar Allan Poe's  poem of love and loss, "The Raven."

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door —

Only this, and nothing more."

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;

But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!" —

Merely this, and nothing more.

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,

In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;

But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door —

Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door —

Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.

Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,

Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore —

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

(The complete version can be read here.)

In Like a Lion

Ok - technically this was March 2nd, but the snows came overnight and made our rural community a winter wonderland! However, today's near 60 degree temps melted just about all of it. Let's hope that March's weather continues to be gentle as a lamb. :-)

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.

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').

Hickory Blossom

These amazing "blooms" are often overlooked because most people aren't aware that the hickory tree "leaf fronds" blossom out in such a beautiful manner.

Nanking Cherry

Our old neighbors back in Wauwatosa gave us a little Nanking cherry tree seedling (Prunus Tomentosa) a year after we moved out to Pewaukee. I dutifully planted it back in our tree line and tended to it for the first few years, only to see it mown over by the subdivision groundskeepers. Heartbroken, I nursed the little stalk - which still had a few leaves - back to life, and put a small barrier of chicken wire around it. Surely that would deter the mowers. Nope! The next year we found the wire bent and twisted in the tree line and the little tree was completely gone! We sadly admitted defeat and soon forgot about it.

Last summer while cleaning out some brush in the tree line, I noticed a small bush near the edge that was overgrown with tall grass. A closer peak revealed that it was covered in tiny cherries. The Nanking had survived after all! Apparently over the past few years, the mowers had changed their boundaries just enough for the little tree to come back to life, yet still be hidden by other wild plants. We cleared it out a bit and put another, larger protection barrier around the slim trunk, and this year it's flowering beautifully. Can hardly wait for the cherries of summer!

The Sky is Alive

In early April we spent 5 days in Savannah, Georgia. The historic district boasts amazing classic architecture and dozens of beautiful park squares. One of the most dramatic sites in the area are the huge "live oak" trees, hanging with wispy Spanish moss. This tree sprawled nearly across the whole park.

An aside: We are still waiting for our trees to bud out here....[Impatiently folding arms & tapping foot!]