Black Walnuts grow wild in the woods in our area of southern Wisconsin. These look like three little green limes, still hanging from the branch of the tree. The bright green outer shell is soft and pithy and eventually falls open to reveal the thick, black crinkled nutshell beneath. They are best dried a bit before being used, but are smaller and more bitter than their cousin, the English Walnut. These will most likely be harvested by the local squirrels!
One of the many things I learned from my mom: overwinter your geraniums. One of the pots on our patio is still going strong with new blooms. [I love its rustic old clay pot.] After we have our first frost, which should be soon now that October is right around the corner, I will have to cut it back and take it down to the basement. I'll give it a good watering and place it under the dark stairwell along with my other geraniums until March. At that point, I'll bring them all up to the kitchen and set them in front of the patio doors. By the end of May, they will be leafed out and ready to set outside for their new life. Truly a rebirth of spring!
The fall roadside markets are in full force this season. Here is another display on Capital Drive. They're offering pumpkins, corn, gourds, squash, and apples for your autumn pleasure! Note the old fashioned tractor and wooden cut-out of a corn cob.
Or - I can't see the forest for the trees. This view shows the entrance to the woods at the Ryan Road horse farm. It's not really as dark as it appears in this photo once you are actually on the trails inside - although I wouldn't want to be lost in there on Halloween night...
The many soybean fields in the area are now starting to turn a beautiful golden color. Often times you can catch turkeys and deer grazing through the area before harvest.
The state tree of Wisconsin is the Sugar Maple. They are usually the first to turn color in the fall and this year is no different. In recent years, some of these maples are subject to a blight which makes them turn a paler color and lose their leaves early. This photo shows an example of this - where instead of a bright orange-red, they are a washed out pinkish-gold with green veins. Still very pretty against the darker green background foliage. Note, however, that the leaf stems still display the bright red color.
As we close in on autumn, the sun has been setting earlier each night. This evening during our walk at the Ryan Road trails, the sun nearly sank into the horizon before we made it to the car! We'll probably have to plan our hikes an hour or so ahead of schedule from now on.
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I was back in La Crosse for a few days again this past week. The "Pump House" herons are man-size sculptures strategically placed around town and painted in a variety of themes. There is apparently a geocaching project dedicated to them as well! This one was located in Riverside Park.
During our visit to the lakefront on Labor Day weekend, we saw this bright red speed boat with a racing flag paint job heading out towards Lake Michigan for some fun in the sun. The moored boats below at the Milwaukee Yacht Club gave a peaceful look to the warm afternoon.
Some type of ear-shaped fungus grows amidst a bunch of clover on the path at the Ryan Road trails. It caught my eye because of it's fleshy, peach color - and this one is truly the size of a large, flat ear!
If the above scene looks somewhat familiar, it's because it's the same view shown in the stylized banner of this blog. The banner shot was taken last September and this photo was taken this past weekend. The view is of a farmstead just west of the Ryan Road horse farm trails. The surrounding fields are awash in purple asters and goldenrods. Fortunately, I'm taking my Claritin.
As evidenced by the crimson leaves on this tree, fall has arrived early this year around this part of the Midwest.
Since I was unable to post something related to the City Daily Photo monthly theme-day ["Big"] on September 1st, I thought I do it now. These over-sized critters appear to be climbing up an old smoke stack towards the sky in downtown Milwaukee. The mouse and reindeer are part of a sculpture installation piece by artist Bill Ried.
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During a walk down Brady Street in Milwaukee last weekend we came across a side-walk sale at this cute little dress shop.
On Brady Street in Milwaukee the above old-fashioned mosaic tile sign is woven into the wall of a restored red brick building. There are a number of variations on the old pun inspired by this classic beer sign. They all go something like this: Back in the 1950s, Mel Famey of the old Milwaukee Braves was a natural -- a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon whose fast ball blew away the best hitters. His change up made the best hitters in the league cry -- they would swing, drop the bat, and stare incredulously as the ball hit the catcher's mitt. He was indeed awesome!Why then, you might ask, is he not in baseball's Hall of Fame? Why haven't you ever heard of him? Alas, like many others before him, Mel's downfall was demon alcohol.Ol' Mel really liked to tilt the glass. His drinking became almost legendary around the country, but he never let it affect his pitching until The Braves and the Yankees were in the World Series! The series was tied at three games apiece, and the Braves were in New York for the seventh and deciding game.The night before the big event, Mel's thirst got the better of him. He sneaked out of the hotel after curfew, and bought himself a case of beer. As you might imagine, the next morning Mel didn't feel so good.But being the pro that he was, Mel managed to do just fine -- until the bottom of the ninth inning. With the Braves ahead by one run, two out, and the bases loaded, Mel's revelry the night before finally caught up to him. Eight straight pitches -- eight straight balls. He walked in the tying run and the winning run, thereby, losing the game and the series.After the game, a reporter went to the jubilant Yankee's clubhouse and spoke to the last two players that faced Mel. "Tell me," he asked, "to what do you attribute this victory over the best pitcher in the major leagues"? In unison they replied:
"It was the beer that made Mel Famey walk us"!
This black and white cat was stalking a mouse that ran into the barn over at George's farm on the corner of Swan and Lindsay Roads.
These are "Honeycrisp" apples that are growing on one of the trees in our backyard. Ours are a little smaller than the original Honeycrisps that were developed at the University of Minnesota, but just as sweet, snappy and juicy. It's hard to get perfect apples as a backyard grower, and most are mottled or spotted. However, we were lucky enough to find at least one perfect specimen. :-)
This pretty, intricately painted ceiling is inside the domed gazebo in the international friendship gardens in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The colors remind me of the fall season to come. The whole state of Wisconsin will be awash in reds, golds and browns by October. The following image is a full length view of the gazebo with its marble columns. Around the dome, in gold paint, are the words "friendship" in several different languages.
These photos were taken while on the Pewaukee River boardwalk in Simmons Park (see my 9/3/09 post.) Great white heron? or Great white egret? The white phase of the great blue heron is common down in Florida, but I have never seen one up here - although the great big blues are very common. While I have seen egrets around here before, none have been this huge, as evidenced by this guy's wing-span. The legs would be a good clue, but I never got a clear view. The egret has black spindly legs, which are almost visible in the tree shot, but the heron has gray legs. I've researched this, but I am still unsure.
See all SkyWatch Friday entries here.
There is a boardwalk in Simmon's Woods Park in the city of Pewaukee that meanders throughout the Pewaukee River watershed. It's a lovely, marshy eco-spot that provides lots of shelter and food for birds and other wildlife, among them herons, hawks, and owls. This ancient look-out tree provides a great view of the surrounding area and the river below. A great spot for birds of all sizes to hunt everything from waterbugs & mosquito nymphs to tadpoles, frogs, and minnows.
Fall is right around the corner and the mums on our patio are doing just great this year. This is a deep brick red pincushion mum with tiny yellow centers.
