Wednesday, 5 October 2016
It may not be clear what this is. It’s an ancient maple (relatively speaking), with a rust-orange lichen(?) painting the bark. Below it is a stand of lilacs.
Later, we had several spates of rain. So far, the first was the strongest, although it tapered off quickly. Those white streaks are raindrops; the largest ones are falling off the roof. I like the arcs that the barberry branches make.
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
I went to town today. This is downtown. Lake view…an empty tooth amidst a row of cottages.
Among the errands on my list was laundry. These are the facilities behind the “mat.” This may be proof that this community is really a village.
I recall posting a shot of this infestation when all was green. The PI is now assorted reds and oranges. The greens and yellows are milkweeds. Imagine how difficult a jigsaw puzzle with this mosaic would be to piece together.
It may not look like it from these photos, but the sun came out for long enough after my erranding that the sun porch warmed up nicely.
Saturday, 1 October 2016
I made a grocery run, very local. Bread and milk. I know that’s a standard joke, but true today. Over off the northeast side of the lake, the leaves are well within the golden orange/brown bronze continuum, with considerable green remaining, and bits of red. This is our road, same latitude, but far more green—and many of these are maples. A Ma-Nachur mystery.
This maple, right next to the cottage, has far more colorful leaves, and many are already falling. This tree runs ahead of its neighbors every autumn, in my observation.
Down at the beach, the water was quiet, revealing a narrow sand strip. I think these are raccoon tracks.
And this rowboat…it showed up early in my childhood, making it about a half-century old. If I remember correctly. The moss and lichen are creatively obscuring the STAGECRAFT logo….
Here’s another “track” (broadly defined)…about a half-mile north of us is a swamp, maybe a quarter-mile along the road. The road bumps along only about a foot above typical water level. Sometimes, there’s a weather change at the swamp; this may sound unlikely, but I’ve noted it over and over. It happened today. As I passed north, headed for my shopping, the asphalt was wet, just damp, in the swamp, and beyond. At our end of the road, nope, dry—the air was humid, but no rain. It is expected broadly across the area before dark, however.
Friday, 30 September 2016
Actually, we had a sunny, warm, lovely day until the clouds filled in late in the afternoon. I went down to the beach before that happened. Not much breeze, so the water lapped on the sand rather than pounding the stones.
On the bluff, I found this twisted asparagus. Usually the stems are quite straight.
Nearby I found rose hips, and wondered how sharp their flavor would be. I didn’t sample.
Thursday, 29 September 2016
I didn’t actually pick any of these barberry berries.
These, however…what can I say; we got a prolific plum tomato plant by sheer luck.
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Early morning sun…has crested trees and is backlighting droplets on squirrel-cage hardware cloth, making them spherical diamonds. Photo doesn’t capture magic.
Late evening sun…shining upstream along the Manistique. Bubbles are natural foam from upstream cedar swamps (chemistry) plus rapids (to stir it up).
Between the two all kinds of things happened (as in rrrrrt (imagine turning wheel of vehicle), change of plans), including my Wally Dinner. I might have called it walleye. Definitely yummy.
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Mostly quiet rain today; not a bit of sun. Welcome to autumn.
And a visual mushroom sample, of the colorful ones, not the less flashy boletes.
I don’t know if this is a red one like yesterday, only older, and transitioned to orange/yellow. In any case, it’s also a small one, and embedded in sphagnum moss, unlike yesterday’s.
Monday, 26 September 2016
Yesterday’s blustery continued through the night and all day. Here’s the lake by afternoon. Stirred-up sand and sediments make the water unclear. I have only rarely seen linear foam patterns like this. Not sure what factors produce it. Note the boiling grey sky….
Such a tiny mushroom, and so colorful….
One lingering brown-eyed susan….
Saturday, 24 September 2016
A very few sweet peas are blooming this late. (Still no frost yet—shhhh!)
Our super-crop of milkweeds has just a few pods that have ripened enough to open. Most are green like this, and smaller in size.
Thursday, 22 September 2016
Two days ago, this mushroom was on the verge of prime. So fungal.
Today, the edges have flipped up and I could see the gills. Or the camera could capture them; I didn’t get my eyes down that far. Thank you, phone-camera.
Oh, and we’re technically in autumn now….