10/14/08 TREASURES OF GOLD

Tuesday, 7:30 AM. 31 degrees, the sky is clear, the sun not yet risen. The wind is calm and the channel slightly wrinkled. This is the coldest morning of the fall thus far.
The baskets and pots still outside are on their own, except that I have a few geraniums to bring in, as well as the Amaryllis bulbs still under the front deck. The rain barrels have to be drained (hate to waste the water), the storms pulled down and the rugs on the back deck rolled up and put in the basement. A few mums need to be planted and the lawns mowed.
The sun is rising now, its rays washing the already golden maple trees in even richer hues. I am collecting and storing these images in my memory, as secure as Midas himself stored his treasure in his vaults.

10/13/08 AWESOME

Monday, 8:30 AM. 58 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is glassy, the sky is overcast and the barometer is down, predicting partly cloudy skies.
The color is so awesome that one can wander about, walking or driving, totally absorbed in it, lost in nature’s glory. Not much else to say, it really has to be experienced to fully appreciate it.
I hope to crank up the boat motors today in the hope of doing a bit of fishing before the opening of the early antlerless deer season on Thursday, but I have some mums to plant and lawns to mow if it dries out, so we will see what happens.

10/12/08 FALL FOOD AND FALL COLOR

Sunday, 8:45 AM. 50 degrees, wind NNW, light. The channel is like glass, the Island trees reflecting far across the water. Fog lies in strata over the Island, and the sky is mostly cloudy. We had thunderstorms last night, resulting in .4 inches of rain. The barometer predicts partly cloudy skies.
The fall harvest dinner at the Russell Town Hall yesterday evening was well attended, and we recognized many friends among the attendees, among them Mike, Jim and Myron from maple sugarin’. The menu was roast pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, baked beans, green beans, cabbage slaw and home made rolls. The desert table was replete with all sorts of pies and cakes and cookies. The price was $9.00 for adults, the food delicious and endless. At least half the folks there went home with nice door prizes. We try not to miss any of these local dinners and look forward to the Settlement dinner around Thanksgiving. I bought $20 worth of gun raffle tickets (for two shotguns and a target rifle) and sure hope I win.
Joan and I had a great time and our only regret is that Andy and Judy weren’t there.
The landscape photo is of blueberry bushes and woods in full fall color at Highland Valley Farm, a major local blueberry grower.

10/11/08 BETTER THAN FLYPAPER?

Saturday, 8:30 AM. 43 degrees, wind SW, light. The channel is slightly wrinkled, the sky partly cloudy with high, fast-moving clouds. The barometer predicts sunny skies, and we got .2” of rain yesterday.
Mushrooms are amazing things. This Amanita muscari, the fly Amanita, is the size of a dinner plate, and popped up since yesterday morning on the corner of Tenth and Wilson. The fruiting body grows out of miles of threads of living tissue in the soil below it. It is a gill mushroom, and has a distinct ring under the cap, and if dug up the stem has an obvious bulbous base. In the eastern US it tends to be orange, and in the west red, both colors flecked with white. They usually grow under pines and birches. It is called the fly Amanita because in Europe it has been used to poison houseflies, by peeling the skin from the mushroom and placing it in a saucer of water. This attracts and kills flies (I may try this idea). There are about 120 species of Amanita in North America, and some are the most deadly of mushrooms, killing many people, particularly in Europe (where many of the same mushrooms grow) every year. I have read of several people in this country killed by mushrooms (probably Amanitas) already this fall.
Have to go to the recycle center this morning. The colors are stupendous. Mushrooms aren't poisonous to the touch, but don't get too friendly with them.

10/10/08 COLOR EVERYWHERE

Friday, 7:45 AM. 37 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is calm. The sky is mostly gray and threatens rain, even though the barometer predicts clear skies (the barometer predicts weather about twelve hours in advance). It is a very dark, almost brooding morning.
Yesterday's daffodil planting was a great success and very efficient, 5,000 bulbs being planted in approximately 30 man-hours of labor, excluding prep and clean-up time and supervision and travel time.
The mushrooms pictured are Suillus luteus, slippery Jack, in the Boletailes, they are a pore mushroom. They are pretty common, growing almost exclusively under or near white pine trees. They are very viscid when wet, thus the common name. The references say they are edible but they certainly are unapetizing.

10/09/08 FALL COLOR, SPRING COLOR

Thursday, 7:45 AM. 41 degrees, wind S, moderate. The channel is crawling and will get really choppy as the wind picks up. The sky is clear but the barometer predicts rain.
The morning is almost heartbreakingly beautiful, the color near peak.
We will plant 5,000 more daffodils today, starting at Fountain Garden Park and then on to the Lutheran Church on 6th and Mannypenny, and the Frist residence on 6th and Rittenhouse. I choose the locations according to the impact the display will have when viewed from a moving vehicle, and assurances that the display will be long term. In a few more years we will be the Daffodil Capital of the North.

10/09/08 GREAT LAKES, GREAT CONFERENCE, GREAT TRIP

Wednesday, 7:30 AM, Bayfield. 39 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is mostly calm, the sky partly cloudy. The barometer predicts more rain, and there is an inch in the rain gauge. The colors across the UP were magnificent, but hard to photograph. They were of course not so advanced in lower Michigan and northern Ohio. One interesting tree, which I could not photograph from the moving car, was the burnt-orange fall color of the sassafras, prevalent in hedge rows in northern Ohio but disappearing about at the southern border of Michigan. The colors in the Bayfield area should be at their peak this weekend, and with any luck will last a couple of weeks, beautiful even as some species loose their leaves and others reach peak color.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is unique in that it is surrounded by the waters of both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, and one can view both these inland seas traversing it. And, it is always a thrill to cross the beautiful and amazing Mackinac Bridge, which opened in 1957.
The America in Bloom meeting was a great success with 30 cities from across the United States receiving recognition for their beautification and environmental efforts. The group toured a number of Columbus gardens, including neighborhood vegetable gardens, which are a terrific way to revitalize urban communities. We had a great if short visit with daughter Greta and her retrievers, and a fine visit and Sunday dinner at the home of her friends Lorena and Michael and second grade daughter Gabrielle.
It was a busy, rewarding nine days, but we are happy to be back at home and plunge into the work which awaits us. This is daffodil planting time, and this morning I will transport 2400 bulbs from where they are stored in the Hauser Orchard barn to the Chamber office where folks who have purchased them at a discount will pick them up to plant in their yards (in a few days we will plant 5,000 more bulbs along Hwy. 13 through Bayfield). We also have a donated tree to plant in the new playground park on 7th and Mannypenny Ave. And, our lawns need to be mowed once more before leaves fall as well.
The photos are random shots of the lakes, the view from the great bridge at sunset and some of the activities in Columbus. Photos just do not do justice to the sights we encountered.