Saturday Stroll

On a whim, Zachary and I went to the Mosquito Hill Nature Center in New London today. It is only 12 or so miles from our home. It is one of those neat places that is so close to home, but never go to. A walk in the woods sounded nice.
We took the trail up the hill. The smell of the woods was so refreshing. All along the trail, there were wild blackberries and raspberries ripe for picking. I foraged and feasted all the way. Once on top, we got to see a nice vista. We spied two garter snakes sunning themselves near the lookout. They slithered away too quickly for me to snap their picture.
After reaching the bottom of the hill and wandering on another trail loop, we came across the Butterfly House.
The nature center has a large greenhouse shaped building set up with screened walls and ceiling. Inside, there are flowers planted, hanging baskets, feeders, and other green plants all around for the enjoyment of several species of native butterflies. It is a neat way to get close to them.

A Little Help

A large bush/tree in our orchard is bearing fruit this year. Most of the trees are apple, but we have a couple odd ones. I think it is something my Grandma planted years ago and we aren't sure what it is. The fruit tastes like a cherry crossed with a grape, no long stem, and it has a pit. Is it some sort of cherry?
I do know that they are delicious.

Chicken Tragedy

Sad news to report... we lost all 4 of our chickens. In a brazen attack by a raccoon(s) at night, the coon killed all our chickens. The coon broke into the chicken yard and snatched them. We are really bummed. The chickens have become a fixture around the yard and entertaining gardening companions, as they were always curious what was happening. When Zachary would work out in the wood shop, they would wander in and take sawdust baths. We were thinking of getting a few more, before the attack, to add to our flock. But now before we get chickens again, we will be re-enforcing the chicken fence and creating a safer environment in the coop to try not let this happen again. It is amazing how attached you get to them. A hard lesson learned.

A Quick Overnight

Saturday evening Zachary and I went back to Iola, this time to do a little fishing and camp overnight. First we tried our luck on Long Lake, where my parents own some property. No luck there, but our canoe was getting blown around the lake and made things tricky. Later we took the canoe to Graham Lake, and Zachary did catch one, although small and tossed back. The sun was setting and the wind was dying down, much better fishing conditions. After grilling over the fire for dinner, we set up camp for the night back at Long Lake. Our tent has an open screen ceiling and walls and with the stars so bright and clear, we left the rain fly off, so we could enjoy the bright night sky. I have to admit, it is a little creepy to look out of the tent into the blackness and wonder what is looking back. It is funny what a false sense of security a rain fly offers in a thin nylon tent. After a beautiful sunrise, we packed up and headed home. It was a great mini-getaway.

Old Car Show

Yesterday we went to the Iola Old Car Show. (Side story: The night before I was charging our "back up" camera for the next day and after several attempts, it was not taking a charge. We lost our main camera a few months ago and have been using our video camera as our picture camera since then. Now I am down to my lowly cell phone... Arg! These pictures are from my cell phone, I am actually surprised they turned out as well as they did.)
Back to the car show. We brought along our nephews Seth and Andy and one of their friends, Austin. Its usually a yearly tradition, I have been going since I was young. One the best things about the car show is deep fried cheese curds. Neither of us have had them that taste like these do. They are beer battered and lightly breaded... Delicious. Greasy as heck and probably awful for you, but if it is only once a year, why not. I think Mr. Bean drove a car like that green one.
This car had seats that swiveled towards the door for easy entry/exit. There was a lot of unique cars to see, as this year's theme was Independents and Imports- Alternatives to the Detroit Big Three. There was also a display of the cars used in the movie Public Enemies, as a lot of the movie was shot in Wisconsin.

Daylilies

The daylilies around the yard are blossoming. They are one of my favorite summer time blooms.

Wednesday

The allure of discounted plants made for another trip to the garden center on my lunch hour. This time I picked up a bunch of annuals at 65 cents a piece. I put a few in our window box.
Zachary is busy rebuilding a small antique sleigh for my Dad. He is replacing the old wood pieces with new wood.