WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

Happy Soles = happy and satiated souls.

Posted on August 9, 2026 by Linda Schaub

This post is about my participation in the 17th annual Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry Happy Soles 5k Run/Walk/Bike and Virtual Challenge.

The event took place on Sunday, June 7th and there were 182 participants that crossed the finish line, however, I don’t know how many virtual participants there were. I like that I am able to participate virtually and have done so since this option began in 2020 because of the pandemic. I generally go the day before or after the event, but this year, even though it was gorgeous weather the day of the event, the week preceding it was going to be cloudy, overcast and/or rainy and stormy every day, so I just picked a bright and sunny day before Mother Nature put a damper on my plans – that day was May 28th.

It does not matter where or when you do the event virtually, but I always go to the event’s venue, lovely Heritage Park. I have participated every year since 2018. Long-time followers may recall that every year we could submit catch phrases for the tee-shirt and I usually submitted one or two when I registered for the event in January. I never won (the prize being a free registration fee for the following year) and, for some reason they have abandoned this phrase idea and have used “Moving Against Hunger” since the 2024 event.

I’ve written about this very worthwhile organization in the past, for each 5K I’ve done. Their mission is simple: “Ensuring no one goes hungry.”

Ellen Pfafflin is the event’s race coordinator and she e-mailed the organization’s newsletter to all race participants, so we could see these stats about how the food pantry, which serves the Downriver communities, benefitted those are in need in 2025. All funds from our registration fees go right to the pantry to support those with food insecurity. I think the stats about Fish & Loaves’ service to those in need are impressive:

The 5K event is 100% sponsored. Rather than taking a photo of the back of the tee-shirt, I’ll just include them below.

In addition to the Happy Soles 5K, there is a huge Christmas display called Santa’s Magic Forest and admittance fees are funneled right to the food pantry.

And now that we’ve dispensed with those facts and figures, it’s on to the walk, a picture-laden post filled with feathery friends and a few flowers.

So what did I see as I stepped out on my walk?

There were multiple families of geese lingering on the grassy slopes around Coan Lake. This was one of them, steppin’ out, just as I was about to.

If you ever wondered how goslings grow so fast, well … all they do is eat, mostly grass. Grass becomes such a staple in their diet that by the time they are full grown, adult geese consume the equivalent of four pounds (approximately 1.8 kg) of grass daily.

Up ahead, as I neared the covered bridge, a large group of geese and their offspring were lounging under a tree. Well that was unfortunate as the shade made it too dark to see them clearly. I figured I’d kill some time, walk past them, perhaps just the impetus needed for the group to move into the sun. Hmm – only two adults here and a passel of young’uns, perhaps a blended family. I headed to the covered bridge in search of turtles and hopefully Barn Swallow nests.

This was the second time I saw no turtles on the ramp … I hoped they were okay.

No Barn Swallow nests in the bridge rafters, so I scratched that photo op my list as well.

We had had a cold Spring and just before Memorial Day, there were frost/freeze advisories and the need to cover your sensitive plants and/or vegetation, so I was not surprised to find the Taylor Garden Club’s garden looking bare with no photo ops there either.

Well, there are always the geese and their goslings to photograph – they won’t disappoint and, sure enough, as I walked past them to walk to the bridge, they all stirred, well most of them anyway, the others needed a nudge and perhaps a stern honk from their folks to “get a move on!” They were still fairly young, judging from the pale-yellow plumage mixed with light-gray splotches.

This gosling walked a few steps, then plopped down on the grass and refused to move.

That gosling dawdled, finally got up and stared me in the face. Such a mean look for such a little soul!

Even though their folks walked across the path, these goslings lingered, grabbing another bite of grass as if they were embarking on a long journey.

That same gosling that I singled out above, amused me. It had a bit of a rambunctious streak, a real rebel in feathers. 🙂

The group crossed the path and it immediately plopped down. No, it wasn’t ill because it scurried across the path with its brethren, shoulder to shoulder. The rest of the geese plodded over to the grass to graze.

This little cutie remained on the path – perhaps looking for another photo op by the photographer that was sweet-talkin’ it?

First, there was a sweet pose …

… followed by a side profile …

… then a downward glance, maybe a pouty face?

Well, you know me … I happily clicked away, then, as if to say “are ya done lady, ‘cuz I need to catch up with the fam” it sprung up and waddled over to join the others.

Well, could I top that sweet interaction on this walk?

I had no great expectations for seeing many flowers at the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens located on the fringe of Heritage Park. As you long-time followers know, that to get more steps in, I walk up to Pardee Road and take the long way around and, in doing so, I have to pass the Petting Farm.

You may recall last Summer I decided to turn back the clock and visit the Petting Farm to feel like a kid again and yes, for some photo ops. I had fun interacting with the farm animals and had a face-to-face meet-up with the chickens and rooster. I often see them roaming around the Botanical Gardens, having slipped under the white wooden fence.

On this day, while I strolled along Pardee, the fence separated me from the barnyard, but I walked closer when I saw the Pekin ducks clustered around a child’s swimming pool. The Petting Farm has the swimming pool out all Summer for the ducks. Besides the Pekin ducks, there are the larger domestic ducks like the Ancona Duck you’ll see in the photos. In the past, I’ve only seen the Pekin in or around the pool, drinking from it and bathing and paddling around it.

I’m guessing the workers just filled the pool with cool refreshing water as the ducks clustered around, mostly Pekins.

Gee, I hope they were wearing sunscreen as I’d checked the forecast earlier and the UV Index was going to be “8” right around noon, so, even with sun protection clothing and a sunhat, I aimed to be back at the car by then.

Well, there’s always that one opportunist in every crowd, whether it’s a human, or in this case a large Ancona Duck.

It flew up into the pool, sitting squarely in the middle. The Pekins looked miffed and the Rooster just shook his head. 🙂 It was as if their mindset was “couldn’t we have just sipped on that refreshing water for a while before you had to jump in?”

One Pekin rested its head on the rim of the pool, looking hopeful that big duck would move, but no it did not.

I thought to myself “well Buddy, so much for team play – you pull those tricks and the rest of the ducks will just leave – I hope you’re happy.” It’s like back in the day when the bully took over the sandbox and the other kids left. Sure enough, as I predicted, the Pekins left.

One Pekin had a change of heart and walked back, hopeful to share that refreshing water, but changed its mind and eventually waddled back to join the rest of the Pekins.

It was time for me to move along and see if there were any photo ops at the Botanical Gardens. I saw the Farm had moved this mythical Phoenix from the barnyard to a planter (with a measly showing of flowers) out front of the Petting Farm.

As if it were a color competition with the bright hues of the Petting Farm, on the sidewalk leading to the Botanical Gardens, the Wiegala were blooming profusely.

Just as I suspected, there was not much to see yet. I took a shot of this memorial paver brick.

The potted annuals were still a work in progress, but …

… the perennials had a pretty good showing, considering our potpourri of wacky weather, from cold to torrential downpours and the seemingly ever-present wind. Ugh! These are Dianthus and then Meadow Sage. I didn’t take any more flower photos.

It was getting pretty warm, so I headed out, once again along Pardee Road, passing the Petting Farm, enroute to the car.

I picked up the pace as cars whizzed by along Pardee Road. Suddenly I felt a presence behind me. Slowly I turned around to soft clucking noises.

Hmm, what do we have here?

Well, here was a feathered brigade behind me … what did I do to deserve this photo op? No, I wasn’t worried – I can run faster than them. This is not like the male Mute Swan that chased me while defending his Missus.

The trio was a bit comical … this Blue Ameraucana rooster, all puffed up with pride, a thorn between two roses, just defending his girls against humans, especially those toting a camera.

The rooster, while keeping an eye on me, allowed one of his charges to wander off on her own.

Soon she gravitated toward busy Pardee Road, but then she saw it was a “GOOSE CROSSING” and not a CHICKEN CROSSING and quickly turned away and joined her friends.

I guess not all chickens cross the road to get to the other side. Some stay on the sidewalk or grass where it’s safer.

I am linking to Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge: Yellow, with more yellow coming for Wordless Wednesday and Flower Hour, plus Pepper’s Hiking Challenge One Step at a Time.

Posted in 5K events, birds, nature, walk, walking | Tagged #One step at a time, #Sunday Stills Challenge, 5K events, chickens, ducks, geese, nature, walk, walking | 1 Comment

Mother Nature gets an “Atta Girl!” #Wordless Wednesday #A perfect Eastern Tiger Swallowtail atop a perfect Coneflower (Echinacea).

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, Butterflies, nature | Tagged #Flower Hour Photo Challenge, #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, Butterflies, Flowers, nature | 43 Comments

It’s all about baby steps sometimes.

Posted on August 2, 2026 by Linda Schaub

This post is about a walk taken on May 30th. It’s my usual meander when visiting Dearborn, i.e. a trip that always begins at Ford Field Park, then finds me trekking along the Rouge Gateway Trail, stopping at the Fair Lane Estate, continuing along a trail parallel to Ford Lake and eventually ending up at the Environmental Interpretive Center.

Sometimes there is lots to see; sometimes not so much. This leg of the trek was a not-so-much-to-see day.

On that gorgeous day, wedged in between the beginning and end of this extra-long excursion was the Ford Estate visit, where I photographed lots of blooms and just before I reached my car, I got to peek at a 1977 Clenet automobile which looked like a vintage roadster. If you missed that walk, you can find it here.

Now returning to the before-and-after portion of that walk.

To get some extra steps in, I always park at Ford Field Park …

… then I walk over to the duck pond to check for feathered friend photo ops – there were none today as the pond was devoid of ducks and unbelievably, with all those big rocks, there were no sunbathing turtles.

I pass this bridge that crosses a portion of the Rouge River …

… there’s not much to see, but on the left side, the water is very peaceful …

… while on the right side, the water is raging, like rapids.

Next is a stroll through the neighborhood and in the Summer, this homeowner has a front yard, sans grass, just a lot of perennials, a bird bath and bird feeder.

I must pass the Dearborn Historical Museum – there’s not much to see there. I always pause at their herb garden and I noted the Thyme plant, missing its celebrated cohorts, a photo I shared with you in a recent Wordless Wednesday post.

The trailhead to the Rouge Gateway Trail is a wooden boardwalk and elevated wooden platform behind the former Andiamo’s Italian restaurant. After the restaurant closed, it’s being repurposed into Boardwalk Marketplace, still mostly a work in progress. It’s a great view of another portion of the Rouge River.

On this day, my eyes honed in on the board that was sticking up … it is one of many boards along the boardwalk that have warped, or become damaged and …

… stick up, not only along the edge either. “Hmm” I mused “well, that’s a tort just waiting to happen!” I was a legal secretary for almost 45 years, so old habits like using this phrase never go away. I concede most people would have used the word “accident” instead.

It was a tad raggedy-looking on the actual asphalt pathway – “stay in the middle” I told myself. That way I’d avoid ticks that like to await a passerby from the tip-top of high grass. It looked like “No-Mow May” gone wild.

Surprisingly, there were no wildflowers along the woodsy part of the Rouge Gateway trail and thankfully NO snakes, like the last time I was here.

By the time I reached the Ford Estate, I’d already walked 1.4 miles.

As mentioned above, this post is about after I left the Fair Lane estate.

Ater leaving Clara Ford’s Rose Garden, I headed straight down Jensen’s Meadow …

… toward Ford Lake. I planned to hike along the Lakeside Trail, a path that admittedly is not the most-exciting trek I’ve ever taken, but at least I did not zig when I should have zagged and gotten lost like I did two weeks later.

Ford Lake was looking beautiful that morning, with stunning reflections. There are several trails you can take. I need to expand my horizons and take the trail on the opposite side sometime, instead of just sticking to the Lakeside Trail.

This is a clever idea which was installed by the University of Michigan last year in conjunction with the Environmental Interpretive Center. Stand in this exact place to capture the changing seasons. I did that at Council Point Park one year and used it as a featured image in a post.

Just as the reflections on Ford Lake made for a picturesque photo, so did the sun-dappled woods. I swiveled my head over to the Lake and saw no ducks, herons – not even any turtles sunning, so I took this shot and continued on my way.

This part of the trail is short – you can just continue on the trail after walking through this open space, or you can veer off to the right. I was feeling adventurous, so why not take a right?

I channeled my inner “Dora the Explorer” and off I went.

Well, I’d never strayed this way before. There are several places in and around the wooded areas that are just rubble, lots of rocks and boulders which might have been a nice part of the landscape at one time when it was part of Clara Ford’s former Rose Garden and Summer House …

… but no longer. It is incredulous to me that so much effort is being done restoring the mansion and other buildings on the grounds, yet this area languishes in ruins. I’d estimate it is only a half-mile from the mansion and is part of the estate grounds.

Of course, I was angry at myself for traipsing into these weeds with tall grass climbing almost to my knees and likely tick-laden. Ugh!

This pond, like the other larger ones on the estate grounds, is overgrown and murky looking. This is not green pond scum – it is duckweed dotted with water lily leaves.

There was not much to see here, not even a frog on a lily pad, so I decided to return to the trail – maybe I could scare up a critter or two – maybe the Wild Turkeys would be strutting around today?

The trees made a nice canopy over the trail, with dabs of dappled sunshine on the path ahead.

Well, here we go again – here’s a trip-and-fall waiting to happen!

The joy of walking in the woods came to an abrupt end with all these exposed tree roots. I know it was really problematic in 2024, but last year they put down a lot of mulch which remedied the problem, but the mulch had evidently disintegrated since my last visit and this is what was left.

Another glance toward Ford Lake told me I was not missing out on any creatures, feathered or otherwise. I decided the tree branches and/or other woody protrusions in Ford Lake looked similar to the roots on the trail.

I rounded a bend, briefly in the sunlight again, where it would be easier to see the pesky roots, but that sunlight was short-lived. The below roots did not seem as bad and, with my long legs I could just step from one clear spot to the next, but still … sigh.

Along the trail, picking my way over tree roots was no fun – this is how it always was at Sterling State Park. They have removed the root-ridden pathways, paving over with asphalt, a project that took all of 2025. I’ll visit in the Fall as the White Pelicans migrate through.

Once again, I mused over legal terms like “trip-and-fall” or even “slip-and-fall” because as a legal secretary those terms indeed crossed my path (if you’ll pardon the pun), especially after I began working for my boss Ed Keelean, on August 2, 1993, exactly 33 years ago today.

I’ve done a wide range of legal secretarial work, some which I downright hated, but treading into the world of personal injury insurance defense work, now this was something I really enjoyed and I spent the most-rewarding years of my legal secretary career doing this work. I would have retired doing this type of law, but for the merger our Firm experienced in 2000. Yes, there were trip-and-falls, slip-and-falls and open-and-obvious cases too, the latter being “really, you should’ve been looking where you were going, or you wouldn’t have had that little mishap” …. even walking in the ‘hood these days presents one with pitfalls like potholes or uneven sidewalks. Or big dogs … we had a few dog bite cases too. 🙂

Well, you might want to wrap yourself in a bubble sometimes as there is so much to worry about these days.

As I compiled this post, I had already drafted 90% of it the day I took the walk. I HAD planned to write about these little aggravations in this leg of my walk. And, instead of writing this post, I SHOULD have been out on a trail, enjoying the hike, camera in hand, but instead, I was inside tap, tap, tapping away on the keyboard due to the extreme heat and poor air quality from the various wildfires burning. On the day I wrote this post, the Detroit area was #1 in the world for poor air quality.

And, also on my mind, as I grumbled about the lack of outings, was something way more important than heat, humidity and air quality … instead I was sad because Ed Keelean, whom I mentioned above, had passed away suddenly from a heart attack earlier in the week. So, coincidentally I had already planned for this post for August 2nd, but sadly it now will coincide with the day I began working for Ed, 33 years before … a little nod from me to Ed – rest in peace.

Now, I digressed bigtime … back to my walk.

Eyes focused on the ground and periodically glancing around for slithering snakes, I couldn’t help but notice a dark-colored blob up ahead. As I grew near, I could tell it was a turtle. Well, that was a first – I have never seen a turtle in the middle of the woods – this was not near the water.

Here is another shot of this Painted Turtle, a/k/a Painted Terrapin, which I also had in my featured image. It didn’t seem afraid of me. I pondered whether I should pick it up and take it back to Ford Lake. What if it couldn’t survive without water? I decided to leave it where it was.

While writing this post, my baby steps toward my year-end goal are probably as pitiful as those taken by this tiny terrapin, who likely took a long time to get where he was eventually planning to go.

Soon, I was back to a soft, mulched trail, the final leg in the woods and near the Environmental Interpretive Center. No Wild Turkeys that like to hang out near the area either, just the empty feeders.

There was nothing much to see. There are lots of flowers around the entrance to the Center, but it was too early for them, but I saw this Golden Alexander wildflower …

… and a bee hotel embedded in the Viburnum.

Not my most-exciting trail trek, but better than a stick in the eye as the saying goes. I’ll leave you with a thought which applies to my leathery friend and myself:

I will be joining Terri’s Flower Hour and Pepper’s #One Step at a Time later this week.

Posted in nature, walk, walking | Tagged #One step at a time, nature, turtle, walk, walking | 53 Comments

Mama Wood Duck and her ducklings in the murky marsh. #Wordless Wednesday #In 2026 the Wood Duck became Michigan’s state duck.

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature, Reflections | 35 Comments

Walking in the wild with the masters.

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Every year the Detroit Institute of Arts (“DIA”) posts their venues in Southeast Michigan’s Tri-county area where there will be displays of weatherproof reproductions of some of the Museum’s famous paintings. The Inside/Out displays are fun to visit and photograph and in 2026 there are three venues near me. Today’s post is about the installation at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (“DRIWR”). Coincidentally, this was the same venue where I saw a painting back in October 2020, the same year the DRIWR opened. I was surprised to see a framed painting stuck in the middle of the sticks as I had never heard of the DIA’s Inside/Out program before.

The Refuge is not that large and there were only six paintings on display here, so, unlike last year’s trip to Grosse Ile to view and photograph eight paintings, which required driving around the island to view some of them, this was “one-stop shopping” so to speak. I parked and just ambled around.

Even before the DIA posted their official venue list on their website, Refuge employees were posting pictures of the paintings that were already installed.

I am always impressed how the DIA matches the masterpiece to the area of the parks and/or city buildings where they are displayed.

It was a gorgeous day, but the UV index was going to be high starting at 11:00 a.m., so I decided to get to the displays where I’d be walking in the hot sun first, like the fishing pier and the long Monguagon Delta Boardwalk.

First up, the fishing pier.

Down the slope I went to the Korneffel Fishing Pier. It is 700 feet (213 meters) long and from its platform, anglers line up to fish from the western Trenton Channel. I said “good morning” to a few fishermen, but no one had a “catch of the day” that merited taking a photo.

I walked all the way to the end of the pier where the Samuel D. Buchanan was docked. I’d never seen any boats tied up at the dock, let alone a large one like this. I learned it is the same type of tour boat that I was on when I took several boat excursions through Lake Erie Metropark which excursions ceased after the pandemic began.

Look at the sparkling water reflecting on the side of the boat. That is Humbug Island in the background on the left.

Returning up the steep hill I saw the painting.

Next on the agenda was the Kayak Launch.

As I walked on the paved road from the fishing pier to the kayak launch area, in the shadow of the Visitor Center …

… there were signs cautioning drivers to watch out for our feathery and leathery friends. You may recall that Killdeer will build their nest on the ground anywhere, even next to a road. When I was here last year during nesting season, Refuge employees had flagged all the Killdeer nests with tall poles and orange flags to keep people from disturbing those ground nests.

Turtles, as you know are pretty pokey and sadly people are impatient sometimes.

This is one of two kayak launch areas; the other one is in the Delta. There was not much to see here and no one was around – don’t let that water bottle fool you. I got my photo of the locale, painting and info about The Trappers’ Return and moved along.

My third stop was at the beginning of the trailhead.

I had to walk past the trailhead to get to the Delta Boardwalk so I stopped to view and photograph another painting.

I thought this painting, Talking Oak, based on a poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson, was interesting, as well as the story behind it.

Zero breeze – perfect to cross the Delta Boardwalk for painting #4.

There are no railings on this very long boardwalk and my biggest concern while crossing the boardwalk over the Monguagon Delta, is being startled by the carp jumping out of the water, especially during spawning season. They are huge fish and they also make a big splash.

There was not much to see enroute to Jefferson Avenue except a few turtles sunbathing at the shoreline. Will someone help that baby turtle up please? 🙂

I saw a Great Blue Heron and a Red-winged Blackbird squabbling when, I presume, the heron landed too close to its nesting area. The Red-winged Blackbird raised a ruckus, attacking the Heron repeatedly until the latter flew off. I wish I’d taken a photo, but I was awestruck how this bully Blackbird tangled with a bird so much larger than itself even though I’ve witnessed this behavior many times with them attacking the Sandhill Cranes.

At the end of the Boardwalk is Jefferson Avenue and the entrance to the Refuge.

To fully appreciate the below painting entitled Waterfront, you have to see the industrial area that is near the 44-acre Refuge Gateway. (Humbug Marsh is separate and encompasses 410 acres.) The photo above doesn’t show the nearby industry as there are trees obliterating the industrial areas. So, I went back to a walk from October 2020 to illustrate the industrialized area across Jefferson Avenue once the trees are bare. The second kayak launch and the boardwalk are seen in this 2020 photo.

You can see why this was the perfect place to put this industrial-type painting.

After taking my photos, I made my way back along the Boardwalk, while heading toward Humbug Marsh. It was getting warmish by now and I was glad to step into the 300-year old forest, even though it’s not all that dense.

A short woodsy walk and I was at the shelter area for painting #5.

The Lily Pond, depicts a marshy area filled with Pond Lilies. I’ve never seen Pond Lilies or even Water Lotuses at this venue in the past, so I plan to pop back here sometime in August. I pass the DRIWR when I go to Lake Erie Metropark, so it’s not out of my way.

It was easy peasy to find the last painting – it was in the parking lot!

I noticed the painting earlier …you can’t miss it as it is bright and colorful. I’ve seen this painting before at Willow Park when I visited their DIA Inside/Out display on July 2, 2022.

Unfortunately, part of the painting was shaded, but Cycles is plenty vivid anyway.

Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge this week is: Reflections. I will have some reflections in my Wordless Wednesday post; I will also link to Pepper’s Hiking Challenge One Step at a Time.

Posted in nature, walk, walking | Tagged #One step at a time, art, DIA Inside/Out, nature, walk, walking | 44 Comments

When you pose your little heart out, but the photographer takes too darn long. #Wordless Wednesday #Impatient House Sparrow

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | 41 Comments

When critters gawk at you …

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Linda Schaub

… do they get a warm and fuzzy feeling like when we gawk at them?

From time to time I wonder about this – of course, I ponder these heady thoughts only in my mind, because to say it aloud on a nature trail may diminish my credibility a tad. 🙂

This Spring and Summer, on the days I was lucky enough to get to larger parks, especially Lake Erie Metropark, it’s been slim pickings for critter sightings, that is, unless you want to count the lovely Mayflies that swarmed around me on a visit to Lake Erie Metropark in mid-June – more about those creepy-looking creatures in a future post.

It’s a 30-mile round trip to Lake Erie Metropark, a nice little ride for the car and I’m always filled with hope that I’ll return home with a camera card full of furry and feathered critters to fill my blog – after all, it’s a paradise for nature lovers.

And then sometimes you are blessed with critters showing up where and when you least expect them.

On June 13^th, the day I photographed the cute Chippie you see above, I was back at Fair Lane, visiting the Ford Estate and Clara’s Rose Garden, just two weeks after my previous visit. I hiked along the trail by Ford Lake, a route I’ve taken many times and never gotten lost … until that day. I was miserably hot, trudging through tall grass, with no structured trail in sight, embedded in a haven for this tick explosion we have here in Southeast Michigan. My vivid imagination made me think that all the ticks might gang up and say “go get her now!”

You’ll read about that adventure in a future post, but suffice it to say, afterward I was happy to be walking along Fair Lane Drive, the paved street that separates University of Michigan Dearborn and Fair Lane, a/k/a the Ford estate. My car was parked at Ford Field Park, 1½ miles away; happily there was no way to get lost now and I’d be in the shade for part of the trek.

Soon my journey was sidetracked bigtime!

I saw a chipmunk dash across Fair Lane Drive and take cover by a tree …

… I edged closer to this cute creature wondering “is this my Chippie from the Ford estate who bolts every time I try to take its picture?” Of course, all its hiding places are gone due to the restoration efforts.

While I appreciated the tree’s shade to cool off a little, I knew it would make the photo too dark and, as I edged ever closer, the Chippie didn’t move, but the poor light gave it some funky-looking eyes.

Finally, the Chippie scurried up the tree, peering down at me. His face registered unhappiness as if to say “lady, you’re invading my personal space!”

In the featured image, the Chippie is up close and personal – they really are tiny creatures as you see below. They are only 8 to 12 inches long, one third of that is their tail and they only weigh one to five ounces.

I took a half-dozen shots of this sweet critter before a young couple came along and looked up in the tree to see what piqued my interest. They both smiled when they saw the Chippie and whipped out their phones simultaneously, then showed me their respective photos.

Unbelievably, despite its demeanor, the Chippie didn’t scurry away, holding that same stink eye pose, while the three of us chatted about the weather, nature walks and my blog. Before we moved along, Hassan and Sultana bookmarked my blog on their phones and then we parted.

My critter encounters were not done!

It was straight-up noon and very hot by now as I resumed my trudge, er … trek to the car. Suddenly I saw movement between the trees, as two deer stepped into a small wooded area, having left the pavement at U of M’s campus. As you can see, the woods is not dense.

I am always hopeful to see deer and/or fawns at the big parks, so imagine my surprise to see this buck and a doe. They each stared at me long enough that I clicked off a series of shots.

The buck never took its eyes off me.

The woods didn’t offer much light, but you could see the velvety texture on its antlers.

The doe was likewise fascinated by this human who was alternately gawking and clicking away. I love those ears, a rosy pink and very alert and so in tune with me watching her. Isn’t she beautiful?

The doe moved to a shadier area, but continued to watch me very intently; hmm – did she resent me watching her main squeeze?

They lingered for the longest time, staring me down, so I guess I had a friendly face and didn’t pose a threat, or they would have bolted. Finally, the pair remembered why they went into the woods, likely for a bite to eat, so they left me standing there as they moseyed on.

As they nibbled on some leaves, I resumed my journey, starting on the Rouge Gateway Trail, enroute to the car.

I’m willing to bet that every time I visit this venue going forward, my head will swivel to check out that woodsy area, but I will never see deer there again. I was on the Rouge Gateway Trail several years ago when five young deer crossed the path ahead, appearing out of nowhere – too bad my body was turned to the right looking for wild turkeys. An encounter like that has never happened again.

I am joining Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge: Animal or Bird of the Month and Pepper’s Hiking Challenge One Step at a Time.

Posted in nature, walk, walking | Tagged #One step at a time, #Sunday Stills Photo Challenge, nature, walk, walking | 53 Comments

Camera clicks (and blog fame) vs. kids offering Cheez-its. #Wordless Wednesday #I didn’t stand a chance. :)

Posted on July 15, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, ducks, nature | 54 Comments

Flags aflutter.

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Flags were flipping and flapping in the breeze – a sea of red, white and blue.

The Lincoln Park Exchange Club, in conjunction with the City’s Historical Society, posted on social media about a special event to be held in Memorial Park in conjunction with America’s 250th birthday and no, it wasn’t a gigantic cake like we had for the City’s 100th birthday last year.

There was also a marquee in the park displaying the official America 250 logo commemorating the 250th birthday of the U.S.

There would be 250 flags, one flag representing each year since 1776 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. There would be different flags, ranging in the amount of stars and stripes as more states were added to the Union, including the Betsy Ross flag to the Star Spangled Banner flag we know today.

I’ve visited and written about other flag events like Field of Flags or even the annual Memorial Day flags honoring the Lincoln Park veterans who lost their lives in World Wars I and II, plus the Korean, Vietnam and Iraq conflicts. The Exchange Club always does a nice job for these events.

The display commenced on Flag Day, June 14th and ran through 4th of July weekend. I decided to meander over there on June 15th as we had multiple bouts of severe weather on the horizon – no telling what havoc would be wreaked after Mother Nature had her way with the display, as wicked winds, torrential downpours and hail, even a tornado, were all predicted.

As with previous displays, I’ll admit there is no good way to capture the panoramic view with my eyes, let alone with the camera – many of the 250 flags were bound to be left out.

So, as I strolled through the massive display, I decided to take some group shots of the flags (seen up top), then hone in on some of the individual years and different flags.

Well, that was an idea that sounded good, but there was already a bit of a breeze when I arrived at the park. I thought the “gentle breeze” mentioned on the weather report that morning would stir the flags a little, providing for nice shots. By the time I got home, wind gusts were at 18 mph.

So, I did the best I could at any rate. Here are some groups of flags down the walkways …

… and, here is another angle. They had several floodlights turned on, used to light the display at night, even though sunrise had already come and was long gone. Generators powered each of the floodlights which you see in the next two shots.

Occasionally, that gentle breeze kicked up a notch or two and flags were flapping wildly.

I was the only person at the flag display, but admittedly, having the heavy material fluttering wildly near my head (I ducked a few times) and especially my shoulder, would have made me think someone was trying to get my attention by tapping on my shoulder. 🙂

I decided to get a quick video to show you how out of control those flipping flags really were but that idea fizzled out fast and I didn’t try again.

Checking out the flags and their stories.

Each flag had a hangtag with info about the specific year, including a brief history, plus what type of flag was flying at that time, or how many stars were on a particular flag …

… or even how many stripes the flag had (you’ll see what I mean later).

It wasn’t just the flags fluttering but the hangtags were prone to flipping over, but I still got a few clear shots, like this Betsy Ross flag from 1787 …

… here you see the 1787 flag and another Betsy Ross flag nearby.

Below is how the Star Spangled Banner looked in 1800, at the turn of the century.

This is an example of the flip side of the tag showing the year 1814’s historical events.

For you history buffs out there, the 1814 flag was significant for this 15-15 reason:

I also paused to see “my” flag from my birth year, 1956 …

… and the flag for 1976 since, as you know from my recent post, I remember the Bicentennial year very well.

But, on a personal note, the “In Memory of” tag i.e. the person remembered from the year 1976, Bob O’Brien, was someone I knew well and originally met while working at Carter’s.

The owners of the Lincoln Park Roller Rink, father and son, Lyle and Jim Seat, had lunch there every day; Bob was their employee and always joined them once he finished high school. Just like his employers, Bob was quick on his roller skates and would help keep the crowds in line, especially on weekends. The roller rink was a hoppin’ place back in the day and that’s how Bob met his future wife Judy. She would often meet him at Carter’s for lunch and I got to know them well and was invited to their 1976 wedding. Shortly thereafter they became my next-door neighbors, but moved away a few years later. Bob worked fulltime at an unrelated job, but he and Judy managed the roller rink together until 2017. Bob was active in the Shriners helping children for many years until his passing in 2023. So, it was nice to see the flag tag commemorating their marriage … 1976 was a magical year for them, just like it was for me.

At the far end of the park, was the very last flag, representing the current year.

The 2026 flag was sponsored by United Rentals (the generator/floodlights and likely more in conjunction with the event).

There were several other sponsors as seen on this sign.

Also of note is the display of the Declaration of Independence, flanked by the official logo of America’s 250th birthday. The Declaration of Independence double-sided display was made of material and the wind was sending ripples cascading through that material.

As most of you know I am not an American citizen – I am Canadian. My parents and I emigrated to Southeast Michigan from Oakville, Ontario 60 years ago, on July 8, 1966.

It seems like I have marked a lot of personal decade milestones this year, beginning with what would have been my late mother’s 100th birthday on February 14, then me turning 20 years old and graduating with my Associates degree/leaving HFCC behind with many fond memories in 1976. My grandmother was born in 1906 and passed away in 1986, so it was 40 years this January since she passed away.

So, living here 60 of my 70 years is just another milestone ….