Winter marches on and on … and then some. Here in Southeast Michigan, our wintry weather arrived at Thanksgiving, much earlier than usual and now Winter has become the gift that keeps on giving – ugh. We had a one-day Spring thaw, but then Mother Nature pummeled us again with a vengeance.
Since many of us have similar current Winter weather woes, as this storm affected 225 million people, first, I hope you are all safe and second, let’s take a little breather with this post that will invoke memories of late Summer.
The weather was fantastic starting Monday, September 8th and I “seized the day” five days in a row to return to my favorite venues with the camera in tow. Every day that week I walked, took lots of photos and almost wore myself out. 🙂
On September 10th I spent the day in Dearborn.
The first leg of my journey began at Ford Field in Dearborn, then I ambled along the Rouge Gateway Trail, to the Fair Lane Estate, the one-time home of Henry and Clara Ford, then through Jergen’s Meadow.
The second portion of that long stroll was along Ford Lake, ending up at the Environmental Interpretive Center.
Finally, the last leg of my journey was stopping at a duck pond at Ford Field Park. There were many Mallards, but some Wood Ducks too. Unfortunately, many of the ducks were molting, thus they were in “eclipse phase” and blended together in a blah brownish blur, but photographing them was fun anyway. Unfortunately, I had no treats for them and besides, there is a sign that forbids feeding the wildlife.
Today’s post will focus on the first portion of my long stroll, the Rouge Gateway Trail, Fair Lane Estate, Clara Ford’s Rose Garden and Pond. The other portions of the walk will be posted in the next two weeks.
I began at Ford Park …
… walking through the hood, disappearing quickly from busy Michigan Avenue and onto the Rouge Gateway Trail with its twists and turns.
A Juvenile Robin posed nicely …
… then this fallen log with a funky-looking fungus got my attention. Google later told me this was Chicken of the Woods Fungus.
I preferred this pretty Yellow Ironweed over the fungus with its odd name to be honest.
I saw my first glimpses of Fall, tendrils tinged with reddish leaves that wound around this tree trunk.
But there were still tendrils with green leaves too. I took two shots of them, as the trail was on an incline at that spot. This was the first photo, a vertical shot …
… then a second shot, horizontally, as I felt steadier on my feet on the incline. Good thing I took that additional shot, mere seconds later. It was one of those “now you see it, now you dont” moments.
What I didn’t realize at the time, was that a big brown snake was in the tree! I was gobsmacked when sorting through photos earlier this month, some four months after this walk and saw the snake. Did you see it in the second photo?
As I crossed the Gateway Trail Bridge over the Rouge River I was hopeful for a photo op, but there were no waterfowl, deer, not even a wild turkey crossing my path.
Soon I was at Fair Lane.
Near the mansion, there were a lot of construction workers as they are restoring the powerhouse and garage, so the area was cordoned off. Restoration of the mansion has been ongoing for over a decade and scheduled for completion in 2027.
I recognized Maiyah from her “Rootin’ Around with Maiyah” videos about Fair Lane’s gardens and I told her I enjoyed the videos and we chatted briefly. I decided to visit the walkway near the potting shed. The Dahlias and Cannas were in bloom …
… so I hurried over to the Cannas, hoping to see some Hummingbirds. But I stopped in my tracks as something scurried past me and dove into those Cannas. Yikes! Was it a mouse? I decided the Cannas were now off limits, but a split-second later I saw what frightened me and was ready to take its picture.
A blurry shot of this Chippie, yes … it wasn’t interested in a photo op and took off for parts unknown.
I did get a few pics of the beautiful Dahlias.
I smiled when I saw this group of Black Walnuts set out on the picnic table. Someone had gathered them from the ground for the squirrels.
That would keep the squirrels busy for a while as they have to chew through the green rind, then gnaw open the hard shell of the walnut before they could get to the sweet walnut meat. This in-progress treat shows what I mean.
The construction equipment was loud and blocking any access to the Rouge River, but Maiyah said Clara’s Rose Garden was now open, so I headed there next.
Were these roses the proverbial last rose(s) of Summer?
During the renovation, the courtyard where Clara Ford’s Rose Garden is located was off limits as the flagstone perimeter path was removed, then replaced with a sidewalk that was more ADA compliant, thus accommodating visitors using canes or wheelchairs. This is how the pathway looks now.
There were plenty of pink roses still in bloom – these are a few of them.
At the teahouse, Clara and Henry’s statues were gleaming. They are polished several times a year.
Meandering in the Meadow.
After I left Clara’s Rose Garden I meandered through Jen Jergen’s Meadow. This is an informational sign at the Estate.
I’ve often mentioned I follow “Fair Lane, Home of Clara and Henry Ford” on Facebook and the site posted some pictures of Clara Ford’s now somewhat-delipidated Pond mentioned above. A frog was sitting on a Lily pad amongst the Duckweed. Since Fair Lane was undergoing massive renovation in 2025, after my two separate Springtime visits to see the Redbud trees and Lilacs, respectively, I had not returned until now.
Perhaps the Pond might yield a potential poser on the Pond Lilies and a fun photo op?
Clara’s original Rose Garden and Reflecting Pool/Pond might have been beautiful in its heyday …
… but it is quite dilapidated now. You may recall this is where I had photos of Mother Goose on the nest last May, with Father Goose keeping me at bay. The reeds were long gone and I soon realized the picture of the frog must have been from their photo archives as there were zero frogs, the Duckweed was brown …
… but the Pond Lily sprinkled with Duckweed was looking good!
As I stepped away from the pool something caught my eye – it was a toad, silently sunbathing, then it gave me the once-over for disturbing it. I managed to get a shot before it sprang into action and hopped away.
I’m going to stop this walk here as I have much more to share in upcoming posts about the delightful ducks at the duck pond and the bevy of birds I saw on the Lakeside Trail by Ford Lake.
Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge this week is Storm; I will be linking this post to Tuesday’s The Flower Hour also.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
This was extra fun to read after my day with the big storm that fizzled.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Anne! Yes, I thought three weeks in a row I’ll do some Summery posts to right this Winter ship, for everyone dealing with it. I’m glad you missed your big storm and it fizzled, but I heard your old stomping grounds on Long Island got hit badly.
LikeLike
My sister-in-law went cross-country skiing in her neighborhood.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh for goodness sake! I saw the cutest video on “X” of a group of deer in Texas prancing around in the snow. I imagine all the dogs who have never seen or played in snow are having a ball!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely to see the summery landscapes and beautiful flowers! (Except for the fungus.😆) It’s been snowing here since yesterday, with no end in sight. 😫 I love the Ford statues, especially the one of Clara sitting on the bench.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Debbie, I thought everyone needed a dose of Summer to get through this wicked Winter, so the next two posts will be summery as well. It’s nice to see green again as it seems I’ve only been looking at gray and white for a long time. We had that non-stop, all-day snow yesterday, from early morning until dark. We got seven inches (17 cms.) of snow and at 7:00 p.m. tonight, we go back into this brutally cold weather again – every time I hear the weather report it gets worse. Overnight it will be -27F (-32C) windchill and 6F (-14C) air temp. Just ridiculous. I like those statues too. I think they must have just polished them as I’ve never seen them gleaming so brightly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We got 47 cm (18.5 in) and I think that’s a record! This is the WORST winter in recent memory and I can’t wait for spring. Right now we have -18C (0F) with the windchill. It’s my idea of hell! 😱 Stay warm!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ve got it really bad there Debbie. That’s worse than us. The weatherman said at 7:00 p.m. it would get colder and I could feel it inside just past 7:00 p.m. I went and put on my sherpa-lined sweatpants. I have a pair for inside and another pair for outside for really frigid days. They are toasty but the rest of me is cold. If I have on too many layers, the heat comes on and it gets too hot. I heard this Winter was similar to 2019, but I can’t associate anything with that Winter. I need a dose of Spring too. Stay warm!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoyed this walk with you and loved learning about the Chicken of the Woods Fungus. So cool.
Also, last spring, I pulled down a lot of those tendrils off of some trees in our yard. I am not sure if they are symbiotic and help the tree, but decided to remove most from the tall 75 year old pine trees. And seeing how close you were to the snake was crazy and it would have creeped me out to see it later on. I wonder how close we are to stuff like that on most nature walks – hmmmm
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Yvette – I am glad you enjoyed the walk. It was a gorgeous day. I don’t know if all those tendrils are bad for the tree or not, but I’m sure they draw goodness from the tree. I was pretty creeped out when I saw that snake picture. I almost included a screenshot of the camera info/times for the shots – exact same time, mere seconds apart. It looks like it was laying there contentedly, so I’m sure it was there for the first picture I took vertically. One time I was on a trail, got to the end of it and put the lens cap on and prepared to exit and a big snake slithered across my path up ahead. I think even if I had the camera out/ready, it went by too fast to get a shot … factor in my surprise too. I’ve not been on that Trapper’s Run trail again! At Council Point Park there are two guys that walk together every day and as they walked along, a snake dropped out of a tree onto the walking path. It didn’t touch either of them. I’d have freaked out for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would have freaked out a bit if the snake dropped down on me like that – and how fun many your walks are!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d have freaked out too for sure Yvette. Those guys told me there looked to be a snake nest near that tree – there was some ivy and ground cover around that location. So until they ripped down that shoreline in May 2024, I would never walk anywhere near that tree. Yes, I am so looking forward to better weather. This Winter with its non-stop cold and we had more snow is terrible. The meteorologist said that it will now last through mid-February, maybe longer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
brrrrrrr
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a fun memory of summer 🙂 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Anne – thank you! It is nice to remember the green trees/grass and colorful flowers as so much of the U.S. is in this brutal cold snap and with snow/ice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love your photos! Ford Park has moved up to the top of my list of places to get to in the spring and summer. I cannot wait! 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, this whole walk was just gorgeous and you will be in for a treat. The next two weeks will be more for you to see to lure you there. I’ll be glad when the renovation is all done in 2027. The rose garden is beautiful and I’ve written about that gate you saw there – Clara Ford saw the gate when they traveled to Europe and liked it and on the sly Henry Ford bought it and made arrangements for it to be shipped to Fair Lane. They both liked gardening, nature and especially birds. I forgot how many birdhouses were constructed and placed around the woods by the Estate and they sat there with their binoculars watching the birds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing! It sounds wonderful. So will there things to see in the spring or should I wait until the renovation is complete?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just saw some photos on Fair Lane’s Facebook site of the wintry grounds and they showed the Power House and garage still cordoned off. Apparently, they are doing work inside the garage, recreating a part in the garage floor where Henry Ford kept his car and it spun around like a lazy susan. So those buildings and the mansion are off limits due to ongoing renovation. They have some musical events that they post pictures from but I don’t know if these are for members only, or people have gatherings there. The music more like a string quartet in the room. I understand from the Facebook sites everything is done next year. If you want to take pictures, I would probably wait, but you can still walk around the front of the mansion – in the Spring they have a lot of perennials (lots of tulips, daffodils) out front. Also, there is some ongoing construction going on if you park across from Fair Lane in the parking lot. I believe the street is Fair Lane Drive. That is going on in 2026. I don’t park there as I park at Ford Park and walk through the neighborhood and take the Rouge Gateway Trail.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thinking of going in the spring and trying out that Rouge Gateway Trail. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, definitely do that – it is short, but it will take you right to where the Estate is located. There are offshoots to that Rouge Gateway Trail. I’ve never gone on them, as I understand they are blocked off due to ongoing construction. I saw several deer crossing the Rouge Gateway Trail and they loped off into the wooded area. Sometimes it is better to just navigate on foot as to the construction areas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re so welcome. You’ll see how pretty it is along Ford Lake (on the outskirts of the Estate grounds) in my February 8th post. I was also there for a couple of Spring walks too to check out the wildflowers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
These late summer scenes are therapeutic on a frigid day following a winter storm!
Chicken of the Woods is a new one on me. It probably tastes quite different from Chicken of the Sea. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought I’d do three Summery posts in a row starting this week to cheer everyone up from this cold and stormy weather. I thought of you and all the driving you were doing during the storm as they mentioned Indiana getting walloped as well. We’re back to the brutal cold for one day (-27 wind chill tonight and 6 degrees air temp). Yes, not as good as Chicken of the Sea. 🙂 Where do they get these names?
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a wonderful meander through the park and grounds, Linda! I would call it a perfect storm of flowers, landscaping and critters! All those pinks and soft colors did my soul some good today. Cold and frosty here with a glimpse of sun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Terri! What a great idea to call it a perfect storm of Summery colors and critters – yes, back when everything was still green and lush. Right now I forgot what green looks like. 🙂 I am doing three posts in a row from this walk, all Summery-feeling/looking to reset our minds from this awful Winter. We had a glimpse of sun too today. I saw it while cleaning up from 7 inches of snow and we have very brutal weather tonight (-27 wind chill and 6 degrees air temp). A one-day event, but still cold and snowy the rest of the week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Made sense to me… my SIL and Bil are stuck in savannah- Atlanta now due to the storm. They were supposed to get home Saturday! Delayed til tomorrow. What a mess. Stay warm and dry, Linda!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Terri – I’m adding layers as the night wears on. I heard the delayed flight situation was comparable to right after the pandemic began.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lot of beautiful flowers here. Yes, I saw the snake right away! I thought you were very brave!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it’s a beautiful place Kate and especially nice considering it was torn up the entire Summer putting in the new walkway and doing other construction so it was off limits. It’s nice to remember how colorful the flowers were and the green trees. We tend to forget after all this gray and gloomy weather and snow. I’m glad I turned the camera horizontally, or I would not have gotten the picture of the snake. I wonder how I didn’t see it at the time though, but there is an incline, so if I see something, I kind of plant my feet firmly, so I don’t shake taking the photo. I wish I could have seen the look on my face when sorting the photos! We’re going to have a -27 windchill and 6 degrees tonight. That’s a colder windchill than the other two times we were in the Deep Freeze. Winter is getting very old.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very old indeed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The flowers are so beautiful ! I wish we had some now lol. Did you get as much snow as us? We got close to 40 cm (about 15 inches) I have had enough of winter. I see your photos and I want THAT weather lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you liked them Susan – I was torn between two walks where I had a lot of color and chose this long one. The next two posts will be Summery to get us all over this Winter hump. You got a lot of snow – that’s awful! We only got 7 inches (17 cms) of snow and I thought that was bad and both times it drifted, so it was messy walking around the backyard to check for any damage. All the downspouts are frozen solid and won’t thaw out any time soon as we are going into this Deep Freeze one-day event starting at 7:00 p.m. tonight: -27 wind chill (-32 C) and 6F (-14C) air temp. This is just crazy. Yes, I want this warm, sunny, flowers and green trees weather too … I promise not to whine about the heat this year!
LikeLike
It’s Tuesday and it’s been snowing for the last several hours …… again ! So tired of it. haha We probably will both whine about the heat! But that’s okay, we’ll remind each other of this horrible winter ! It is cold here too, people are all bundled up like the Michelin Man, remember that commercial? lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember that commercial for the Michelin Man – yes, everyone is in puffy coats these days and puffy coats are something we wore way back in the 70s when the down coats first were a thing! You’re right – we will complain about the heat too – we are a couple of malcontents! We got more snow this morning and some this afternoon, but mostly nuisance snow, an inch or two, enough that you have to deal with it. I was just wearing my Winter hiking boots with the lug soles until Sunday’s snowfall – now I’m in tall boots, probably the rest of the Winter, the way things are going!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I’m pretty excited because they don’t show any snow in our forecast for the next three days lol our snow piles are so high and when we go to the end of our street to pull out onto the main road, you can’t even see up and down the road.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is sad when we are excited for no snow, but it is the same here for me … no snow ’til Monday night and we’re getting all the way up to 23F (-5C) on Sunday. Break out the flip flops! 🙂 It will feel like a heat wave. But it doesn’t last long for us as we plunge into cold and more snow. That’s a lot of snow you had. At least I can back out of the driveway without issues, but they did plow so that’s good too and I did not get plowed in like about 10 years ago when they plowed me in, it froze from freezing rain and it was mid-March until I could get out of the driveway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is sad and it’s sad when we are excited when it warms up to barely freezing lol. Flip flops eh? haha We are going for lunch with friends today but I really want to stay in my warm house !
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t blame you for not wanting to go out. I go out to run the car every morning and bundle up like I’m going on a long walk – just to go to the garage. That’s been my “outing” now for weeks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful photos of nature, wildlife and colors! Much needed this week for us all! We’re hunkered down in Maryland, hope you are too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Donna! I decided to roll out this three-part walk that will be very summery to get us all over this terrible Winter hump. I’m also hunkered down here in SE Michigan. We only got 7 inches of snow, but this brutal cold is keeping me indoors. We’ve had non-stop cold and snow for weeks, but tonight we will be -27 windchill and 6 degrees. A good time to sort through photos taken last Summer and Fall. Stay warm!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Iam waiting for spring had enough of winter this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know that’s right Andy – it has been so brutal everywhere. I saw your poor birds braving the cold in that recent post. We are bitterly cold here with snow and ice. I have not walked in two weeks today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A perfect post for this cold and snowy day, with all the flowers and greenery and birds and critters. What a beautiful place to walk!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Rebecca! I thought I’d remind everyone how nice Summer was and give us something to dwell on until it gets here. I think it’s been months since I saw color or green. I hope the storm left you unscathed. Stay warm!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder how high up the snow is on those statues?
Nice reminder Linda!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Wayne – yes, everyone feels warmer now. There will be three posts in a row about Summery weather. Next week is the duck pond and after that, I have some critter photos along Ford Lake, mostly birds, including a close-up of a Green Hero, maybe a first on my blog. They probably got the same amount of snowas we did yesterday – it’s about nine miles from where I live. I wonder if it would stick or slide off? They polish the statues ’til they gleam. Winter is the only season I’ve not visited the Estate. Right now they have massive reconstruction going on outside. I just saw some outside photos on Facebook where I follow the Estate.
LikeLike
Lots of fun late summer scenes, Linda! Nice to see all the color.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it was one of the best days, even weeks, of Summer Eilene. I forgot just how lush and green and colorful this season was.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This morning we woke up to single-digit temps here in South Carolina so your summer/fall photos are welcome indeed. It’s nice to be able to recall where you were on this walk. I can picture Clara’s Rose Garden and Jensen’s Meadow (which we only walked a little way into when we were there). I’m thankful for whatever source of funding allows for the restoration of the mansion. It’s too beautiful a structure to let go.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your weather is in single digits Dave – oh, that’s awful! I hope that you didn’t get the ice storm that was predicted. Some fellow bloggers in the South said the ice storm fizzled out or went elsewhere as to their area. We are dealing with extreme cold here. Today it was -23 windchill and 6 air temp when I went out to run my car and it is snowing off and on. It’s a terrible Winter for everyone.
I follow Fair Lane on Facebook and they post about the inside/outside renovations all the time, plus pictures of the grounds when deer or the wild turkeys are on the grounds around the mansion. The other day they showed snow pictures of the grounds and also inside Henry Ford’s garage. When he lived there, he had a place in the garage that was like a built-in lazy susan and his car was parked there – he liked to spin it around. 🙂 They are recreating that and they still have everything cordoned off for the garage and Power House. It is great that this foundation is paying for all the renovations. They are very meticulous about restoring everything inside the mansion to a “T” as it once looked. I am amazed at how precise they are, from a small cabinet pull, to a sconce to carpets and window treatments in the sunroom. It really is a process. I am glad you got to see it in person so can imagine it as this renovation unfolds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“…to a ‘T’…” – I see what you did there 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 Speaking of “T” … the Facebook site I follow re: Fair Lane features “Tuesdays with Tom” where they spotlight renovation in the mansion. They have so many people on the “team” of restoration specialists. On Tuesdays it is a guy named Tom, who is a “preservation craftsman” and I learn something every week. Speaking of “T”, they often put a miniature statue of Thomas Edison somewhere in the mansion and ask people to guess where Tom is? Before it was closed for renovation, people could go in and tour the mansion – I never did that. People guess the location and are usually right. Thomas Edison was Henry Ford’s friend and mentor.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow – I did see the snake! What a cool find, Linda. Could that vine have been poison ivy? It loves to climb trees. Cute little chipmunk. ♡ Oh my, those roses were so lovely, and gorgeous shades of rosy pink. I’m looking forward to garden season coming around again. That was a great picture of the toad, lumpy skin and all. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was so amazed to see that snake after the fact Barbara! Yes, it was a cool find and here I was standing right next to it and didn’t know. I’m glad I took the horizontal picture as well and I often do that as that pathway is on an incline in spots. I looked at the time I took those pictures – only seconds apart. I just went back to the post and took a screenshot of the vines tinged with red and did a Google image search – they are Virginia Creeper. I should have looked before to include it in the post. I remember I did have a post once with similar red-tinged leaves winding up a tree trunk and Diane, a blogger from Ohio said “that is poison ivy Linda – remember ‘leaves of three, let it be!'” I wish that chipmunk had been less blurry, but I included it anyway as I thought it was a mouse that scurried past me – no way was I going past that point where I stood!
I was surprised the roses still looked that good on September 10th, but it was still warm at that point … we had such a lovely Fall, for which we pay the penalty now. That was quite a find seeing the toad as I was so close to it … I guess the frogs in the pond were gone by then. I am just looking forward to seeing some color. Next week’s post will be the visit to the duck pond and the following week, a walk along Ford Lake which was great as I saw a Green Heron among other critters.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a wonderful walk, Linda and returning to summer is just what we need right now. I did see the snake in the photo but can see how you missed it while taking the photo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Ruth! Yes, we need an injection of Summer color to get us out of this wintry weather mode for sure. I am missing walks and especially walks at the Park, so I worry about the critters. I’m glad you saw the snake … I must pay more attention and look up. I always look down ahead of me whenever I am in a wooded area as I worry about the Eastern Fox Snakes which I know are at Lake Erie Metropark as I once saw one slithering across the path – unfortunately I put the camera away. I wish you could have seen the look on my face when I saw this picture!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was lovely Linda! And so very green! Nice to see so much color now with all this never-ending white outside. Your pictures are very clear.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Joni! I figured we needed a little green and color to perk up our sagging Winter spirits – I’m glad you enjoyed the post. January is in the books, now to get through February and hopefully March is Spring-like.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: An affinity for ducks. | WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY
You probably know this, chicken of the woods fungus is edible. However, there are so many stipulations for it to be safe that I won’t eat it. Google if it’s safe to eat and read about eating it if you want. That snake, I saw it immediately and you were so close to it!! I really enjoyed the colorful flowers. I wondered how the statues looked so good, they polish them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, I didn’t know that Diane and I had to Google the image to find out what type of fungus/mushroom it even was to begin with. That’s interesting and I just read that some people do get upset stomachs from the COTW, but not everyone. I have never been mushroom picking. I think I remember you did go picking or I know you buy them whole. We were not that fancy here at the Schaub household. At the law firm where I worked, one of the senior partners loved Morel mushrooms and had some favorite spots to find and gather them up. It was kind of a hobby for him when they were in season. I could not believe the snake was right in front of me the whole time. I almost put a screenshot showing the camera info for each shot to show the two shots were taken second apart, but there were already so many photos in the post, so I didn’t. I must not pay attention because I was amazed when sorting through my photos to see it was there, so big and how did I miss it? I was surprised there were still a lot of flowers, especially the roses after such a hot Summer. I saw an article on Facebook how often they polish the statues and it showed them doing this and I tucked away the screenshot to use with this post and can’t find it. I need to organize my computer as I’ve not archived off my pictures and posts (done in Word) since January 2025!
LikeLike
Pingback: Scoping out Lakeside Trail at Ford Lake. | WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY