It was serendipity that I discovered Council Point Park in April 2013 and it remained my happy place until May 8, 2024 when one shoreline of my favorite nature nook was decimated shortly after I left for home. The purpose of the “project” was to widen the Ecorse Creek in an effort to prevent flooding, amongst other things. The sheer devastation could not have come at a worse time, nesting season. It broke my heart to see fallen trees with squirrel and bird nests, some still crudely fastened onto branches, leaving many of the Park’ s inhabitants suddenly homeless and their offspring deceased.
I’ve whined enough about the devastation and could wax poetic about the many miles and hours spent tootling along the perimeter path. It was there where I first interacted with the “wildlife” a term I use loosely as the Park wildlife would be an occasional groundhog, or raccoon, the three types of squirrels and, of course, my Peanut pal Parker, a very cheeky, fuzzy fellow with a furry tail.
There were also ducks, geese, swans, herons, woodpeckers and songbirds that I’ve interacted with over the years. Two very harsh Winters have reduced the ranks of the squirrels and the shoreline is still raggedy, although the exploding Milkweed pods nestled along the now-weedy banks give me hope that Monarchs may grace us with their presence someday.
Though I will never stop going to Council Point Park, I have expanded my horizons and now enjoy frequenting larger parks, however, it’s always good to return to your roots, er … routes sometimes, where my walking regimen began in 2011, i.e. in the ‘hood.
Whimsy at Winchester and Wilson Avenues.
I’ve blogged about this home several times, having visited it in different seasons.
The homeowners are animal lovers – so how do I know that?
There are multiple bird feeders …
… and birdbaths too – here is one of them.
There is a nesting box that looks like a cathedral – Winchester Cathedral perhaps?
In the middle of Winter I’ve seen dilapidated, snow-topped pumpkins lined up on the property, gnaw marks evident, proof they were providing sustenance for hungry critters when food is scarce. The flowers and ornamental grasses, long gone to seed, are always left waving in the Winter breeze, providing seed and nesting materials for birds, or even a safe haven for insects.
For all these reasons, the property proudly displays this sign that deems it a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. Once upon a time my backyard had this sign too.
I keep returning here because the home’s rock gardens and yard art appeal to my whimsical side. In Spring, it is a flower lover’s delight once the perky Daffodils pop up …
… then, after the Daffs’ demise, the Tulips reign.
Because of our wacky, roller-coaster weather, those were Spring blooms from earlier posts – it’s too early for Spring 2026 blooms like these yet.
Yard art, plus some fun and funky “critters”.
On this late August visit to …
… after still another Park meander was thwarted by the pesky grass cutters, all those Spring-y fleurs were long gone, but there were other photo ops to be had, despite a dark cloud that suddenly loomed overhead. “Best be quick” I told myself.
Speaking of grass cutting, ivy groundcover has replaced the lawn. Embedded amongst the ivy are four Canada Geese. Here are two of them.
They always bring back memories of “Mickey” and “Minnie”, the two Canada Geese that ruled my backyard in my early gardening days, before the butterfly bushes and butterfly gardens overtook most of the yard. My neighbor Marge took these photos of them 20 years ago when she got her first digital camera.
Tucked amongst a dozen garden flags …
… are the frogs and bunnies … yep, the “ribbits” and “rabbits” which are the topic of this post.
The frogs pop up everywhere – here are some of them …
… and these are a few curious bunnies.
If ever there was a bunny crossing, 875 Winchester Avenue is it.
One Summer the homeowner planted Flowering Kale that enticed the bunnies to nibble away. Those plants were still flourishing in early Winter.
I always leave here with a peaceful feeling.
It’s not just this sign …
… nor this angelic miss …
… or even these fresh-faced youngsters in the garden area.
The melodic wind chimes stirring in a gentle breeze are welcoming …
… as is this sign.
Did you say “Ohm” when you saw the frog meditating in a lotus yoga position in the featured image? Of course you did.
On this weekday morning, I heard piped-in classical music coming from a speaker somewhere in the yard. Even though this genre of music is not my thing, it made me want to linger longer, but for the ever-darkening sky. I know the strains of classical music were kinder to my ears than the loud mowers would have been.
Suddenly the sky opened up and the first raindrops splashed down quickly. I stopped to take one more photo, while shielding the camera with my other hand …
… then hurriedly shoved the camera into its case, then into my fanny pack and pulled out an emergency garbage bag to wrap around the fanny pack to walk home. The camera was protected, but sunny skies when I left the house meant I toted along zero rain gear for myself. Ugh!
Even though the yard doodad told me to laugh …
… laughter in the rain isn’t really funny, to me anyway, even though I’m not made of sugar. 🙂
Unlike this tall and gangly feathered friend, there was nowhere for me to duck for cover.
So it was RIBBITS and RABBITS and RAIN, but no RAINBOWS, which might have made that soggy leg of my walk more tolerable.
Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge this week is: “Your Favorite Places” and it is hosted by Cathy whose blog is “Between the Lines” as Terri is on vacation.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
My goodness Linda, What a wonderful garden You are quite lucky to have within walking distance. The bird feeders are a bit over the top though
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Yes Brian, because I am lucky to have this nice garden within walking distance, I pop over there at least once every season. I’m hoping to stop there as soon as I see the Daffodils and Tulips are out for photos for a Wordless Wednesday post. Our weather has been so wacky that even the Crocuses are not up yet. I probably could have left that line of birdfeeders out of the post – they have several of the yellow tubular sunflower seed feeders around.
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What fun pics! 😁
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Glad you liked the pics Pepper. This place is pretty, peaceful and whimsical too!
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Each one made me smile. Thank you so much for that. 😁
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Oh my, someone has put an amazing amount of effort into that garden! That a Ribbit Rabbit Rendezvous would turn Rainy is Ridiculous! You will have to Return.
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“Rendezvous” is definitely a word that should be in my headline! JP, I really need to consult with you before publishing my whimsical posts to put a little oomph into their content, that’s for sure. I am waiting for some Spring-y flowers to emerge around the ribbits and rabbits then I will return. 🙂
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Are those photos of your yard? It was gorgeous! So green!
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Yes – thank you Kate! It was really green as I watered so much and that was in July on top of it. That was before I put in the three Butterfly Bushes and added more Coneflowers. The Clematis were just starting to climb up the birdfeeder pole. The nursery said to plant Marigolds at the base of them to keep the rabbits from chewing them – it worked!
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My Nelly Moser Clematis four years later. I had some other Clematis plants in the back garden but they had bloomed in May.
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Beautiful. Do you still have it?
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Thanks. Clematis are so beautiful. I planted it and the others as my mom always admired the ones that climbed the pillars at Olive Garden. No, I lost it and the others, as well as all my butterfly garden in the Polar Vortex the Winter of 2013-2014. That’s why I am so reluctant to ever have another garden. And everything along the back fence behind Mickey and Minnie (the geese) burned up with the downed wire fire in December 2022.
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Wow! I loved all your photos and your whimsical play with words. What a fun post!
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Thank you Anne! This is such a fun place to visit and in all the times I’ve been here, I’ve never seen anyone working in the yard. That last time I heard music, so too bad it started to rain or I’d have stayed longer, perhaps introduced myself.
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There will be other days. I hope you will meet the owner.
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I hope so too Anne. I’ll try on a weekend again. It would make a nice follow-up post.
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What a fun, lovely post, Linda! Your paintings are beautiful, I didn’t know you drew, how awesome! It is fun to retrace old routes, I have been wanting to visit a couple places that I tromped 3-4 years ago. It’s time I schedule myself and do it! 🙂
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Thank you Donna! This place draws me to it like a magnet, especially when all the flowers are out. It’s peaceful and whimsical and like us, they like birds. 🙂 I try to get here once a season to see their gardens. They have lots of flowers in the Summer. We had such a hot Summer last year, that by the time August arrived and I was here, there were mostly annuals and the heat had taken its toll, so I focused on the yard art instead. I just started drawing and painting last year and enjoy it. I took some watercolor classes online last Spring with a German artist, all nature drawing and painting and then the artist took a long break due to illness and I found another teacher. She does a lot of ink-and-wash paintings like these which are fun and whimsical. I’ll have more paintings coming up on Easter and in the next month.
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What a fabulous photo essay, Linda! 😍 Your neighbour’s gardens are beautiful, and your yard looked great as well. Nice addition, including your sketches! I love the detail of your raindrops on leaves photo. 👌
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Thank you Debbie! I’m glad you liked this post. It’s such a whimsical little place and reminds me a little of my yard back in the day when I still had yard art, the butterfly garden paraphernalia and catered to the birds and butterflies. I kept adding to my garden after 2006 when Marge took these photos with more flowers and butterfly bushes. Earlier this month when we were still in Winter mode, I did some sketches for upcoming posts – I will have six more in upcoming posts, including Easter. That rain just started like a shower was turned on – I’m glad I got the shot before the downpour!
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I love that someone has put all that effort into making such a beautiful AND wildlife-friendly yard!
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I agree Eilene – it is a joy to stand on that corner and see all they do for local wildlife. I’m surprised there aren’t butterflies there as there are many annuals on the property in the Summer, even though I did not photograph any that day. If anyone deserves to put that NWF sign up, it is them!
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Are those your paintings Linda! Very cute! Lots to see in that place, and I also liked the glimpse into your backyard with the geese!
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Yes, those are my paintings – thanks Joni! I have been doing more of these ink-and-wash paintings, which are less precise and more whimsical, which is what I was looking to paint to use in this post. I’ve also done more paintings, two paintings for each of the upcoming holidays (Easter, Earth Day and Mother’s Day). This homeowner’s property is unique and there is lots to see here. I was happy that Marge took those photos for me. She got her first digital camera and came over that morning to take photos of the backyard and side yard and e-mailed them to me the same day.
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At least that kind of wildlife holds still to get a photo!
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Yes, I don’t come home with squirrels missing snouts or a furry tail only!
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I love the way you drew the bunny in the two pictures. He is so cute, great job!
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Thank you Susan! I took some time earlier this month and did seven paintings – I’ll have two more bunnies for my Easter post, then more paintings to stick in my Earth Day and Mother’s Day posts. 🙂 These were fun as they were ink and wash, so not as precise. First, you sketch, then go over the pencil lines with a fine-line waterproof marker, then wash in the watercolor loosely. Have you done any painting while the weather has been crummy?
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I can’t wait to see the bunnies! They were so cute, you did a great job. I have done ink and wash before but not for years. I have not been painting, I have been getting ready for our next trip and working on my Blog posts. After this down east trip, I have a bunch of blogs from when we went to England and France last year. I have them prescheduled!
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Where is your next destination Susan? I am looking forward to your England and France trips that you took last Spring. It takes a lot of time to sort through and prepare posts. I’ll attest to that! I have posts done through May 3rd. I like being a week or so ahead in case we have stormy weather and maybe the internet goes out, but I’ve never been a month ahead before. It feels nice to not be scrambling around, but I still have photos from walks last Spring and the Fall of 2024. The Fall of 2024 pics I was saving for something special, but I had to research a little for it, so I kept putting it on the back burner.
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We leave in May for South Korea, Japan and Indonesia. Hopefully the trips will still be a go depending on the state of the world. Then just some local camping this summer. I am always behind on my blogs. I have finished all last years and our trip to Mexico, all prescheduled so hopefully I can keep caught up after that !
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That was an ambitious undertaking finishing all your 2025 trips! You’re glad to be done and scheduled with them. That sounds like a nice trip you’ve scheduled. I hope it doesn’t have to be cancelled for any reason – what a disappointment that would be.
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Yes it would be disappointing for sure. I guess it’s a waiting game now 🙂
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I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you at my end it happens. So much to worry about these days at home and abroad. Tonight we had severe weather and my weather alarm went off a few minutes after the local meteorologist I’ve followed for years on social media said severe weather was over for the night! The City tornado alarms went off for five or ten minutes. Everything happened quickly but the rotation went to another county. I felt kind of sick afterward – too close for comfort. It got too hot too fast here and tonight we have snow flurries. 🙂 I am happy we’re staying cool for a while to stabilize things.
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The frogs in the garden are the cutest. They made me smile. Sorry you got wet, but glad you had a back-up plan to save the camera. 🙂 I really enjoyed seeing your drawings. They have a certain whimsicalness to them. It sounds like a lot of work to have a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat, but I’m sure that it is very rewarding.
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Thanks Rebecca! I’ve been doing a little artwork to go with some upcoming posts, including a couple of bunnies for Easter Sunday’s post. I liked doing the whimsical drawings, especially since I knew I had this whimsical post leading up to Easter. The collection of frogs and their fun poses along with the other fun yard art keeps me coming back to this corner house. If you have a birdbath at your house, you may have a NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat based on what you’ve posted about your yard. On their site, they have you check off the criteria. I know you have trees and bushes with provide shelter and berries. I had birdbaths, birdfeeders and bushes and trees that birds and “wildlife” could eat/drink and take shelter and refuge in. I don’t have that now due to losing my plants in the Polar Vortex of 2013-2014, my back garden trees and bushes were lost in the downed wire fire and the neighbor who used to live behind moved in with a big dog he left outside 24/7/365 and it caused rats. The pest control service advised me to stop feeding and giving water to the birds and peanuts to the squirrels. There went my little wildlife habitat.
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I’m looking forward to seeing your new artwork. I’m really sorry that the cold, fire and your neighbor ruined your wildlife habitat. From what I have seen, it was beautiful and I know the animals enjoyed it.
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Thank you Rebecca. I’ve really gotten into reading more, doing some art and also going through all my photos to put together posts. I am four weeks ahead right now as I know (and hope) the good weather will eventually get here, although we have been in an unsettled and rainy pattern all this week and through next Monday. I’m waiting to see how we fare tonight as there are tornado warnings for SW Michigan – I am in SE Michigan. Every time I think about recreating the backyard garden, something that I enjoyed doing and thank you for saying that, I tell myself with this erratic weather that we now have for all four seasons, it would probably be foolhardy to do that.
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I understand for the amount of time and money that goes into a garden, you wouldn’t want to lose it all again. I hope all is well with your weather.
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Yes, I feel like that but a few minutes ago I was looking at mini bird baths on a stake. I’m really reluctant to do anything like this again as I feel like I let the birds down once. I looked and passed it by. I will go to Emily Frank Gardens or the Botanical Gardens instead going forward. Tonight I am late getting here Rebecca as we had severe weather … again. I understood we were done for the evening according to one meteorologist, but I follow a weather site which does live radar reports and streams from beginning to all clear for all severe weather. My weather alarm went off – a tornado warning. Just when I thought it was safe! The City tornado alarms went off continuously, I got ready to go to the basement and I was still following the streamed site and they said the danger was over as the rotation went to the next county. I felt like I let down my guard momentarily and was shaken by that as I usually am diligent about staying on top of all severe weather.
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Yikes! I’ve been there in the past and know how scary it is. I’m glad everything is well.
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Yes, I know you have been there Rebecca and I don’t know how you deal with it as it seemed to me like you have had an abundance of tornadoes the last few years. I am so grateful everything went well.
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I can see when these are your favorite places, but sad the renovations caused harm to the birds and critters, Linda. Love the ribbits and rabbits, the statuary is cute and always freshers up a garden. I like the geese too and all the beautiful flowers therein! Thanks for linking to both challenges, and enjoy your Easter! Turns out we’ll be arriving home late that day.
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Terri, this corner house with its garden and all its whimsy just puts a smile on my face every time I go there. I like to get there at least once a season to check it out. They had some flowers on my visit that August day, all annuals, but I decided to focus on the statuary instead as we were nearing Easter. Safe travels home!
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A fun look at yard art in the neighborhood and your artwork as well!
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Glad you enjoyed it Ruth! I really get a silly smile on my face every time I venture over there. I’ve been having some fun drawing and painting and will have more paintings coming up for Easter, Earth Day and Mother’s Day, so stay tuned!
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These are so fun. I need to get some yard statues
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I know Kirstin – I have a few, but this place has so many fun statues and yard art, it’s easy to overlook a few. I’ll get over there a few times each year to check out anything new and see how the plants look.
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What a fun post to look at Linda! Your painting is just beautiful! I’m glad things are getting back to normal with the critters coming back. The flowers give me spring fever. Only my daffodils are in bloom now.
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Thanks Diane – I’m glad you enjoyed it! I want to go over there in a few weeks to see how the Tulips and Daffodils are looking and get some photos if possible. We’ve had some really warm days, so maybe Spring has Sprung at the corner of Winchester and Wilson Avenues. I’ve seen no signs of plant life around here – I don’t have bulbs, but Marge planted some and there is no color in her yard, although I do see what looks like Tulip leaves pushing up. I’m glad you liked the paintings. They were the first paintings I did since the squirrels and scarecrow in January. I will have some more paintings coming up in the next month, including two for my Easter Sunday post.
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Really interesting to me how a home garden can be certified as a wildlife habitat. Good on these residents for the time and care they put into their creations. Is the garden at 875 Winchester also a residential property? Just wondering how you got all of these close-up images – open to the public? Love the frogs and other whimsical touches.
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Dave, my house was also certified as a NWF wildlife habitat with a sign and back when I did that, all you had to do was go onto the NWF website and you had to qualify by responding affirmatively to their criteria of providing food, water, shelter in all seasons to wildlife. If you met that criteria, you got the certificate and you then ordered a sign. I am no longer certified as I lost my garden due to the Polar Vortex, the former neighbor behind moved in with a dog left outside 24/7/365 and we got rats. I had fed/watered the birds and squirrels in the backyard for years and never even saw a mouse because I kept the area under the feeders clear from spilled birdseed. I had a pest control service come in for the rats and had to remove all the birdbaths and the birdseed and I never fed the birds/squirrels in the backyard again. It broke my heart. I also provided shelter, water and butterfly houses for butterflies. I find this place whimsical and fun. Yes, it is a residence and the reason I am able to take photos up close is it is a large corner lot and it is not fenced in. I’ve never been in the backyard, but if I see the homeowners outside one day I’m going to ask if I could go there. I am shameless sometimes. 🙂
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