Though we were on the cusp of Summer …

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Linda Schaub

… it already felt like Summer was here – whew! So much for savoring the last weekend of Spring.

Perhaps if I had not arrived midday at Elizabeth Park, I would have appreciated the ambiance of this venue a wee bit more. But, after walking around Lake Erie Metropark for hours, the warmer it got, my pace became pathetically slow. Then I stood, melting in the hot sun at the fire station, awaiting some Osprey action.

But, the six-mile drive to Elizabeth Park with the car’s A/C cranked on high revived me a bit, so off I went to wander the waterfront, albeit briefly.

Don’t let that flag flapping in the breeze fool you – it was a hot breeze.

There is new signage throughout this park and, as the sign says, Elizabeth Park is Michigan’s first county park and it is 104 years old. By now I am sure you recognize this picturesque locale, from the trio of vintage bridges that span the Canal, to the Boardwalk. And, of course I always show you lots of waterfowl bobbing in that Canal, honking and/or quacking and, in the case of the Canada Geese, often bossing the kayakers around once when their paddles invade their personal space. (Hey, geese have rights too you know!)

Every time I stop at this venue, I always pause at the vehicle bridge to take a photo of this vintage footbridge which is a popular spot for wedding, prom and homecoming photos.

Then, I usually climb up the bridge, on its series of steep steps, to peer down into the Canal to look for photo ops, while trying NOT to be obvious or annoying … of course, sometimes people wave back from their kayak just as I snap their photo – then I don’t feel so badly about taking those candid shots. These two kayakers needed a break – they were too pooped to participate. (No, they didn’t wave back at me.)

My short visit at Elizabeth Park that day did not yield a ton of photos, just a few about fishing, which seemed to be the main attraction that day, whether along the Canal, Boardwalk or from a kayak – there were many fisher men and women and even a few dads and kids.

But, because a 400-word post by me would have you virtually feeling my forehead, I thought I’d tuck a little flash from the past in here as well.

Anyone wanna read about a fish story?

So there was a young boy and a man, which I assume was his father and they were fishing off the Canal bank. The little boy was excited for a “bite” on his line, but when the line emerged from the water, there was nothing there. Most likely the “tug” on the line was because the fishhook got hung up on some seaweed. He looked so crestfallen I called to him to put that line back in the water if he was going to have a fish fry for Father’s Day. His dad quietly chuckled at my quip, shook his head and said “not hardly.”

This boy and man triggered a long-ago memory as I recalled the one and only time I went fishing with my father when my parents rented a cottage for a couple of weeks in the Summer of ’68 near Alpena, Michigan. My father bought a fishing rod and reel and a tackle box filled with lures because the cottage had a boat and he aimed to take me fishing. He bought me a flimsy bamboo rod with a hook and a bobber. Mom made lunch to take with us and also shoved the rest of a bag of Jiffy Pop popcorn toward me for a snack. Clearly she wanted to read and relax, likely happy to get the two of us out of her hair for a while. Before leaving, we dug up a few worms to double our odds at catching something. My father alternated between worms and different lures with no success. At 12 years old, I was a bit bored, so, on a lark, I scattered some popcorn onto the water and when a few fish nibbled at the surface, I baited my hook with some popcorn and dropped the line.

Suddenly a fish nibbled on the popcorn on the hook and when I felt it tug the line, I yelled “I got something” and my father, ever the pessimist, said “probably a piece of driftwood” but he helped me lift the line and flailing fish out of the water (no reelin’ it in for me with the bamboo pole). He flopped the fish into the bottom of the boat near my feet. I was excited. Time to go home and show Mom and get a photo with the Baby Brownie camera.

Well our family never ate fresh fish … salmon patties, tuna salad, both from a can and Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks, but not fresh fish. So, Mom freaked out and said “I don’t want to cook it, then smell fish here for two weeks so do something with it – now!”

We took the picture, albeit a black-and-white shot that’s a bit blurry, but it memorialized my fish tale forevermore!

I think the fish was on its last legs, er … fins, when we went to the dock and deposited it back into Rush Lake.

And that my friends is my whopper of a fish tale!

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Wood Duck #Wordless Wednesday #Blurred lines … Mama Wood Duck and ducklings

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Linda Schaub

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

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The stars were aligned for me on this walk.

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Linda Schaub

‘Tis the first Monday of a new month, so it’s time to use the August nature calendar page which is featured above. This venue is Tipperary, Ireland … not that there is anything Irish-looking about the photo.

It was Father’s Day when I made this two-park trip and yes I did explore. I had planned to go on Saturday, but Mother Nature played spoiler with hazy skies, very poor air quality and two days prior, a tornado had touched down in Monroe County, not all that far from this venue. Sunday was clear and bright, but hot and humid. Summer had not even officially arrived yet and I realized I had already whined plenty about the muggy weather, even after saying in the depths of Winter “I will not whine on searing hot Summer days!”

In the end I sure was glad I waited a day as you will see as this post unfolds.

I planned on getting to Lake Erie Metropark early to beat that heat and for the off-chance I’d see some deer out foraging and who knows … maybe even a fawn or two.

Since I’d just visited Cove Point and the Marina in May, on Mother’s Day, I decided my June visit would be the marshy areas and the boat launch. It’s a fairly long drive from the entrance of this park to the Marshlands Museum and on that last turn, I saw a half-dozen Egrets, their reflections as gorgeous as the birds themselves. This was across the street from that pyramid of Egrets I saw, photographed and blogged about last year Stopping is forbidden, (or at least discouraged), so I zipped over to the Museum to park and walked back.

I encountered this gaggle of geese …

… then hurried over to the marshy area to see the Egrets. I admired them and got a few shots …

… when a pick-up truck hauling a big boat rumbled on by thus spooking the Egrets and in a flurry of white wings they departed … so much for that fabulous find (although there was a bonus deer in the last shot).

On the other side of the road, the Great Blue Heron was undaunted by my presence.

There were fabulous flora and fauna finds!

I headed back to the Museum to say “hey” to Luc, the resident bald eagle who uttered not a single chirp of recognition, but I had his attention, albeit with his head swiveled backward, the entire 10-minute chat.

Next, I decided to check out the progress on the lagoon by the boathouse and was pleased to see the water level was normal again. Pond Lilies and especially the invasive aquatic plant Frogbit were already overtaking the water’s surface.

Gone were the dredges and airboats and the promised increased waterfowl did return. A few Egrets and Herons were fishing way across the lagoon and I saw a Mama Mallard with her young’uns. I think there are nine ducklings, though my eyes were running together and it is confusing with the reflections to do an exact count.

Doe, a deer, a female deer.

I told Luc I was off on an adventure and would see him soon and, as I climbed the hill to the parking lot, a flash of a deer tail caught my eye. A White-tailed Deer was standing 10 feet from my car! I crept closer toward her as she stood there stripping the leaves off the trees that grew on the fringe of the parking lot.

I spoke to her softly, so hopefully I could get closer. Unfortunately, my efforts were thwarted when a vehicle came speeding by and she trotted away toward the woods.

Should I follow this doe into the woods?

Well, you know me, so you already know the answer to that question. I picked up the pace and headed over to the Trapper’s Run Trail to see where she was, or if we would be playing hide-and-go-seek. I barely stepped onto the Trail and was rewarded for doing so as the doe had discovered another tree with tasty leaves and was happily munching away.

This little lady was as hungry for leaves as I was for photos of her enjoying those leaves.

I spoke softly and she didn’t bolt – yay! I planted myself on the wooden boardwalk, camera pointed in her direction. She stepped forward – so did I, pleased that I didn’t scare her. I figured she tolerated my presence because those leaves were mighty tasty. The dappled sunlight made it a tad dark but that was okay too.

A young woman came along and stopped to see what I was photographing and asked if I was a birder because her sister was. Her name was Rebecca and I pointed at the doe which she had not seen up to that point. We chatted and she left to continue her walk.

The repeated clicking of the camera’s shutter gave the doe cause to pause and occasionally she looked up at me, aware and alert of this human, those hauntingly beautiful eyes and twitching ears, endeered, er … endeared her to me.

Well, I never made a move and spoke to her in a soothing voice so I know I didn’t spook her, but something else did. With a sudden start she bolted, and ran out of the woods, through the parking lot…

… then she loped down the road and crossed into a dense wooded area. Although I was not going to be that easily deterred, those cloven hoofs were no match for me. She was hoofin’ it and left me in the dust.

The long and winding road to the Boat Launch area.

I headed down to the Boat Launch area and Cherry Island Trail, alternating between walking on the road in the shade and along the wooden overlook in the heat, the latter being the more-scenic view. A loud chirping noise above caught my attention. I recognized the call of an Osprey and saw one gliding overhead, then out of my clear view. I figured it was on a stick-finding mission, so I decided to stop at the fire station on the way home to check out its nest.

I looked across the lagoon to take a photo of the boathouse just as a Heron alighted on the wooden overlook fence. Hmm. It couldn’t have done that while I was still there?

It stayed on that fence for a while. Behind this young fisherman I watched it, but I was really too far away for a good shot. It eventually flew down to the water.

The nature trail ends at the Boat Launch area where, by mid-September, the raptor counts will begin and folks with binoculars and cameras with tripods will gather here.

Ambling along the Cherry Island Trail.

Happily the shoreline trail was neither soggy nor muddy. This female Mallard posed prettily, her profile even nice as a reflection.

As I stood on the wooden overlook across the marsh I was surprised how many Lily pads were already floating on the water – no blooms yet though. There was a bird which I instantly recognized by the shape of its head and unusual-looking beak as a Common Moorhen … it was not on my Birdie Bucket List. It is also known as a Swamp Chicken.

But, before my walk was done I WOULD find a bird from my List, but did not realize it until I saw it on the computer screen many weeks later. Not to disparage female birds, but its drab plumage and disheveled feathers made me think it was a Mallard.

So that “Big Reveal” will be Wednesday.

There were no more fab finds at Lake Erie Metropark that morning. Even the Ring-billed Seagulls were scarce and, as I headed to the car, a Great Blue Heron was shrieking its head off as it flew away in a huff once it spotted me.

It was late morning by then and I still planned a stop at Elizabeth Park, so I walked back to the car and drove to the fire station on the outskirts of this Metropark, hopeful for an Osprey photo op. As I parked and looked up, I knew I would get that photo op.

There he was … a big ol’ Osprey sitting atop this pole.

The pole was next to the nest area, which, you may recall from last year’s posts, is actually the fire station’s siren!

The Osprey perched, in King-of-the-Hill fashion, on that tall pole (which truly didn’t look too comfortable to me) and finally took a notion to go on another stick-finding-mission.

Poof, it was gone in a flash, giving me an opportunity to view the beautiful underside of its wings.

I waited about ten minutes for it to return, then left. Of course I saw that Osprey once I was driving along West Jefferson Avenue, a beakful of sticks to refurbish its already twiggy-and-disheveled-looking abode. Soon thereafter I was at my next venue, Elizabeth Park, which will be the subject of next week’s post.

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I’m not an introvert … just forgot the sunscreen. #Wordless Wednesday #Trying not to look leathery ya know!

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Linda Schaub

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

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, nature | Tagged , , , | 42 Comments

Meandering FOR …

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Linda Schaub

… and AROUND munchkins.

The March of Dimes was always a favorite charity of my mom’s. I don’t know the reason because I was born a healthy baby, albeit small … 4 pounds, 11 ounces, something that this 5 foot, 9 inch tall current Me finds difficult to fathom that I was ever that tiny. Evidently the baby formula my parents were recommended by Dr. Hamlin made me big and strong, kind of how you boost bloom growth in the garden with Miracle-Gro, only this magic elixir was for babies. 🙂

Mom also liked The Salvation Army and I once was a bell ringer for them from Thanksgiving weekend through December. But I digress.

The annual March for Babies 5K event through the March of Dimes organization never holds their big fundraiser near me and this year was no different. It was held in Pontiac, Michigan, 54 miles from my home. But that was fine because, for now, I’ll keep doing my charity 5K walks virtually if that option is available.

I decided to make the March of Dimes March for Babies one of my 2023 5K events. I have participated in four walks this year, but only written about one so far. I admit that the reason for hooking up with the March for Babies might seem a wee bit self-serving … after all, it was a celebration of sorts for me since it was 50 years ago, while in my senior year in high school, that I participated in my very first 5K, the “March of Dimes 17-Mile Walk-a-thon 1973” on Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan. I was just one of many participants and I completed not just 3.2 miles (the equivalent of a 5 kilometers), but 17 miles – ahh … youth!

So this year I decided to do the March for Babies again, but with a twist. I would do it, on my own, without joining a team and sponsor myself and, just like that “Order of the Battered Boot” certificate I received five decades ago …

… I chose my favorite nature nook, Council Point Park, a place that is as comfortable to me as an old pair of walking shoes.

Having walked at this venue for a decade now, I knew Springtime is “baby time” in this park, or any other nature setting. I knew those sweet goslings and their moms (and dads too) would be a perfect touch for doing my fundraising meander for the March of Dimes’ munchkins.

I know the past few months I have regaled you (and hopefully not bored you) with lots of pics of Canada Geese with their goslings. But, I am really partial to these goslings you will see below as they were so very tiny, the first of many goslings that I would see along Council Point Park’s perimeter path this year.

So on Sunday, May 7th, with camera in hand, I began my walk. I knew I must be prepared to sidestep the family by giving them wide berth along the perimeter path, otherwise my penalty for getting in their way is the equivalent of getting my hand slapped goose style, i.e. Papa Goose glaring at me, then hissing with that bright pink tongue, followed by some serious wing-flapping. And, if I was not deterred by those histrionics, then he might charge in my direction. Hey, I’m no fool. I know the rules and have obeyed them since I began walking here.

Every picture tells a story says Rod Stewart and Linda Schaub.

I didn’t have far to go, ten minutes on the perimeter path and there they were. Papa guarding his offspring fiercely. I don’t blame him – his babies were cute and I told him so as I inched closer and closer to his brood without crossing that line and invading their personal space. Mama, having a little sit-down and a grass and dandelion break, glanced up and decided to let Papa take care of business with the tall intruder.

So with minimal words and lots of photos, please come and meander with munchkins with me.

Sweetness abounds!

I will admit that goslings don’t have cherub faces, or ten little fingers and toes, but, tell me this cutie pie gosling, snacking on a dandelion isn’t sweet. I know I already used the photo for a Wordless Wednesday post, but it was my favorite shot of the day so I know you’ll indulge me.

I guess snacking and tootling after Mom and Dad left these babies tired …

I got as close as I dared and whispered “will you pose for me?“

They obliged (and no plying with peanuts was necessary.)

A blended family – what?!

Something interesting about this family: clearly, there were four tiny goslings, but also tucked into this group was one older gosling. It is easy to see the size difference. There were no other goslings in the Park so I was a bit stymied. Did Mama lay one egg a few weeks before the others? Is that possible? Have a look.

Papa accommodated me for photos, then he marched his babies down the grassy slope to the Creek for a quick paddle and with his look back at me I figured I had overstayed my welcome.

So that ended my gawking at goslings that day. Besides … Parker, impatient with my fixation on my feathered friends, firmly stepped on my shoes with his front paws demanding my attention and peanuts.

No finisher’s medal was enclosed with my swag packet, but I did get two tee-shirts, one for being a walker and one for being a donor (I matched the amount of my registration fee).

My next 5K would be for Fish & Loaves Food Pantry on Sunday, June 4th at historic Heritage Park.

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Mucky Ducks! #Wordless Wednesday #Mama Mallard and ducklings

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Linda Schaub

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

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, nature | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments

An artsy amble.

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Linda Schaub

I know I have infused a little bit of culture, history and nature into my recent posts about the Henry Ford Estate and today I have even more culture and nature to share … (and no, not about that venue).

In 2023, once again the Detroit Institute of Arts (“DIA”) and local parks and communities partnered to showcase weather-resistant reproductions of some of the DIA’s famous paintings. This is the 14th year of the DIA’s program entitled “Inside/Out” where the paintings are placed in various venues in the Tri-County area from May through October. You may recall last year I did two posts about DIA paintings featured in my City and also at Willow Metropark. When the DIA posted their 2023 list of venues for their paintings, I knew I had fodder for a post, just three miles from my home.

I chose to visit only the three paintings at Dingell Park. I perused the DIA map to pinpoint the location of each painting and knew my stroll would take me along the Riverfront, all the way to the Park’s Marina about a half-mile away.

Wandering along the waterfront.

I admit I have not been as diligent beating a path down to Dingell Park in my quest to see Mute Swans and their cygnets since I saw a family at a lagoon in Lake Erie Metropark last year. Actually, it is pretty hit or miss seeing Mute Swans in the cove area, except for Winter when they preen while sitting on ice floes or are ungracefully diving for aquatic plants, tails in the air.

The Canada Geese are always plentiful at this venue however. Here they are picking and preening …

This female Mallard was woolgathering.

There was not much to grab my attention, so I stepped away from the pavilion area to walk along the Boardwalk. June is National Rivers Month, so I enjoyed my walk along this busy waterway known as the Detroit River on a picture-perfect day.

The sun cast some interesting shadows.

Michigan’s Walleye season begins in early April and goes through May in conjunction with the warming water and the Walleye’s migration up the Detroit River to spawn. I have been to several Detroit River waterfront venues in early Spring when fisherman line the shore and waterways are congested with so many boats, it seems like one could step from one boat to the other. The boats are filled with fisherman dangling multiple lines while hoping for their big catch of the day.

Today was a little subdued though – maybe the fishermen and women were worn out from Walleyepalooza?

The noise and wake from this motorboat spooked a group of geese and they frantically flew toward Mud Island.

It looks like someone reeled in a big one here – oops, seaweed doesn’t count.

Memorial Day was the weekend before this walk was taken on Sunday, June 4th. The City of Ecorse has a service plus a memorial honoring their war dead. Evidently, the City was still honoring them by flying the flag at half-staff. It was a windy morning and the flag was flapping mightily in the breeze.

A marriage of culture and nature at the Riverfront.

The first painting in my artwork treasure hunt was easy to find … just beneath the flagpole. Who could miss the bright colors of this painting “Mexican Pueblo” by artist Jose Clemente Orozco?


Then, in a nearby grassy part of the park, there was “Rounded Flower Bed” painted by Claude Monet in 1876.

To find the third art treasure, I needed to meander along Jefferson Avenue to the Marina and Boat Launch …

… where, embedded among the buoys and boats, a pair of Canada Geese with one gosling were wandering about as you see in the header image and below.

Here I found the last painting “In the Garden” by Mary Cassatt (also featured as the header image).

On this gorgeous mid-morning walk, surprisingly there was no activity at the marina or boat launch, save for a few geese paddling around the boats.

I saw a few boats with interesting names.

On my return trip, I retraced my route.

While Dingell Park’s shoreline muck and mire hardly rivals the Sargassum blob, er … bloom that is over 5,000+ miles wide and weighs 10 million tons, the muddy seawood tangle marred the shoreline as it moved in tandem with each wave that lapped against the seawall.

Some places were worse than others. I saw a couple of fishing bobbers, but wait, what is moving in the middle of the muck and mire? Can you guess?

I zoomed in and smiled to myself. I’ll share what I saw in this week’s Wordless Wednesday post.

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A perfect pose, then a photobomb! #Wordless Wednesday #Sneaky Goose

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Linda Schaub

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

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, nature | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments

Rambling on – more words, photos and steps.

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Linda Schaub

I don’t usually do back-to-back posts but, as I kept adding paragraphs and photos, yesterday’s post begged to be divided … so I did.

When part one of this seemingly endless walk concluded yesterday, I had already trekked through the woods, explored U of M’s Environmental Interpretive Center and weighed my options of cutting through another woodsy area to see where I would end up versus simply retracing my route along the roadway that is parallel to the Estate.

It was warmish and I admit I was a bit weary but I pondered this old saying:

“There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it’s easy.” (Author unknown)

So yes, I opted to go the extra mile, walk past the fringe of woods and explore that vast grassy area, which I later realized was architect Jens Jergen’s Meadow. The bonus was I discovered the long-gone, now-in-ruins, original Rose Garden and Reflecting Pool/Pond. Even though I had read info and studied a map prior to ever visiting this venue, I never knew I could approach the Estate via the woods, so I was clueless about this area.

There were ruins to roam around and a trail garden.

First I saw a wall of rocks. Hmm – was that some secret tunnel?

Then, in the distance, there was a group of children and several adults.

I quickly realized it must be a field trip.

An animated guide had the youngsters’ rapt attention as he dipped a large net into the above-pictured pond and there were squeals of delight when the net revealed wiggling frogs who began trying to hop out of it, so the guide lowered the net and the frogs were released back into the pond.

I listened in as the guide gave the group a quick history lesson. We learned that even though architect Jens Jensen was instrumental in working with Henry Ford to create a natural environment around the dam and creating the Meadow and bird sanctuary, in the late 1920s Clara Ford insisted on creating a 2.5-acre rose garden, ripple waterfall and pond, reflecting pool, garden structure (“The Summer House”) and pergola in the middle of the area known as the Meadow. Jens Jergens disagreed with that idea, so Clara Ford promptly secured another architect, Herbert Kellaway, to create these amenities and commissioned horticulturist/rosarian Harriet Foote, an expert in rose cultivation to create a “keyhole rose garden” all which are mere ruins now. Below is the frame, all that remains of the Summer House/Pergola.

The water looked murky as two geese paddled side by side, their reflections barely visible.

The two posed nicely.

As if on cue and not to be outdone by the frogs and the first pair of geese, a Canada Goose, with goslings in tow, waddled around the pond which delighted the visitors, young and old alike. Phones were whipped out of pockets and purses and pictures taken. Of course Your Roving Reporter grabbed some shots too as they waddled around the pond away from the crowd. Note the goslings checking out a few people who were taking photos of them. One gosling in the foreground is hissing. 🙂

Someone got too close to the family and some wing flapping ensued.

I left the field trip activities and headed though the Meadow and the midday sun was making me hot. I checked my pedometer and I’d walked over five miles already, with a way to go yet. (I really think I ended up walking seven miles altogether, not six.)

I saw this sign for the Trail Garden …

… so off I went along still another path. This sign told me I was nearing the Estate grounds.

The paths were sometimes rustic, sometimes mulched …

… and occasionally lined with wildflowers.

I stopped to take photos of the informational sign with a vintage pic and here I learned about the many Summer perennials watered by an early, state-of-the-art sprinkler system.

Several benches appeared along the trail and I wondered if these were once occupied by the Fords as they took a break from their hikes or walks through the Trail Garden? I have learned in my research about Fair Lane Manor that the Fords enjoyed hiking the vast and varied landscape that comprised their property.

Finally, I was back at Fair Lane Manor …

… with another mile and a half along the Rouge Gateway Trail and through the neighborhood until I could plunk down in the car and turn on the A/C. Whew! Thank you for reading if you are still here and a bonus thank you if you read all four posts about this May 12th meander!

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Over the river and through the woods …

Posted on July 17, 2023 by Linda Schaub

… to grandmother’s house we go.

Who knows if Henry and Clara Ford’s grandchildren sang this song while riding in a horse-drawn sleigh, enroute to visit Fair Lane, their famous grandparents’ home? Here is a 1935 photo that I’m permitted to share, (i.e. with no licensing issues), through the official Henry Ford Museum Archives, showing Henry Ford and those grandchildren, whose names I’m sure you’ll recognize: Henry II, William Clay, Josephine and Benson.

I ALSO crossed the Rouge River and went through the woods to visit Fair Lane Manor.

On Friday, May 12th I set out on a six-mile walk – it would be many hours before I returned to my car left at Ford Field Park. My original plan was a Springtime visit to the Ford Estate (a/k/a Fair Lane Manor), specifically to gawk at the gorgeous Persian Lilacs. However, soon my horizons expanded to include a trek to the University of Michigan’s Environmental Interpretive Center, a venue I never knew existed until a friend wrote about a Spring hike taken with his wife wherein he described the birds and wildflowers there.

I not only got a lot of mileage on my feet, but also gleaned four long posts from that May 12th trek. Since I’ve written about the Interpretive Center (click here if you missed it) and those Lilacs (last Monday), now it’s time to focus on the Ford Estate.

Though I’ve visited Fair Lane Manor multiple times, on May 12th day I discovered a whole new area wedged between the Interpretive Center and the Fords’ residence.

I have visited this 1,300-acre venue built from 1913-1915 in all seasons, except Winter and I am sure Fair Lane is even more tranquil when blanketed in snow. But Springtime was pretty special with its delicate flowers, birds twittering, alone in my thoughts ….

I began my journey as I walked through a quiet Dearborn neighborhood to enter the Rouge Gateway Trailhead.

I did indeed cross this bridge over the Rouge River.

As I meandered along, head swiveling all around and eyes peeled for wild turkeys grazing or deer romping across my path, it was a solo trek with no critters nor humans. But, I enjoyed that morning’s solitude as the sun filtered through the still-scantily clad trees. The woodsy trail is not particularly dense and in most places you can see the sky, especially on that day, with no canopy of trees yet since Spring had been coolish and leaves were still unfurling.

A few twists and turns later …

… I arrived at the Ford Estate. There were freshly planted pansies near the welcome sign and at the Powerhouse and garage.

While at the garage, I peeked inside at this vintage automobile. I had to twist my body around to get a picture without my own reflection in the glass, although I was not entirely successful with other images appearing there. The garage is closed to the public right now.

Behind the Powerhouse, the dam made the Rouge River churn noisily and you can see the river-edged rock that naturally conceals which energy was harnessed to power Henry Ford’s laboratory, garage and residence.

From my vantage point around the terrace, I could see the many Redbud trees which seem to cast a pinkish glow.

Look closely and you can sneak a peek at the former boathouse which appears between the Redbuds, to the left of the residence. Clara Ford had her own electric boat, the “Callie B” the nickname Henry called her.

Around the terrace, tulips lined up like colorful soldiers.

Amsonia Blue Star and White Bleeding Heart bloomed profusely.

The color pink ruled in the courtyard around the teahouse and pretty Pink Dogwood perked up the corner, peeking out behind the statue of Mr. and Mrs. Ford. The statue is gleaming in the sunlight. It is buffed and cleaned biannually.

First … Clara’s garden …

From history lessons, we know Henry Ford as an inventor: the first horseless carriage, (a/k/a the Quadricycle), perfecting the concept of the assembly line and harnessing the powers of the Rouge River to run his workshop. To combat those workaholic tendencies, Henry Ford had a soft side too. He was an environmentalist and an avid birder. Henry wanted to sit on a bench, with Clara at his side and enjoy the birds flitting about the 500 birdhouses built for him to set out every Spring to accompany the plants and nesting materials which would encourage birds to raise their young and stay awhile. In Winter, Henry provided birdfeeders and warm water to encourage his fine feathered friends to visit his personal bird sanctuary year around. Clara liked exotic birds so Peacocks roamed around the Estate back in the day.

Here is another photo from the Archives, from a recent post on the venue’s Facebook page … Henry and Clara doing a bit of birdwatching.

But for Clara, flowers were her “thing” although, rest assured, she was not on her hands and knees weeding out those 17 acres of gardens; that’s because there were 26 full-time gardeners tending to them. Clara was one lucky woman as Henry granted her every gardening whim, from that beautiful wrought-iron gate that graced the perennial gardens to the courtyard with its teahouse and fountain, the centerpiece of the courtyard with its abundance of rosebushes.

The photos I have seen around the Estate and at the online Archives often show Henry and Clara, sitting side by side on some of the many benches you still see on the property. Perhaps they were in awe of the fields of wildflowers that filled the meadows, or the lily pond, the hillside grotto or formal gardens that Henry had commissioned architect Jens Jergen to create.

Yes, they had it all at Fair Lane, didn’t they?

I have read and researched a lot about this venue and the Facebook page also features weekly glimpses of restoration work being performed and bios of the people responsible for same, as efforts continue on this project which began in 2014 to restore the 31,770-square-foot residence to its original grandeur. I look forward to touring the Fords’ home when restoration is completed – there is no timeline given yet.

Here are some volunteers who tend to the gardens. On this day, it was fairly easy as the roses were not in bloom yet, nor was the fountain turned on. I spoke with them in between snapping shots of the lovely Lilac bushes.

I left the Estate grounds to walk nearly one mile along Fair Lane Drive, on the fringe of the University of Michigan campus, to the Environmental Interpretive Center. After exploring those trails, taking photos of a pair of Wild Turkeys, a cute Chipmunk and a Dove, while wandering along Fair Lane Lake, I was already a little weary. I figured I’d head for the car, at least three miles away. It wasn’t a dense area, so I wasn’t lost in the woods like what happened a few years ago at Crosswinds Marsh. I could see Fair Lane Drive, the road that ran parallel to the campus.

But then I saw an open space and decided to explore some more. Oops! This post is so picture-laden, that I will continue it tomorrow. I don’t usually post two days in a row, so … stay tuned.

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