Art in the ‘hood #Wordless Wednesday  #Chalk Your Walk #Detroit Institute of Arts Inside/Outside 2022  #Graffiti at the Park

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Linda Schaub

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

Posted in #ChalkYourWalk, #Wordless Wednesday, walk, walking | Tagged , , , , | 67 Comments

Spring vibes at Council Point Park.

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Linda Schaub

Spring took forever to get going. It was as if Winter begrudged Spring’s arrival – talk about pushback! We had fits and starts, cold and hot, rainy, windy – overall a crummy Spring. I loathe Winter, but a gentle launch into Springtime would have been preferable.

At times, Spring weather was so cold, I did not swap my hat for my bare head, nor shuck my jacket, until late April, for a two-day heat wave, then back to warm clothing again. Such is the ever-changing weather in the Mitten State and beyond as we deal with climate change.

We’ve all heard the phrase “Summertime and the living is easy” and, while it is a little premature, calendar-wise, to call it “Summer” here in Southeast Michigan, now that we’re in June, we continue to deal with the roller coaster ride of erratic weather. Memorial Day was scorching hot and humid, then a cold front with 60 mph winds rolled through and suddenly it was jacket weather.

Mother Nature sure is conflicted sometimes, but aren’t we all?

And, although I said I would NOT complain about the sultry weather, that hot and humid spell had me whining a little anyway. Sure, it’s not only uncomfortable, but brings volatile weather like the recent EF3 tornado with 150 mph winds in Gaylord, Michigan, a small town 250 miles from me. We’re already hearing predictions of three months of hot and sticky conditions which will cause rolling blackouts all Summer.

This writer wishes to return to Summertime like when I was a young’un …. simpler times and simpler weather.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Then May arrived and finally we had an entire week without rain – Mother’s Day weekend looked to be picture-perfect weather. I was ecstatic to get out to enjoy some of the larger shoreline parks, maybe even navigate the Cherry Island Trail at Lake Erie Metropark without sinking into the oozing mud on the rustic portion of that trail.

But, that was not to be. My car was still in the shop for the long-awaited A/C fix for May 7th and 8th and the following equally beautiful weekend as well.

After two long weeks, when I finally had the car again, severe weather, the dregs of the aforementioned Gaylord tornado, left dark brooding clouds, sudden dramatic downpours, whooshing winds and warnings by the weather folks to be mindful of the sky and severe weather conditions all weekend. So I stuck close to home once again. I finally got to multiple large parks over the long holiday weekend and the camera was clicking as I racked up 19 miles walked in three days.

During that long stretch with no wheels, I found myself returning to my roots, er … routes in the ‘hood, those streets I regularly traveled on foot early in my walking regimen before I discovered Council Point Park in 2013 and once I discovered this little nature nook it has become my go-spot ever since.

When Council Point Park closed the month of May 2020 due to rising COVID cases in our City, I was forced to return to the ‘hood, but truth be told, I visited the Park three times weekly to leave peanuts for my furry and feathered friends. During this time, the only vehicle entrance was barricaded and bright-yellow caution tape was strung from trees to poles. However, it was and is, easy to gain access to the Park simply by stepping onto the grounds. I walked along River Drive across from the Park and saw a lone bicyclist on the perimeter path a couple of times, so I figured that yes, I should similarly sneak into the Park to do a short walk and deposit treats for my pals. One time I encountered a pair of firemen removing the caution tape at the pavilion area just as I arrived. “Great!” I exclaimed and without missing a beat I asked “are we allowed to walk here again?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few squirrels had been alerted to my arrival and were approaching the pavilion. “No” he replied, “we’re removing the caution tape as it is flying all over and we’re worried it will blow into the Creek and harm the waterfowl.” “Oh” I said, then politely told them I’d been making a mad dash three times a week to feed the critters and opened my bag to show them and pointed to Parker, et al who were poised politely, ready to grab a peanut. Well I admit I took a chance divulging why I showed up today and admitting to past practice. I explained that the circle of squirrels and birds that were lurking around us would be disappointed if didn’t leave some treats, so sweetly I asked “will it bother you if I make my usual drop?” One fireman smiled and the other put his hands over his eyes and said “I see nothing!”

There’s still a few issues at the Park, though not COVID related.

Ticks and avian flu … these two words have infiltrated my walking regimen.

I am a bleeding heart. I’m also a person who will no longer have pets as the grief over losing them is just too much to bear. I’ve thus “adopted” my Park pals and have become attached to those little critters. So, as I step onto the trail, I say a silent prayer I will finish those laps without seeing a hawk swoop down to snatch one of my furry friends. When I arrive, I scan the trees and trail for signs of Parker, who is sure to scramble down for a meet and greet after seeing me, the Peanut Lady, the bag of peanuts. I don’t always see him, but I feel better when he be-bops over as precocious as ever. So I tread carefully along the path these days, coming to a standstill and then I may look up, down and around before dumping out any treats to ensure no hawks are lurking about.

During the month of May, with geese and goslings galore, I find myself constantly doing a “poop check” of the ridges in the soles of my heavy walking shoes. But, I have to do a sock and pants check too – this is before I come into the house to ensure no ticks are hanging onto my clothing as we have a tick infestation. Sheesh!

There’s always a ruckus at the three spots at the Park where I make my “drops” of peanuts and seeds to my furry and feathered friends. Those critters are smart (and hungry) because as soon as they see me walking to the pavilion area (my first stop), they come out of the woodwork. The Blue Jays used to at least wait until I got to the next stop at “The Safe Haven Tree” a Weeping Mulberry tree, so named by me as its long and leafy branches tickle the ground and form a fortress of sorts where the squirrels and birds can dine without fear of a hawk swooping down.

The third spot had been a tree stump and fallen log surrounded by brush, perfect to leave treats on that side of the Park, but now it is overgrown with weeds and I’m uneasy about traipsing through there, even in Winter. So I leave a heap of peanuts and sunflower seeds on the path near that spot, sometimes stopping to take a few photos and remind them to “watch your backs and be careful of the hawks!” I know they don’t know what I’m telling them, but it eases my mind that I at least sounded the warning alarm. I hope that scattering sunflower seeds will not encourage the avian flu. I think it’s okay as the critters gather and quickly disperse. This is a typical morning at this third spot:

Here we have “The Encroacher” who promptly waddled over and helped itself to some peanuts.
Rex, the Red-bellied Woodpecker scopes out goodies.
After snagging a sunflower seed, Rex sees the coast is clear, so he swipes a peanut to go.
Likewise, the female Northern Cardinal peruses peanuts versus sunflower seeds.
A black oiler sunflower seed was the treat of choice … this time.
She returned several times to munch seeds, while the male perched in a nearby tree.
This Eastern Gray Squirrel was a real cutie pie – “smiling” away while noshing a nut.
The same Eastern Gray Squirrel was a recent Mama, though it’s difficult to tell in this shot.
A posing squirrel beckons me for a second look and a shot.
More posing for peanuts as scraggly trees begin to leaf out.

I took a ton of Spring pictures around Council Point Park – some more of my favorites are below.

A Redbud tree adds a slash of color in Early Spring.
Another Redbud tree and a touch of pink on the walker as well.
Jacob, the Park’s resident fisherman, with a lady friend (who told me she caught a fish too!)
I scared a Cottontail munching on tender grass.
The subtle greening at the Park … a preview of Spring at its finest.
White “Spring Beauties” wildflowers.
Violets and “Spring Beauties” wildflowers.
A downy feather; adult geese are losing their flight feathers and will soon depart.
It was wall-to-wall dandelions one weekend before the grass cutters mowed ’em down.
A mish-mash of seasons: last year’s brittle pine cone and a dandelion.
An early sighting of a Cabbage White butterfly on a dandelion.
Parker pretending to dig up last year’s peanuts but glancing to see if I have a treat for him.
The dandelions, spent now, are replaced by clover that the bunnies love.

On Mother’s Day weekend, three geese families, debuted their goslings and they were different ages. How could I tell? You’d be surprised how quickly goslings grow in just a few days’ time. You’ll see for yourself – next Monday’s post will feature those sweet babies.

Posted in nature, Spring, walk, walking | Tagged , , , | 65 Comments

Springy things in the ‘hood! #Wordless Wednesday #April showers bring May flowers.

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Linda Schaub

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

Posted in #Wordless Wednesday, Seasons, Spring, walk, walking | Tagged , , , , | 91 Comments

Memorial day 2022.

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Linda Schaub

It’s Memorial Day, often dubbed “the Gateway to Summer” … but please don’t forget the real reason we commemorate, NOT celebrate, this day. I had photos and a narrative all ready to go about my local treks this Spring.

Unfortunately, I missed two, perfect-weather Spring weekends of walking in larger parks, because my car was in the shop for two weeks. So, instead of long and fun-filled excursions, my feet found their way down those streets and paths close to my home and my heart as I explored the ‘hood and my favorite nature nook, Council Point Park.

I assure you the camera was clicking away on those treks.

But, as I sat down to compile my Memorial Day post, I decided to table those thoughts and photos for another time and focus on someone else, instead of myself. On Wednesday, I’ll spotlight those colorful Spring-y shots because guess what – they need no words.

Meet Travis Snyder.

A few years ago I wrote about the cross-country trek of Michigan-born musician Mike Posner, 31, who jumped in the water at Asbury Park at the Jersey Shore on April 15, 2019 before beginning what he called “The Walk Across America” which would end 3,000 miles and seven months later with a splash in the Pacific Ocean. I followed Mike’s saga on Instagram where he wrote about the people he met and often walked alongside him and had videos of his impromptu mini-concerts along the way. Despite the rigors of a self-imposed 20 miles of daily walking, Mike was well on the way to getting that goal accomplished in six months when he was “snake bit” after a baby rattler bit through his hiking boot, halting his long-distance hike while he was air-lifted to a nearby hospital, then recuperated at home before taking to the road again. I admired Mike’s stamina, but his goal, like mine, was a personal goal only.

Today, I want to tell you about Travis Snyder, a 38-year-old Marine veteran who lives in Holland, Michigan. This is the fourth year that Travis Snyder has trekked around Lake Michigan to raise money and awareness about veteran suicide, an effort he began after suffering from anxiety and depression after a tour in Afghanistan and then losing one of his military friends.

Travis did some research, discovered that there are 20 veteran suicides a day nationwide. He quit his job, started a GoFundMe page and paired with the Mission 22 organization.

Travis began his 2022 journey and eight-week mission on May 1st and tomorrow, May 31st, he plans to finish up the Michigan leg of his journey and head to Green Bay, Wisconsin …

… then he will be trekking the Lake Michigan shorelines in Illinois and Indiana. He expects to log 900 plus miles altogether. Whew! *

You can read more about Travis Snyder’s efforts on his Instagram site and GoFundMe page.

* OK, a little note about me as you may ask … as of today, I am nearing the 500-mile mark, but that has taken me nearly five months to reach that milestone.

Have a safe Memorial Day.

[Photos from Travis Snyder’s Instagram, GoFundMe sites and the Michigan News Network]

Posted in Memorial Day, walk, walking, year-end goal | Tagged , , , | 51 Comments

A hole in one.  #Wordless Wednesday  #Did I crack you up?

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Linda Schaub

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

Posted in #Wordless Wednesday, Street Photography | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

Run for the Trees 5K 2022.

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Linda Schaub

This was my second time to participate in the virtual Run for the Trees 5K event, which was sponsored by the Bob Ross Inc. Foundation and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The premise was simple: participants chose any time between April 22nd (Earth Day) and April 29th (Arbor Day) to run, walk or hike 3.2 miles/5 kilometers at the woodsy venue of their choice. All proceeds from registration fees support the “Happy Little Trees” planting and preservation efforts, like invasive plant species and pest management, in Michigan’s state parks and recreation areas. In recent years, our state has had widespread devastation from tree pests and diseases like the Emerald Ash Borer, a beetle now in its 20th year of destroying our Ash trees and Oak Wilt, a fungal disease which decimates Oak trees.

Though the threat of wildfires and resulting widespread devastation is not as prevalent here in the Mitten State as in other states, this invaluable reforestation program is responsible for sustaining our natural forests. Department of Corrections inmates raise native saplings that are later planted by volunteers at the aforementioned state parks and recreation areas. In its first two years, 2020 and 2021, this 5K event, coined “Happy Little Trees” for painter Bob Ross’ love of painting nature, has raised more than $600,000.00 for reforestation efforts. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources vows to plant 50 million trees by 2030!

Whew – it was a hot one!

There is nothing like that first balmy Spring day when the bare trees finally leaf out and form a canopy across the forest, or in your neighborhood if you’re lucky. Shortly thereafter the blossoming trees, wearing their pretty pastel hues, erupt everywhere. But, Spring 2022 here in Southeast Michigan, as well as many cities and states across the U.S., was NOT business as usual.

So, on the 23rd of April, for the most part, there were leafless trees, buds were still wrapped tightly, yet the oppressive heat and humidity made it feel like an August day. Before sunset we had climbed to nearly 80F (26C), yet unbelievably, a mere four days before we had a two-inch snowfall. Sigh.

I originally intended to finally venture to Sterling State Park in Monroe to complete this 5K event. That venue, one of Michigan’s 101 state parks, has seven miles (11 kilometers) of hiking trails within the park, but, thanks to Mother Nature’s snow and some rain in the preceding days, I was stopped in my tracks. Since I’ve not been to this venue since visiting with my parents as a pre-teen, I wondered about the trails … were they rustic or paved and would I be slogging through water and/or mud? So, I made alternate plans and decided to venture to two other woodsy parks instead.

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I purposely chose this quote as there are an abundance of oak trees at Elizabeth Park.  Every Autumn, after oohing and aahing over the beautiful foliage, a week or so later, you’ll find a carpet of oak leaves throughout the entire park. 

So, although Elizabeth Park has its own flooding issues when the canal spills over its banks, there is a long and scenic boardwalk and paved perimeter road, so this was my first stop on my trek for the trees.

Here are some photos with captions of what I saw that morning:

Yep, it was early and I was yawning as well.
This guy was getting his exercise paddling down the center of the canal.
This twisted tree was still bare, limbs almost touching the water.
Elizabeth Park endures flooding from the canal – the geese don’t seem to mind.
“Hey good lookin’! Yep, I like what I see!”
“I’m soaking my feet, even though I don’t walk as many miles as you do Linda.”
This tree had an “oopsie” …
… and a human had an near “oopsie” and almost landed in the canal.
A Red-winged Blackbird singing its heart out on reeds at the canal.
The water was sparkling as I walked along the Boardwalk.
A hint of green along the Boardwalk.
Another Red-winged Blackbird perches in a budding tree along the Boardwalk.
Along the shoreline, a hollowed-out, long-dead tree.
I saw this park bench along the Boardwalk with its powerful message.

I returned to the car, a little weary from the heat. Who could have predicted this much heat in April? As luck would have it, I had not yet scheduled my car for the A/C repair so, even with the windows down, I felt like a wilted flower on that five-minute drive to the 300-year-old forest at Humbug Marsh at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.

Well, I never made it to the ancient forest and here is why …

Long-time followers of this blog may recall I took an interpretive walk called “Walk, Talk & Sketch” at Oakwoods Metropark back in the Summer of 2019. Our small group walked and occasionally paused to sketch items along the trail. I’d sure not win any prizes with those simple pencil sketches. I’d taken some sketching classes as a teenager and enjoyed them. Also, on a trek at Heritage Park I encountered a couple of women painting a historical home and a garden respectively. I wrote about them and took their photos and in the comments section of that post, the subject of plein air painting came up. Plein air painting is simply painting outdoors. That topic piqued my interest, not for now, as I struggle to maintain a work-life balance with walking and blogging, but down the road when I’m retired.

In Googling around to learn more about plein air painting, I discovered John Vassallo, a local artist, who also leads a plein air painting group on different excursions to park venues where I frequent. So I followed John on Facebook and noted he and his group would kick off their 2022 get-togethers on April 2nd at Heritage Park. I wanted to meet John and the group members, so I headed to Heritage Park for a meet and greet on that day. I took some photos, shared them with John and received the schedule of venues the group would visit in 2022 and I said I’d be occasionally stopping by to say “hi” and otherwise lurking, but not participating – not just yet.

So, with that backstory in mind, once at Humbug Marsh, it was not difficult for me to find John and a few members of his group, at that chosen venue of the day.

I located John near the entrance to Humbug Marsh. We chitchatted a bit and, while I knew why John and the others were at this venue, I said I was here as part of a 5K event to help Michigan’s trees. I asked John if I could use his photos of his painting for this post. He was happy to let me do so and those are the images you see below and a smiling photo of the artist as well.

Here is a close-up of plein art painting in progress.

Here is the actual landscape scene.

Group members Chris and Diana had ventured off on their own to paint their respective oil-painting views of nearby Humbug Island …

… while Jim worked on a watercolor of trees at another location.

I never made it to the ancient forest and that was okay too. Visiting with the plein air painting group was fun – Humbug Marsh and its 300-year-old trees will always be there and by then it was really hot, so I headed to the car (where it was even hotter).

I would be remiss if I didn’t include a few photos of my race swag. As mentioned above, Bob Ross is our mascot of sorts, so his image is emblazoned on the tee-shirt and finishing medal for the event, along with a few quotes about painting and life.

Posted in 5K events, nature, Plein Air Painting, walk, walking | Tagged , , , , , | 91 Comments

Any port in a storm – whew!  #Wordless Wednesday  #The eagle up top means birds are welcome here, right??

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Linda Schaub

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

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged , , , | 34 Comments

Stockpiling sunshine and vitamin D.

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Linda Schaub

Here in Southeast Michigan the sun was not around much in March, nor April and the first week of May was nothing special either. I’m convinced the Groundhog doomed us, not only for the six-week period after his February 2nd prediction, but for early Spring. Grrr to that miserable rodent.

So finally, on Palm Sunday, April 10th, we had a glorious day, full of sunshine and even climbing to 60 degrees F (16 C) – yay! I aimed to savor the daylight hours. Even though I was bundled up to be comfy from the shoreline breezes, there still was a nip in the air, which made me think, despite the weather folks’ declaration that we had FINALLY turned a corner, that was not so.

The past few Spring/Summer seasons have often had crummy weather weekends resulting in rain-soaked shoreline parks. If that is the case this year, I’ll be marking my miles at Council Point Park where it never floods. I’ll probably resurrect my occasional “Seize the Day” impromptu jaunts to larger parks on favorable weather weekdays before my work day begins.

The first stop of Palm Sunday was at Council Point Park where I walked one mile to visit and feed the critters, then set out to give the car a 30-mile roundtrip run to Lake Erie Metropark. It was my first visit here this year, though I’ve had the 2022 pass since mid-November. In Spring 2021 I saw the beaver chews, a goose sitting high up on a nest in the marsh and her mate chasing off an interloping goose, all interesting to see and the images made for a picturesque post. Though the landscape was still dormant and blah, I was hopeful for a handful of interesting items to photograph today.

Lake Erie Metropark is located at the western shoreline of the Detroit River and Lake Erie and encompasses 1,607 acres and three miles of shoreline. Because this venue is so large, I generally alternate which part of the park I will visit. For example, I could begin at the Marshlands Museum, visit Luc the resident eagle, then trek down to the boat launch and along the Cherry Island Trail, or, clear on the other side of the park, an alternate trek would be to walk the rocky shoreline of Cove Point and visit the marina. Since we had a lot of rain that past week I decided on the latter.

Ambling along Cove Point.

The Cove Point stroll is always picturesque with Windsor’s wind farm just across the water and most times you’ll see a freighter or two on the horizon. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of a Great Blue Heron or Great Egret in one of the many marshy areas. The last time I walked along Cove Point was July when I saw the fawn and its mom, which made that walk my favorite of 2021, if not all time.

The Park was not ready for primetime yet.

Park benches looked a bit forlorn and the picnic tables were still leaning against one another, like dominoes waiting to fall and, unless you had an intense hankering for a hotdog or burger on the grill, you would not want to be cooking them while standing in ankle-deep water. The hot coals cans were empty, all waiting for a sign of life to descend upon the park, i.e. warmer weather and more sunshine (yes, bring it on please).

Along the rocky shoreline …

I recently published a post recapping a trip here on November 20th and this Metropark looked the same as last Fall, with long-dormant Phragmites and/or Cattails that had burst out of their brown sheaths.

The water was sparkling , but choppy and waves were racing up and over the boulders. I decided that the bright-blue and cloudless sky more than made up for the blah landscape.

Well, what do you know – a paddle of Canvasback Ducks were bobbing around in the water. This would be my third sighting in 2022 and the solo male Canvasback Duck never returned to Council Point Park after a week of very windy weather – perhaps he joined his brethren down at the Detroit River.

This fallen log was new since I was last here – bet it made quite the splash when it fell. That was Mother Nature’s doing as the beavers do their handiwork in more secluded parts of the marsh.

The ever-present Trenton Channel Power Plant stacks are seen in any Downriver shoreline stroll photos. This partially decommissioned plant is scheduled to close completely this year as energy provider DTE converts to natural gas and renewable energy plants. I wonder if they’ll remove those red-and-white-striped stacks that mar the view of the Detroit River shoreline parks?

A Swallow scoped out future housing. Should I tell him/her that volunteers built and erected many nesting boxes along Cove Point to entice BLUEBIRDS? Swallows prefer nests in rafters, like in the covered bridge at Heritage Park, or below wooden outlooks. He alighted just long enough for me to snap its picture, then it left again, so perhaps it read my mind.

I had my first freighter sighting of 2022.

Flooding has been a problem at this park since I began visiting here in 2018 and today was no different. Three instances where water crept onto the paved pathway had me dodging those puddles by veering onto the spongy grass, which was a bit muddy. This was one of those puddles.

Someone had thoughtfully packed a low area with pea gravel and, as my heavy-soled walking shoes crunched over it, I hoped it would keep my feet dry for the duration of the trek, as walking any distance in vinyl boots is not a great option.

Frustrated after traversing the third large puddle, I finally cut across the soggy grounds, interrupting the grazing geese and sleeping gulls and walked on the dry vehicle road instead.

I walked the shoreline until I reached a dead end at this Huron River Watershed sign.

The marina was eerily quiet with slips awaiting sailboats and pleasure crafts once boating season begins in earnest.

I decided to visit the overlook for a view of the Canada skyline. The high-powered telescope reminds me a little of fellow blogger Peggy’s hubby’s robot/shop vac!

Some bicyclists hopped off their bikes, took a pause for swigs of water, snacks and a slew of selfies.

An angler was dressed for the chilly temps. I didn’t see a big bucket for her booty of fish, so perhaps she was tossing them back into the water.

Signs are everywhere.

Some are pretty obvious, but as best I can tell, if you pay attention, you’ll escape unscathed.

Alas, once again I was peeping for Peepers.

Every Spring I search for Spring Peepers a/k/a Chorus Frogs. I’ve never been successful seeing or hearing them. They are cute frogs, about the size of a thumbnail, that sing their heart out in mating season, which for them is early Spring.

Well, I don’t know if the Peepers got lucky, but I got lucky while walking back from the marina and, in the muck and mire of this water-filled ditch, those Peepers made themselves known.

It was a delightful sound and though I stood there peering into the water for the longest time, I never peeped at a single Peeper. I took a few more shots of their mini bog/living quarters, but I suspect they submerged or ducked once they saw this looming human.

Not a spent leaf stirred, nor did the algae surface wiggle, but they were there. Next year perhaps they’ll put in an appearance but this year no pics unfortunately.

I neared the parking lot and saw my car, but it was such a gorgeous day, I wasn’t ready to drive home – not just yet. I headed toward the overlook – you can see it in the distance in the header image and here.

These shadows and reflections show you how sunny it was …

I took a blissful pause to enjoy a cacophony of sounds … those Peepers, a nearby Killdeer, a trilling Red-winged Blackbird and several screeching Seagulls

I was hopeful more waterfowl would be here. Well, there was one Great Blue Heron who saw me and freaked and if I spoke fluent heron, I’m sure it said “I was enjoying breakfast until YOU came along!”

Enroute to the parking lot I heard more Peepers at this area and traipsed through the high, dead grass to scope ‘em out, belatedly remembering it wasn’t too smart to do this in lieu of the abundance of ticks this year.

As I headed to the car, it was more of a shuffle, than the spring in my step that I had many hours before; I thought of my outside chores ahead. I arrived home and scurried out to do yardwork/Spring clean-up, before I changed my mind.

Posted in nature, walk, walking | Tagged , , , | 99 Comments

Harry the Heron goes fishing. #Wordless Wednesday #Watch his technique.

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Linda Schaub

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

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, nature, walk, walking | Tagged , , , , , | 73 Comments

Mother’s Day 2022.

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Linda Schaub

No matter the stage …

… or the age …

… a mother’s love is universal, human or otherwise. I’m sure we will all identify with this quote:

“The power of a mother’s love is greater than any force on earth.” – Anonymous

I was on baby watch in the month of April.

It all began with a trip to Heritage Park on Saturday, April 2nd. While walking around that park’s man-made pond, a/k/a Coan Lake, I discovered a Mama Goose sitting on a nest. nestled in the boulders near the covered bridge. I shared those photos in a Wordless Wednesday post entitled “Stone Age Goose”.

At the time I mused that this was not the comfiest of spots to be sitting for a month’s duration, but I recalled another Canada Goose sitting on a nest in the same location last year – perhaps the same Mama Goose?

My Easter eggs were a treat, but were neither chocolate nor cream-filled.

April 17th was Easter Sunday and I visited this venue again. I follow the Botanical Gardens on Facebook and they were touting their newly planted Spring flowers. I thought I’d take photos of those cheery Daffodils, Hyacinths and Tulips to contrast with any photos of the several inches of snow we were to receive the very next day.

Easter Sunday was very chilly and windy. Unbelievably I was the only one walking at this popular venue. I decided to check on Mama Goose and strolled over to her rocky perch. Imagine my surprise, not to mention my delight, to see Mama off the nest, stretching her legs and having a drink of water. She didn’t notice me as I stood under the covered bridge and evidently Papa Goose was not around.

I took a few shots of the nest from the bridge, then inched ever so slowly toward the unattended nest. Mama Goose saw me, but paid me no mind as she picked her way around the boulders. I could not believe the size of the eggs. I took my shots then slowly walked backward so I could continue watching the nest and Mama’s movements.

She approached the nest and began plucking at her downy feathers, letting them drift gently into and around the nest.

She bent down close to the nest – was she counting noses, er … future beaks?

After a few minutes, she plopped down and began her incubating duties anew.

I never did see Papa Goose – no telling where he was, but I was pleased to be able to get close to Mama and the nest and marveled at my good fortune in arriving at just the right time.

The next day, as predicted, we had a wintry mix bringing snow throughout Southeast Michigan. In my part of town, we received two inches of the white stuff. I worried about Mama – would she be okay?

Oh no – did Mama Goose just vamoose?

Friday morning, April 22nd was Earth Day and I made another 10-mile round trip visit to Heritage Park. I was dismayed to discover Mama and the nest had vanished from the boulders without a trace. I didn’t even see eggshells from where the hatchlings had emerged!

Quickly, I searched Coan Lake and the sloped grassy area around its perimeter. I took two tours of the historical area and didn’t see the little family. Past experience told me that the parents and their young goslings would not stray far from the water and seeing no sign of them was worrisome. I drove to Council Point Park to get in some more steps and feed the critters there, but in the back of my mind I worried about the welfare of this little goose family.

The next day, Saturday, April 23rd, was a volunteer clean-up event at Heritage Park, so I waited until Sunday to see if I could find the family.

Happily, everyone was present and accounted for – whew!

Well, there they were, lemon-yellow fuzzballs clustered around Mama, dining on dandelions and looking very sweet.

Here are my favorite shots from that day.

I especially liked this one of Mama watching over her brood – all you see is the shadow of her head and neck looming large.

I couldn’t resist and made another trip.

I returned again last Saturday, April 30th. It was a day as gray, gloomy, windy and cold as one could find in Spring. I had planned to go to Lake Erie Metropark but the gray day and impending rain stopped me from driving out to that venue. I was amazed to see how the goslings had grown in one week’s time. While happily taking way too many photos of them, I even got “the stare” and what could pass for a “mini hiss” from a couple of goslings. How quickly they learn to imitate their parents!

Although these photos below may not convey their newfound attitudes, are you able to tell how the goslings have grown?

While I was on baby watch, my blogging friend Barbara, was similarly chronicling the status of her Mama Goose who was sitting on a nest in Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic, Connecticut. We compared notes and enjoyed the anticipation of the respective hatchlings and first glimpses of those goslings which brought many clicks of the shutter and smiles galore to each of us.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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