Hurricane Irma

My thoughts and well wishes to those who find themselves in the path of this monster storm. I'm concerned for friends who have property in the depths of this. I'm mostly concerned for those who did not evacuate, those who found out very late that they are now in the path. Stay safe, friends. Let's hope for very little destruction, minimal human injury, and no fatalities. These storms seem to be getting bigger and bigger every time.

Summer Vacation Time is Dwindling

Had to squeak in a trip before it is time to head back to the daily grind of work.  I just returned from my annual trek to the Mississippi River.  I'm much more appreciative of nature than man-made, tourist trap attractions.  There are two parks I've found that are worth the trip to see and explore.  The terrain becomes so different as you travel west and north from the flat land near Lake Michigan. I am always in awe of the huge views, the beauty of row-upon-row of corn, and the significant rise and fall in altitude.  I also tried to hit my favorite Wisconsin cheese shops along the way for fresh curds, but the summer road construction was severe and made that impossible. I'll have to settle for some prepackaged less-squeaky supermarket variety.

Eagle Point Park, Dubuque, Iowa

A huge, well maintained park with Frank Lloyd Wright style buildings. Lots of stonework throughout the park as part of the CCC public works program. The park has high altitude walkways along a bluff and spectacular views of the Mississippi.  You can watch barges go through the lock and dam far below the cliff. Tri-state view: Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, and the convergence point of the Wisconsin River and the Mississippi River.  

Stonework and Koi pond

Pike's Peak Park, McGregor, Iowa

One of many lookout points on an accessible wooden walkway in another tremendous park. You can see tons of hummingbirds, other wildlife, flora, fauna... it is gorgeous. There is a small waterfall if you are up for a hike with a climb. I counted the stairs: there were 194 down to the waterfall; and then, another 194 back up. My calf muscles are still achy, but it is well worth it for the surrounding quiet and the sound of the water cascading the hill! The sun is blocked by the foliage and the smell of the surrounding forest is amazing. 

Bridal Veil Falls

Not a great deal of water, but still fabulous in the height it travels and the exclusivity of the viewing. I must give credit to the original photographers, as pictures are shared from the internet. I stopped bringing a camera; it is better to just drink in the moment.

Wednesday - Open Blog

Not too much sleep the past couple of nights. It has been rather noisy.  One after another, it just keeps rolling through. Hope the basement doesn't take on too much water.
            

Link of the Day

This is amazing.... click the link for more pictures and the full story!

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/when-snow-becomes-a-canvas-how-one-artist-creates-colossal-masterpieces-using-a-compass-snowshoes/70000410

For those who can't handle the frigid weather

Breaking News

Our friend Okie reports she was awakened this morning by the earth shaking.....
(insert your own joke here) Hoping there are no injuries and that damage is minimal.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck in Oklahoma on September 3, 2016 at 12:02:44 UTC (7:02 am local time).

Visit the USGS event page for more details on this earthquake.

Without studying the specifics of the wastewater injection and oil and gas production in this area, the USGS cannot currently conclude whether or not this particular earthquake was caused by industrial-related, human activities. However, we do know that many earthquakes in Oklahoma have been triggered by wastewater fluid injection. The USGS will continue to process seismic data in the following days and weeks that will help answer this question.

An earthquake of comparable size last occurred in Oklahoma in 2011. A magnitude 5.1 earthquake also struck in Oklahoma on February 13, 2016.

 More from USGS: https://www.usgs.gov/news/magnitude-56-earthquake-oklahoma

See What You Are Missing

Lost in Light from Sriram Murali on Vimeo.

Amazing video!

I saw the night sky full of stars very far up north.  I'm almost certain the Milky Way was also visible. My son, who was a child, was in total awe.  It is such a shame that we pollute our skies with so much light, when science has come up with better solutions to keep us illuminated enough for safety without spreading the light upwards.

Flower Garden 2016

Pink Roses

Lavender

Red Roses

White Roses 

Miniature Red Roses

Hens and Chicks

Lilies

Hostas

Moss Roses

Mini Vacation

I just got back from a little trip to the Mississippi River. There is a spectacular park in Iowa, across the river from Prairie du Chien, called Pike's Peak Park. There is camping available, which is of no interest to me, but they have the most beautiful and well maintained hiking paths you can take, deep into the natural wooded bluff.

The top picture is at the pinnacle of the peak. (say that three times quickly) The lookout, called "The Crow's Nest," is supposedly at the highest point of the bluffs, along the Mississippi River. It is located across from where the Wisconsin River empties into the Mississippi. 

The middle picture is of the lowest point we reached on our foray into the wild. It must have been about a million steps down.  We entered the trail about 5:30 pm and had the place to ourselves. The quiet was amazing. As I was going along, I was hoping that I would have the ability to get myself back up all those steps before nightfall. It was gorgeous. The trail we took was about 1.2 miles in, with quite a bit of elevation, so double that, to get yourself back out.  Luckily, not many mosquitoes had yet hatched, or we would have been coated. The woods were quite dense. 

The last picture shows Bridal Veil Falls. There were actually 2 waterfalls along this hiking path. These are not my original pictures. I didn't have a camera with me, but thank you to those who came before me and had the foresight to be great photographers. It was much greener and more overgrown this time of year. 

We also saw many barges along the river, and a lot of wildlife. I finally spotted a couple scarlet tanagers, something I have always wanted to see. There were also some cranes and many large predatory hawks, and a big group of hummingbirds. We also saw all the casino's and other touristy gift shops that clutter any city which is adjacent to something worth seeing. I didn't frequent any of them. 

It was a whirlwind trip. Three states in 36 hours: Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. We took a drive up the Great River Road to LaCrosse and then crossed the river in Minnesota and drove the river from that perspective. The return crossing back to Wisconsin was a very high, long span, yet amazingly narrow and quite scary bridge. Cheap thrills. 

There are road crews who must have to work full time to maintain these roads on both sides, slowing traffic for emergency repairs from the falling rocks, and the natural ebb and flow of Mother Nature. This side of our state is flat, where the glaciers scraped out the farmlands. It is wonderfully crazy how different the terrain becomes just to the west.

We had a nice time, but my calves will need a days rest -at least, before I'm ready to tackle anything more. 

Strawberry Moon and Summer Solstice Event

For the first time since June 1967, two astronomical phenomena will occur at the same time. Monday evening, a full "strawberry" moon will shine in the night sky during the summer solstice — the longest day of the year.

EarthSky.org said a full moon on a summer solstice is a rare event, and another one is not likely to come around until June 21, 2062. Why is it called a strawberry moon? The Old Farmer's Almanac says the Algonquin tribe of indigenous Americans called the June full moon by that name because it occurred around the time the strawberries were being picked.

The moon reached its fullness this morning, and the actual evening solstice will take place at 6:34 p.m. Eastern time.

Two hours after that, the moon will rise at 8:41 p.m. Eastern time, and viewers will be able to see an event that occurs only once every half-century.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/20/once-in-a-generation-strawberry-moon-tonight.html

Full Story on EarthSky: http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/june-solstice-full-moon-in-2016

I'm going hunting for it! It is so light out, it might be hard to see?

My 'down-sized' garden

 2 Patio tomatoes, 2 yellow cherry sugar snap  tomatoes and 2 Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes
onions in the long planter and added another one of radishes after this pic was taken. We'll see how it goes..

Pictures, As Promised

Nothing petite about this monster orchid.  It was all I could do to drive it home.  

Looks beautiful on my dining room table. 

Hope it stays happy! 

Thanks for the tips and encouragement. Home Depot was the place to go!  I fed it one ice cube last night, as directed. 

For your viewing pleasure

Woo hoo!!!!!!!!! I did it! ( I think..)