This and That from the Woods....

I don't know about YOU,

but this week has been CRAZY.

I haven't been NEAR my computer

and I am woefully behind in reading all my friend's blogs!

But, it is autumn here, so besides meetings, and other things in life

going on,

I have been out in the gorgeous autumn leaves taking many, many pictures

of our season

for future blogposts.

What happens here, is that the leaves are in full color for a very short period of time.

If we get a lot of rain or wind, they can literally all fall off within a few days.

So I vowed this year that I would get outside

on every nice sunny day and get as many photos as possible

before we lose all that beautiful color.

Thus, I have been MIA from reading others' blogs

and from being timely

in my own posts.

Normally, now...I post on every other day by 7am..

But, today I was late.

Today, I have pictures for you of when we out in the woods about two weeks ago...

My hubby took me to a tiny, hidden waterfalls in the woods

and we drove about and found some other beauty

in the woods too.

 

This was before the leaves started changing colors

in our woods...

and we had gone out just after a light rain:

Believe it or not, this leaf was just a mile or two down the road

from where I took the last picture:

(Which told me that autumn was, indeed on it's way...and that was two weeks ago!)

The cold nights and the warm water on the lake caused morning fog.

I couldn't resist running down and snapping some photos of it.

The water is quickly getting very cold, too....

And the tiny, hidden waterfalls
that my husband told me he had to show me?

Worth every step over the rotten logs and every swat of swinging tree limbs

to climb down to!

It was heavenly!:

We found the cutest toadstool mushroom:

And, there are STILL dragonflies out and about:

And deer, still with their fawn spots:

I crawled over to the top of that little waterfalls,

just so I could take a shot

of the water going over the top:

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of autumn

where you are,

and are outside as much as you can be....

because before you know it, I will be posting SNOW photos!!!

*****************************

Speaking of

WATERFALLS....

Did you send me

your photo of a WATERFALL

or FOUNTAIN

yet for September's FREE PHOTO CONTEST????

Just follow THESE RULES.

Remember, the deadline is just around the corner!!

You have to get it to me by midnight on Sept. 30th...

so hurry!!!

More this and that August Photos!

A pond of water lily pads:

Wild roses:

A turtle caught on lens...they spook very easily, so I was glad to capture the shot!:

Waves and water lilies on a windy day:

White Musk Mallows:

Corn stalks with the promise of

melting butter on lucious cobs:

Driving through the woods, we spied a young doe peeking at us behind the trees.

We stopped the car

and she appeared even more curious.

After catching her on camera, she still watched us,

so we slowly pulled away.

I hope she becomes more afraid of humans as she ages, for her safety:

An immature sunflower pod:

While going for a walk the other day, we spied a Monarch flitting amongst the neighbor's flowers.

I must have stalked him for about 10 minutes to finally be able to catch a still photo of him.

But it was worth it!:

Stay tuned,

my next post will have more shots

of him....

I couldn't take my finger off the camera, he was SO breathtakingly beautiful!

This and That from July and August

Today, I am going to show you a

collection of photos

I took over July and August of this year...

Just a hodgepodge

of

the joys of nature!

Maybe this isn't too much joy for SOME people...

especially those that are allergic to bees, but

I think they are beautiful creatures:

Check out the glowing, Alien eyes on this deer!

We were riding in the woods at dusk and I caught her in my flash!:

Goat's beard, all in bloom!:

Delightful pansy faces in my garden:

A pale pink Musk Mallow:

An old metal fire engine wheel in sepia:

A duck that was playing right beside our dock!:

While riding on our windy lake on our bumpy boat, we spotted some Mergansers, so I attempted

to get some pictures of them:

The shot is a bit grainy...it is the only way I could focus it clearer for you!

I am trying to get caught up on many of the photos

I have taken this summer

so that when the leaves change colors up here,

I will be current with my photos of them for you..

We went in the woods last week, and I see hints of the leaves changing up here

already!! So it won't be long before I am posting

the gorgeous U.P. autumn photos for you!!

This and That From Our Trip in the Woods...

On our last trip out to the woods, we roamed some roads, saw a farm, and some other creatures. We even found a restaurant to go to to catch lunch.

Follow me, won't you...in retracing my day?:

I thought this little white moth on the bright green ferns was very pretty:

Then, I stepped over to my right and something hopped away!

I found him though, after a treasure hunt....

here is the grasshopper I found!:

My husband found a treasure and led me over to see it.

It is the ingredient in my FAVORITE pie.

Raspberries!:

Then, he found the ingredients to HIS favorite pie.

Blueberries!:




Something bright orange caught my eye from the car.

We stopped and there were the brightest orange tree mushrooms I have ever seen!:

We saw several farms on our way out to the deeper woods.

I loved this pastoral scene:

I made my husband stop the car so I could get pictures.

He said: "You aren't seriously going to take pictures of COWS, are you?"

What do YOU think I said?

Evidently, the cow was asking the SAME question:

And this big guy asked: "What YOU lookin' at?"

So, fine.

I left them alone.

Gheesh....I thought cows had more humor in them than that.

I mean don't they call the ice cream trucks: Good Humor trucks?

Oh well....so on we went.

Because I obviously have an addiction to finding tree mushrooms, I got excited over this whopper! (Did I say Whopper?..I must have all that beef on my mind yet):

But seriously, wasn't that a uniquely shaped tree mushroom in just the perfect spot?

I know you want a closer look.

I know I did.....

See how pretty it is? Almost looks like a ruffle.

We continued on our journey.

Passing a little road into a cabin, I thought I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

I had my husband stop the car and hopped out, with camera in hand.

I just knew something was in the woods....




I was right.

Look at her beautiful eyes.

She was still, peeking at me from behind the brush.

All that talk about blueberries, raspberries and beef was making us hungry.

We knew one of the little towns on the way home had a bar that served burgers.

But would YOU want to eat....

at something called:

That's right...it is called UP CHUCKS!!!

Because upper Michigan is called the U.P. (for Upper Peninsula) it is a play on words..you know:

U.P. Chucks...turns into up chucks.....

Oh well, guess you gotta live up here to get it and find it funny.

P.S. The burgers were great.

And we didn't....

(we didn't up chuck)!!!