End of Autumn

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.

~Babatunde Olatunji



Traverse City 2008

Ausable River

You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.
-Paulo Coelho

Fall Color Check

“The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection”

-Thomas Paine

Innocence

“Being part of the natural world reminds me that innocence isn't ever lost completely; we just need to maintain our goodness to regain it.”

-Jewel

Wet Autumn Leaves

falling leaves
hide the path
so quietly

~John Bailey, "Autumn," a haiku year, 2001

Elk Viewing In Gaylord, MI

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.

- John Muir

Autumn in Northern Michigan

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.

~Elizabeth Lawrence

My Loon

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.

~Willa Cather



Here is my Loon chick - all grown up and getting ready to migrate. The night he was born, there was a huge storm on the lake and his sibling didn't make it. The lake was full of predators such a Pike, Eagles and snapping turtles. But with his parents help, he was able to dodge danger . There were jet skiers and boats that sometimes came too close - but still he was able to avoid them and dive under the water just in time.

And now as I let out a sigh of relief, I realize that he made it! He will live and have a family of his own someday. Life is good.

Anticipation

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot




I couldn't resist posting one of my Autumn photos from last year. This was taken in the early morning and I loved the contrast of the light fog against the brilliant colored trees. I am ready once again for Nature's best show of the year!

Lush Green Trees

For in the true nature of things,
if we rightly consider,
every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.
~Martin Luther

My Grosbeak friend

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
and never stops at all.
-
Emily Dickenson

Untamed Shoreline

Let us permit nature to have her way.
She understands her business better than we do. ~Michel de Montaigne

The squirrel I feed in my yard

Don't be yourself - be someone a little nicer.

~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Moon at Dusk

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

- Buddha Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)



*This photo was taken by my husband as we were enjoying the northern Michigan moon from the deck of our cabin.

Kayak Adventure

“We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character”

-Henry David Thoreau

Turtle

“Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”

- James Bryant Conant




I found this little guy as I was kayaking on Little Bradford Lake. He had some buddies with him but as soon as I came closer with my boat, the rest of them slid back into the water.

Quiet Lake

Only in quiet waters do thing mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.

~Hans Margolius

Ausable River

Rivers are roads which move, and which carry us whither we desire to go.

~Blaise Pascal

Raft

This is a Common Loon nesting on a floating raft made by local Loon Rangers in Gaylord, Michigan. This raft keeps the babies safe from predators which is especially important as Michigan's Loon population is declining.

It is important to note that you should never get too close to a nesting Loon. They are very sensitive and will abandon the nest if disturbed. Best to use your zoom lens from a far distance. They typically have two loon chicks which learn to swim within a day. I hope to get photos of the babies soon!

Grosbeak Glory

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

~Dr. Seuss

The Road Less Traveled

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference

Robert Frost


SPECIAL NOTE - I will be out of town the rest of this week and will catch up with all of you on Monday. Thank you for stopping by!

For Pam

Can we conceive what humanity would be if it did not know the flowers?

~Maurice Maeterlinck


Today's flower is for Pam at Baskets & Prims! I was so happy to meet her in person at the Gaylord Art Fair this past weekend. She was so sweet and gave me this beautiful handwoven basket with handpainted Loons. Thank you again Pam!

True North

"The True North begins when the Loon greets you."

- Greg Martinez






*This Saturday, I will have a craft booth featuring items from my nature store at the Gaylord Arts & Crafts Bazaar. It runs from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m and is located on the corner of First and Court Street. If you're in the downtown area, please stop by and say hi!

A companion in Nature...

To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace.
~Milan Kundera


My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.
~Author Unknown




It took me a couple years, but I convinced the hubby to get a Bernese Mountain Dog. Our puppy comes home in 4 weeks and I am excited beyond belief! I am looking forward to bringing this beautiful girl with us on a canoe, on our walks and for swims in the lake. She will make a wonderful addition!

Last of my Tulips...

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.

Afternoon on a Hill~Edna St. Vincent Millay, ""

View from the log cabin

Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.

~Bill Watterson

Singing Goldfinch

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

~Maya Angelou

Look what I found!

I was so excited to have found my beloved Loon pair this morning, that I posted this photo on all 3 of my blogs! I kayaked all over Big Bradford lake to find these two - listening carefully for their haunting call across the water. And to make things even better, I heard a Loon on my own lake (Little Bradford Lake) this morning. So tomorrow I will load up the kayak and go looking for him. It goes without saying, the Common Loon is my favorite bird!

Barred Owl

“A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird?”

-Author Unknown



This is a Barred-Owl that I was able to meet in person at the Kirtland Warbler Festival recently. As he was injured and cannot be released back into the wild, he is used for education by a wildlife rehabilitation organization.

Everyone have a safe Memorial weekend! Remember those who sacrificed who us and continue to do so!

Sweet Female Grosbeak

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

~Kahlil Gibran

Great Horned Owl

An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language.

~Martin Buber



*Rescued Great Horned Owl - now part of ARK's wildlife education program.

Lake

A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.

~Henry David Thoreau

Red-winged Blackbird

This is a female Red-winged blackbird. She is vastly different from the striking male with his black feathers and red bars on his wings. But still, as I watched the plain female, I decided she had her own quiet beauty.

A tulip surprise

"The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.”

-Saint John Chrysostom




Can you see the little bee?

Gerbera Daisies

'Tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes!

~William Wordsworth, "Lines Written in Early Spring," Lyrical Ballads, 1798








An early Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

In the moment

With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kayaking...

I went kayaking on Little Bradford Lake this morning. Nothing like paddling through calm water and enjoying the crisp air as you listen to the birds...

Tulip Time

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom.

~Audra Foveo

It's that time of year again for the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan. This festival was named "Best Smalltown Festival" by Readers Digest. Events include fireworks, a parade, many musical groups, arts and craft fair and of course tulips! It runs May 2 - May 9. Click here for a brochure of events.

Flowing Creek

“Water, air, and cleanness are the chief articles in my pharmacy.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte (French General, Politician and Emperor (1804-14). 1769-1821)

Michigan's State Bird

A Robin Redbreast in a cage
Puts all Heaven in a Rage.

~William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

Red Squirrel

Lots of people talk to animals.... Not very many listen, though.... That's the problem.

~Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

Tomahawk Creek Flooding

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.

-Henry David Thoreau









The hubby and I took a field trip out to the Tomahawk Creek Flooding area which is part of the Mackinaw State Forest in northern Michigan. This is known for its wildlife viewing opportunities. We were hopeful we would see Loons or Osprey but maybe the next trip out here. We heard several Black-capped Chickadees and observed Canadian Geese (they must've followed me from my cabin!) and a female doe.