Plate Ice Mosaic

As you may already know from the photo I posted last night, the sunset yesterday was nothing short of mind-blowing. The ice formations combined with the awesome clouds and colors in the sky made for a scene that I will never forget. After making several wide-angle images of the scene, I switched to my 100-400mm lens and made a few abstract images by isolating different areas of the ice. This area that you see here was different from the rest. Most of the ice was jutting up at all different angles, but in this area the ice was all laying more or less flat. Each piece was reflecting a bit of the sky. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in all my life of living along the shores of Lake Superior.

Farewell Followed by Freezes

Depressing weather is on the way, appropriate right now, since Molly Ivins died yesterday. How can both Molly Ivins and Ann Richards be gone? Whether you agreed with their ideas or not, the world needs more smartass women, not less.
[Cowtown Pattie has some good words about this Texas legend, and James of Austin has a good story, too.]

For the past week there’s been sniping among the weathermen [they seem to be all men], with some insisting that Austin should prepare for the coldest temperatures since the mid-1990’s, and others scoffingly sure we'd barely sustain a freeze. The latest prediction falls somewhere in the middle: a cold front bringing a hard freeze tomorrow night, followed by three nights in the twenties.










Philo and I went to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center last Saturday for the tree event, but we also looked at some paintings and strolled the paths.

One section of the garden celebrates the plant hunters and botanists who are remembered in the specific names of many native genuses. Austin gardeners who include Salvia greggii among their favorite plants can pay tribute to Josiah Gregg. Other plants with his name include Acacia greggii, Eupatorium greggii and Dalea greggii - those grey leaves surrounding the sign belong to Gregg's Dalea.
We didn't buy any trees, but we came home with several shrubs. That’s our new Evergreen sumac, Rhus virens, in the black container at the front.
The mature specimens of sumac on the trails were quite beautiful. We'll do our best to help this shrub thrive, by planting it as recommended in a raised bed with decomposed granite added to the soil.

There's a dwarf Nandina growing in the large terra cotta pot behind the sumac. Its leaves are green in summer, but the first cold snap turns them red, and they stay that way for months. So think twice before counting on dwarf green Nandinas as a green background for your flowers ... those ruby-red tones might screw up any spring color scheme using delicate pastel tones!

Look behind the Nandina for the Gardenia, subject of a July 14th post. That gardenia should probably go into the garage for the weekend.
Our tall, white-flowering evergreen Abelias look unchanged after the ice, but not the one Abelia that blooms pale pink.
The leaves on this Abelia still had medium green leaves in October, seen here with the stripes of Canna ‘Bengal Tiger’ in the background.

Now the canna is a cluster of brown stumps, and the Abelia leaves have responded to the ice by turning a sort of dark burgundy.











When the ice storm bent their tree branches, the result was so dramatic that the Loquat, Magnolia and Oleander got all the attention. They gradually rebounded, with some lost leaves, and a few branches that appear to be permanently bent. Philo thinks the ice actually improved the shape of Magnolia 'Little Gem'! But in the week following the freeze, everything didn't bounce back like these flexible evergreens.
Plants that usually grow easily here, some of them natives, gradually gave evidence that they may not be returning this spring. Every Salvia guaranitica, growing robustly in large stands around the yard, in different soils and various exposures, died down to the ground without leaving the usual tuft of green at the base, and the Pineapple sage doesn't look good. Texas native Tecoma stans, also called Esperanza or Yellow Bells, turned hard and brown, with no signs of life, and both Barbados Cherries look very bad. If any of the Cupheas, Durantas or Lantanas are alive, they’re hiding it well.
Although all the ice-covered Camellia flowers turned brown and mushy, the Camellia buds emerged from the ice to produce another set of blossoms.
All the blue pansies in hanging baskets and containers lost open flowers, too, but in a few days they started blooming again. This colorful scene greets me every morning when I open the curtain - but what will I see on Monday?

Ringing in the Sheaves - We Shall Come Rejoicing

Fox Family

We finally saw the foxes! Jessica and I went to watch the den early this morning. After 3 previous unsuccessful attempts at seeing the foxes at various other times of the day, I was confident that being there first thing in the morning would give us the best chance. This time of year that means getting up pretty early. We left the house at 5:00 AM so we could be at the den in time for sunrise. We arrived at 5:40 and right away before we had even stopped the truck Jessica noticed one of the kits peeking out of the den. She only saw him for an instant. We waited maybe 5 minutes then he came out again and this time walked around a little bit. This was before either of the adults had come around. After 2 or 3 minutes the kit went back into the den and there was no activity for quite a while.



About 30 to 40 minutes later dad showed up with a piece of meat. We couldn't tell what sort of animal the meat was from, since it was just a hunk of flesh, but when he showed up two kits came running out of the den to grab the food. We only saw 2 kits, so that makes this a small litter unless there had already been others that didn't survive. For the next 45 minutes both kits were in and out of the den, chasing each other and playing. 4 times dad brought in pieces of food for them. The last time he came in with food, it was a huge rabbit. It still had all 4 legs attached, but it looked like the rump had been chewed off. The more aggressive of the two kits chased the other one away from the rabbit, then proceeded to tug at the meat and try almost unsuccessfully to drag the rabbit into the den by himself. At first he couldn't budge it but after several tugs managed to pull it inside the den. Once the rabbit and both kits were back in the den, dad took off for another round of hunting. We ended up with about a 45 minute show of fox activity. It sure was a fun way to start the day!

If I Knew What They Looked Like...

I could have such fun.





Alas I don't know what The Artic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Funeral for A Friend, Paul Weller, or Skint and Demoralised look like...





We live in deepest Lincolnshire, right on the edge of nowhere. A neighbouring village has two recording studios which are used by lots of groups and singers...

It is so successful that they are building a large new accommodation block.

Shirley Bassey, Wet, Wet, Wet, and Barbara Dickson, OMD, Ocean Colour Scene, The Propellerheads, The Damned...

have all enjoyed the facilities in this lovely, leafy part of Lincolnshire.

Sometimes what gives them away is using an entirely unsuitable vehicle for narrow, muddy, country roads. Sometimes it is the appearance of hoodie-wearing young men who dash around as though being pursued. Ha! They should be so lucky!





The neighbours are quiet, the village peaceful. No shop, no pub, no school.

Just lovely Lincolnshire - and a great recording studio.

Hug a Vet Today

This morning I will be heading to town for breakfast. Hy-Vee is hosting their annual free breakfast for veterans. Thanks, Hy-Vee.
I send warm wishes to my fellow Vets. To my Nam Vet friends, "Welcome Home".

Merry Christmas from Mala Compra

Overcast morning, threatening a shower, but I had planned to ride some dirt today. Headed to the Hammocks for a ride on the Mala Compra Greenway Trails.
I parked across Rt A1A from the trailhead at Mala Compra Rd. checked the trail map at the kiosk and ended down the trail. Most of this trail is rated as a "blue" trail. there area also side trails rated as "black diamond" and one that I saw rated "double black diamond".
Most of the trail is a tight, curvy trail though the wood. Solid surface except fpr short sections of palm roots and soft sand. At lease you can recognize the sandy spots because its a white sand.
Obstacles are highlighted as a black diamond trail marked with a blue bypass. (see photo) At the 16th St trailhead is another kiosk. It had some trail brochures with trail map. Just the map I was looking for 9which I could not find anywhere on the internet!.
Was not sure if I would ride singletrack on the trail back, but after a rest and some G2, I was ready to ride on. This end of the trail area had some rougher trails - longer sections of black diamond, some quick climbs and descents, ridge-running. I bypassed those trail section!
On the way back, there were several area where a wide, walking path paralleled the singletrack. At 3.5 miles, I was getting tired, to switched to the walking path. Ended up with 3.8 miles, 1:08 riding time, and 22 photos.