A Second Look--September 30, 2015

Things have been very busy around here for the last couple of months (you may have noticed I haven't been posting as much), and that has made me kind of stressed. But my walk around the yard for a Second Look yesterday worked its magic. For a little while, I was focused on the outdoors and the stress I was feeling melted. Nature can do it every time for me.

Here are a few things I saw this week

 during a Second Look.

Monarch butterfly. Even though we have milkweed (the monarch host plant) and I've seen monarch caterpillars, this is the first time I've seen a monarch butterfly in several years. This one was hanging onto a twig and only opening its wings when the breeze got strong.

Geranium, Roxanne. The rain we had last week brought out a few blooms on summer flowers that were just about done for the season. 

One more Black-eyed Susan

Sedum, Autumn Joy. The sedum is a fall flower and is in full bloom now.

Blanket flower

Verbena. This annual looked dead most of the summer, however, the cooler temperatures seemed to have revived it. It's supposed to happy in warm weather, so I'm not sure what was going on.

Another "hidden" walnut.

The leaves are just starting to turn and fall. It will be leaf raking time soon.

Thankful Sunday--September 28, 2015

I am thankful for simple fun.

I have a set of friends I get together with every month or so. The gatherings are simple with food from everyone and a lot of silly talking and laughing. Sometimes we play a game, sometimes we do a craft, and this time we sang and colored. Singing was not organized--just spontaneous singing of whatever golden oldie popped into someone's head. The coloring was also fun for everyone as they remembered another part of their past. For good friends and simple fun, I am thankful.

A Second Look--September 23, 2015

This week had beautiful fall weather with cool mornings and warm, sunny afternoons. Even the day of rain was pleasant--maybe because it was much needed. The weather is signaling that fall officially began last night at sundown, but the changes are still subtle. No big change in the color of the leaves and no frost yet to turn some of the summer greens to brown. So, there was not much different to take pictures of this week when I did my Second Look. However, there were a few things that caught my eye.

Here are some things I saw this week 

during a Second Look.

Sternbergia latea. These bloom every September but I always forget about them until I see their bright yellow colors pop up among the dead lilies and overgrown irises. A pleasant surprise to say the least.

Something is starting to get ready for winter. See the hidden walnut in the fence post?

Resting moth/butterfly on marigold at the end of the day. This insect was not moving and it was either a moth waiting for dark to be active or a butterfly resting at the end of an active day. 

The moon was out early this night.

Thankful Sunday--September 20, 2015

I am thankful for good caregivers.

This is the attic window of the house I grew up in and
the house where my mother still lives.

For various reasons, my mother doesn't live near any of her children. Since none of us are close by, I am thankful that she has very good caregivers so she can continue to live in her home of 55 years. Her helpers are a blessing to both her and us. And for that I am thankful.

A Second Look--September 17, 2015

Part 2 of this week's Second Look.

Here are a few things I saw this week 

during a Second Look.

Sedum--Autumn Joy

Bumblebee on purple sage

Marigold

Queen Anne's Lace

Skipper Butterfly on purple sage (view from below)

Blanket flower

Celosia

Begonia

A Second Look--September 16, 2015

Japanese Stilt Grass vs. Canadian Thistle

We have one rather large flower bed we call the thistle bed. Originally is was a bed with a couple of trees, shrubs, iris and day lilies. Then at some point in time, thistle invaded. Unfortunately, the thistle was already established when we bought the house. If you're not familiar with Canadian thistle, it is an invasive, perennial weed.  Its roots can extend 17' horizontally and 20' deep and it can actually move forward several feet in one day. Also, its seeds can be viable for 20 years or more in the soil. If any part of the root is cut, two new plants will form from each piece. So you see, it has a strong will to live and it doesn't care what gets in the way.

For a few years, we worked on eradicating the thistle in the thistle bed with no luck. We then decided that we would be happy just keeping it under control. We were able to do this by pulling it several times a year. It was a prickly job that no one really liked, but a necessary one. And we kept it from a total takeover of the bed with some of the flowers surviving.

Enter Japanese Stilt Grass. This grass has been able to do in a year, what we were not able to in the 15 years before--eliminate the thistle in the thistle bed. (Well, almost. I'd say that 90% of it is gone.) However, now the stilt grass has not only taken over the the thistle bed, it is in many other spots in the yard.

Japanese stilt grass is an annual grass and native to parts of Asia. It came to this country in 1919 in a shipment from Asia and now present in most states east of the Mississippi and invasive in 15 of them. However, it seems I've only heard talk about problems with it in the last 10 years where I live in Maryland and it's only in the last year or so that we've had it in our yard.

It is causing problems in forest and hillsides because of its very shallow root system. It comes in and crowds out native plants, but then doesn't have deep enough roots to keep the hillside from eroding causing a whole new set or problems.

It spreads by rooting nodes and seeds that are viable for several years in the soil. Deer also help it spread by eating native plants giving it opportunity to invade their spaces. Apparently, deer aren't interested in eating the stilt grass. There tend to be worse invasions when white-tailed deer are around and that may be one of the problems in my yard.

Control methods include pulling, herbicides, and pre-emergent herbicides. However, it has taken over about 1/2 of our two acre lot. I think it may win this one until the next new invasive species comes along. In the meantime, I didn't think I would ever see something that would crowd out thistle. And I'm not sure that I'm as happy about it as I thought I would be. :(

Tune in tomorrow for the second part of this week's Second Look with a few more pictures from around the yard.

More details on --
Canadian Thistle:  http://extension.psu.edu/pests/weeds/weed-id/canada-thistle
Japanese Stilt Grass: http://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/resources/2010/08/9678_6624.pdf

Thankful Sunday--September 13, 2015

Casa Blanca nightclub  Photo source

I am thankful for new experiences.

Friday night Ward and I went to a blues and jazz club to celebrate a friend's birthday.  The club was in an upscale neighborhood and full of people who live lives a lot more exciting than mine. Or so I imagined. (I'm rarely up this late.) Three hundred people were seated around intimate tables eating fancy food. Or so I imagined. (I only had dessert--apple pie.) The room was dimly lit as we waited for the music and people drank exotic cocktails. Or so I imagined. (I only had water.)

Some how, I have made it this far in my life without ever going to a nightclub. And I probably won't go back anytime soon. As you might have guessed by my descriptions above, nightclubs really aren't my style. However during my first visit, I was having fun imagining that I was in one like I've seen on screen before--such as Rick's in Casa Blanca or the Tropicana with Ricky Ricardo singing Babalu. And for this experience, I am thankful.

(Yes, I know, this all sounds a little goofy, but sometimes, Goofy, is my middle name. :) )

Day Seven--Hoover Dam

Today we visited Hoover Dam. Or was it Boulder Dam. Or should it have been Black Dam? And why is it Lake Mead (the lake formed by the dam) and not Lake Boulder. It's all so confusing. But today's visit answered all of the questions it raised in the name area.

When they first started talking about a project to dam and control the Colorado River, they thought that Boulder Canyon would be the best place for it. However, it turns out that nearby Black Canyon was an even better place. However, apparently you can't teach old dogs new tricks, so they kept calling it the Boulder Dam Project. And then because Herbert Hoover was the one who signed the papers to get the project going, congress decided to name it after him 12 years after it was completed. And as for Lake Mead, it's named after a guy who was in charge when that area was developed. Also, in no small way, the backstory to all of this involves a fair amount of politics.

And Hoover Dam brings us to Boulder City where we are staying. The city was built to house all of the workers at the dam and at one point during the construction, it was the largest city in Nevada. Yesterday, I mentioned that Boulder City was one of only two places in Nevada where gambling isn't legal. That stems to its beginnings when they thought the men doing the dangerous work on the project shouldn't be distracted by gambling and alcohol. Cars were actually checked on the way into town. Not surprisingly, just outside the city limits, there were a lot of empty bottles.

There are actually a lot interesting things to say about the engineering and construction of the dam and the development of the town to support it. Maybe later, when I have more time, I will post about them.

But for now, we have to figure out how to get everything back into our suitcases for our flight home tomorrow morning. The stuff that was in them seems to have exploded to at least twice as much. I'm not sure how that happened, but I think there is some kind of law about that just like there is Vacation Time.

Here are a few sights from today.

The Boulder Dam Hotel where we're staying. It was built during 1931 during the construction of the dam for bigwigs to stay in. While not really fancy, it's still pretty nice.

Hoover Dam. I could never quite get the right angle to get the whole thing in the picture.

Most of our tour took place in some kind of a tunnel or another.

Intake towers for the power plant.

Lake Mead

Utah Vacation, Day 6, Driving

Last night it stormed for 6 hours with a lot of rain. I didn't get much sleep (or anyone else), but this was not the first thing on my mind. I was thinking about how this rare storm was affecting the areas we had just visited. Did it carve any new formations or paths? Could we even hike down the Narrows now? What new plants were going to spring up overnight? Then I thought about how lucky we were that this storm didn't change any of our plans the previous days. It was kind of exciting to contemplate all of these things and not be filled with all of the worrisome thoughts that usually accompany sleepless nights.

After the storm, we left Kanab this morning and drove to Boulder City (near Las Vegas) to spend the next two nights. We did the four hour drive in seven hours again. I think. It's the whole thing with changing time zones and not really paying attention. Vacation Time, I think it's called.

The major stop we made was in Snow Canyon State Park in Utah for lunch and a hike. The stop was recommended by someone we met on the trail yesterday in Bryce. The park wasn't too crowded which surprised us since it was Labor Day. But it also was almost 100 degrees, no breeze, with little to no shade. Maybe the smart people were inside somewhere.

Nevertheless we did a nature hike through desert plants growing among sandstone and basalt rocks. There were markers along the way identifying plants we were seeing. It was very interesting to us because desert plants, even the common ones we saw, are not something we encounter very often in the East.

Tomorrow I'll tell you more about Boulder City. Let's start by saying that is one of only two places in Nevada that doesn't allow gambling.

Here are a few things we saw today.

We left Kanab this morning. Kanab worked out very well as a hub for our other destinations. I'd like to go back sometime to explore the local things especially the Westerns made here. 

Kanab was one of several towns we saw with their initial on a hillside. Apparently this is common in the West (at least 500 towns have them) and is equivalent to having the town name on a water tower. This is the first time we had seen one.

Lunch at Snow Canyon Park.

After lunch, we started our hike down the Hidden Pinyon Trail.

This was one of the first stops along the trail. It was pointing out the black lava flow. Lava is also capping the red rocks in the back. It has helped to prevent erosion of the rocks below it. 

Another marker along the trail. This one was pointing out purple torch cactus.

Cross bedding from ancient sand dunes.

Theo standing on cap rock of the one of the peaks.

After the hike, there were more beautiful rocks to see as we were leaving the park.

The closer we got to Vegas/Boulder City, the fewer trees and red mountains we saw. And the hotter it got. The last time I remember checking the temperature, it was 104.

Utah Vacation--Day 5, Bryce

Well, I didn't think it was possible. I thought that maybe we were getting used to seeing far-reaching, amazing views, but it happened again. Today's visit to Bryce Canyon National Park provided more breathtaking views. Literally. Wally and I both gasped when we first saw the view from the rim of Sunset Point--a landscape of hoodoos which Bryce is known for. A hoodoo, for those of you who are not familiar with the term, is a pinnacle of rock that is formed by differential erosion between a cap rock and softer sediment underneath. The ancient Indians said they were people turned to stone by a coyote god. You'll get the idea when you see the pictures.

We did a hike into Bryce Canyon starting a Sunset Point. We hiked from the rim, down to the bottom, and back up again. That was pretty cool to actually be in the middle of the things you were looking down on earlier that seemed so far away.

After checking out several other views in the park, the Carnivores finally got the steak dinner they had been wanting. A reward for an entire week of PB & J.

Here are some things we saw today.

First views from Sunset Point

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Hike down into the canyon. Notice how the rocks get closer and we are eventually looking up at them when we were looking down on them before. In the very bottom, you see a dry stream bed.

Do you see Queen Victoria?

Dry stream bed at bottom.

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Climbing back up. Most of this was a very steep trail with lots of switchbacks. The highlight was going through the Wall Street formation-- a narrow passage through rocks with steep walls all around. It is just like you were looking up at the skyscrapers on Wall Street.

Wall Street is up ahead in those rocks.

Inside Wall Street. Where you see people in the distance up on the
far wall, that is the switchbacks I'm soon going to tread.

Looking back at Wall Street.
This is looking down at a 45 degree angle, seeing people
on the switchbacks I just finished climbing.

The continued steep trail to the top.
More switchbacks.
Notice the people way up on the far right.

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Our highest elevation for the day.

Natural Bridge formation that we saw close to Rainbow Point.