Festival of Flight

 There's a small, noncommercial airport that Wally likes to go to sometimes for lunch. He eats his lunch in a nearby park and watches planes take off and land. He noticed they were having a festival yesterday and invited us to join him at the event. I hesitated because, no matter how hard I try, planes just don't interest me much. But it was free and not far away, so I went along. And I'm glad I did. It was another friendly event, where people who were enthusiastic about flying shared their interest with the crowd. And there were many more things other than airplanes to see.

The weather cooperated, and the rain we had been having for the last few days stopped except for a few sprinkles we felt here and there. However, the clouds kept the temperature down, so it was a nice day to wander around outside. I'm not sure what I expected, but I was surprised that much of the crowd was made up of families with young children, which made sense when I thought about it. What kid doesn't like an airplane?

We spent the morning there and made it home in time to get our To Do list done that afternoon. All in all, a very good day. Below are a few pictures from our time at the airport.

Ward and Wally. The rain had left the grass wet, as well as a few puddles we had to dodge around.

When we arrived, they were just beginning a remote-controlled plane event. That's one of them. I was surprised at the size and detail of the RC planes we saw. Below is a video of one of the RC planes taking off. It had an actual jet engine in it. (If you're interested, you can see the plane much better if you enlarge the video.)

Most planes don't have doors that open upwards.

This plane was built from a kit. I took the picture for my niece, who went to flight school with the Coast Guard and now flies helicopters for them.

The engines are on top of the plane. A new thing for me.

Ward was interested in this helicopter because it was like the one he was on in Somalia. The one he flew in developed a broken leg, and they narrowly escaped disaster.

An "auto-pilot" in an auto gyrocopter.

Not everything went up in the air. This couch rolled all over the grounds.

There were also vendors and local groups.
This picture is for Strayer, who works tirelessly for this cause
in Oregon. Because of her stories, I donated here.

The firetruck and police car, as were the RVs for sale, were popular with the kids.

There were plenty of food trucks, but Wally and I had a pancake breakfast, which was an EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) fundraiser.

Now it's time to get ready for an upcoming trip to the West Virginia mountains. We're leaving in a few days, and I will check in during the trip when I have time and internet.

Until next time...

The Spotted Lanternfly

 

The first lantern fly I saw.

Has the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delictual) reached your area yet? They have made it to Maryland and seem to be everywhere. We see them on our porches, sidewalks, and yards; Wally and Theo's house is covered in them.

The spotted lanternfly (SLF) was first identified in the US in 2014 in Berks County, Pennslyvania. It is thought that it hitched a ride with a shipment of stone from China, where it is native. The SLF is turning out to be another non-native insect wreaking havoc with our crops. Think of the stink bug invasion in the 1990's and the damage it brought. Interestingly, the brown marmorated stink bug also came from Asia and was first identified in Pennsylvania. 

Aren't the wings pretty?

The SLF is very adaptable. Its preferred host plant is the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissimo), an invasive, noxious tree from China. (I guess the SLF and the tree of heaven are happy to be reunited.) But if there's no tree of heaven around, the SLF will lay its eggs on any solid object (rocks, cars, tree trunks, etc.), and the nymphs will eat whatever is nearby. It can associate with more than 173 plants and has been damaging fruit trees, soybeans, grapes, forest trees, and ornamentals, among other things.

I saw my first SPL in 2021 in Berks County, PA, where it was first found. I was charmed by its colorful wings and distinctive spots until I was informed they were dangerous to many of our crops. There have been quarantines and guidelines to kill them. In fact, Theo had to sign a paper at work saying that he would kill any he saw. They are a hopping insect and very quick, so squashing one is easier said than done. However, despite best efforts, the SLF is very adaptable and has been found in 17 states so far.

SLF on our porch. This is a closeup. They are about an inch (2.5 cm) long

The good news is that in Berks County, where they first exploded, the numbers are down a little. Birds and some other creatures are starting to eat them. And researchers are desperately working on ways to control them.

So, if you happen to see a spotted lantern fly, don't be fooled by its good looks. Be afraid. Very afraid.* And then give it a good stomp.

Until next time...

*The SLF is not directly harmful to humans. It doesn't bite or sting. It's the hundreds of millions of dollars of damage it can do to agricultural crops that has everyone concerned.

Note: My computer crashed before I could retrieve the links to the several articles I used for this post. However, if you want to know more, just google spotted lanternfly.

Not Yet

 For a week or more now, I've been meaning to write a post about the spotted lanternfly, but I have not because I have to do research for it. Well, this evening, I have been doing that research, and I'm starting to get creeped out by them, so I have reached my lanternfly saturation for the day. I am saving that post for another time. So "Not Yet" for the lanternflies.

Onto some flower pictures from around the yard, but first a look at Ward's latest creation. 

Ward had never made a cabinet before and wanted to learn,
so he made this trash can cabinet for Wally and Theo's place.
He used the same maple and blue paint 
on the console table he made for them.

It has a handy drawer for trash bags or anything else you want.

Nasturtium

Sunpatiens 

Zinnias. You may remember that I fought a fierce battle with earwigs over these flowers,
but I eventually won. 

Beauty berries. The birds will like these in the winter.

Black-eyed Susan

Cherry laurel. This usually blooms in spring.

Butterfly bush. We're still seeing a few butterflies on it.

We cut the fig tree to the ground in the spring, but it has grown quite nicely.

However, this is only the third ripe fig on it. Our growing season
just doesn't seem to be long enough to get many ripe ones.

Anemone. I have discovered this plant is hard to control,
but it makes a nice display in the fall.

The anemone was buzzing with bees. Notice the yellow pollen sac on this bumble bee. I always get a thrill when I see one of these brightly colored sacs.

Abelia

That's it for now, so until next time...

The Third Fair Tale

I promise. This will be the last fair post for a long time. 😊

 We went to another fair last weekend. It was a county fair, and I didn't want to go - too big, etc. But Ward and Wally were interested, so I went along to spend time with them. (If I didn't have encouragement, sometimes I wonder if I'd ever leave my house.) Anyway, I went and had a good time despite my reservations. The weather was good, and although many people were there, they were all in a good mood. Despite the warm temperatures and crowds, I didn't see one person get upset. People-watching was fun -- especially the people on the carnival rides. I think half of the fun of a carnival is the squealing that people do. :)

Below are pictures from the day. There are many of them, but you can scroll quickly through them if you want.

These were decorated pumpkins.

This felted owl was over 3 feet tall.

Notice the flies' bodies are wrenches.

Until next time...

Another Fair Tale

 Last time, I described our local community fair and how much I enjoyed it. As promised, here is an accounting of this year's fair. Even though I managed to go to the fair three times, I didn't see most events (or get pictures), so you'll only see a few things going on from my perspective. 

Some years, I have been crafty throughout the year, and I have things to enter. Some years, not. That was this year. So, when I looked around and saw nothing to enter, I got to work making a collage. I've been making a collage for the fair for the last few years. I used to enter photos, but that category has gotten really competitive since almost everyone has a good camera on their phone. I decided to focus on the art area even though I have no drawing or painting abilities. But I can cut and paste, so collages it's been. Some years, I've won a ribbon, and some years, I have not. And quite truthfully, some of my collages have not been very good.  

The collage in process. One of my self-imposed rules is that I can't buy anything to make my collage. This presents a challenge sometimes as I try to find the right things for it.

I asked Ward to help cut tape to put around the edges, and it got to be an involved process. The tape certainly didn't come off after all of this.

I titled my piece "Appalachian Sunrise" and was a little disappointed that it didn't get a ribbon. However, it couldn't hold a candle to the dragon collage that was the champion.

Look what I found the next day! The ribbon had been hiding behind it all along.

Meanwhile, Ward entered a few things in the woodworking area.
These were a set of pencil boxes made from maple, oak, and walnut.

In the novelty class, Ward entered a puzzle box made from paint stirrers. 

He also entered this puzzle box. It takes 12 steps to find the two hidden drawers inside. Ward didn't want to enter it because he thought it was too complicated to judge, even with instructions. However, he won a second and Special Kid's Choice Award. The local 4-H club picks their favorite for the class. I don't know if they figured out how to open it or just appreciated how complicated it was. BTW, I can't open it even with the instructions. 😀

I also entered 8 cut flowers from around the yard.
This zinnia and a rudbeckia got blue ribbons.

Our entries were rounded out with some basil and wax beans. Both got red ribbons.

Here are a few more photos in the entry hall.

Ice cream-making contest. 

Well, there you have it. My version of this year's fair.

Until next time...