10/21/09 A DARKLY BEAUTIFUL MORNING

A DARKLY BEAUTIFUL MORNING
JUNEBERRY TREE
TREMBLING ASPENS AND SPRUCE TREES
THERE'S A BUCK OUT THERE SOMEWHERE
Wednesday, 8:00 AM. 42 degrees, wind NE, light. The channel is wrinkled. It is raining, there is .75” of rain in the gage and the barometer predicts more.
It is a darkly beautiful morning, and many trees I thought might not color up well are doing just that now. The juneberry tree in the garden is a light golden yellow. The grove of quaking aspens to the north of us is turning a clear yellow, and even the old black willows on 9th St. have turned a nice greenish yellow. Trees and gardens are going into the winter with plenty of water and there should be good growth next spring. There is a big buck scrape near my deer stand so the rut is beginning, and maybe this will be the year for that big buck (hope springs eternal).

10/29/09 FALL COLORS ABOUND

FALL COLORS IN THE RAIN
'AUTUMN BLAZE' HYBRID MAPLES, SUGAR MAPLE, PAPER BIRCH, COLORADO SPRUCE
FRONT YARD OF GARDEN VIEW
Tuesday, 8:00 AM. 43 degrees, wind W, moderate. The channel is crawling, the sky is overcast and it is raining. There is .3” of rain in the gage but the barometer predicts sunny skies, maybe by evening.
The colors are beautiful if muted today, and leaves are dropping with the rain. Colors do not seem as vivid this year, and many sugar maples are reddish like the red maples, making them difficult to tell apart at a distance. I think the oaks will be spectacular this year, however. Each autumn has its own iteration of fall color. The tamaracks in the yard are turning and will be bright gold in a day or two.

10/19/09 LESSONS FROM THE ROAD TRIP

THE INDIAN CAMP WAS NOT REALLY SEEN BY CUSTER
THEY WERE CAMPED IN THE LITTLE BIG HORN RIVER VALLEY
CUSTER'S LAST STAND
THE BLACK ENGRAVED STONE MARKS WHERE CUSTER FELL

Monday, 8:30 AM. 49 degrees, wind WSW, moderate with stronger gusts.
The channel s crawling, the sky is mostly clear and the barometer predicts rain. The colors are still good but not as intense as last year. Our hybrid maples, ‘Autumn Blaze,’ are beautiful as always. Lucky sulked for a while, either because we left him with the neighbors or because we came back, I don’t know which, but he and everything else is returning quickly to normal.
We had a fine trip and got home about dark yesterday. Basically we wanted to see northern plains country we hadn’t seen before, while staying off the I roads. We traveled west on US 2 through Minnesota and North Dakota, then took Montana Rt. 200 into the west (a spectacular Big Sky Country drive) and then dropped down to Billings and the Custer Battlefield and then east mainly on US 14 and 212 through South Dakota and then US 212 through Minnesota and back to Rt. 2 via I35. The Dakotas and Montana are vast landscapes, basically farming country (wheat, corn, beans) in the eastern half of the Dakotas and then wheat and ranch land into the west. Minnesota is black soil farming in the south, and mostly lake, river and marsh land in the north. We caught glimpses of the big new pipeline nearing completion, bringing oil from the Alberta oil sands to Duluth. We tried to see as much of the Missouri River and Lewis and Clark’s route as we could but most roads run east and west or north and south, and the river runs on the diagonal, and is hard to get to except where crossed by better roads. It is safe to say I think that one can still see much of what they saw, even after two centuries. Even the Indians are still there, living now on huge reservations. We had a hard time finding accommodations once west, Billings being completely filled because of a college rodeo, and even small town motels filled because of hunting season, construction projects and oil and gas work. Several nights we drove fifty and more miles to find a room. KEEP YOUR GAS TANK TOPPED OFF IN THIS COUNTRY, IT CAN BE HUNDREDS OF MILES BETWEEN GAS PUMPS. There is apparently no recession in the west, and everything bustles with work and play.
One of my goals was to spend time at the Custer Battlefield, where the arrogant and politically ambitious Custer met his end, unfortunately taking hundreds of good men with him. Basically he never realized that he was outnumbered ten to one by one of the best cavalry forces ever mounted. Believing the Indians were trying to escape, he threw caution to the winds and fell into the midst of his enemies. I hope that all of our war colleges teach a Custer lesson to officers going to Afghanistan. Except for some views of ranch country the battlefield must look essentially like it did on June 26, 1876, the shallow rifle pits of the surrounded soldiers and Indian Scouts still there, with white stones marking where each fell.
We saw lots of wildlife on the trip, white tail deer in the east, mule deer and antelope herds in the west. Free range buffalo are in the Black Hills, where we have been before so did not go this time. We even saw a pack of five gray wolves near the battlefield, evidently dispersed from the population in Yellowstone.
One of the salient facts one comes away with from a trip like this is the amazing and boundless productivity of American agriculture, from cattle to corn, wheat and beans, and now sugar beets for ethanol. It is an industry of great complexity, virtually integrated both vertically and horizontally; production, harvest, storage, transportation and marketing all working seamlessly and without fanfare to feed the country and much of the world. One sees single fields of corn and wheat larger than many small countries. There are undoubtedly more people working in agribusiness now, and making good livings, than there have ever been. It is the most basic and productive of all American industries, and we force it to change only at our own great peril (consider Custer’s arrogance once more). Now that ethanol production and oil and gas extraction are part of the equation it approaches true independence, or ”sustainability,” to use the current buzz word. I took no photos of agriculture and landscapes, none do justice to the whole of it.

10/13/09 A LITTLE VACATION

Tuesday, 8:00 AM. 30 degrees, wind W, calm at ground level, but high clouds in the east are moving fast, where the wind is from the north (they are probably getting lake effect snow in the UP). The rest of the sky is cloudless. The channel is calm, and the barometer predicts fair weather.
Joan and I are taking a little vacation, heading west on Hwy 2 through Minnesota and North Dakota. She wants to see all the little towns along the route that she has read about, and I, being something of a history buff, would like to get as far west as Billings Montana and the Custer battlefield. I don't know if we will find Wounded Knee. We both are interested in whatever Louis and Clark sites we can see on the Missouri River. We will then return on I 90, poking around in the Black Hills if time and weather permit. There have already been storms in the west, so we are pushing it a bit. Lucky is staying with the Ringbergs across the street and will be treated very well. Unless I have internet access and time to do so there will be no posts for the next week or ten days.

10/12/09 HANGIN' IN THERE

THE VIEW FROM ELEVENTH STREET
THE LAST ROSE OF SUMMER
Monday, 9:00 AM. 33 degrees, wind W, light, the sky is overcast. The channel is calm, the barometer predicts partly cloudy skies and it feels like snow.
Colors are approaching their peak, but the rain and cold weather has made it a bit spotty. Some flowers, like the last roses and the geranium baskets, are putting up a good, if futile, fight. Lots to do today as we are getting ready to take a little vacation trip.

10/11/09 AMERICAN CHESTNUTS ARE RIPENING

A CLUSTER OF CHESTNUT FRUITS
INDIVIDUAL CHESTNUT FRUIT
HUSKS SPLITTING OPEN
EMPTY HUSKS
NUTS
Sunday, 8:15 AM. 30 degrees, wind W, light. The sky is almost cloudless, the channel is wrinkled, and the barometer predicts partly cloudy skies. It is a pretty fall day, the color by no means full as yet.
The young American chestnut (Castanea dentata) tree on Tenth and Manypenny has produced a number of fruits. The husks are very spiny, and the remains of the female flower still adhere to it. The fruits are now falling from the trees, the husks splitting open into four divisions, with one to three nuts inside. As I have related previously, there is a large population of healthy American chestnut trees in the area. They are either resistant to, or due to their isolation have remained uninfected by, the pervasive chestnut blight which has made these native trees very rare. I intend to collect enough of them to grow them on in pots and eventually plant them around town. The kernels will need to be kept in the refrigerator during the winter to make them break dormancy. It would be fun to roast a few to see how they taste.

10/10/09 PRETTY EARLY

A RED MAPLE SEEDLING IN THE SNOW
MOUNTAIN ASH, COULD BE A CHRISTMAS TREE
FRONT YARD OF GARDEN VIEW
ENTRANCE TO GARDEN VIEW LODGING
Saturday 8:30 AM. 30 degrees, wind W, moderate. The channel is crawling, the sky is partly cloudy, with dark clouds blowing in from the west. We have more than a trace of snow covering rooftops, lawns and trees. It is too early for snow, but very pretty!

10/09/09 REQUIEM

Friday, 8:00 AM. 36 degrees, the wind is W, calm. The channel is calm, the sky is blue except for dark clouds on the eastern horizon, and the barometer predicts partly cloudy skies. There is frost on the rooftops and lawns this morning. I finished bringing the plants in yesterday afternoon.
Jack Erickson, of Rocky Acres Berry Farm died last Sunday. I had not heard that he was ill. Like the eagles he loved, Jack was a tough old bird. He was not afraid to speak his mind and could swear like a sailor when the situation warranted. We bought all our raspberries and strawberries from him, mostly because I enjoyed his banter. I learned more about eagles from watching them congregate in his trees and swoop over his fields in the winter (he fed them fish guts from the fisheries) than I ever did from a book. Our friends at the DNR of course couldn’t stand being upstaged by old Jack, so they shut him down on one pretext or another, and Jack cussed them out good and proper. Jack was a curmudgeon, no doubt, and there are too few of the species left. In my youth all the old guys were curmudgeons and society was the better for it, and I aspire, with time and practice, to help fill the current void.
The paper birches have suddenly turned to gold. It’s as though they simply decided last night that the time was right to do so...kind of like old Jack.

10/98/09 FALL COLOR, SPRING COLOR

Thursday, 8:00 AM. 42 degrees, wind W, light with moderate gusts. The channel is wrinkled, the sky overcast but the barometer predicts sunny skies,
4,500 daffodils were planted yesterday and the rest should be planted by noon today. Then they will be top dressed with compost and fertilized, and all previously planted bulbs will be fertilized as well. We are using a mix of Milorganite and bone meal, both low nitrogen organic materials, at a rate of about 2.5 lbs. to 1,000 square feet.
The fall colors are beginning to be pronounced now, the sugar and red maples and aspens approaching full color, the oaks just beginning. Put dogwoods, mountain maple and other minor elements into the mix and it is all quite stunning. I find it difficult to take good photos of broad landscape views of fall color, it never seems to do it justice. Some things just have to be experienced first hand.

0/07/09 PLANT DAFFODILS WHILE THE SUN SHINES

Wednesday, 7:20 AM. 38 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is dimpled, the sky is partly cloudy and the barometer predicts the same. Another .75” of rain is in the gage.
We are planting daffodils today, 7,000 of them. They can be planted up until the ground freezes but we will take advantage of good weather while it lasts. An experienced crew of four can plant several thousand bulbs a day, using an electric drill and bulb bit. We received a significant donation from a property owner along Hwy. 13 on the north side of town, so there will be a spectacular display of 6,000 bulbs all in one location. We will have planted 30,000 or so bulbs in the last five years.

10/06/09 HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

Big Buck Track
Bear Track
Deer Dance Hall?
Tuesday, 8:45 AM. 45 degrees, wind NW, calm. The channel is calm, the sky is overcast and it is raining, and the barometer predicts more.
It being time to start checking out deer activity, Lucky and I went to my stand yesterday to scout, and in the process flushed two grouse one of which I got a shot at but missed. We came across a shallow sandy depression in the woods, which was crisscrossed with deer tracks, as though they were holding a dance, with bear tracks thrown in for good measure. There were some good sized tracks, probably a big buck. I saw no signs of the rut starting; no rubs or scrapes. Anyway, hope springs eternal.
We went to the mouth of the Sioux this morning, made a few casts but no strikes. We surprised an adult and an immature eagle fishing so I think the Coho are starting to run up the river. Lucky is so stiff from yesterday that I will have to give him half an aspirin with his breakfast.

10/05/09 IT DIDN'T RAIN ON OUR PARADE

Monday, 8:00 AM. 45 degrees, wind NNW, light. The channel is dimpled, the sky partly cloudy with rain clouds, and the barometer predicts the same.
The parade started yesterday about 2:30 PM but it was a long wait in line for Joan, Lucky and I (we were #62) and the first bands were coming up Mannypenny as we turned down the main route of Rittenhouse. There were lots of good bands and floats although we couldn’t see them all. Crowds lined the entire route from 6th and Rittenhouse and all the way down First Street to the Coast Guard Station.
While we were waiting to start I talked to Seth, the manager of the hardware store, who is a tribal member and was drumming for the dancers who were behind us in the lineup. His sister was wearing a beautiful jingle dress and I asked where she got the hundreds of bells on her dress. She makes them out of rolled up snuff can lids, they have no clapper but jingle when they bump together. An Indian acquaintance once said to me, “White people think Indians just lay around all day. They don’t know how much work it is to be an Indian.” Very true, as there is a tremendous amount of time, energy and artistry that goes into these costumes and all the rituals they still perform. The same is true of the traditional activities which they continue to do…the hunting, gathering, sugaring and on and on.
Anyway the parade did not get rained out and was an evident success. Afterwards I took the contents of the trailer to the Tellfords who will compost them, and dropped the wet hay bales off at Blue Vista Farm where they can make good use of them, and took the trailer back to Eric’s. Next year I will have a better float, although this one was O.K. and even got a few cheers and a thumbs up here and there along the route.

10/04/09 JUST SINGIN" IN THE RAIN

Sunday, 8:45 AM. 46 degrees, wind NW, light. The sky is overcast but the sun is shining through. .4” of rain fell since yesterday morning, and the barometer predicts partly cloudy skies.
I walked about Apple Fest several times yesterday, and despite the wet weather plenty of people were out and about, and evidently spending money. The tribe participated this year with singing,dancing and drumming, which was very colorful and seemed to be much appreciated by the crowds. The grandstand on Rittenhouse had continuous music and crowds. I have to be in the parade line up by 1:00 PM with the Bayfield In Bloom float, so it will be a busy day. The beautiful maroon leaves are white ash, Fraxinus Americana.

10/03/09 A PICTRE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Saturday, 8:15 AM. 43 degrees, wind NW, moderate. The channel is still crawling but less roiled than yesterday. The sky is overcast, and there is 1.8” of new rain in the gauge from yesterday’s deluge. The barometer, however, predicts mostly sunny skies.
The first day of Apple Fest was drowned out, but the weather seems to be better today. Hopefully it will be sunny for the parade tomorrow. Yesterday was a true fall nor’easter, the kind that sinks ships, and a big lake freighter took shelter in the lee of Madeline Island for twenty-four hours but is probably now gone. I can not see it from the porch. Its’ photo tells it all.

10/02/09 LIFE'S SHORT, EAT DESERT FIRST

Friday, 8:30 AM. 48 degrees, wind NE, gale force. Skies are overcast with dark rain clouds, and the channel is rough, covered with whitecaps. The barometer is confused. It is going to be a rough opening day for Apple Fest. A ferry trip today will be better than a carnival ride.
I was a judge at the annual pie contest before dinner yesterday evening, there are a number of categories, I was a judge of Commercial Baked Pies. All pies are judged on appearance, taste, and crust, and assigned a grade of one to five on each trait, five being the highest grade. Most pies I tasted were very good, one or two were wonderful. I take pie judging seriously and have done it for several years. From 6:00 to 8:00 PM the public was invited to have pie and coffee at the Pavilion, a great bargain at $2.00.

10/01/09 ANTICIPATION

Thursday, 8:15 AM. 47 degrees, wind WSW, light to moderate. The sky is blue with high, thin white clouds. The barometer predicts rain, but I think not.
The preparations for Apple Fest are evident everywhere now, the “No Parking” signs in place; the stage is up on Rittenhouse Ave.; and the carnival rides and game booths are in place across from the Egg Toss. The chamber office is all abuzz with activity, and visitors and vendors are pouring into town.
As a local resident, I look at this with a mix of emotions: excitement, pride, maybe a bit of greed for the last tourist dollar of the season…but mainly with anticipation, first for the event, and then for it to be over for another year.