One Thing off the Bucket List

I don't really have a bucket list, but if I did...it would have included seeing baby Loons riding on their parents back.  After a Loon chick hatches, it swims some of the time with mom and dad and it rides on one of their backs some of the time.  This only occurs for two weeks after hatching.  Then they swim all the time. 

Monday morning I went kayaking and came across a Loon pair in our bay.  I noticed that they were swimming very close together, which is unusual unless there is a chick.  Yes, there was a chick swimming between them.  I became so excited because there hasn't been a Loon chick on our lake in many years let alone our bay.  When I got inside, I emailed the local Loon Ranger who lives on the neighboring connecting lake that has loons every year.  I was the first to report the Steamboat Bay chick.  Later in the day I went out with binoculars to see if all was well.  Now there were two chicks!  A neighbor had reported to the Loon Ranger that indeed there was one chick in the morning with one egg still in the nest. The nest is on their property.  The second egg hatched and was out swimming with the family by afternoon. 

Warning:  this blog will, for all practical purposes, become a loon watch.

Vacuuming is Fun

Yesterday I was vacuuming the bathroom with a hand tool to get to the corners and such.  Well, the nozzle got too close to the toilet paper because it was coming off the roll as fast as it could into the vacuum hose.  For a just a second or two I watched because it was fascinating!  Coming to my senses, I was able to stop all this frivolity and get back to cleaning.  But it sure was good retirement fun in the Northwoods.

36th Wedding Anniversary

Case and I spent our 36th wedding anniversary volunteering as guides through our Lions Club.  Our club sponsored a field trip for 120 third graders to do some hands on learning about water quality, fish anatomy, fish species, loons and invasive species.  We had lined up 6 stations with local experts doing the teaching - all of them volunteering their time.  We held it on a famous campground on the Chippewa Flowage arguably the largest and best fishing wilderness lake in the Midwest.  The family that owns the campground didn't charge us.  The main expense for the Lions Club was the buses and drivers to transport the children from school to the campground (30 minutes) and back to school at the end of the day.  The program went smoothly for the club's first time.  In the past when Lucyna and Tad were young,.Case and I were scout leaders, room parents, chaperons, etc.   It was good to be reminded of what fun children are.  My first classroom in 1977 were third graders.

May 22, 2012 was a day well spent. 

Another Me...Can't Be!

At the Birding Festival, we all wore printed name tags around our neck.  It made it easier to make friends and easier for the leaders to learn our names.  Anyway, there was a "Jo" in my group.  We immediately walk to one another to find out the answer that we both want.  What is Jo short for?  Josephine?  Joann?  We were both dumbfounded and speechless to find out that we were both "Linda Jo."  How cool was that!  We both got a kick out of the coincidence.  She lives in Marquette, Michigan so we won't be crossing paths unless next year at the Festival.  Life is fun!

No Rest for the Weary

Case and I are attending the Chequamegon Bay Birding Festival for the second time.  It falls on our anniversary weekend and that is how we want to celebrate.  It is 3 days of  half day outings - over 100 from which to choose.  Last year we did all water: canoes, kayaks, giant canoe from the 1700's.  This year is hiking.  We are having such a great time celebrating 36 years of marriage.  Of course, on all of these excursions, the group is looking and listening for local birds.  Today we identified 23 different birds.  I am off to bed as we are getting up at 4 am again tomorrow.

St. Peter's Dome

My walking group (15 of us that day) hiked to the top of St. Peter's Dome yesterday.  It is a wilderness area under the US Forest Service.  So many wildflowers were in bloom.  Among everyone in the group we could identify almost all of them.  After 2 miles of an upward climb on a rocky path, we reached the top which is a outcropping of rocks where we all sat and ate our lunches.  It was a clear day and the sun was shining.  We could see the cliffs behind Duluth, Minnesota and Lake Superior.  What an expansive view!

The second highest waterfalls in Wisconsin at 80 feet was also on our trail in a secluded glen (Morgan Falls).  We stayed there a long time.  Afterwards we drove to a member's house who served us her famous homemade apple pie with ice cream.  Life is good.

I noticed 2 things about this group yesterday.  All of us love moss.  On trees.  On rocks.  In running water.  The other thing I noticed was our creativity and ingenuity.  All 15 of us had devised our own style of tick defense:  sprays, pants inside socks, duct tape sticky side out, tick repellent clothing, a dog collar around each ankle or a combination of several.  We were quite a sight, but a happier group you could not find.

Opening Day - Northwoods Style

Of course, I have improved enough to attend opening day...opening day of fishing season!  It is raining off and on but we got in one hour's worth anyway.  I caught my personal best (largest ever) for Black crappie, Bluegill, and Northern Pike. What a thrill!  The pike was over 26 inches long and big enough around so my fingers couldn't touch...and it was UGLY.  I had forgotten how ugly those things are.  In recent years we are strictly CPR anglers: catch, photograph, release.  However, we forgot the camera!  That is probably good since the size of the fish seems to get bigger every time I tell the story.  (Case caught one average-sized Crappie.  He has been a good sport and has been very happy for me.)

Laid up with a Virus

I seem to have a virus thing going on.  Case even took me to the doctor today which is unusual since he thinks a doctor visit is only needed to call time of death!  Yes, it is a virus so the remedy is to take a nap every day.  I better follow doctor's orders.