May 31, 2004
Bus Seat
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May 27, 2004
Carpenter Ants
Yesterday I noticed a bright red thing bobbing around behind a bush in front of the house. Binoculars clearly exposed a large Pileated Woodpecker perched on the log which serves as border along the driveway. These are the Woody Woodpecker-style woodpeckers with a red pointy mohawk looking thing. Trying to get closer with my camera only scared it off, but I did find what it was after: Carpenter Ants, the Pileated Woodpecker's favorite food. He had torn open the log in several places, turning it into an ant buffet.
PhotoFriday challenge: macro
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Canoeing in the Bay
There are not many moments when the lake is calm enough to safely take a canoe out. Last week there was a day that the water was almost like a mirror, so out we went. Perfect for this week's PhotoTime Tuesday theme: wet
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I lost.
May 20, 2004
No Camping
Someone (who likes beer) set up camp along the North Country National Scenic Trail. They must not have seen the sign at the trail head. I trust they'll be back for those cans. You can get ten cents a peice for cans in this state.
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Fire Tower
This used to be somewhere else, but they moved it to the lighthouse grounds some years ago.
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Spizella Passerina (Chipping Sparrow)
These little sparrows have been around a lot recently, eating the seed on the ground that has fallen from the hanging bird feeder. It's interesting how some types of birds will perch and eat from the feeders, while others prefer to eat from the ground. They are about 5" in size and are only in Michigan for the summer, spending winters in the south. This particular bird let me get pretty close to him while the others flew away. He just sat and looked at me.
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Cyanocitta Cristata (Blue Jay)
A gang of Blue Jays showed up this morning. This seven was only a fraction of them all. I wonder if it's the same group we saw at the lighthouse yesterday. Blue Jays are about 12" in size and though beautiful, are brutal killers of eggs and babies from other birds.
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Carpodacus Purpureus (Purple Finch)
These finches are about 6" in size and, unlike the House Finch, are a long term resident of Michigan. Though called "purple", these birds are really very red. The name "purpureus" comes from the Latin word for "crimson" or reddish color.
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Breakfast Anytime
Often when we head south to go downstate or south-east to the Soo to get groceries, we stop at this restaurant for breakfast. The speed and quality of the food varies widely, possibly a result of a recent change in ownership. But the prices are decent, the portions large, and the location is convenient, right on the junction of M123 and M28. There's a taxidermy bobcat on one wall. One of the older waitresses remembers Donovan from when he was a kid and that's always fun.
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First May Flower
This might be from a bulb I planted in the fall or it might have already been here. Bulbs are the epitome of spring, the dormant life below the earth, the cycles of death and rebirth. They make me think of the story of Persephone and Hades. Bulbs are a symbol of patience and are the opposite of instant gratification. They show me how I can plant something, hiding it away, and then forget about it, only to be reminded months later by their little green shoots breaking through the dirt. Bulbs make me feel happy and alive.
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May 12, 2004
Internet
This is how we are connected to the rest of the world. It broadcasts internet requests by radio signal to the satellite, which sends them to a Network Operations Center in Washington DC, which passes them on to the rest of the internet. To receive internet data, it makes the same trip back again. Although capable of fairly fast download speeds, the "lag" time between request and receive is very long.
Although I'm very thankful for this alternative to dial-up, I hope some day I'll be back on cable or DSL!
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May 9, 2004
View
Picture-window view from the first-floor bedroom.
The sneaky crow figured out the necessary flight maneuver to get inside the bird feeder.
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Cargo Cult
I've always loved getting packages in the mail. When I was a kid, I'd get as many free things and 8 cassettes for a penny that I could. Several years ago, my father told me about cargo cults in the South Pacific. I set up a little shrine with a toy UPS truck and we (humorously) prayed to the cargo gods.
Now, living so far from anything just wouldn't be possible for me if it wasn't for my computer and the internet. This divine box brought me black, green, and herbal tea, free-trade coffee, colloidal silver, nori, sushi rice, vitamins, cranberry concentrate, natural feminine napkins, cashew butter, and organic peanut butter. Other than finding ecological ways to deal with the packaging, shipping costs are the biggest problem with online shopping. You have to have enough stuff you want to buy to get it shipped for free.
PhotoTime Tuesday theme: Cargo
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May 2, 2004
Westward Invasion
On the way home from getting groceries in "the Soo" we took the scenic route and stopped at the Point Iroquois Light House. A sign on the property reads: "This point of land is the historic battleground where the westward invasion by the Iroquois Indians was halted by the victorious Chippewa." The lighthouse was built in 1870 and operated until 1963 when an automatic light was erected in the channel.
From home, this light house is about 20 miles, as a crow flies, south-east across the bay. If it was operating I may be able to see it's light from my window right now. I can see the light from it's replacement instead.
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Purple Sunset
Theme Thursday theme: Purple
There are no purple spring flowers around here yet but the rain brings promise and the sunsets have been amazing.
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Arianna Helen