Walk The Walk!

Just a quickie about a little fun I had the other day while taking my Mother-In-Law to a Dr. appointment in Madison. She received passing grades from the Doc so we decided to celebrate by going out to lunch. We called Jeanna and asked if she and Saffy wanted to join us. She did, we ate and as we started to leave the restaurant, I was struck by one of those "great" ideas that I have so often. Jo's mom uses a walker to help her get around nowadays and, Saffy is just learning to walk. Maybe that walker could be of use to both of them. We already know it works for Vi (Jo's mom) but will it aid in Saffy's attempt to solo. After Vi got comfy in the back seat I acquainted little Saffy with the walker by placing her in the little basket compartment. That was it, she was so content to just sit and be driven around that walking didn't seem necessary. The pictures below illustrate how easily she took to "walker".

Grandma Jo provides the power while
Mommy, Jeanna, nods approval.

"Is this as fast as this thing goes?"

"Wanna race?"
"I bet my Greatgrandma can beat your Greatgrandma!"

Tales of the Northwoods (part two)

During our recent trip "Up North" (UN), I became aware of, what I call, "Summer Color". We normally travel UN in the fall when color is king, or as Mother Nature would prefer, Queen. This year we made our Northern journey in June instead of September and discovered a whole new season of color. Sure, as you drive through towns and past country homes, you experience endless waves of color in neatly arranged flower beds, hanging baskets, big pots, little pots, window boxes, tree stumps, tipped over wheelbarrows and even old bed frames. But, drive the back roads, country lanes and even the freeways and you'll find that Mom Nature didn't confine her exterior decorating to Autumn. The White of Winter gives way to the Green of Spring and while the Reds, Oranges and Golds of Fall wait in the wings, the countryside explodes with its own glorious costume.
We left our nephew's graduation party in Neenah, and headed UN. It was a usual drive, watching for wildlife, barns and other photogenic sights. We passed through Mercer a hit the county road leading to our "home for the week". We had barely entered the winding little road when we were greeted by a sea of pinks and purples, Wild Lupines. From that point on we were treated to a week of roadside wildflower color. I guess the Lupines kinda made me more aware that the colors of Summer aren't restricted to UN but, also surround us right here in Southwest Wisconsin and I'm sure throughout the rest of the country. Rather than going on with thousands of words, I'll try to sum up the story with several photos. I might add that if you give in to the urge to grab a spoon and dig up some of these beauties to add to your home garden, remember, Wild Flowers are in truth Wild Weeds and your lovely flower bed will soon become a tangled bed of choking weeds. And, those weeds are a lot stronger than your dainty petunias and impatiens. (See photos below as evidence of this)

The Wild Lupines that greeted us on County Highway FF.

A scene from "Lupines Gone Wild".
A yard in Bessemer Michigan.

Orange Hawk Weed

Orange Hawk Weed yard. Park falls Wisconsin.

Wild Day Lilies on the roadside in Southwest Wisconsin.

A Black Eyed Susan "Garden".

People call these by different names.
Beautiful as you drive by.
In your garden they're Blue Weeds!

Thimbleberry Blossom.
The beginnings of a tasty fruit found mainly
on the sandy shorelines of the Great Lakes.

Orange Butterfly Weed

A poor attempt at shooting a lovely field of
Wild Daisies on the outskirts of Butternut, Wisconsin.

PS - The abundance and variety of Wild Flowers along the roadside is endless. I could have used up all the megapixels I have available trying to capture images of them all. Take a ride and find them for yourself. "Try it you'll like it".

Tales of the Northwoods (part one)

Yeah, I've been back for days and haven't blogged in. I've really been having trouble sorting out my thoughts of the trip. I guess I just need to jump in with the first thing that comes to mind. As usual, it's the goofy stuff that leaps out. I was fortunate enough to be a first-hand witness to an example of old fashioned "Up North" child abuse. While enjoying a pleasant afternoon motor boating with Mark, Kate and Chase, (our landlords/friends/hosts/cottage barons) we pulled into a quiet little cove to try our hand at some fishing. The girls (Kate and Jo) spent most of the time catching up on office gossip and the guys did some serious nightcrawler drowning. Chase hooked the first fish, a rather nice Walleye. I guess that this irked his dad who, almost immediately yanked a good sized Yellow Perch out of the water in such a manner that it released its grip on the hook and proceeded to slap Chase smack in the head. You might say that he was "Phish Phaced" or "Caught a Perch in the Puss". This, so called, disciplinary action seemed to work because Chase caught no more fish after that. The whole thing happened so fast that I had no time to record the incident. But, I can quote Chase's verbal reaction, "I can't believe that you just hit me in the face with a perch!". Jo and I each caught, and released, small Northern Pikes and Mark capped off the day by landing a very nice sized Smallmouth Bass. Then he took his boat and went home. Kate went "fishless" for the day but didn't seem to mind. She probably didn't want to risk being "Bass Bashed". That pretty well wraps up our first day on the flowage.
More adventures and wildlife spotting tall tales to come . . .

Chase with the first catch of the day.

Mark with the final catch of the day.

Dad, Mark, explains the theory of
nuclear fission to son, Chase.

Jo and Kate discuss world peace and
the international economic situation.

Master fisherperson, Ron, with prize catch of the day.

A rare multi-branched Logfish.

Chase emerges from boat after being
"inadvertently"
tonneaued in dry dock.

Headin' Up Nort

Oh Yeah, Hey Der, We're headin' up ta da Nort Woods tomorrow after a stop ta congratulate nephew Kevin on his high school graduation over der in Neenah. Goin' up ta da Mercer area ta fish, hike, picture take and generally veg out. Hope ta come back with some good, if not great, photos and some tall tales and even taller fish stories (some might be true even, don't cha know). Just ta get in the mood for the drive, I ran up ta da Twin Cities and back earlier this week. Main reason was ta return Sammy da dog ta his rightful owners, Sally and Uncas. On da way home I passed a scene that I had photographed last fall. This time I had fresh batteries in my camera so it wasn't as frustrating as last year. The story and the "Fall" photo can be found in my 10/27/08 blog "Oh Yah! Bin Up Der!". Here's the "Summer" version.

Some photog friends of mine have put me on to a technique called "Mini Photography" (or something like that) where you manipulate photos to look like miniature models. I've been playing around with it to varying success. Here's a couple of examples.

Same photo as above with a different twist.

Possibly my best effort to date.

See you in about a week with some new pics a real tall tales of the Northern Wilderness.

DOG DAYS - (and nights)

Ah yes it's the dog days of Summer (and Derek and Jeanna). This weekend Jo and I are blessed with a visit from all the grandpuppies. On Thursday I rendezvoused with Jeanna on a secluded road on the outskirts of Mount Horeb to pick up the kids, Tina and Snoopy. Seems as how Saffron was taking Mom and Dad to Chicago to catch a couple of Cubs games and the pups needed a friendly place to stay for a few days. The transfer was made, Saffy woke up long enough to give Grandpa a sly little smile and went back to that baby dreamland where Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Toothfairy and babysitting Grandpas dwell. Friday I saddled up the Honda and headed North to meet Sally to make a similar pickup at a Dairy Queen in Wabasha, Minnesota, home of the National Eagle Center and location for the film "Grumpy Old Men". (Seemed like a logiacal place for someone who likes eagles and is an old, not too grumpy, man) This weekend Sally was taking Uncas to Duluth for his sister's wedding and puppy, Sammy, needed a friendly place to wag his tail for a few days. The switch from one Honda to another was so smooth that Sammy was hardly aware of the change until we drove off and left his beloved mommy standing outside the Dairy Queen spooning up a Blizzard. After the required time of whining and looking out of the window Sammy settled in for some rest to prepare himself for some good-natured jousting with cousin Snoopy. The trip back to Fennimore, although the weather and scenery were beautiful and wildlife spotting was plentiful, was marred by my good friends, the Cubs. I had lost the WGN (Chicago) broadcast of the game but was unfortunate enough to tune in to the Minnesota broadcast. Well they certainly didn't candy-coat the Cubs play (or lack of, or lack luster, or just plain crappy). Once again the Cubs managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Back home Tina and Snoopy anxiously awaited my return with cousin Sammy. Upon our arrival all @#$% broke loose Sammy jumped on Snoopy and the two didn't stop a bumping, jumping open-jawed rough house that made WWF Wrestlers and Ultimate Fighters look like the University of Chicago Chess Team. In the mean time, Tina managed to use her best hiding tactics and stayed clear of the younger combatants. Somewhere around 10pm a time out was called (actually I think it was more of a rejuvenation period) and all three "pups" and Grandpa took a breather. Bedtime approached and sleeping arrangements were made . . . everyone in one bed. Tina found a safe haven curled up between Grandpa's legs while Tina, Sammy and Grandma jockeyed for comfy positions in the remaining ninety seven percent of the bed. Things finally quieted down, that is until, about 2:30am, when Sammy felt that it might be funny to stir things up a little by jumping on Snoopy and barking a little. Grandma, in her Grandmaish, wisdom thought that they might need to go out and out they went. That did the trick. The fresh air perked everyone up a little while before the gentle snores of Tina and Grandma once again filled the room . . . for at least two more hours. Well it's Saturday and everyone had a early morning nap, a hardy breakfast and, in some cases, a long walk. (Grandpa and Tina opted for a short walk and some quiet time alone) Things have pretty much quieted down for a while as we prepare for the next round of "Death Duel 2". Saffy and her folks are still in Chicago and are hoping to cheer them Cubs on to a victory today. (There is a possibility that if they lose again, Saffron may be banned from attending future games. Her record is 0 and 2) Watch for her out in the Bleachers today wearing her little pink cubs outfit. Tomorrow Saffy and family return to Wisconsin and Jo and I are bringing Tina and Snoopy home then Monday I'm off to the Twin Cities to return what's left of Sammy. If there's any outstanding stuff on the trip you'll hear about here. (It will be kind of a "Hear, Here")

Sammy stands watch while Grandpa,
Snoopy and Tina recharge their batteries.

I Knew It Was True!

As some of you may,or may not know, I'm a huge fan of the TV show Lost. I have been listening to the news lately concerning the "disappearance" of Air France Flight 447. Could the lost plane fallen into a similar situation as Oceanic Flight 815? Are there a remnant of survivors wandering about on a mysterious island in the South Atlantic? Are there "Others" on the island? I saw a photo of the two Americans that were passengers on the ill-fated flight and they are easily good looking enough to be lead characters in an island drama. With the original TV series ending after next season, could another major network be working on a new show to replace it? As the reports continue to roll in things get more and more intriguing. Much like the show, the story has taken on a real international flavor. Air France tied to KLM (Dutch) is involved in a possible deal with Alitalia (Italian) and Airbus recently opened an assembly plant in China, a flash of light was (allegedly) sighted by a Spanish pilot, the American couple lived in Rio and, to top things off, David Caradine was found hanged in Thailand, Osama bin Laden (location unknown)released a statement almost simultaneous to Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt and a topless coffee shop in Vassalboro, Maine burned to the ground. (pun intended) If this doesn't stink of all the ingredients of a blockbuster TV series I don't know what does. I agree that it may not achieve the excellence of "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here!" but, it might get close.The plot seems to write itself. I can see it now. A Brazilian/American couple have washed up on the beach of an uncharted island (they had to wash up because they floated onto the beach in a 12 mile oil slick caused by the crash). In the tradition of good old Yankee Enterpreneurism, the couple soon realize that they have landed in one of the few places on earth without a Starbucks coffee shop. Franchise arrangements were made and they opened shop in a deserted, haunted inn that was previously owned by eight or ten of the Caradine brothers who had leased it from eight or ten Baldwin brothers. Their clothes were ruined by the oil slick, so they had no choice but to operate topless. This made little difference because their main (only) customer was a marooned Spanish pilot who had recently been blinded by an intense light flash in the sky. Other episodes could involve a peg-leg pirate with a kid seeking treasure, an Englishman with a native pal seeking a white whale, a FedEx guy with a volleyball seeking a topless coffee shop and one titled "Hey watch where you point that cappuccino thing". I don't know about you but I'm really looking forward to the season finale of this series!

Check your local newspaper for time and channel!

The Weekend That Was!

Most folks spend the Memorial Day weekend relaxing, traveling, cooking out, visiting, parading and even memorializing. Not the Blume folks. No, we try to do all of the above and even a few more things. In order to fit everything in we started our weekend on Thursday with a really BIG celebration. Actually a BIG celebration in a small way. We added another Blume to the family. Thursday evening we all, Derek, Jeanna, Jeanna's Mom and Dad, Jo and I, and of course Saffron, gathered at Christ Lutheran Church in Deforest, WI where Derek and Jeanna were married. After a lovely ceremony the group invaded Ginza, a Japanese steak house for dinner and everyone had a great time until the chef scared the crap out of Saffy with his extreme "Onion Volcano". On Friday Saffy and the puppies, who had spent the night at our house, were redeposited with D & J as Jo and I were off to Minnesota to spend the rest of the weekend with Sally, Uncas and Sammy. After a relatively routine drive, we arrived in Minneapolis where we were treated to some homemade brownies, and did what all red blooded Americans do . . . played Wii into the wee hours (A real holiday Wii wee). Saturday was a day spent at the Minnesota Zoo matching people with the animals they resembled (you should have seen the ones that matched these two guys), overeating at an Italian restaurant and more Wii (JoAnne has been enshrined into the "Guitar Hero" Hall of Fame). Sunday Uncas and I hooked the Nimz "yatcht" to the rear of the old VW and headed off in search of Moby Dick while the women did woman things like planting Hostas (imported from Fennimore) and shopping. Both groups were quite successful, the boys pulled in thousands of Pan Fish and the girls pulled in thousands of bargains. The boys returned the fish to the lake but the girls brought their catch home. The day ended with a late night "Guitar Hero" concert of some newly purchased tunes. Monday we were back on the road heading home. An uneventful four hour drive and we were back in Fennimore and our palactial Hosta covered estate. All in all a really good holiday. When we arrived home we were reminded of what the holiday was all about. A wake was being held a the funeral home across the street. What an appropriate finish to "Memorial" weekend.

A few of the thousands of Blue Gills and the two Crappies
that fell prey to the mighty hunters!