Autumn Potpourii

I love the spicy, aromatic smell of fall. It always happens when the ground is mushy with leaves and the last saturated leaf is dangling from the tree tops. So Autumn Potpourri is such a perfect title today. We took our first fall walk at Lebanon Hills this year. It's our default wilderness for early spring or fall walking tours. I always say to my husband, "Let me guess, you want to go to Lebanon Hills." Well, it is nice. But no swans today.

We always have to check out the leaves at Robert's Bird Sanctuary behind Lake Harriet. Vibrant yellow majesty awaited.

These turkeys were strutting their stuff at Lakewood Cemetery. Another fall favorite. 

We spotted these deer at Robert's Bird Sanctuary. They were watching another couple walk by as we were watching them. There was a lot of watching going on.

Fall reflections at Wood Lake.

Centennial Lakes in Edina was ablaze with color too.

Fall color poked through the brush at Lake Harriet as well.

A lone fall leaf floated by.

A blaze of Red at Lakewood Cemetery. If only the dead could see their beautiful surroundings. Or maybe they do...

Do you know who can't act, can't sing but can dance a little? Head over to The Chorus of the Crows to find out. Plus I scare up a profile of the master of horror for Halloween...

Saturday's Critters

Bird d'Pot

Wild Bird Wednesday

My World Wednesday

Image-in-ing

Smoky Summer Skies

I love this smoky sunset photo taken on the Foundation trail in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. One of our favorite summer walks. It snakes through clear sandy creeks and towering pines. Then it veers through a quaint small town and finally meanders by the rolling Black River. But this year, the best part of this path was the drama in the skies.

Did you capture the fiery veil of our smoky summer skies?  A couple weeks ago I missed a great local shot of the surreal sunset here in Minneapolis. But over July 4th in B.R.F. I had my camera ready.  This one captures the sun radiating through the pine needles. 

Downtown B.R.F. all decked out with petunias and flags for the 4th. I love small town fireworks. No traffic!

A town flower sculpture that is right up my alley.

I had to laugh at this row of gnomes. Since I love to travel, I guess you could say these guys are up my alley too.

We spotted this fawn (literally) at the side of the road. 

These sand hill cranes were running to catch a big snake. 

A pointy weed caught my eye.

But it was the pre-firework show that had me awe inspired. 

By the time it hit the tree line it looked completely surreal. 

Photoshop? Nope. The real thing. Or the surreal thing!

Saturday's Critters

Bird d'Pot

Wild Bird Wednesday

My World Wednesday

The Good Old Days

Excerpt from The Yearling. By Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Old is the theme for www.illustration.friday.com

P.S. It looks like there aren't enough biscuits!

Trail Cam Critters

I sorted through around 2,000 trail cam photos just for you.  My blog followers.  Actually, it was kind of fun.  When you quickly flow through all those photos it becomes like a movie.  The deer's ears twitch, their eating and frolicking comes to life and then they suddenly disappear from the frame.  Just like magic.  Well, I picked out an assortment of night critters, day trippers and anything unusual.  Like this deer kiss.  How sweet.

For those of you uninitiated with our trail cam, it is a camera that snaps a photo when it detects motion out in our woods.  So far no yetis.  

A great coyote capture.

Turkeys galore.

A flashy close-up.

click to enlarge

A fisher cat!  This is an amazing capture.

Take a gander at another turkey.

A monster deer.  But not in size.  If you look close his head looks right out of an alien movie.

click to enlarge

Inspecting the junk.

Fight club

Flight club plus ref.

One horn at night

One horn during the day.  He looks pretty beat up.

A raccoon in headlights.

Buck beauty shot.

I wonder if she's saying, "No more photos for God's sake" 

A blurry Bobcat.  It is not a good shot.  But it is still pretty cool to capture one roaming around.

The snow looks like shafts of light cutting through the night.

A post snow frolic.

A snowy dinner party.

I hope you enjoyed our nature photos.  It is fun to catch animals unaware.  And you never know watch you'll catch.  Big foot?  He's on our bucket list.

For more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday

  

All in a day's work

I titled this post All in a Day's Work because we saw all these beauties on one hike at Rookery Bay Swamp in Florida.  It was a good day to not be at work.

I call these wood storks Grandpas.  He has been included in WBW before.  But he was part of the sights and sounds on this day.

Gators!

A hawk peeking out of a nest.  Look close.

This vulture is the real pick for Wild Bird Wednesday this week. They creep me out!