23 October 2022 Allegany State Park

We had a day to spend on the trails at the park with the dogs.  The colors were perfect and the weather was comfortable. 

Phineas went full bay early  on the trail.

Lizzie just wanted to be on the trail.

16 October 2022 Concord Woods

It was another perfect day for a fall walk and geocaching.  Concord Woods is not a frequent visit for us, but the weather was wonderful and new england asters were still in bloom.

15 October 2022 The Leaves Were On Fire

We stopped at a nearby county park for a long walk on the trails.  The tree colors were outstanding under the cloudless sky.

 

8 October 2022 Irvin Flats

 

We visited a favorite walk with the dogs today.  Flow in the stream was a quiet, fall trickle.

Surprisingly the water was without any ducks as our walk continued beside the Allegheny River.

The trees were still offering some leaf color.

A few remaining great blue lobelia were still showing blossoms as we made our way back on the old railroad grade.

29 September 2022 Visiting Mentor Lagoons

Mentor Lagoons is a favorite place for me for birding.  The lagoons offer opportunities for shorebird viewing for eight months of the year while the trails lead to the south shore of Lake Erie and opportunities for spotting ducks.  This late afternoon the lagoons were birdless.

Spotted this phoebe as I headed onto the trails leading to the Lake Erie shore.  It seemed to be young and possibly from a late summer hatch.

It was still daylight when I neared the shore, but the tree cover made it appeat sunset was approching quickly.

No ducks, but there were a couple sailboats enjoying the nearly glass-like water.

24 September 2022 Another Visit to The Wilderness Center

 We were happy to make a fall visit to The Wilderness Center with Phineas and Liz.  They were ready for a log walk on the trail.

We expected to see fall wildflowers.  A few left over blue lobelia blossoms in late September.

There were bees still working and collecting as fall moved forward.

We have seen woodland jumping mice in Pennsylvania.  I believe this was the first I have seen in a meadow.

Lizzie was looking happy after her day on the trail.

21 September 2022 Fall Walk

A monarch was in the field working the last of the fall wildflowers as we started a walk on the trails.

17 September 2022 Day with Friends at Parker Dam State Park

We have been setting aside a Saturday to visit with friends at Parker Dam for a number of years.  We are all joined together with a love of geocaching and a love of the outdoors.  Today the weather was our friend.  The event organizer started off the ammo can toss event.

Ali and I take a break from the event each year to look for wildflowers and birds.  There were no herons today as we took a peaceful walk.

Asters were looking good.

Bees work no matter what.  They always appear to be tireless.

After we left the park we made our way to a wetlands area to look for a geocache.

I wasn't surprised to see a rattlesnake.  I was surprised to see one this big!  Thankfully, it was calm while I was taking images.

Juvenile cedar waxwings were in numbers.

The younger turkeys passing through were a bit of a surprise.

These gatherings are always too short.  It also seems every year another one or two of us is gone.

16 September 2022 Albion Fair

Albion Fair offers a bit of everything for an afternoon...

A bit of silliness

Some serious riding

Even a blind horse gets a moment in the competitive sun.

There are old tractors.

And an old fashioned pick-up with a few shiny bits added.

There is also an 1890's carousel which is the third oldest in the world.  It's there for the riding giving us all a chance to step backwards and smile for a moment.