11 March 2023 Birds

 The birds are ready for spring.

5 March 2023 Walking in Richfield

We enjoyed a spring preview with a walk at an old scout camp.  The camp is now a city park with fun trails for visitors.

4 March 2023 Visiting Mentor Lagoons

With spring very near, it was time to make a visit to Mentor Lagoons.  Our woods walk included a song sparrow.

We walked a woods trail to look for ducks on Lake Erie.  The shoreline continues to erode quickly.  The water today was duckless.

Back at the Marsh area, red-wing blackbirds had started their returns.

3 March 2023 Another Walk In the Woods of Alabama

My colleague had an early return flight so I gave him a ride to the airport.  I had scheduled a later flight in case more time was needed with the customer I was visiting.  I took the free time to visit the same park from a few days prior hoping sessile trilliums were now in bloom.  An early morning downpour had been replaced by bright blue skies by the time I reached the trailhead.

The rain had swelled the stream in the park.

I was happy to see the sessile trilliums had opened up since my arrival.

The water was cloudy from the turbulence but the change in flow was immense.  Two days earlier, I crossed this nearly dry stream in the area near the lower right edge of the image.

Rue Anemone had opened within the two days since my prior visit.

It has been ages since I have seen a 747 sitting on the tarmac.  This one was sitting far away from the terminal.  The inner nacelle on the left is missing the engine.  A little over 400 of these jets still fly with only about five percent still in passenger service.

2 March 2023 The Rolling Stones in Muscle Shoals

 My day was spent mostly in meetings with a very unhappy customer and follow-ups with colleagues.  After dining at a very pleasant restaurant in downtown Florence, a colleague pointed this historical marker while we were walking back to our hotel.  The Holiday Inn mentioned in the marker has given way to a large Hampton Inn, but the history is still great.

In December 1969, the Rolling Stones recorded these hits which were released on Sticky Fingers in a room at the old Holiday Inn.

 

Scenes of recording the songs in the Holiday Inn room were reportedly included in the movie documentary Gimme Shelter from the infamous Altamont Concert where a concert attendee was murdered by a Hells Angels member acting as a bodyguard for the Stones.

1 March 2023 Visiting Huntsville

I had a really early flight to Alabama.

I was in Huntsville for a couple days of business.  I arrived early and was waiting for a colleague's flight from Monterrey.  While waiting and headed off to see a bit of the area and find a few geocaches.  My first stop was at Historic Huntsville Depot and a local rail museum.  The 1860  building was constructed pre-Civil war.  

0-4-0 Switcher in the yard area  The color scheme appears to make this once part of the Southern Railroad.

The area includes a nice example of a turntable and what appears to be a newer or heavily updated roundhouse.

The museum was closed so my visit was limited to the grounds.  I made my way to nearby natural area for more geocaching and hopefully very early wildflowers.  I had not seen false garlic before this stop.  The flowers caught my eye.  Looking on line gave resources that say this a far-reaching, invasive plant that is difficult to eradicate.

I had better luck spotting the very-familiar, native spring beauty in bloom.

Cut-leaved toothwort is also a native spring wildflower.

A true surprise on the walk was a spotting a number of sessile trilliums unopened, but very near blooming.

Cemeteries hold a different level of respect in the south.  My colleagues flight was delayed so I stopped by a cemetery to read some of the history.

Lena Mitchell was born in Maine in 1906 and eventually settled into Huntsville where she passed in 1959.  She was noted as a gypsy queen and palmist.  Her grave site is still visited with trinkets left.  I was truly surprised to see that t-shirts are still sold celebrating her.

  The cemetery was also unusual with the trunks of felled trees carved and left standing.

24 February 2023 South Fork and Arabian Mountain

Our last vacation day started off with blue sky and sunshine.  I enjoyed the opportunity to bounce on a significant suspension bridge.

 

The mountain is an outcrop of granite.  It's mostly an easy hike.

More very early trout lilies greeted us on our journey.

Yellow-bellied sliders were a treat to see.

Diamorpha smali was just starting to fill the pools during our walk.

Rain increased as we continued our journey.

As our day wrapped up it was time to go home.

23 February 2023 Panola Mountain State Park

It was a grey day to visit the granite mountains of Panola State Park, but the weather held off for most of the day and a great time was had exploring new trails.

We heard the sandhill cranes before we saw them take flight.  There were about twice as many as shown in the image.  It was an unexpected delight.

We're not used to seeing trout lilies in the woods this early.  Our Georgia visit gave us an early chance to enjoy these pleasant blossoms of early spring.

Spotting a tiger swallowtail in February was an unexpected treat.

It's waiting for me...

Why hello

This remains the smallest turtle I have ever seen.

Soft shell gathering on a log.

This quiet tree with a picnic table looked like a perfect place for a quiet picnic or a rest on the trail.