Happiness...
My camera was back after repair from the warranty service. Overall, their service was all I could want. I took time after leaving my office to stop at Sunny Lake and take a few photos.
The asters were in bloom
and the bees were busy.
Our mission today was to make a short hike to retrieve one of our geocaches from Cleveland Metroparks. Caches in the park must be on an official trail. When we placed this hide, it was an official trail. Now it no longer accessible.
There seem to be more areas of CMP being marked as closed while more paved trails are opened for use. It seems as though the shifting ages of park users are more likely to use the paved areas. The trail where our cache was hidden used to pass through a wetlands and continue on the other side. The other half of the trail was closed years ago. The area also includes a small esker off the old trail. It was time to say goodbye to this interesting area.
Lizzie's a gentle soul who hates having her picture taken. She was spending a quiet, happy moment with Ali when I was able to capture this image.
Brecksville Reservation was our walk for the afternoon. There were a number of unfound caches and the last of the season's wildflowers in the field.
I thought there might be more leaf color, but the woods were still green.
Oh No! My new(ish) camera stopped working. I was skeptical when Ali gave an extended warranty with my gift. So far the experience has been mostly positive. The warranty people have been helpful. Their on-line instructions aren't the greatest, but the process has worked. I'll be shooting with the older Nikon for a while until the Canon returns. 😞
We were happy to make a visit to Parker Dam to visit with friends we have made through Geocaching. It was a wonderful fall day and a perfect time to visit. We both participated in the ammo can toss. Neither of us won, but I believe Ali's toss went farther.
We had an interesting treat as the host Redbat brought an assortment of the e-bikes to the event. They were available for rides. We both enjoyed our first attempt with an e-bike and continue to talk about them.
After the event we walked a familiar trail to look for late season wildflowers.
After leaving Parker Dam we moved around to visit another area of the park and complete a historical Adventure Lab visiting old structures and places.
The original park headquarters and communal dining hall. It was a different time.
The communal showers
After we left the park, we stopped by a wetlands area for another find. We spotted blue vervain and were treated to a sighting of a kestrel.
We made an early visit to Mentor Lagoons in hope of good birding morning. Surprisingly, the birding was quiet. We spotted a great blue heron from a different angle.
Our other sighting was in the nature preserve area. A lucky spotting of a bald eagle made the morning.
For me, sunset is the most peaceful time. Tonight, we made a visit to the lake, sat on a swing, and enjoyed time together. There was no green flash this evening, but there was quiet time to sit and enjoy.
We were in Boot Jack for a hike in a gamelands. Phin seemed really happy.
He had good reason for the puppy smile as our day included blue skies and sunshine.
Besides geocaching, we were on the lookout for nature sightings including a garter snake and a toad.
It was a good day to be out.
There are not many rail trails in PA State Game Lands. Today we were stopping to hike one in Elk County with a trail of geocaches. My knee was killing me, but it was time to prove I can still hike. The pain was made easier by a really attractive trail through the woods. For most of the time I stayed on the trail while Ali chased the cache. There was one cache hidden in a steep area that she didn't spot. She had spotted a northern slimy salamander so I made my way up the incline to see the salamander and stayed to look for the find.
Eventually, I spotted the cache too. The small waterfall below was an attractive spot to stop for a view.
Rain eventually chased us off the trail, but it was another day of what would hopefully be a comeback for me.
We were happy to be back at the Great Geauga County Fair. It was much quieter this year. We didn't spend much time near people. It was different, yet familiar, and comforting.
For a while I have been trying to establish a wildflower areas that can attract and feed butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. I have stumbled at times, but finally seem to be making true progress. The garden areas now offer...
I was walking solo this evening at North Chagrin. Many of the summer wildflowers are past their peak, but the butterflies were still on the trail. I was also treated the familiar call of a phoebe.
