Thamnophis radix

I caught this little plains garter snake to show as part of a local reptile/amphibian presentation I'll be holding in a few weeks.  This species has always been one of my favorite snakes.  In spite of their relative abundance, they are some of the most interesting and beautiful of all the snakes I've seen in my years (though I'm sure I could say that about any species!)  They were some of the first snakes I ever caught as a kid in Chicago. 

Sugar Grove Sunset

Ralph Frese

I was fortunate enough to be treated to a self-guided tour of Ralph's blacksmith shop.  A fourth generation blacksmith and canoe builder, Ralph Frese, at age 86, still runs his canoe and kayak shop in the same building his father worked in.  Ralph has a wealth of stories, and if you've got the time and the interest, you may just be lucky enough to hear some.  Here are some perspectives of the legendary canoe builder's blacksmith shop.

Ralph's hammer and anvil.

Where the magic happens.

Canoe humor.

Lakeview Dusk

Honey Bees

 

Maple Lake

I didn't know when I was here that this was the location for the filming of "The Lake House" in 2006.

My shadow and bullfrog

Small dragonfly

The world is yours, my friend

Spiderweb

Don't cry for me, Weeping Willow

Argiope aurantia, waiting...

Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon)

Two Dogs

It feels like it's been forever since I've updated this site.  Mainly it's because my computer got sick and had to be taken to the computer hospital.  During the last two weeks I did a lot more reading, which was refreshing.  I always tell people that I could easily live without the Internet - though to be without the Internet I'd have to be deprived of all technology, save for my cell phone.  Put me up in UP Michigan, where the woods seem to never end, where cold clean water runs down rocky creeks lined with mosses, where one can be so alone in the wilderness that it's nearly a spiritual existence.  You can't hear any planes, and the road which runs past the house might host one vehicle every hour.  At night, the pitch black sky erupts in bands and clusters of stars and planets, and if you're lucky, the Northern Lights.  A place like this makes things like computers, ipods, tablets, and all that kind of stuff just obsolete.  However, I don't live there, but instead in my own little corner of Chicago, tucked away in just another early 20th century subdivision.  Down the street is the expressway, where the windy sounds of passing CTA trains make their way across streets lined with bungalows, maple trees, and (mostly) well-manicured lawns.  Directly above is a flight path for landing and outgoing airplanes, their ruckus by this point just ambient noise to this life-long city dweller.  Yes, in this environment, having Internet access is a good thing.  I like to share images of some of my outings, or in this case innings...because I feel that some of the images I post might relate to someone else who sees it.  Maybe not.  In the end, it's mostly for me, and if anyone else finds interest in what I do, all the better.

I'll begin with a shot of Dinkus Maximus of Flatulence (on the right) and Saki Moto Wasabi (on the left). From a dog-sitting stint while Aimee was in San Fransisco with her sister and mom.