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Archive for July, 2022

This Week’s Adventures

Posted in Fishing, Hikes, Wildflowers on July 31, 2022| 2 Comments »

Wild Bergamot

This past week held some adventures in hiking and fishing for me. One morning Laurie came with me. We would see nine deer including four bucks, two turkeys and a Bald Eagle. We entered a field’s edge and noticed two fawns bedded down.

One morning I fished the Allegheny River catching several Walleyes and several catfish. I saw an Osprey searching for fish to catch.

One of the walleye catches.

This catfish was close to twenty inches. Nice fight!

Another morning I walked alongside to the Allegheny River and a local rail to trails. I walked about five miles. I watched a Mink along a rocky edge. That is an uncommon sight to see in the wild. I, also, saw a Great Blue heron and a family of Common Mergansers.

Yellow Goat’s Beard in seed. Seed pod is approximately three inches across.

Thursday morning, I had time for a brief walk prior to stopping at my mother’s home. Very early I heard and later spooked a gobbler from a tree. On my way home I would see three longbeards.

With temperatures I the fifties I headed to a state game lands for a nice walk. I saw a number of deer. One doe offered some photos with the sun at a good angle. I would see other deer, as well. I saw several hen turkeys and a few poults. I walked upon a flock of gobblers. Although they were very close, I could not find an opening for a camera shot.

Indian Pipe

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Summer Wildflowers of the Waterway Areas

Posted in Wildflowers on July 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Turk’s Cap Lily

The Turk’s Cap Lily is one beautiful lily native to Pennsylvania. Those of us traveling along waterways quickly realize the height of various annual vegetation and wildflowers. Many areas over six feet high. This lily may reach and tower over the six feet species. I have seen some around eight feet high. I have this specie growing in my bottomland behind the house. They like bottomland areas that hold moisture.

Christ said in Matthew 6: 29 about the lily the following. “Yet I say to you that NOT even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.”

Pickerelweed

The Pickerelweed flower is a wetland species. I know of a few sites locally. The roots are deep in muddy areas and often times this flower is growing in water areas.

Cardinal Flower

I wonder how this native flower received the name, Cardinal Flower. I bet because of the brilliant red color!

Lizard’s Tail

This unique flower is white in color and hangs over and reminded someone of the past of a lizard’s tail, hence the name.

Square-stemmed Monkey Flower

This Sqaure-stemmed Monkey Flower grows up to around three feet tall. One will find this species growing along shorelines and wet areas.

Evening Primrose

The Evening Primrose is usually found just about anywhere including along the river.

Purple Loosestrife

The Purple Loosestrife, although a beautiful wildflower, is not native to Pennsylvania. It is considered a noxious weed with the possibility of overtaking native species.

Yellow Jewelweed

This Jewelweed, along with the Spotted Jewelweed, is usually found in moist areas can show up most anywhere. It may be referred to as Johnny Jump ups for the seeds pop open and fly in different directions as if they jump. This happens when ripe or touched.

Bumblebee on a Swamp Milkweed

Garden Loosestrife

This is a non-native species, also. It prefers swampy thickets.

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Bald Eagle

Posted in Wildlife on July 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

I had an errand to run this morning, so I incorporated some waterways walking very early. There was a light fog over the Allegheny River as I began exploring the banks for anything of interest. My plan was to take photos of wildflowers. I will save those photos for a separate entry.

I had, later, moved to another hike along Buffalo Creek. I had an errand at the feed store. As the humidity was climbing with the temperatures, I began my walk along the road back to the jeep when I could hear a vehicle slowing down behind me. The woman stopped. She asked me if I got any photos of it? I was puzzled at first. She thought I was a fellow named Mark. I told her my name and she informed me a friend had spotted a Bald Eagle. (The it.) She thought I was a fellow named, Mark. Her friend had mentioned of another fellow named Mark with a camera. She told me of a Bald eagle sighting just ahead and said jump in.

In a couple of moments, we were at the area where the Bald Eagle had been seen. I quickly spotted the big bird and expressed to her of seeing the eagle. The photos here are a few pics I managed to get before the bird flew off. Thank you, Connie, for stopping and letting me know of this magnificent bird.

Notice the talons below the limb.

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Big ‘Uns Do Get Away!

Posted in Uncategorized on July 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Great Blue Heron with Shad

I watched the Great Blue Heron for quite some time below the dam. The bird captured and devoured two fish during that time. Notice from the above photo the size of this fish. The other one was just as big and the bird simply “gulped” them down.

the Allegheny River was in nice shape this morning as I trekked through the underbrush heading to a place, I enjoy fishing. The first cast produced a hard bite, and the hook was set. Unfortunately, the sizable fish broke the eight-pound test leader, even though, I was not forcing the fight. the second cast produced my first catfish, a whopping eighteen-inch powerhouse of a fighter. I would catch more cats during the morning.

This guy insists on following me around trying to scare away the fish. Actually, this is my friend, Frank “Muskie” Maus fishing for muskies.

Prior to eleven o’clock I would catch a Freshwater Drum or a Sheepshead. Between the first catfish and Drum I would lose another big fish due to line breakage. Another catfish in the twenty-inch range came to the surface just prior to throwing the hook. I missed a few strong bites, too.

One of the Cats.

Freshwater Drum

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Early Summer Wildflowers

Posted in Wildflowers, Wildlife on July 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Not a wildflower.

The Teasel is beginning to bloom.

The humidity was up, but the moisture content in the air is supposed to drop later today. I dressed for the early weather-related timeframe. I had my tick-resistant clothing, rubber boots for the dew-laden grass and a light flannel short to help thwart any insect issues.

Chicory

I always find wildflower stages interesting. I believe every two-weeks one will observe the next stage of wildflower blooms. They come and go rather fast. There were a lot of blue-colored species showing off their vibrant color during this morning’s adventure.

I would see three doe this morning, but only managed photos of one in the creek. I saw seven turkeys, including only one poult, at three different areas. The lack of poult visuals is concerning.

Blue Vervain
Teasel

Downy Skullcap

Crane Fly

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Quiet Time Gospel

Posted in Music, Spiritual on July 6, 2022| 2 Comments »

Quiet Time Gospel

The CD cover shown above featured within this blog site entry is called, “Quiet Time Gospel.” This selection of sixteen gospel/ traditional hymn songs came about through an interesting discussion.

Currently, Laurie and I have been attending the Kittanning Free Methodist Church which is actually several miles from Kittanning, Pennsylvania. Their site is: https://www.kittanningfmc.org/ The church has some great people and friends. The covid issue caused some problems with the attendance numbers, but I understand many churches have been struggling with regaining their numbers.

The pastor of this church presently is, Jeremy Andrews. We get along fine. He is a kind, compassionate man. However, I am not so much…haha.

Recently, he discussed the possibility of myself playing a non-amplified acoustic guitar during a time he refers to as Quiet Time. This is the reasoning behind the title of the CD. I tried doing the guitar a couple of times and was not happy with my sound, so I suggested another option of doing some songs on a CD to use in my place. The pastor was receptive, and I hurriedly made a CD of sixteen songs. I purposely arranged the songs to be in an easy listening style. I did four to eight tracks per song with various acoustic and electric guitar work, bass guitar and keyboards. So, in the few minutes prior to a prayer time one of these recorded songs are played softly during the Quiet Time.

As an afterthought, I decided to take these songs and add some light drum work for a more completed sound on a CD which is the result shown above. I had taken some photographs the previous week of Canada Lilies and thought one of those pics would make for an attractive CD label.

I am currently in the arrangement and recording stage of another Quiet Time CD featuring some more “contemporary” gospel songs.

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The Canada Lily

Posted in Wildflowers on July 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Canada Lily

Every now and then, I stumble across a most beautiful wildflower native to my area of Pennsylvania. The wildflower is the Canada Lily. They are uncommon in the area, and I have, yet, to find any growing in a large number. The usual find is a few stalks only.

This was the case yesterday morning while I was walking near my old homestead prior to going to visit the family and have breakfast and mow.

I was walking around remembering a much younger Larry roaming the area. Oh, the times I had. I noticed a hint of red among the greenery thinking the color was, most likely, the Bee Balm for this native wildflower is starting to bloom, too.

However, I took a secondary glance and recognized immediately was the source of the red color was, and it was a few blossoms of the Canada Lily. I investigated and fold three stalks with only four blossoms. Unfortunately, I failed to carry my camera with me this particular morning which is rare for me.

After I returned home, I thought I should get back to the site soon, for those flowers do not have a long bloom time. A week may just fail to find them at this stage. This morning I went back to the site. I trimmed back the encroaching Multiflora Rose and Goldenrod stalks to allow for some photos.

There is a yellow-colored Canada Lily, but they tend to be more northerly like in Maine. I know of none in Pennsylvania.

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