More Mushrooms In Wisconsin. And A Local Chalk Festival!

Dave and Christina took me to a small Chalk Festival on Sunday!  It would have been cooler had it not rained the previous day.  And it would have been REALLY cool if I had actually entered it and was able to compete.   I feel my Chalking skills have progressed to the point where I can comfortably use them to earn money....  Or at least not look foolish in front of people.   Either way,  it was a good time. 

Too bad most of the Chalk drawings were compromised.  At leas you could tell what most of them looked like.  Some of the artists actually had the inspiration drawing next to the chalk. And there was not as many entries as I had thought.   (Another reason I think I could have scored some cash...) The entry fee was $35...  So it would  not have been difficult to scrape up the down payment.   But I had to work on Sunday, so even if I could have joined in, I would have been limited in my time.  

Perhaps next year....

While we waited for the announcement for the winners,   I discovered some goats!   And a pond without any fish in it.   And a huge Bison! All of these things are meant for the kids....  so I was totally on top of them. Dave and Christina decided to watch as I ran around petting the animals and wading in the pond.  ( Not really... but wouldn't that have been cool if it was true!)  

At first I figured I would be the Chaperon.  But it turned out they were the babysitter for ME!   Once I discovered there was available chalk, I immediately go to getting dirty... Or dusty.   Too bad there was a limited amount of colors and no charcoal!  Still, it was fun making a mess in the heat. 

Yesterday,  I went out after work to look for more Mushrooms.  Dave had a Baptism, but wanted to tag along to see what all the hub bub of mushroom hunting was about.   Turns out,  he managed to find the only two Chanterelles  of the evening.   ( Chanterelles are OUT!)  They were small, which makes the find that much more impressive.  Too bad we did not find  more.   

Another unusual find was the "Dead Man's Fingers".   I have been aware of this mushroom for a long time now, but have never found it.   Dave found it clinging to a couple of twigs.   As far as I know, they are not edible. ( I don't know why.. taste maybe? ) But it was still a cool discovery. 

In the end, we found several species of Mushroom and had them all for dinner.   I was like a kid explaining all the things to look and taste for in each species.   I personally think the Crowned Tipped Coral mushroom was one of the best finds and most interesting.    The Russulas were also well received.    

The Boletes made me a little nervous after having to throw out all those ones we found in Iowa because some bitter Boletes slipped past our radar.   Safe to eat, just awful taste!  And after drying and mixing them all, we could not tell which ones were which.  

Other than that...  Working.  And I will be fixing the Blower in the Subie tomorrow... Weather and all things permitting.   Perhaps I will blog about that.  Then again, I have blogged about fixing the blower in Subie before.  So it would really be a repeat of a previous repair.    We shall see. 

Hope everyone's week is progressing nicely.  The weather was nice enough to cool down for me, with Subies AC fan on the fritz.  I still want to repair it before the weekend, because in the mornings here can be a little "foggy"  and being able to defrost your windshield seems like a good thing to have. Also,  when the Sun beats on Subie in the Parking lot, it is nice to be able to cool him down rapidly.  

Thanks for stopping in and have a Great Day