Hunting Down All Things Wild and Seasonal in Iowa.

Cheryl has been taking running to a new level recently, by running twice a day instead of only in the mornings.    This helps me because I'm more of an evening person anyway, and I enjoy them far more than early, dewy  mornings.   There is always the risk of the heat being higher than normal,  but with the changing season, comes the cooler air and warm evenings with less humidity.  Basically,  it has become more fun to run as the sun sets.

Hickory nuts

The nuts without their husk

Bitternut hickory,  shagbark hickory

That being said,  Cheryl has been keeping her eyes out for "cool nature things" to experiment with in the shop.   Although we have been selling a few stockings,  there is still a bit of free time to play around with her creativity.   So, in addition to the acorns from the apple orchard,  Cheryl has been collecting  Hickory nuts.  They grow along the same path as many of the black walnut trees, and it took a little investigating to discover their true name...because I did not know first hand the name of this nut.   I actually thought they were hazelnuts.  I guess you learn new things every day!

Even among the Hickories, it looks like there may be variations.   I'm just guessing. I don't really know!  Maybe it is a different nut altogether!   It doesn't matter.   What matters is Cheryl is collecting them for some unknown purpose.  Most likely for a diabolical scheme to take over the planet.

The cooler evenings have brought  out the hunting skills of the cat as well.   Yesterday he brought me a live little bunny!   Isn't he adorable?   This is the second time Hiro has captured one alive for me to pet and put back in the neighbors hedge row.  I think he likes the rabbits of this size best.
Possibly because they are not as fast as the larger adults.  They are, however, more fragile.  And he has accidentally killed a couple in the past.  We'll have to work on his strength control in the future.

A cluster of Hops I gathered. 

Ready for harvest to anyone who wanted to pick them. 

And lastly,   HOPS!  Cheryl wanted to run down the section of path that we usually skip out on.  As a result,  I was able to gather a small cluster of Hops.  Looks like they are in peak harvesting ripeness with the brown tips and light green cones.  I put a cone in my mouth and chewed on it for a few moments to see if the taste had changed since the last time ( was it two weeks ago?).  It HAD!   The flavor started out VERY piney and tapered off to a citrus flavor.   After I spit it out,  the aftertaste was sour and HUGE!   Like a grapefruit mixed with lemon mixed with Pinesole.  Or... A very Hoppy beer!  It is too bad I don't home brew beer.  It seems like a pain and a mess.  But the thought of having my very own Hops gathered from the local biking trail does sound romantic.  I imagine wild hops are not very desireable for the local micro brewing houses around here.  They probably depend on a consistent delivery and easier gathering system.  Anyway,  just thought I would add another "Fruit of the Vine" to the list of possible adult beverage ingredient.

So that is all for now.  I'll leave out the really HUGE apples we saw today, because i did not feel like carrying back the larges sample back to be photographed.  ( It was probably over a pound!)   Chicago is coming up and Cheryl need to focus now.  Our last 20 miler is approaching,  and Cheryl will want to nail it.

OH!  And I almost forgot.... Cheryl registered for The Boston Marathon today.   It has been on her mind all morning and she wanted to make sure she has everything set up and ready.  With all this running news around,  it was no wonder she wanted to run again this evening.   Let's hope she can keep that fire lit for the duration.

Blue Skies, Cool Weather, and a Lazy Cat Hunt.

Cheryl enjoying the weather

Blue skies!

After the storms earlier this week,  and the mud and flood that followed... it is nice to finally have pleasant weather for a change.   The skies are blue with a few fluffy clouds and the humidity has dropped considerably.    Tomorrow will hopefully be another 20 mile run for Cheryl.  She is leaving the possibility open for alternatives should the weather change its mind. We shall see how things go.

So different from Wednesday!

The cat on the prowl!

Cat vs Squirrel!

Both square each other up.

In the mean time,  We have been spending time outside with the cat.  Hiro has been making friends with the local fauna while Cheryl and I watch from the porch or blanket.  I think the squirrels just mess with him, as he has never caught one ( although he has had more than a few opportunities to do so.) and he normally ignores them unless they are being particularly pushy.  Today was one of those days.

Hiro, for some reason,   decided to focus his attention on this squirrel.   A little round-the-rosy and a brief chase and then they both went separate ways... but not before I finally got some pictures.  Yeah!

Looks like the squirrel is just playing. 

Hiro likes playing with Voles the best.

Hiro mostly is interested in voles, chipmunks, grasshoppers, moths, and occasionally a bird.  The squirrel is one of tree that come and destroy the bird feeder from time to time.  One of them has a distinguishable brown tail.  ( It's a gray squirrel with a brown tail...I know it is NOT a fox squirrel)

Now it is just  teasing Hiro.

Hiro gets bored. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday today.  The weekend is upon us!  Time to kick back and relax while the weather cooperates!

Cheryl and Ethan's Solon Trail Trials! A Tale of Flooding, Swamp Leeches, Apple Turnovers, and Nuts of Unusual sizes!

Running the Lake Mcbride trail

Or maybe "swimming" the trail

We decided to try the Lake Mcbride Trail near Solon Iowa today.   We have done this before with "mixed" results.   The first time it was covered in snow and mud.   The second time was "perfect"!  And this time....well.   Let us begin from there.

Looks kind of "deep"

Ethan attempts the crossing

The humidity is still up a bit, and the rain had stopped sometime last night.   The clouds promised protection from the sun while not offering any signs of precipitation.  Looked like it would be a good day for a run through nature.

Ethan finds a "deep" spot.

Barely a 1/4 mile down the trail....we hit a rut.    The small creek next to part of the trail had crested its banks and started to cross over the trail.   Not a "huge" problem for me, because I have a bike...right?  NOT so fast!

Notice the rock on the side.

Notice the rock in the "deep" part.

The first time across,  I was able to navigate the waters while only getting most of my shoes wet.   Cheryl decided to take off her socks and shoes to cross,  figuring this would be as bad as it would get.  We were wrong!

On the return, I "found" a washed out hole in the middle of the water....with my front bike tire.   Imagine a bicyclist flying over the handle bars and "sliding into home plate".  Got it?   Now imagine a "chubby" cyclist flying over the handle bars sliding into home plate in the most ungracious way possible.

I dust myself off.  Cheryl puts on her shoes.   We continue.    Until...

The current looks stronger up ahead

And deeper!  With LEACHES!

The next area around the bend is also flooded!    I "cautiously" attempt to cross this one and notice a cute little black worm swimming in the water....wait!   Worms don't "swim!"  We were introduced to the local swamp leeches!  I believe Bill Murray can take it from here:


The Leeches were a deal breaker for Cheryl.   We attempted to run around the paved track, but discovered that the effects of yesterday's rain was still having an impact everywhere.   We packed up and headed to our next event.  Wilson's Orchard.

Cheryl is not amused!

Time for some Apple Cider!

We were forced to wait a bit since they opened at 10 AM.   But Cheryl quickly spent that time finding large acorns!  I'm not sure what type of Oak trees these were, but they all had different acorns to show off.    I tried to capture the differences between the 3-5 different types of trees. My tree identification is a little rusty since my  MSU days.  I'm guessing they were members of the Red Oak family...but that is just a guess.

VERY large acorns!

Compare the 5 species and sizes!

After finding about a dozen or more of them,  we headed into the apple store to buy apples, drink cider, and eat some fresh baked apple turnovers.   Nothing trumps freshness!  And these guys were still warm and flaky!   Yummo!

MMM! Warm and flaky Apple Turnover!

A little taste of .... Heaven!

So we were a little bummed that the event we had been planning on for a week ended up being kind of a dud.   But the Fall is just beginning and some of the apple species are not even out yet.   There is still time to get it right...if we are feeling adventurous again.  We shall see.

Wet feet, dirty clothes!

Time to "scrub up" Ethan

As for now,  I washed up and changed my clothes and hopefully the damage will remain superficial to elbows, knees and wrists.   Luckily, I was wearing my helmet...even thought I did NOT fall on my head.  ( Figures!   The only part of my body that was completely protected never was at risk to begin with.)

Ship Wrecks, Hunting Cats, and Monsoons in Iowa.

I'm not sure what made me remember this, but a couple of weeks ago, something triggered a memory I had about a trivial story I "somehow" knew.   Who really knows how trivia manages to manifest itself?   The same story pushed its way back to the front of my mind today, following a different trigger.   And so I decided that that would make a good blog post.

It is about a ship wreck called the Diamond Knot, a freight hauler coming from Alaska with a hold full of canned fish.  On Aug 13, 1947,  it  was struck by another ship and in heavy fog.   The two ships were locked together and they had to be cut apart by rescue vessels and towed back to port.  On the way, the Diamond Knot ran into trouble and sank.   Luckily, no one was injured during the event.

Recovery of the Cans of Fish!

And here is where the interesting part comes in...  The Ship was carrying 1/10 of the gross yearly catch of fish from Alaska.  The insurance company paid for the ship, but to help offset the loss,  the company used revolutionary techniques to recover the hold.  Basically, $22,000.00 in fish oil was recovered by pumping water into the holding cell. ( forcing the oil to rise into a hose to the surface.) and then they cut large holes in the side of the ship and vacuumed up the 5,700,000 cans of salmon from the cargo bay. The entire project recovered $2,100,000.00 worth of salvage!   The fact that the cargo was worth more than the ship and the fact that that amount of fish was worth recovering is what stuck with me.  (I believe those are 1947 numbers....think about inflation to today's prices!)  The shipwreck is still a popular diving place for recreational dives.

Now, the Diamond Knot is a brewing company with a historic story behind the name.  I can't really tell if they know about it, because their own web page is missing the "about our history" section.  I'm sure an employee will make something eventually.

Mid Day Rain! 

In addition to the haunting trivia that "must be blogged about",   Cheryl and I have been running and biking.   The weather had been pleasant...until the beginning of this week.   The heat and humidity has returned, keeping our distance and times fairly short.

This happened at 1:45 today!

Kind of heavy....

"Sheets" of rain on the neighbor's roof!

Today,  the temps are supposed to drop, and along with that, came the rain.   It had been looming all day, but right as we finally arrived home,  it began!  The rain was coming down so hard and fast ( and sideways!) that it looks like there is a fog outside.   I tried to capture the "sheets" of rain hitting the driveway and house across from us, but the fog and mist seemed to interfere.  Luckily,  it did not last long and things are "almost" back to normal.  The clouds are still pretty dark, but at least the temps are down a bit.   Hopefully it will dry up a bit before tomorrow.  We shall see.

Hope everyone else is having a wonderful Wednesday.   Nothing like having the work week half over!  Unless you don't have a job, that is.   Some of us are just lucky that way, I guess.   Thanks for stopping in!

Chasing the Rainbow! Cheryl's 20 Mile Run.

It has been a challenge completing the long runs this year.   Perhaps it was the weather,  or perhaps it was the extended scoring gig (or both!) But Cheryl has not had her "head in the right place" each time we attempt anything over 14 miles.  However,  today we managed to complete 20 miles.

Watermelon and cooler weather helps!

That is 20 miles.  20!  And the best part about it was that I was not snapped at or threatened during the entire process!

I don't have any pictures of the event, as the camera does not take very good moving pics... And Cheryl is not very photogenic when she is morphing into Mr. Hyde!

Dark Cheryl arises!

I credit the weather, for the most part.  It has been a wonderful combination of sunny and cool here the last several days.   The predictions are that it is not going to last.  And looks like it will be back in the 90's by Monday.
One of the interesting things about running 20 miles ( That is 20!.. 20 miles!)  is that we were able to see a new section of the trail that we usually are unable to experience.  At the 10 miles mark,  we noticed that the trees were entirely lines with HOPS!

A new Found Stash of Wild HOPS!

Remember my blog posting about hops?   Last year there was a couple of plants that sprung up near mile 4 on our usual route.   I was so thrilled, that I picked a few and brought them home.  Unfortunately,  I was not able to make any beer with them.    Not that I wanted to anyway,   but the thought that I have a secret stash of wild hops close by was a cool feeling.

They were everywhere!  Climbing numerous trees and bushes. 

However,  today I discovered that on the other side of country road M 38,   There are more wild hops than I could ever use!  I'm curious of the local brewery knows about these things...or if they order their hops from Michigan.
  There certainly seems to be plenty there for anyone who wants to pull them down and process them.  I pulled one off the vine and tasted it.   They have a wonderful mild piney flavor.   I would not lump these hops in the "Citrus" camp.   And who knows if they all taste that way.

Speaking of Beer!   We decided to investigate another Wisconsin Beer that one of the scorers at College board recommended.   The Spotted Cow!   Very tasty!  Mild creamy flavor.  Creamy is my term...Cheryl disagrees with that idea, but does agree is is a wonderful taste.   Very smooth.

Other than that,  Cheryl has decided to take the remainder of the day off.  20 miles will do that to ya.  Luckily,  the blisters she had developed earlier this week did not effect her run, and she is in a pretty good mood after it was all said and done.  Let's hope that the next long run will mirror this one.  Hope everyone is having a great day and the weather is pleasant in your part of the country as well.