another lane...

Stone River by Jon Piasecki

http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2011/11/stone-river-by-jon-piasecki/

The late night drive home on I-35 last night was a white knuckler, but it was worth it waking up this morning to a gorgeous, crusty coating on my world.

Safely Back...Home ???

Ev sent word from Hanoi, Vietnam late last night; he had just gotten up after a deep 8-hour sleep and was heading out to find some pho, the traditional Vietnamese comfort food. There was a big sigh of relief to hear from him and know that he was o-kay.  The 24+ hours of flights and lay-overs had been brutal.  He apologized that he had not emailed earlier, but once he had arrived in the hotel room, he passed out.

Last Thursday morning, we whisked him off to the airport for an early flight that started his journey back to Vietnam.  Tracking his long flight on FlightAware was an all-day affair. I watched the little plane icon move across the map--from Chicago up over Canada, along the southern border of Alaska, then down to Japan. The last leg from Narita, Japan to Hanoi was easy-peazey-only a 6-hour flight compared to his earlier 13+ hour-flight. But this was really the hardest part of Ev's journey for me because once he landed in Vietnam, the reality hit. Evan was gone from this house.  He was no longer sleeping in his old bed upstairs. Evan is now back home on the other side of the world.

The Landscape Display of Hoary Frost

Saturday's Tromp Along Worle Creek

Today's tromp covered some areas with heavy underbrush.

Found a path through...

Very interesting bark....I will have to get out my Dirr's....It is Amur corktree

 This bark looks familiar, but cannot name it.....Dirr's?  And Hophornbeam..Ostrya

A lovely carpet of needles shed from the Eastern White Pine...no longer in their "bundles of 5."

Back in the 'hood and spotted the neighbor's flouncy hemlock.

I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TESS

from this ......

to this.....

foto courtesy of McClanahan Studios, Ames, IA

THE BIG and the small

This is our neighbor's pup Fergie sleeping on their kitchen table.

This is the YouTube video of a doormouse sleeping in the palm of a hand.