Proof and Fun

Not much that's newsworthy today. I made soup, but didn't take a picture. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. It's yummy, but not visually stunning.

After I said I have no pictures from yesterday of Bill and me, someone sent me two. Neither shows us at our most attractive, but hey, we were having fun.

I signed the group in collectively at the trail register, and Bill held the lid to make a desk.

About half of the hikers went to Bitely Bar to eat. Here we are again.

I was super good today. Edited longer than usual, made soup from the Christmas ham bone, cleaned the kitchen (well, it's not done but is it ever?)

Here's more fun. I know that sharing pictures of my games is probably low on your interest list, but I'm kind of tickled about this. I managed to make this fox family by collecting prizes from three different events. The fox in the stump pops in and out. The fox on the left alternately crouches in this "play" pose and stands. I just got the kit today. It definitely makes me smile.

See Spirit of the Woods- January

Spirit of the Woods Hike- January 2026

Twenty-seven people showed up despite a 19 degree temperature to hike. The five dogs didn't care what the temperature was!

Each year, each chapter can present an "Honor Award" to the outstanding volunteer of the year. This year, that was Jack Barnhill, a relatively new member. He's showed up for almost every work opportunity and eagerly helped. Jack's on the right, and chapter president Dan Driesenga on the left.

The trail had been walked by others, so that made things much easier. Most everyone went out past Leaf Lake, just over 2 miles outward bound.

And look who came! My hiking buddy Bill drove over just to participate with us. Did I remember to take a picture of us together? No. But here is proof of the adventure.

About half of us went out to eat afterwards. I did get a picture of one of his Christmaas presents. This is a knife made from a piece of metal from the Mackinac Bridge. When they replace parts they sell the pieces. Lots of people have sections of the grating (some of the roadway is grating to help with expansion). I have never seen a knife like this before. Notice the interesting pattern on the blade.

So I have the first 4.2 miles toward my Hike 100 Challenge for the 10th year!

I've decided to count treadmill miles (yesterday), but I'll keep them separate.

Total Miles hiked in 2026: 6.7
NCT miles hiked in 2026: 4.2
Treadmill miles 2026: 2.5

North Country Trail, Newaygo County, Nichols Lake north out and back 4.2 miles

See SPW December 2025

Best Photos 2025- July-Dec

The second half of the year was really hard to choose the best photo. July had a clear winner, but other months not so much.

As usual for the photography posts, I left the images large so you can click to see them better.

July 2025 Timing is everything, not necessarily location. This is just off my front porch

August 2025 The month of the trip to North Dakota. Lots of nice pictures. But for sheer photography, I choose this one. We were driving out of our campground in the morning. The waterway is the Missouri River and the bluff on the far side is the beginning of the Badlands. The sun was just hitting the bank and making everything glow. I asked Diane to stop. I got out of the car and ran around until I got a shot that didn't have a campsite in it. I like the rippling shadow and the rippling geological lines.

September 2025 I took this just to help with the fern ID. But I love the picture. Marsh Fern spore cases.

October 2025 Too many good choices. The picture I used for the best events of each month is definitely in the running. You could say the light was better in that one, and another one I got, just along the highway. But I choose this one, again because it has a little bit of nostalgic and emotional appeal. Barns and fall go together. They make you think of harvest and conjure up the aroma of apple cider.

November 2025 This photo was pure luck. I was collecting shots for a 6-panel "skyday" post. I was driving home at dusk and realized I hadn't yet taken a shot for that day. Stopped, rolled down the window. Click. I actually had quite a few good pictures from November. But this one wins because I think the colors are a little unusual.

December 2025 It wasn't that long ago you saw this picture. A surprising number of people commented on it. This is my "nature's bonsai" apple tree.

I got my act together today and edited, shopped, chopped veggies and did more kitchen stuff.

See Best Photos 2025- Jan-June

Best Photos 2025, Jan- June

Much to my surprise, it's been several years since I tried to show you the best pictures taken month by month. I was trying to show you some from the big hike, but apparently the last year I really did it was 2021. Wow!

I'm just going to do the first 6 tonight, and the rest tomorrow. Some of the choices were hard. I'm not really a photographer. I don't hang around for the light to be good, or go hunting for super shots. More often I'm trying to make sure the picture shows a certain seedpod or hairy stems, etc.

Anyway, here are tonight's six. I've left them full size, so you can click to see them better if you want.

January 2025 This is the Ludington Lighthouse, taken on a beach drivethrough after one of my many doctor appointments that month.

February 2025 Still mostly in bed. But I opened the kitchen door and got this.

March 2025 Well, it was Flower Show month. How do I pick one photo? ANyway, I seldom get good pictures of people, and I just love this one of Selma. She turns 96 next week, so this is perfect. She needs more help to get around, but Marie says she's still perking.

April 2025 Meh. I didn't take any really stellar pix. This is Hamlin Lake. There were a couple of better pictures from June I could have substituted, but the rules are "one per month!"

May 2025 The rock garden, of course. Well, not of course, because it's about the best picture, not the most pictures. But I think this one wins anyway. Nice color palette, textures, angles, light.

June 2025 Choosing ONE for June was tough. Flowers, Adirondacks. Wow. But the best pictures really make you feel something, right? So rather than a great landscape, I choose this scene on Puffer Pond. Don't you just want to be there?

Today was a total play day. OK, I did wash some dishes. Now I'm going to go watch a movie with Om and walk on the treadmill. Doug is plowing the driveway. Yeah!

See Best of 2025, Month by Month

Best of 2025, by the Month

I usually do a few "best of" series at the end of a year, but I don't think I've done this before. I'll remind you (and me) of the best thing that happened in my life in each month of2025.

January 2025: This is the month the shingles was the worst. I actually managed to walk outside- a little bit- on the 26th.


Febrary 2025: On the 17th, I managed to walk 1.7 miles on natural surface and do a few other things too. Still not 100% well at that point, but doing pretty good.


March 2025: Philadelphia Flower Show. Of course everything about the trip was great. How to choose one picture? And time with Marie and many short hikes as I gained strength. The specialty displays always intrigue me, but I choose a picture of a riot of spring color at the Flower Show, because it's the boost of color in the March world that is so perfect.


April 2025: The rock garden was beginning to come alive. I choose this picture because the pink Lewisia turned out to be one of my best purchases of the year, and it looks great with the 'Black' sempervivum. This was the day I bought it; it filled out a lot and bloomed well into June.


May 2025: May was pretty awesome with a short backpacking trip (in the rain) and continued rock garden acquisitions and delights. But I choose the day I got to help with macroinvertebrate sampling on the Black River in Pigeon River Country State Forest. It's wasn't a lifetime first for me, but it had been decades since I'd done it.


June 2025: The hike in the Adirondacks- what else? Everything about it was perfect. The Adirondacks, collecting map data for the NCTA, time with hiking buddy Bill and other friends (Marie, Diane, Sara, meeting Will Brazil). Having the stamina to complete what we wanted to do. I think it was my biggest gift of the year. This is at West Canada Creek. Yeah, I look tired, and I was. But I was SO happy!

July 2025: It has to be the day Bill and I spent with Matt at NCTA getting all the data we collected in the Adirondacks actually into the mapping system. Knowing that what we did really will make a difference in the maps- and maybe keep someone from getting lost may be the high point of the whole year.


August 2025: On the road again to travel to North Dakota for the North Country Trail Trail Fest. Lots of hikes, friends and several new experiences. Marie, Diane and I traveled together. Several friends either fed us or put us up along the way. Afterwards, the three of us went to see "Dignity of Earth and Sky" the statue of a Native American woman. I don't know how to choose one picture. The point of the trip was NCT stuff, and that was great, but I'll probably only see the statue once, and it embodies the prairie adventure.


September 2025: I stayed home and thoroughly enjoyed how nicely my rock garden is filling in.


October 2025: The fall colors were spectacular this year, and I especially enjoyed getting out just to view them a few times.


November 2025: Many local adventures, one with the original Adventure Buddy, Ellen. I hiked in six new-to-me places and quite a few familiar ones. Picture is Ellen and me from several years ago, and all my hiking friends are awesome, but Ellen and I haven't managed to get together for years, so it was special.


December 2025: I think this month has to be about all the music. I managed to take in four concerts (two of which the bell choir participated in, but we were not the only performers). The bell choir played two additional times, and I really liked the Christmas medly we played. I have a hard time with holiday spirit, and the music helps.


I let myself have a vacation today. This post took a while to put together, and I started one of my bigger jigsaw puzzles.

Looking back at the year, I really do feel blessed to have had so many great events and so much beauty in my life!

See Best People Events of 2024