Female Common Mergansers

 
They were quite a distance away, so the camera had trouble focusing, but I saw some female common mergansers yesterday. I've showed you pictures of them before (a while back). But I'm a little excited about these because they were right here where I live.



There were four of them swimming on the Middle Branch of the Pere Marquette River.



Follow the links below for some better shots, but they were taken in the U.P., and in Minnesota.

	See The Coffee Clatch, er, Quack, Part I See Mama Merganser
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Island Lake- No Sun

 
I drove back past Island Lake, the rather boggy lake I discovered last month, and even with no sun it was beautiful in a November sort of way.



There's something about the way the vegetation and the water weave in and out that appeals to me.



And in a backwater on the south side I found a whole stand of Tamarack, also called Larch. These are one of the few conifers that drop all their needles for the winter. They offer a little late season gold to the landscape.



It's needles are very short and hug the stems in little bunches.



The rain didn't catch me, I voted, and I found all but one of my cases. We just won't mention the flat tire.

	See Lakes of the Day
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The Beauty is in the Details

 
For today, forget the devilish details and share in the beautiful ones. Two are from Saturday and two from today just on a walk out back.

Saturday morning was chilly, and many puddles had an icy crust, almost growing crystals



These are angel wings, I think. No, really, I think they are angel wing fungus, Pleurotus porrigens. They seemed to want to fly away with that log.



The curl of a thread pulling away from the leaf of a Yucca can never decide which direction it should travel.



And this stump always fascinates me. How long ago must the tree have been damaged to develop that ingrown curl of outer bark?



Tomorrow is a work day as well as election day. I'm tired, and I know what to do about that!

	See Ice on the Pine
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Sterling Marsh Hike

 
I'm a day behind on posting activities. This hike was yesterday- our monthly outing with the Spirit of the Woods Chapter of the North Country Trail Association. We went to Sterling Marsh and hiked about four miles on the North Country Trail.

Here's the open area of the marsh as seen from the trail.



We had 19 hikers, most of whom are in the picture. It's the largest group we've had for a while, and it was a little bit of a surprise because it was the coldest morning we've had yet this fall.



There was a little snow on the ground. It hardly showed except where it had no competition on this section of boardwalk.



Someone else had been using the boardwalk too. Do you know who?

(a raccoon)

	See North Country Trail Boardwalk Celebration
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Agatha Christie Made Me Do It

 
I'm a day behind because I didn't get a post done last night after I got home from a play and before I went to work.

I went to see the spoof "Agatha Christie Made Me Do It." This is the exact opposite of "Buried Child." It's just a light, fun play that pokes fun at all the formulaic mysteries of all time. It was really cute. We weren't supposed to take pictures (usually, they just say no flash), but I snuck one for you.



The young man on the left wakes up on a Tuesday morning to learn by various means that he's married two women and wrecked a night club on Monday. He can't remember Monday at all. At the end of Act I, his business consultant is murdered. But by whom, and why?

The play was written in 1975 by Eddie Cope. It hasn't won any awards, but sometimes you just want a simple laugh.

	See Buried Child
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