Chicago Marathon 2019

Here's our little diva incognito. Our granddaughter is almost 2!

Last weekend was the Chicago Marathon. We traveled to Chicago to hang out with our son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter and grandpuppy and to support our son who was running the marathon on Sunday.

We arrived Friday afternoon and in the evening went to a nearby town Fall Festival where Harper was going to trick or treat for the first time. Grandpa is helping this little monarch butterfly get ready by putting on her antennae.

It was a crispy fall night so the antennae had to be replaced by a hat.

This festival was so much fun! There were vendors, games, music and lots of pumpkin carving.

And then the coat had to come on. Brrrr! 

Sunday morning was a little cool but it all went well. Riley did absolutely fantastic and even beat the goal he had set for himself. Riley is in the light green shirt.

Our daughter-in-law, Lindsey, did such an awesome job getting us around by vehicle or putting us on the right train to cheer Riley on in several spots along the way. The marathon is 26.2 miles long.

Here he comes!

High fives!

Harper cheers "Go Daddy!"

Here's a video Steve took. Hopefully it will work for you to view. After clicking on the start button in the middle of the screen, you can make the screen bigger by clicking on the bottom right square button.

The race is over and his teeth are chattering. Let's get this guy warmed up!

We also spent time over the weekend in the park. This grandma hasn't been on a teeter totter for eons!

Oh, and grandpa and Harper made soup. Well, they were making soup. I guess the conversation changed. I'll get details from my grandpuppy Gus. :)

Autumn in the Upper Peninsula

The leaves are slowly changing. This post is mostly pictures. I just wanted to show everyone at what point our changing colors are at.

The ferns are changing from green to a golden yellow to a beautiful brown.

 

  

We came across this beaver house. As I shot the picture, Steve saw a beaver swimming to the left. He disappeared under the water before I could take his picture.

Dusk is coming on.

A tranquil sunset view as we cross the railroad tracks.

Oh, and I also came across what I think is a mushroom. Anyone know what it's called?

Chokecherries

Chokecherry season is in full swing these days in the Upper Peninsula. The bushes and trees are just loaded. Chokecherries grow on bushes as small as three feet or on trees that can grow up to twenty feet.

The cherries start out a bright red then gradually turn to a deep purplish dark red color. Don't mistake these for red cherries. Chokecherries have a high acid content and are very sour. The more ripe they get, the less sour, but still sour! 

Though I mentioned they make you pucker, I did read that people make jam, jelly, syrup and even wine with them. But do your research thoroughly! Chokecherries have a small pit inside that contains cyanide. However, so do apple seeds, and the pits in peaches, pears, plums and apricots. Chokecherry leaves and bark are also poisonous if ingested.

Apparently, if you cook the cherries down, it makes the cherry less sour and eliminates the cyanide. I, for one, am not yet ready to try these berries or include them in my recipes. But I will tell you just who loves them and eats them right from the tree.

Steve and I were headed into town the other evening and at the edge of town by the railroad tracks Steve spotted this bear foraging for chokecherries. Bear can do damage on a chokecherry tree as they bend and break the branches to get to their delicious treat. We've found bear scat on the gravel roads full of chokecherry seeds. (So I guess the bear doesn't always "do his/her business" in the woods.) ~Chuckle~ 

Chokecherries don't affect animals and birds the way they do humans. The sourness doesn't bother them. Almost any animal or bird or even a butterfly will try a chokecherry. One time I was sitting in my deer blind during hunting season and jumped at the sight and the noise of a grouse landing in a chokecherry tree located right next to my blind. I enjoyed the show of watching him eat the chokecherries!

Farms and ranches prefer their pastures to be chokecherry free. Horses love the chokecherry leaves especially in the Fall when they begin to wilt. Too many leaves can be lethal to the horse.

In the Spring, you can identify a chokecherry tree by its cluster of creamy white flowers. Also in the Spring, the trees and bushes attract tent caterpillars. I'm not a fan of them.

But for now, if you're out and about on a Fall walk, look for the clusters of red and purplish blue cherries and you just might find yourself a chokecherry tree!

Who Let the Horses Out?

Steve and I were coming back from an errand and came across these horses wandering alone in the street. We were not sure which farm they escaped from. But as we made our way through the herd, a truck pulled out from one of the the farms. The horses did not appear to be in a hurry to go anywhere.

But we were excited to see colts!

The mamma horses were very protective of their little ones.

My Upper Peninsula Birds

Any of you who follow this simple blog know that I love my birds.

And you know I like to take pictures.

Bird kisses...

And I get these red squirrels who like a free meal.

I love my rose breasted grosbeaks and red finches.

We have had the rain just like everybody else and on this rainy day the birds came in full force. Go figure!

My first Oriole ever!

A disheveled BlueJay.

I believe this is a female red-winged blackbird.

And we have a female turkey!

Our two fourteen year-old labs don't mind the company. The door to their kennel is open and they don't even have the hankering to check the turkey out. They are just entertained for the moment. Pretty quick they'll get back to another nap.