We’ve been busy here at la Casa Schools. Rover is settling
into his new home. I’m minorly concerned that, like most teenagers, he doesn’t
eat his vegetables. Loves his meat in the form of wax worms or meal worms, but
just doesn’t do the veggies.
We haven’t gotten out for much birding lately. Just been too
darn busy. During some unseasonably warm October weather a couple of weeks ago we
got in a trip down to Michigan Audubon’s Haehnle Sanctuary. We were hoping to
see migrating sandhill cranes pop in. It was a lovely warm evening, but sans
cranes. There was one interesting spectacle right at sundown. A huge flock of blackbirds came up out of the
trees and flew around. Easily a couple thousand. I was sitting there mesmerized
with the camera behind me before I thought to try for some pictures.
.
Flocking blackbirds,
Haehnle Sanctuary.
Raptor migration is still going strong. At the Holiday Beach
Conservation Area, across the river in Canada, over 4,000 raptors came through on
Friday. Around here things have settled down a bit and we now have the winter juncos
at our feeders. It’s time for the dreary long gray spell here in Mid-Michigan.
During the warm October weather I got out to do some
milkweed photos. They’re weeds to a lot of people but I just love them when
they go to seed. They just seem to lend themselves to black and white
photography.
Milkweed
Not too much other photography except for a group picture of
Molly’s water polo buddies. These are the girls that came in as freshmen the
same year Molly did. Don’t let the sweet smiles fool you. These are some tough
cookies that would probably put a knife in your ribs if it would lead to a
score without the refs calling a foul.
Water polo seniors, 2017.
Woodworking has slowed down so I can focus more on finishing
the basement. Between the two, I like
the woodworking a lot better. I finished
the Hindu temple swings I was working on. At least I think it’s a Hindu temple
they were made for. An acquaintance at the gym named Depaak needed them built. Apparently,
he had two made 20 years ago, one for himself, and one he donated to the
Temple. He moved, so he donated his to the Temple and went to join a new
Temple. From what I understand, the new Temple needed a swin, but when they asked
the old Temple to borrow a swing or give them plans for a swing there arose a “squabble”.
I guess religions are just about the same no matter where you go. So Depaak
asked me to make a new swing for him and one for the new Temple. I used white ash, the same wood used
in Louisville Sluggers, a religious icon in some circles.
Temple swing.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 