While I still had the Kodak I tries the 12X zoom on Buel's house across
the river. Excellent lens. Too bad the camera eats batteries
so fast. |
Tuesday at Shelby Bottoms I got this view of the "living roof" on a section
of the visitors center. Unfortunately, the facility doesn't open
til 12 and closes at 4. |
These bumble bees like to spend the night among the milk weed blossoms. |
Strange sight as I was driving through SB on the way to the Y. Fire
truck shooting tons of water across the lake. Maybe flushing the
tank out? |
July 3rd and they say 4th of July is when the blackberries are ready. |
Intrepid pickers brave the chiggers in search of the sweet fruits. |
Kodak and long lens Canon are gone. The little Canon with 3x lens
did a pretty good job on this Yellow Throat. |
The morning glories are at their peak. |
My sweet basil always gets wilt or some other disease in the garden, so
I planted a batch in this crock and so far it seems to be doing well. |
I've got one bell pepper ready to pick. I think it is a California
Wonder. It doesn't look much like a Choclate Beauty, a new kind I'm
trying this year. |
These Big Boys look like they are going to be the first to ripen.
Just on schedule too. 4th of July. |
Hard to beat Sweet 100's cherry tomatoes. |
The cucumbers like their cages. I get the pickling kind since they
get so big before you find them that the bigger kind would look like watermelons. |
First egg plant. Iciban. I've also got some Millionaire, another
Japanese variety, but the regular shape. The Icibans are kicking
Millionaire's behind. |
Saturday, despite the chigger threat, Sherry doused with Skin So Soft and
Fabric Softener and weeded her big garden. She still got chiggers,
but not as many maybe. |
I planted okra between the onions and tomatoes and it's coming along.
Trouble is you have to pick it every day or it gets too big. I hate
to shoot up with Deet just to pick a few okra, so it is a problem.
I'm planning to shoot diluted dishwashing soap and veggie oil mix on the
garden next Saturday. It is supposed to kill the chiggers, or at
least slow them down. |
I've begun pulling the onions. The tops die and that's when they
are ready. |
Aren't they pretty? Big too and very few rotted in the ground. |
Saturday I took the camera fishing and mostly took photos since the fish
weren't too willing. I was too late to get a photo of the beaver
before he ducked under these roots and went into his den. |
Got a better photo of the little frogs. Or, are they toads? I wish
I could have put a penny in the shot. Froggie or Toadie would have
fit on top. |
Beautiful group of yellow and orange butterflies with the little grey ones. |
Don't know the name, but plan to look it up. |
Sunday went to Creek C with the two seat kayak. Caught a huge bass
in this deep hole under the bluff. Fought it a long time and then
she threw lure. Before I could reel it in she took it again, or one just
as big did, and I had another thrill before she threw the lure again.
After moving on up the creek until it got too small I came back and damned
if she didn't take the lure again. |
This Sluggo-like lure (a 32nd oz. jig--single hook with no barb) was the
magic attraction for big bass Sunday. And all this time I've
been fishing topwaters-- Rapalas and Tiny Torpedos. You certainly
get stuck in your ways! |
I got hung up in some bushes along the bluff and while I was untangling
my lure I noticed these huge spiders on the underside of a rock overhang. |
This one was next to a dried skeleton of one just as big. Her mate? |
I had four beautiful squash plants, but the vine borers have got them.
I seldom have any luck with squash. The borers stay in the soil. |
I took a new route Thursday and went by the lake at Shelby Park.
This mother mallard and her babies were fearless. The little ones
are eating moss. |
The bush beans on both ends of the row are ready. I guess they get
more sun. |
Look at all the blossoms. Travis is going to get a lot of pole beans. |
These purple ones turn green when they are cooked, Travis tells me. |
Enough to eat and fresh off the vine. It doesn't get any better than
that. |
Later that Saturday I fished a nearby creek. It was pretty mossy
and stormy and the fish weren't hitting. I had to shelter under the
trees along the bank a couple of times to get out of the showers. |
On the way back I passed several shallow pools in the rocks full of tadpoles.
They needed a big rain to keep from drying up. I doubt they got it. |
I also disturbed a herd of tiny frogs, no bigger than your little finger
nail. It was not easy getting a shot. They kept hopping away. |
I saw this really pretty minature thistle near the car. |
This huge dragon fly was flying about near the car. I never got a
good picture of him, but sure shot enough trying. |
Sunday I decided to fish the Cumberland. Everyone asks if I do, since
we live right on it. Okay, I thought, I'll give it a try. It
was very windy and I had a hard time finding a place I could fish without
paddling all the time. This old structure upstream from Lock Two
Park should have been the jackpot. But no fish at all. Oh well,
now I know why I seldom fish the Cumberland. |
