Creatures We Encounter - Episode XIV

What I love about these posts I call Creatures We Encounter is that for the most part the animals we observe are in or around our own yard. Have I ever mentioned we live in a suburban area? We could walk to the grocery store, an arcade, and an office supply store. Five restaurants are under a half mile from our home. It is suburban sprawl, which I never thought was ideal for finding fascinating creatures. I'm happy to be wrong.

Just the other day, one of my daughters and I sighted this bird from our dining room window. We quickly pulled out the binoculars and settled in to observe and possibly identify it.

We hoped the half dozen neighboring houses weren't watching us, because as we pointed the binoculars toward the trees above their houses, it completely looked like we were snooping and not bird watching...especially when I darted out the back door, pointed my camera in the direction of their houses, and snapped a few pictures of the bird.

Creatures We Encounter - Episode XIII

It all centered around the grill on the back patio during October. First our youngest discovered this critter.

After startling it in an attempt to touch its back, our boy followed it about the yard. He was determined, but unsuccessful. A lesson in agility, flight, and eluding a possible predator was experienced.

Later that month, we found this egg sac.

We soon found that momma spider was not far away.

Creatures We Encounter - Episode XII

Of course we saw many local farm animals at the fair, including the imported, but now local alpaca, which is a personal favorite of mine.

But while touring through the antique tractors and farm equipment, our children spotted this little critter. It captivated their attention almost as much as the sliding ducks.

Raspberry Picking

That apple orchard grows more than just apples. Across the street there is another U-Pick section. Raspberries, grapes, and blackberries grow there. One year, we picked grapes. This year, we opted to cap off our morning of apple picking with raspberry picking. Since we have never picked raspberries, it was a new experience for us.

Just because we had picked almost 60 pounds of apples, we were not shy about picking raspberries. Especially when they tasted so sweet!

With our five pounds of raspberries, we left the orchard. If you are doing the math...we had picked almost 65 pounds of fruit one morning!

Creatures We Encounter - Episode XI

Don't you just love when nature observations hop right across your path?

Or fly onto the arm of your rocking chair?

Or slither across the front porch?

OK, I could have done without the slug. I hate slugs! However, my little guy loved viewing the slug up close.

Apple Picking in the Orchard

Every year, we try to take a trip out to the U-Pick orchard. Fresh apples, carefully selected, picked, and purchased by our family seem to be an autumn family tradition for us.

Our first orchard trip was four states away when our oldest was a babe. We were living in New England and had found a nearby orchard. We strapped our newborn to my husband and trudged through the orchard, picking a handful of apples.

Since that time, our family has increased and our children have grown, but each year, we try to get out to an orchard and pick fresh apples.

Sometimes, we count the trip as a field trip. There are, after all, many educational opportunities to be seized during our time there. Including several informative and interactive signs.

This year, we just counted it as one fun family memory!

A Nature Walk - Summer Woods

While on the orienteering course, we inadvertently had a nature walk. It wasn't planned, but it happened none-the-less. Some of the amazing observations we had...

 

 

 

We also saw a dead vole, but I've opted to spare you that visual.

Learning the Art of Orienteering

Labor Day weekend found us in the woods. We were camping at a state park which happened to have an orienteering course. Our oldest was enthralled, and the rest of us were along for the adventure. Well, truth be told, one of us dislikes hiking, but she made a gallant effort...actually a Herculean effort when, at one point, we had to troop through thick woods blazing our own trail as we went. It was very much out of her comfort zone, but she courageously met the challenge.

Orienteering is, according to the state park's website, "the art of map and compass reading." Basically, we picked up this flyer at the office.

It is not a trail map. Instead it reveals the area where each marker post is located. Those are the circles you see on the map. Each marker post is numbered or lettered. They look like this:

The upper left corner shows the marker post number and the lower right corner is the letter you write on your brochure to prove you actually saw the marker post.

From post to post you are on your own. With the aid of the map, a compass, and your own ingenuity, you decide how to get from post to post.

You can walk or run to the next marker.

We chose to walk, or be carried...

It took us about two hours or so to find all the markers - a bit long for little legs.

Some of the marker posts were easy to find. Others were a bit more tricky.

We found each and every one. {Mainly because it was important to our oldest son to finish the course and we wanted to support him.}

In the end, we were all glad we had found each marker post and finished the course...even our not so outdoorsy gal...after all, it counted for a day of school and she "didn't even have to do Latin."