This has been an unusual year (so far) for Doug and me. We've had more than the usual number of ailments, resulting in more than the usual number of medical appointments. There's been nothing too serious among our ailments, but they've clogged our calendar, kept us from doing much traveling, and contributed to my lapse in posting here.
But, lest you think I've abandoned the blog completely, here are some photos from some warm, sunny days in June.
Ouabache (pronounced WAH-bash) State Park is a favorite destination for quiet summer afternoons of relaxation, reading, and photography.
Unfortunately, the lake in the park has been drained this year, to allow construction of a swimming beach. So our afternoons by the lake aren't quite the same this year. For one thing, there's a serious lack of dragonflies, one of my favorite subjects for photographs. And the Canada Geese are doing more hiking than swimming.
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| An Eastern Eyed Click Beetle (after I knocked it out of my hair) |
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| The same beetle, with wings spread |
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Even though the lake has been drained, there is a small area with water in it. Doug and I walked out on the dry lake bed to reach the edge of the water and found several water snakes swimming at the water's edge and moving among the rocks on the shore. (And the park authorities are building a swimming beach???)
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| Water Snake |
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| Cedar Waxwing |
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| Brown-Headed Cow Bird |
After our afternoon at the park, we drove over to Willshire, Ohio, for supper at the Willshire Drive-in, one of our very favorite places to go for ice cream in the summer.
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| Willshire Drive-in |
While enjoying our meal (and dessert) at the drive-in, we watched a brave soul painting the town's water tower.
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| Painting the Willshire, Ohio Water Tower |
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Our drive home that day had to be rerouted due to a fire in what we think was a barn. We drove by the site a few days later. All that was left was a pile of charred debris. There was a house nearby, so we're pretty sure this was a barn.
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| Structure Fire |
Sad about the fire, Linda. And they are building a swimming beach where there are snakes? This would make me nervous. :) Beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was sad about the fire, Linda. Better than the house, I suppose, but still a loss. And I fully agree with you about swimming with snakes!
DeleteIt is sad to see a lake being drained.Also sad to see a building burning to the ground. I hope that you will be done with the ailments and able to enjoy getting out again.
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, Ruth, they hope to have the construction of the beach completed by the Fourth of July weekend. But it will depend upon rainfall as to how long it will take for the lake to fill up again. Things seem to be letting up a bit with the ailments. We're just hoping that the light at the end of the tunnel isn't an oncoming train. :)
DeleteWe can sympathize with doctors appointments clogging up one's calendar, but I'm glad you were able to get a way for a day at the park, even if the lake was drained. I do hope the snakes are gone once the new beach is ready!
ReplyDeleteYes, George, I guess this is our new normal, huh? I'm glad the park is close enough that we can go fairly often. I'm looking forward to having water in the lake again, though. As for the snakes, I imagine they're there to stay. But, when the lake is full, maybe they'll stay far away from the swimming beach.
DeleteHi Linda!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting and sharing the photos, I've been wondering how you're doing. I have to say if that beetle had been in my hair I would have come apart at the seams, but I imagine you just calmly started clicking photos. lol I enjoyed all the park shots.
I know what you mean, we're having the issues here, too. I'm in a blog slump myself - a friend of over forty years is having serious heart issues, and life in general seems very unsettled these days. I need to make several appointments, too but I'm really tired to spending time at offices. Right now I'm wearing glasses I got 15 years ago. My last ones have a broken nose piece, and the ones before that are so scratched...well, you get the picture. Have a great week!
Hi, Toni. I'd been wondering about you, too. I'm sorry to hear about your friend and hope he/she will be gaining some ground soon. As for the beetle, I figured, if it survived my swatting it out of my hair, it deserved to have its picture taken. :) I'm moving ahead toward cataract surgery. They found a weak spot in the retina of my left eye that needed to be repaired first.
DeleteI'm really curious to see what the beach by the lake will look like when it's finished and how much it will affect the natural look of the place. I read that water snakes are non-venomous and harmless, do you know whether it applies also to this kind? It's true though that even if they were harmless, feeling or seeing them swimming around one's body might not feel quite comfortable even if one recognised them.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of curious, too, Petra. It seems unnecessary to me since the park also has a swimming pool. Yes, the water snakes are non-venomous; but still...kind of a turn-off for me to get into that water.
DeleteIndeed the Golden Years can be challenging. Still photography is a lot of fun. I enjoyed yours...:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit, troutbirder. A friend told me once that the only thing golden about the golden years was that all your gold went to the doctors. :) There's a lot of truth in that.
DeleteWow what a pretty park. That beetle is weird looking lol. Yum eating at the drive in! Sad to see something burn but hope it wasn't a home.
ReplyDeleteMy iPad froze.....I should have said what pretty pic you took in the park. Sorry for the ailments
ReplyDeleteThat beetle does look weird, and it makes a lot of noise when it lands in your hair. We love that drive-in, especially the ice cream. Pretty sure the fire was a barn; but, of course, it's still a loss to the owners.
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