Autumn Forest at Nicolet Bay

Hard to believe I’m uttering the “w” word (winter) in October, especially since my brain is still stuck back somewhere between August and September. I have this total disconnect with the red, yellow and orange leaves outside my window. They are supposed to be green. Or so says my brain. ;)

My brain may be late for its own party, but the Coast Guard isn’t. I heard the Coast Guard cutter MOBILE BAY announce on the scanner this morning that they were “doing ATON in the Strawberry Islands” … which means they are likely pulling up my dearest, favoritest bell buoy off Peninsula Park.

Bell Buoy #6

I don’t know why I have such a love for this buoy. But I think of her as being my soulmate in the buoy world. She is always there, rain or shine, night or day. Her bell clangs with the rhythm of the waves, especially loud up on Svens Bluff and along Sunset Trail. At dusk her bright red light flashes, on and off, on and off, persistently piercing the darkness all night long, ’til dawn assumes command and takes over lighting duties.

The clouds are supposed to clear later today, and I will make a reluctant trek to the park to see if my dear buoy has been tugged from the water for her long winter’s sleep. I hope not! But if she has, I will at least have the memories of a few hikes on Sunset Trail during which time was marked by the irregular but constant clang of my buoy’s bell. ##

No worries, my friends… although I haven’t been writing this spring (sorry!), I have been out & about snapping pictures of everything, nearly every day this spring.

I did, however, draw the line at rainy days :) neither I, nor you, need to see pictures of gray-brown muddy blah.

New entries will be filed by their actual date, which means they won’t appear at the top of the page, and you might miss them. So, I will post a “Spring 2008 Journal” table of contents, which will stay at the top. As I add new articles, I will link to them in that post! Then you will be able to quickly see what’s new.

In the meantime, let’s play “count the white-crowned sparrows” :) — click on the pic to make it larger. They’re easier to count that way. :)

Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek is holding its annual Candlelight Ski on Saturday, February 9, 2008, from 5:30-8 PM.

A one-mile cross-country ski loop will be illuminated with candles.

A state park sticker is required. ##