Let it Rain

Sage last came to visit on a rainy day. Although the rain had stopped he insisted on using his mother’s umbrella while playing on the deck.

I suppose he was practicing the old adage; on ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Fallen

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born and a time to die.

The season is passed for the log and the leaves; in splendor they gather

on the forest floor to return to the earth from where they came.

Note, Image sized for use as desktop

Autumn Splendor

As we approach the peak colors of autumn one must take time away from busy schedules to absorb the awesome beauty.

Soon those "must do" items on our daily schedule will be as unimportant and forgotten as this old hay rake sitting abandoned by the edge of the field.

Dick’s Lower Place

Today I visited an old farmstead known to older locals as Dick’s Lower Place. Dick Mellott had previously lived farther up the mountain and after moving the locals began referring to his two homesteads as the upper and lower place. While the family lived at this location my Grandfather taught the children at Maple Grove, the local one room school. At the time there were many families living on this mountain side and some of the remnants of their homes still remain. These were hardscrabble farms with thin rocky soil where scratching out a living was difficult at best. The area has now reverted mostly to forest and much of it is now part of the Pennsylvania State Gamelands system. The names of these places will soon be lost to history, possibly with the passing of my generation. The stone cellar is all that remains of the house, but two of the outbuildings were made of rot resistant chestnut log construction and the ruins remain.

The rough hewn logs tell the story of hours of toil; felling the trees with a two man crosscut saw, flattening two sides with an adze, notching them with an axe and stacking them into a building. Not much money was required in the construction but rather the cost was many hours of hard backbreaking labor.

The adze marks from many years ago are still plainly visible.

A square cut nail still protrudes from a fallen timber.

A hole bored by the doorway, probably used as part of a long gone latching mechanism.

Today the family is gone. The children who once romped here have all grown old and passed on. Only the yucca remains as the last living reminder of the family who once lived here.

Taste Just Like Chicken

I encountered this beautiful Sulphur Shelf Fungus yesterday. It was growing on the side of a rotting tree trunk. Its colors were vibrant in the misty woods. With the low light level, I was unsure if I would be able to capture the beauty that was before me.

Nothing goes to waste in the forest. This large tree died and fell to the forest floor. Now it is home to many insects, salamanders, small animals, plants and fungi. They all are helping the decay of the tree to proceed thus returning the nutrients and minerals of the tree to the soil so other life can use them and flourish in a never ending cycle!

The Sulphur Shelf Fungus is commonly known as the Chicken of the Woods for when fried it is supposed to be comparable to fried chicken. Although I consider myself somewhat of an outdoorsman this is one delicacy I have not tried!

Boom Town

Have you ever seen a JLG lift or material handler on a construction job?

If not, you just haven’t noticed!

If you have, have you ever seen so many in one place!

The Meadow Grounds Falls

The Meadow Grounds Falls are the only falls of any significance in my area. The stream forming this falls is a tributary to the Potomac River. These falls are located on Pennsylvania state gamelands, thus allowing full public access. To reach it requires a hike through somewhat rugged terrain.

Pennsylvania has over 1.4 million acres in the state gamelands system. This land is open to the public for hiking, hunting, birding etc. The rules and regulation governing the use of the lands are commonsense guidelines designed to preserve the lands for the enjoyment of all and future generations. These lands have been purchased with monies generated by our state’s hunters through license sales and excise taxes on hunting equipment. Although this land is purchased and maintained only by hunters it is open for all to enjoy at any time totally free!

I shot this photograph many years ago with a Minolta SLR on Kodak Ektachrome with a double polarizing filter to achieve the effect you see here.

Country Roads

I love the beautiful scenes afforded us by our many country roads. As we move into autumn they become more beautiful with each passing day. I full well know that soon the dull drab grays of winter will be upon us but now is the time to bask in the glory of autumn. As with all things in life........

Seize the Moment!

This scene is directly in front of our home. My wife said she was glad I took it as she frequently pauses to enjoy the view for a moment on her daily walk to our mailbox

Morning Jewels

This morning as I looked out our kitchen window

this beautiful sight met my eyes.

The glorious images created by nature are endless

and may only last for a moment.

An Unfair Advantage

Pennsylvania has a long standing tradition of deer hunting. Deer hunting has been passed down through the generations from father to son and so on. Rural Pennsylvania is a land of forested mountains with valleys of farmland interspersed with woodlots. This constitutes ideal habitat for our most sought after game animal, the whitetail deer. The name of our state refers to this woodland, as Pennsylvania’s (Penn’s Sylvania) literal meaning is Penn’s Woods. We have numerous deer seasons based upon what weapon is legal at a given time. Our first season of the fall is archery followed by muzzleloader then modern rifle and concluded by a late flintlock and archery combination season.
The baiting of wildlife for the purpose of hunting is unlawful in our commonwealth and has been so since the very early conservation laws were passed early last century. Many individuals do try to take this shortcut to harvest their deer regardless of the illegality.

The hunters have been preparing for the upcoming deer season for months. The latest bows and arrows have been purchased and many hours have been spent at the range shooting and fine tuning the tackle. The sporting goods stores have been very busy selling the latest of gadgets to improve the hunter’s success. They have braved the crowds in their attempt to get everything just right. They have the latest camouflage clothing complete with carbon scent blocker lining and of course not only their clothing but also their bodies are freshly washed in the latest scent eliminator. Other preparations have taken place also. Since the early days of August a weekly trip has been made to their hunting area to place corn and salt at the hunting stands. This is the one little secret which is kept private among the members. Not a word of it is to be breathed to anyone. As the apples begin to ripen they too are added to the feed piles. Trail cameras are also added to capture images of the deer attending the bait. With all of the technology available our hunter wants to know what to expect before hunting season arrives. Once he has killed his deer he will have something to brag about to his friends and co-workers. He will tell how he scouted the area and located the trophy buck, spent unending hours patterning him to determine his feeding and bedding areas and how he placed his stand at the exact spot in order to intercept him on his way between the two. Our hunter will portray himself as a real modern day Nimrod!

Our hunters are not the only ones busy. The conservation officers have been going about their daily work. Along the way they will on occasion take note of a truck load of corn or apples etc. driving into a lane where they suspicion that no farmer has livestock. Perhaps someone mentions their suspicions of baiting occurring on a neighboring property.

What ever the circumstance it will be investigated. Foot patrols are conducted and evidence is gathered. They too are preparing for the upcoming season.

Opening day our hunters rise from bed early. Perhaps they had a difficult time sleeping while thoughts of large bucks filled their minds. After a quick breakfast our hunters depart for their well prepared ambush spots. They want to arrive early so that the disturbance of their arrival has time to settle before daylight. Perhaps the deer will forget that they are there.

Unknown to them a few hours earlier the officers also left the comfort of their beds, meeting, going over maps and laying out the day’s strategy. One officer will wait a few yards from each hunting stand, well camouflaged. Radios will be turned off to make sure the hunter remains unaware of their presence. Watches are synchronized and the time of the apprehension is decided. The officers arrive at the area and proceed on foot to their appointed spots. A short time after settling in the hunters arrive.

This is the risk many of our less than honorable hunters take each fall in an attempt to beat the system and perhaps get the Whitetail Trophy of a lifetime. Sometimes they do, but sometimes what they get is totally unexpected.