Fall in Michigan and Knitting

Wednesday 10/16

an apology to everyone who gets an email there is a new post.  Honest when I checked in the Spring Lake Library there were photos.. what can I say. 

I love fall... I know there is plenty of color in Texas, all green with bright flowers everywhere, nevertheless there is something to be said for a crisp fall day the crunch crackle of leaves underfoot, a tang in the breeze, dancing colors twirling along streets, sidewalks, and air. This morning we woke to gray skies, light cold drizzle, wind pulling leaves from the trees filling the air with dancing fall colors.
It is finally fall temperatures here the rest of the week  falling to the 40's and 30's and the prospect of the first hard frost. Yippee
Of course by the time we leave I will be aching for warm sun and 80 degrees

Saturday (10/12) I went to Grand Rapids and the Fulton Street Market then just some wandering and general... I haunted the remember places that were part of everyday life before we left. I stopped at Schuler's books on 28th for Quiche, then wandered up and down Plainfield Ave perusing quilt shops. It was fun and while there are new buildings, most of the old ones are still there but rearranged. I renewed acquaintance with some vendors at the market and came home totes filled with goodies. 

new knitting project. I am making a Fair Isle Cardigan
for myself , this is the first sleeve

I love spotting the first leaf on a branch turning colors

I have discovered lots of animal tracks in the front yard

I can successfully knit a hat, that looks like a hat
However I need to find someone with a large head to
wear it  ;0

I love seeing the pine trees here filled with pine cones

lichen on the trees means the air around here
is clean.. a good sign

World Bird Santuary October 3rd 2013

We finally made it to the sanctuary  with beautiful weather, two hours went by before we realized it. Tom was just as enthralled as I was by these magnificent birds. If you are even within a hundred miles, please stop.. check out their web site, or blog. http://www.worldbirdsanctuary.org   The World Bird Sanctuary rests peacefully on 305 acres of Missouri hardwood forest, next door to Lone Elk County Park and Chubb Trail. We are open daily from 8am - 5pm, and closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Free entry and parking. Walter C. Crawford, Jr., World Bird Sanctuary Founder and Executive Director, started the important work of rehabilitating and releasing birds of prey over 35 years ago. Preserving, protecting and helping Bald Eagles has been a core focus of his life's work. In 2010/2011, we followed one eagle's story – a testament to the commitment of Walter and his staff to the mission of World Bird Sanctuary.

The sanctuary is up in the hills, in a very wooded area. Your can
hear wild birds off in the trees. There are feeders set out for wild birds

Eurasian Eagle Owl

similar to the great horned owl, but much larger; prominent ear tufts are usually laid back; streaked breast, mottled brownish feathers; some have orangish-brown feathers on the face, underparts, wings, and back; orange-yellow or deep fiery orange eyes; adults and juveniles similar in appearance

Liberty

Liberty, a male bald eagle, arrived at the Florida Audubon Society's rehabilitation center in the summer of 1992, as a juvenile, with a fractured coracoid (similar to a human collar bone). After healing, he was banded and released at the Merritt Island, Florida, National Wildlife Refuge on 10/30/92. Three weeks later he was found in St. Augustine, Florida, with a dislocated humerus (shoulder) and permanent retinal damage to both eyes. It is believed he was hit by a car. After healing, Liberty was transferred to the World Bird Sanctuary, where he became a featured educational bird. In his travels he has helped to educate thousands of audiences about the amazing success story of our national symbol. His calm and relaxed attitude, along with his regal bearing, has made him a popular favorite with handlers and audiences alike

Red-Tailed Hawk sturdy looking bird with short, rounded wings and fanned tails; adults have mottled chocolate-colored backs with lighter brown shoulder patches; the tail is brick red, from which they originally derived their name; the breast is white with a dark belly band across the abdomen; however, some birds are so light as to appear albino; immature birds are heavily banded (vertically) on the breast and chest and have a greyish to brownish tail with black bands; immature birds develop the adult coloration after the first year; juveniles' eye color also changes during this period from a yellowish brown to a dark brown at maturity

Hooded Vulture

Augur BuzzardKeeoo

Keeoo was hatched 3/28/92 at the the World Bird Sanctuary/ She was named for the distinctive call of the Augur Buzzard. Over the years Keeoo has participated in education programs at Sea World of Ohio, Grant's Farm, Forth Worth Zoo, Milwaukee County Zoo, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Keeoo currently resides at the World Bird Sanctuary, where she has helps to educate thousands of visitors every year. Your adoption fee will help feed, house and care for Keeoo in the coming year.

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