Where's My Camera?
Sunday after lunch I took Will and Jesse for a walk along the dry creek bed. It had been a long time since we had such an outing. This is the best time of the year for that since it has been so dry there are no puddles to impede our progress. The leaves are just beginning to turn their fall colors - mostly yellows now. A few leaves are already fluttering down in the wind mixing with the Hackberry Emperor butterflies that are so numerous now.
The creek bank is steep and dry now. When we first approached the area it was decided that Grandpa would be the first to descend. I was very careful that my feet did not slip in the loose sand as I went down. When at the bottom I looked back and here came Will on his belly sliding in the dirt. "It brushes off easily, Grandpa!"
We examined the vertical bank of layered shale, noticed a lot of discarded trash that careless people have dumped upstream and observed lots of driftwood and exposed tree roots of ancient residents that are still struggling against the occasional swift waters. The rough weathered bark of the giant cottonwood trees make them easy to spot at a distance.
We noticed some tiny purple blooms on the tips of weeds along the bank. As we came around a bend we encountered hundreds of Monarch butterflies that had stopped for a time of rest and refreshment along their long migration route. This was the first Monarchs that I have seen this fall.
A little farther along we noticed two spider lilies blooming at the top of the bank about 15 feet above us. These must be survivors of some discarded bulbs that have floated here on previous flood waters. They may have been blooming here unseen for decades.
The boys enjoyed walking in the various stream bed textures. Some places were hard shale, some very soft sand while others were gravel or mixtures of many substances. They also paused occasionally to attempt a climb up the steep bank to the level above. This should be one of those days to remember even without a camera - just the camera of our mind.
Sunday after lunch I took Will and Jesse for a walk along the dry creek bed. It had been a long time since we had such an outing. This is the best time of the year for that since it has been so dry there are no puddles to impede our progress. The leaves are just beginning to turn their fall colors - mostly yellows now. A few leaves are already fluttering down in the wind mixing with the Hackberry Emperor butterflies that are so numerous now.
The creek bank is steep and dry now. When we first approached the area it was decided that Grandpa would be the first to descend. I was very careful that my feet did not slip in the loose sand as I went down. When at the bottom I looked back and here came Will on his belly sliding in the dirt. "It brushes off easily, Grandpa!"
We examined the vertical bank of layered shale, noticed a lot of discarded trash that careless people have dumped upstream and observed lots of driftwood and exposed tree roots of ancient residents that are still struggling against the occasional swift waters. The rough weathered bark of the giant cottonwood trees make them easy to spot at a distance.
We noticed some tiny purple blooms on the tips of weeds along the bank. As we came around a bend we encountered hundreds of Monarch butterflies that had stopped for a time of rest and refreshment along their long migration route. This was the first Monarchs that I have seen this fall.
A little farther along we noticed two spider lilies blooming at the top of the bank about 15 feet above us. These must be survivors of some discarded bulbs that have floated here on previous flood waters. They may have been blooming here unseen for decades.
The boys enjoyed walking in the various stream bed textures. Some places were hard shale, some very soft sand while others were gravel or mixtures of many substances. They also paused occasionally to attempt a climb up the steep bank to the level above. This should be one of those days to remember even without a camera - just the camera of our mind.
posted by Grandpa at 7:30 AM
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