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| Blogs > kzoopair > Take two- they're small |
March at Al Sabo
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March at Al Sabo We’ve been hiking every day all winter. We spent more time at Asylum Lake this year. The prairie is larger there than the meadow at Al Sabo and as gloomy and grey as this winter was we were craving some sunshine and open space. We got the open space but the sun was fairly elusive this year. Last winter we saw ten feet of snow, and it stayed cold so the snow lasted all winter. This year our snowfall must have been more like six feet, which is actually right on average for southwest Michigan, but we had constant warmups that melted all of the snow in a week or two. There was never much accumulation. Now spring is creeping in and little green shoots are starting to peek out. Everywhere in the forest the moss is blooming. Frogs are croaking in all the ponds and on the lower Lookout Trail along the swamp between the honking geese in the marsh and the croaking frogs there’s quite a racket going on, occasionally punctuated by the cuckoo cries of sandhill cranes. The cranes blend in so well they’re hard to spot in the marsh. You have to look for a ball of grey-brown about the size of a goose, and then watch it for any sign of red, or maybe a very slow movement. Gracie’s very good at spotting them, if she’s interested, but they’re kind of old hat to her now and she isn’t very impressed by them anymore. I heard them before I saw them this year, which is usually how it goes. Finally I noticed a crane on a point in the marsh. It must have been Tuesday, and I tried to sneak down the hill and maneuver out onto a dry boggy islet on the edge of the marsh that jutted out for a closer look, but that promontory was so littered and clogged with brush that I made more noise than the Battle of Waterloo, and scared the crane away. A couple of days later I found a pair browsing below the bank of the east marsh in heavy brush. I’ve seen them here often before so it’s a good place to watch for them. It’s still amazing to me how hard such big birds are to see. Except for that red patch on their heads they’re nearly perfectly camouflaged. Gracie is a year older this spring and I can trust her off leash more and more. We usually wait until the return trip to unclip her lead and let her run- she’s tired by then and less likely to go batshit crazy, and she minds better. A year ago I couldn’t let her loose in the forest or she’d run off like a wild thing into the woods, and I had a hell of a time getting her attention to get her back. Now she follows the trail and doesn’t wander off too far. She’s also obedient about returning when called. She can tell by my voice and the look on my face when she’s fucked up and better check back in. All that squabbling we did last year over her hardheadedness is gone, and she doesn’t go rogue very often. She has a buddy out there- Ollie- who thinks she’s the hottest thing on four legs. He’s a yellow lab and when he spots her on the trail he gets so excited he charges so fast he runs right past and then circles back to try to hump her. This confuses her, and she gets a “Dude- control your urges!” look on her face, but there’s no meanness in her. If she’d bite him once or twice he’d knock it off, but Gracie’s no fighter. My Malemute Rocky would have flayed him alive- at least I don’t have to worry about fights any more. One photo I included here- the bright green moss girdling a big oak at its base- looked unreal. It has a retouched or edited look to it, but I didn’t change a thing. The contrast between the grey of late winter and the vivid green of early spring seemed the perfect way to illustrate what March in the forest here looks like.           Become a member now and get a free tote bag. |
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One more: [image] Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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And another: [image] Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Awesome. "Rules for happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.”― Immanuel Kant .
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That hoodie is doing me no favors. I look like a dumpling in it.  amp;The crane photos are so cool, and Gracie is beautiful. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Awesome. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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That hoodie is doing me no favors. I look like a dumpling in it. amp;The crane photos are so cool, and Gracie is beautiful.  Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Such beautiful pictures!! Thanks for sharing them (Virtual Symposium Group) use Virtual Symposium Group
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I love these photos but especially the one of PD! I love you guys... kk The observant make the best lovers, I may not do right, but I do write, I have bliss, joy, and happiness in my life, Kitkat Come check out my blog KItkat1415 check out this post by me Adventures In Body Grooming #39 April Topic Link: What Lies Beneath If April Showers Oh Bloody Hell What Kind Of Weather Turns Me On Bloggers Symposium 40
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Such beautiful pictures!! Thanks for sharing them Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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I love these photos but especially the one of PD! I love you guys... kk Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Yet again you've posted some great photos with some great text to guide me through your walk. I hope you've drawn up a pre-nuptial agreement for Gracie and Ollie to put their paw prints to. Puppies may be coming!  
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Yet again you've posted some great photos with some great text to guide me through your walk. I hope you've drawn up a pre-nuptial agreement for Gracie and Ollie to put their paw prints to. Puppies may be coming! Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Nice pictures. Did the bridge/walkway get washed out or what? It's always nice to see the colors coming back and the wildlife returning. We didn't get much snow here either this year and it seemed to rain soon after if not in the same storm. You never know though we could still get one of those lovely 2-3 foot dumps of snow before May gets here. I kind of doubt it though this year. Vive La Difference
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Loving these pics. The green moss IS surreal. The frog is cute. But what the hell is coming out of the water above the frog pic??? Love the pic of Gracie!!!!! And of that path .. that is my kind of picture!
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Absolutely stunning pictures of the world coming to life again after winter. I love the way you talk about Gracie...she reminds me of my Kelly who also used to go bat shit crazy in the woods around Blessington Lakes here....she loved them and to swim but she is long gone now.  ~~Anais Nin~~
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Nice pictures. Did the bridge/walkway get washed out or what? It's always nice to see the colors coming back and the wildlife returning. We didn't get much snow here either this year and it seemed to rain soon after if not in the same storm. You never know though we could still get one of those lovely 2-3 foot dumps of snow before May gets here. I kind of doubt it though this year. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Loving these pics. The green moss IS surreal. The frog is cute. But what the hell is coming out of the water above the frog pic??? Love the pic of Gracie!!!!! And of that path .. that is my kind of picture! The red sprouts are skunk cabbage, and the swamp is full of it. It's one of the first plants to pop out in spring. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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We went again today, and we'll go tomorrow. We rarely miss a day. Gracie just won't allow it! Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Absolutely stunning pictures of the world coming to life again after winter. I love the way you talk about Gracie...she reminds me of my Kelly who also used to go bat shit crazy in the woods around Blessington Lakes here....she loved them and to swim but she is long gone now. A dog is always looking for something to celebrate, and it doesn't take much to make them happy. Hell, it doesn't take much to make them ecstatic. At two and a half Gracie is just past being a pup, and she has all the joy of youth still in her, but she has enough age to behave a little better. She wore us out getting her this far. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Last year we had temperatures in the single digits in early March, and plenty of snow. We must be a month ahead on spring this year. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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That pic of PD looks like you ran past her and are turning around to hump her and she's giving YOU the "dude, control your urges" look.  I love that old wood and new moss in that 1st pic, such contrast!Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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I am in awe if the size of that moss, and the color too. ... It looks so much more alive than what I see on the trees around here. And froggies! .. And cranes! And so many trees.
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It's just starting, but we're way ahead of last year. It was very cold here last March, and we had new snow too. That could still happen- but we have a new beginning anyway. The native plants and trees are tough. They can take some snow and cold. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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You do take some very good photos. Gracie is one beautiful dog. All in all, she's learned a lot in just a year. With age comes wisdom, if we're lucky. I'd be diminished without her. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Those plank walks are wonderful. There are three- one crosses the marsh from the west, from Kalamazoo Valley Community College. One crosses the swamp from the lower Lookout Trail to an island in the marsh- that's the one in the photo. Another dives right through the marsh and leads to the south end of that same island. That one is long and has a lot of adventure in it, due to missing parts and some that have been heaved by the ice. You can't take that path unless you're prepared to get wet and muddy. We'll pick a warm day and do that one again soon. We did it once this winter. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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