The 1901 Train Wreck #WordlessWednesday

 Rocker Ozzy Osbourne passed away yesterday, as we continue to lose the musicians of our younger years.

His song "Crazy Train" reminded me of this historical marker on the Vestal Rail Trail, where my spouse and I spent many hours walking for exercise. 

Not a Crazy Train but a Tragic Train Wreck (taken in 2018)

We've passed this marker many times, one that tells the story of a 1901 train wreck that took place here on Saturday, June 8, 1901 around 9:45 pm. 

Here is the Ozzy Osbourne song, which is not about this train wreck. 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

(I'll feature a tribute to Ozzy next Monday on my Music Moves Me post). 

Hurray for Triple A

Yesterday was an interesting day.  

Pro tip:  "when you have a doctor's appointment that is hard to move, don't go somewhere else first".

We in the Southern Tier of New York have had an incredible stretch of weather (which will end tonight, as all things weather eventually do), with near record breaking temperatures and no frost.  And clear blue skies.  Day after day.

Before the doctor's appointment, I decided, since it was such a nice day, that I wanted to go down to the Vestal Rail Trail and take a short walk, maybe a mile and a quarter.  Spouse suggested the end near a historic structure called the Vestal Coal House because there were benches near the parking lot. His plan was to sit in the sun and relax.

Surprise:  the benches were gone.  So he stayed in the car, listening to the radio and running the fan.

I walked for about 20 minutes, returned, and got in the car. We planned to go home, have lunch, and go the doctor's appointment.   He turned the car on.

Or, shall we say, he tried to turn the car on.

It wouldn't start.

Uh-oh.

His guess was, the battery was dead.  It was six years old, so that also made sense.

We called AAA, the American Automobile Association.  We've been members for years.  It's been years since we used our membership for their road service.  

The service said, about 45 minutes.  

So we had to postpone the doctor's appointment.  We waited in the beautiful sunshine for the truck to come.

So

It really was beautiful along the trail.

A tow truck came out and the driver tested the battery and starting system.  It was the battery.  Zero voltage.

At least it died there and not in the middle of nowhere.

I looked at a bed of flowers nearby while the driver tested our vehicle.  Here, you can see that the snapdragons were still in bloom.

As it happens, this towing service carries batteries in their trucks.  AAA batteries, no less.  The driver sold us one and installed it.  There is a six year warranty, covered by AAA.  Who knew?

While we waited, I took some pictures. 

I have never seen dusty miller bloom before, but here it is, blooming alongside the above snapdragons.

One thing we did find out from the tow operator is that AAA, for their basic plan (the one we have) charges you if the tow is over three miles.  Fortunately we didn't have to get towed.  

We got home safely. 

Hurray for AAA.

Want to see more fall color? Join me tomorrow for SkywatchFriday.

Bench Hit By Tree #ShadowshotSunday

In the first week of August, we had some stormy weather.  Trees came down in various places, including on the Vestal Rail Trail in the Southern Tier of New York, where my spouse and I like to exercise walk.

August 10, you could still see some of the stray branches left by a downed tree. 

The tree had hit this bench, as you can see from the dent on the right side of the photo.  Fortunately, it was a small tree, and no one was sitting there at the time.

Still a bit scary, though.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for her #ShadowshotSunday.

Before the Deluge #SkywatchFriday

Like sand through the hourglass (or is it water?)....

....so are the days of our rain.  This has been one rainy summer and now what is left of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Debby is approaching our area.  So far we have escaped the large rain totals and flooding of other parts of the East Coast, but it's a bit nerve wracking nevertheless due to all the rain we've already receive this year.

I took these puddle pictures yesterday on the Vestal Rail trail.  The sky itself is a grim grey but the puddles are more interesting.

This rain is not from Debby.

Along the margins of the trail are interesting long, narrow puddles.

It drizzles as I take these pictures.

One of the downed trees from the storm we had on Monday.

The weather reports seem to indicate Western New York will be hit harder than us, but all we can do is wait and see.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers each week for #SkywatchFriday.

Punny Shadow #ShadowshotSunday

Over the last three or so weeks, someone has been chalking punny jokes on at least a couple of our walking trails.  I saw this one on the Vestal Rail Trail yesterday.

Unfortunately, to get these in the frame took some doing because of how far they stretch, and the Trail is busy on Saturdays.  So you'll have to take my word for it.

The first picture has the shadows.  I didn't want to leave you in the dark for the punny punchline just because some pictures didn't have shadows.

 You can barely see, written on the upper edge of the trail, "Whats the best thing about Switzerland?"

"I don't know....."

" ...but their flag is a huge plus." (If you or anyone you know is connected to Switzerland, please accept my apologies....)

The pun was the third punny joke of three.  Maybe I should ask if you want to see any more of them.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for her #ShadowshotSunday.   

And, speaking of Lisa, thank you, Lisa, for the link you sent me for possibilities for our Mystery Bird in the Backyard.  My spouse, who is a keener observer of size than I am, is still thinking the bird is larger than a sparrow, but we certainly could be wrong. I enjoyed seeing pictures of sparrows that we don't have, plus the ones we do have.  If any other of my Sunday readers are birders, could you take a quick look at my post from yesterday?  Thanks!

 

Shadows on a Late May Morning #ShadowshotSunday

 Taken this morning at our local rail trail, as we had a beautiful, sunny morning:

What a shame dame's rocket is an invasive wildflower. It would look so nice in a wildflower garden.  In fact, it was introduced in the 1600's for that very purpose.  But here's why you should never consider planting it (and note, some wildflower mixes include it!)

I wonder if the yellow flower you can barely see in the middle of the picture (I took this from a distance and don't dare blow it up further) is yellow flag iris.  If it is, it is another invasive, at least in New York State.  It's alongside a stream, so the environment would be right for yellow flag iris.

Shadows on the ground.

Taken this morning at our local year-round farmers market:

Shadow selfie on asparagus.

Carrots.

Two bicycle stands.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for her #ShadowshotSunday a day early.  We'd love you to come out of the shadows and join us.  All you need is one shadow picture, inside or outside.

Tomorrow is my Memorial Day post, also a day early.

Is Pluto a Planet? #WordlessWednesday

Last year, a Planet Walk was installed on our local Rail Trail.  They managed to fit in all the planets over its span of 3.8 miles (6.12 km), including one that has an interesting back story.

Yes, Pluto.  The planet that suddenly wasn't a planet.  Except, maybe for Rail Trail purposes.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was named by an 11 year old girl.  All through my childhood, I was taught that Pluto was the furthest away of the planets and the last discovered.

But times have changed.  Pluto was demoted to "dwarf planet" in 2006.  People were upset.  Really, many people were upset.  But we've all had time to adjust now.  And maybe that's how Pluto ended up on the Planet Walk.

Yes, it's small.  But it has at least five moons. It just hasn't "cleared its orbit", whatever that means. I read that, except for that cleared its orbit thing, it meets all criteria for being a true planet.

Come on, how about it?  How about reinstating it to true planet?

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Happy 5100th (Plus Two) Post

I don't look at my stats too much so I didn't notice that, on Tuesday, I posted my 5,100th blog post, until yesterday.

So today is #5102.  Yay me!

I never would have imagined, when I started blogging in 2009, that I would ever hit that milestone.    For that I have to give a big shout out to my readers.

Your comments and readership are what keeps me going, along with my enjoyment of blogging.  The ability to combine photography and writing is my main enjoyment, along with reading other blogs.

So, how should I celebrate?

How about some photos of autumn fall color?

Let's do it!

These pictures were taken yesterday on the Vestal Rail Trail.

Yellow and red and still enough green.

We may have our first frost Monday, and then the color show will truly begin.

August Wildflowers for a Saturday

Please enjoy some wildflower pictures from local walking trails where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.  These pictures were all taken this week.

The yellows.

Goldenrod.

Jewelweed.

Evening Primrose.

The whites.

Queen Anne's Lace.

 

Sweet autumn clementis (I think) or Clematis terniflora , which is on invasive species list.  That plant originates in Japan/China.  It's also possible it's a native, Clematis virginiana. 

Pinks and purples.

Soapwort, which to me is pink and white. These plants poked through mulch the town laid down a year or two ago and looks like a human planting, but it isn't.

Purple loosestrife, another invasive.

Joe pye weed.

Like flowers?  Join me again Tuesday, August 15, for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

What's blooming in nature where you live?

Morris Shadow Dancing and Trail Walking #ShadowshotSunday

 Morris dancers at Binghamton, New York's Much Ado About the Garden festival, July 16, 2023, dancing.  You can see their shadows underneath them.

It started to rain a few minutes later and they had to take shelter in the building behind them, which is our local farmers market on Saturday mornings.  I followed them in.

Morris dancing is a form of English folk dancing.  These dances were choreographed and, here, the dancers are wearing bells on their legs.

Shadows have been hard to find here lately but here's another shadow - me and trees on a local walking trail at the beginning of July.

Joining Magical Mystery Teacher for #Shadowshot Sunday.

A Tuesday Wildflower Bouquet

Just for you, my readers, a late June bouquet of wildflowers.  These pictures were taken June 24.

Elderberry.  This is a wild edible (although I don't have land with elderberry bushes on it any more) - here are some of my memories of when I did. 

Harvesting and processing elderberries is a lot of work.  Both the flowers and tiny berries are edible.

I am thinking this is silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) and not a viburnum. Whatever it is, it's been blooming for a week or more and there is a lot of it along the Vestal Rail Trail, where I took these pictures.  The berries of the silky dogwood are a favorite of birds.

Forget Me Not.   I won't.  They are said to represent royalty and true love/devotion.

Penstemon and some daisies.

Wild Rose.  The trail is full of invasive white roses that have finished blooming.  This is the only pink rose I am aware of on the trail.

Finally, there's this pink flower.  It may be familiar to a lot of you.

When I first started reading seed and plant catalogs in the late 1970's after we had purchased our first house, crownvetch was heavily advertised for erosion control.  Perhaps it did its job too well - it is considered a highly invasive plant now.  It spreads rapidly and chokes out desirable natives.  However, it is also eaten by white tailed deer (who are immune to its poison -yes, it is poisonous) and provides groundcover for rabbits and ground nesting birds.

Thank you for coming on my wildflower walk with me.

Marcescence and Going Into Reruns #ThursdayTreeLove

I don't know if I'm the only one, but if I look back at my 10,000 plus photos (please don't judge me harshly) on my phone, I find I tend to take the same pictures each year, over and over.

Perhaps it's an azalea or a rose bush I like.  Or a tree. 

Or a natural phenomenon.

Yesterday, spouse and I were exercise walking on the Vestal Rail Trail and I saw this tree.  You'll note it's not an evergreen.  Instead, it's an (I think) oak, holding onto its leaves.  They never fell off in fall.

Turns out, I took a picture of this tree two years ago and blogged about it (complete with snow on the ground).

So here I am again, going into reruns.

This time, the snow has melted (yet again) but the same tree is there, two years (almost to the day) older.

This occurrence is called marcescence, and is explained here.  Interestingly, if you look (using the link above) at the 2021 photo vs. this years, you'll note that in the 2023 photo, more of the upper branches are bare.  This is normal for oaks as the tree starts to mature.

Those leaves can shelter birds, and also provide certain benefits to the tree.  For example, deer are less likely to eat buds off branches that still have last year's leaves.

Trees have a wisdom that we humans could wish for.  As for me going into reruns, sometimes reruns are more fun than starting new.  I've been blogging since 2009, and maybe I'll rerun old posts on occasion during the upcoming weeks.

Joining Parul at Happiness and Food for #ThursdayTreeLove.

The Colors of Mid January #SkywatchFriday

In this most unusual of Januaries, we've had a variety of colors to choose from.

January 16, the sun set in almost clear skies and shed a reflection on the water of the river near where I live.

 A better view of the reflection on the water.

As the sun touched the hills, a glow spread along the hills.

The next day, freezing drizzle was predicted.  I was getting ready for work when I remembered the sunrise.  I opened the door and saw the purple glow.  I ran outside, dressed in work clothes and house slippers.  Concentrating on the sunrise, I failed to note it was raining.  And 26 degrees F (-3.3 C)  Which meant the rain would be freezing on any surface.  I hurried inside and only got this one picture.

Oops.  The rain had only begun, fortunately, and there was no glaze on the ground - yet.  If the sunrise had been a few minutes later, I would have been ice skating (or house slipper skating) down my sidewalk.

On January 18, the skies were back to their normal grim grey, but there was still enough sun for a reflection of trees on a creek that the western Vestal Rail Trail crosses over.  No snow on the ground but you can see snow/ice on the bottom center and along the edge of the left bank.

Yesterday, it rained almost all day.  I was busy during sunset, but at some point I noticed that the sky was purple - again.  I quickly grabbed my phone.  Unfortunately, the iPhone didn't capture all the purple; just a hint of it.

I am wondering when we will return to normal winter weather.  Hoping it isn't in April or May.

Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers each Friday for #SkywatchFriday.