Hi all,

I haven't posted here in months, but I do come back to lurk, enjoying all your fantastic photos. You are all extremely talented!

I just wanted to try something different here. Please keep in mind:

1. This is a test

2. My photographic talent is still in its baby stages - I have a lot to learn, and need much practice.

Here goes....(click on the links)

I took a walk yesterday on my Dad's property, (which is quite overgrown since I moved away many, many years ago.) I wanted to find my old "play" areas to see how they've changed. Come with me.

At the edge of a meadow stands an old {{gwi:2012452}} which my Dad built out of left-over and scratch lumber. This was a great hide-out.

We'll take a path headed {{gwi:2012453}} an old dirt road that has grown over, as you can see. We are headed for the creek, my favorite place to play. The path winds around and through an {{gwi:2012454}} which used to be filled with christmas trees. One of my jobs was to trim them to Christmas-tree shapes. The path continues past the plantation, where patches of {{gwi:2012455}}...and a {{gwi:2012456}}

Here's a healthy 4' {{gwi:2012457}} that would make a nice Christmas tree, if you like long needles. These Wildflowers brightened up my day: {{gwi:2012458}},{{gwi:2012459}} and {{gwi:2012460}}

Now, we have a challenge. I must traverse a deep water-filled ditch, then a multilane highway, then another deep ditch to continue my journey. Due to "progress", my Dad's land was sliced in half. Fortunately, the state paid him well for the lower half. It's just a shame that the lower half is now landlocked (I think that's the right word.) It used to be farmed. So much of our farmland is being taken over by progress. After carefully crossing over the ditchline, I made it to the edge of the road. Now this is a bit tricky, because I must cross {{gwi:2012461}} of 65 mph traffic. And as you all know, most cars exceed the speed limit.

Made it safely to the other side and NOTHING looks like it used to. The dirt road is gone, and I must find my way through {{gwi:2012462}} (Sorry about the blurriness in that one. I set it for infinity - still learning!) But the color of the plumes is pretty anyway. Growing where a pond used to be is a {{gwi:2012463}} that is spreading its seeds. The tree is about 40' tall, and wasn't there when I was a kid! Under the shade of the Willow is a {{gwi:2012464}} Here's a {{gwi:2012465}} which was hard to focus in on w/o scaring it away.

Getting closer to the creek, we must watch for {{gwi:2012466}}, and many thorny vines and brambles. I just can't find my old adventure path! Oh, I know why - because that was DECADES ago!....plus the fact that we were recently deluged with flooding rains here in the midwest. I could see as I was walking, that the floodwaters reached out into the lowland grassy area to about 2 feet high, since I noticed dried dusty mud on all the native plants. So the creek of course couldn't hold all the raging waters. I wanted to find the Beaver dams that my son had told me about, but couldn't get close enough to photograph any. {{gwi:2012467}} has subsided now, as most of the waters have continued on their way to Lake Michigan. We kids used to swing across the {{gwi:2012468}} on ropes, or walk across on fallen trees. I imagine there were many generations of kids that did the same. Winter freezing provided fun ice skating, and I always managed to find a thin spot to fall through.

Heading back, I found this {{gwi:2012469}} which I can't identify. Can you? Through the tall grasses, over the ditch, and before crossing Hwy 31, I shot this {{gwi:2012470}} Quickly crossing the highway, through the second ditch, and I'm back on my Dad's property. Taking a path {{gwi:2012471}} I passed another {{gwi:2012472}} of trees that need trimming. Grass needs mowing, too! Come on up here this winter and cut your own, if you'd like!

Finally back to Dad's house, I found one more play area with my {{gwi:2012473}} still hanging by rusty chains, bringing back memories of swinging as high as I could to try and pick a pear off the nearest tree.

Enough, already!

Sorry, that was very long, but just wanted to share with all of you.

Julie