Orange Love

On a damp morning I wandered into a never before seen neighborhood in Stevens Point the other day to chase colors. One of the things we most appreciate about this area is the way most neighborhoods are not cookie-cutter tiny lot mega-metropolis beehives. People go about their business and lives behind thick screens of forest and woods on large lots and you’d never know homes exist beyond the screen. The road literally meanders about and it’s tranquilly quiet as I roll down my window. Despite being on the city’s doorstep what a pleasant place this would be to live. It’s hard to tell if the color trees were planted or growing wild but the effect is the same. Splendor in the woods.

Town was fairly quiet as I made my way through the Saturday farmer’s market, clicking away and buying a few vegetables. One note I'd like to make about the farmer's markets here: the vegetables are all local from central WI; they do not come from other areas.

It’s still a very pleasant temperature out so I wander town a little, the riverside park with migrating Monarch’s, and marvel in the visual feast of the flower bouquets. At $6 each they are not a splurge I would indulge in, but I sure long to see a big bunch on my table!

In the Village Where I Live

If you follow the Yellow Brick Road you can travel the Tomorrow River trail down by the pond. Actually, I just thought it would be fun to say that; one needn’t really follow Yellow Brick Road since it winds through a hilly subdivision built by Blenker that is really off the beaten path. Regardless, it offers some striking beauty this wonderfully crisp fall day. A few intrepid figures are off in the distance hiking the Tomorrow River trail but our paths don’t cross. This section is at milepost 12; since I didn’t pay for the trail pass I merely saunter a few hundred yards looking for color with my camera.

What a blissfully tranquil day it is here. I am taken with the wild (what I think is called) sumac. It shines in various fall colors, offering up deep garnet reds, vivid yellows and even neon oranges. I think I want some for my landscape—they are bushy shrubs but can get quite tall and be trained into a tree. Although they are pretty all year round, they appear to be the harbinger of fall, as they are the first to offer color.

Before visiting our pond I drove by Emily Lake Park but the colors there were just beginning. With summer winding down the last of the docks and pontoon boats have yet to be pulled from the lake and there were several RV campers already pulling in for the weekend’s camping--it has been such spectacular weather and is due to remain so for one last hurrah.

More Fall

I would have updated the blog before this but Marc’s cold decided to jump ship and infect me and make my life twice as miserable as when it visited him. I have had lots of congestion that just refuses to budge, leading to searing headaches, so I lost much of last week. In fact, although I was able to quickly run my twelve loaves of bread over to the gals at the bake sale at Fall o Rama, I was unable to do my shift at the booth. I was really sorry for that since it looked like it was going to be a really fun and gregarious day. The setup in the early hours after the morning’s rain looked like there would have been lots of handmade items to explore at all the booths. And who wouldn’t want to try some of those deep fried Cheese curds?

Meanwhile on the house front, Marc worked late every night until after dark so he was absolutely beat by the time he left for North Dakota. The basement got poured; the framework of the stairway is installed (not the treads); the roof trusses were lifted by him and secured by the crew; and the sheeting and ice shield are in place. His last task was to finish wrapping the water line so that is all ready for when the excavator does his backfill. After slipping and sliding on the 6/12 roof pitch Marc made a good judgment call and decided to have Blenker’s “kids” do the roofing. In addition, during his absence, they should also get the front porch installed and roofed as well. That will change the looks substantially.

In between off and on rain storms we are having spectacular fall days with perfect temperatures in the mid 60’s-70’s. This is just a stellar time of year in Wisconsin and reminds us of how much we love living here. I can hardly wait to feel better so I can get out on some photo drives. They are starting to harvest the corn; all the farmer’s veggie stands are still going strong; and the trees are starting their annual ritual of flaming out in a blaze of glory.