Last Days of Summer

Trempealeau Hotel Bands Stage

As summers end draws near the efforts of gardeners are at their peak.

Here's a peek at the gardens of Trempealeau that welcome you as you arrive at Perrot State Park.


Elephant Ears

Fun Statues

Village Street Containers

Inn on the River Display



Morning Glories









Flowers Everywhere



Local Natural Garden

Trumpets on Telephone Pole

Rock Art

Tiered Gardening

Tall Displays

Widowers

This may be the most difficult blog I've done so far. I can't use any photos, I can't look up cool information on the internet to share, and I can't document the moment with a picture.

I saw at Perrot State Park a Black Widow Spider. It just gives me the creepy crawlies saying it. Fortunately it was dead. It does however make me wonder what in the world killed it. Should I be more afraid of its predator. Or did the spiders husband figure out what was coming and did her in before she was finished with him.

Whatever the case may be I have a fear of spiders. I know they are beneficial to the environment, eating many other insects, but my anachraphobia kicks in when ever I see one. (I know I spelled it wrong but I can't look it up without the possibility of a photo also popping up.)

It can be somewhat debilitating since I like the outdoors and gardening. It makes a big difference if I see one outside rather than inside an enclosed space. So vault toilets are out of the question.

I have an exterminator on speed dial and routine treatments for my home and even HaRVey the RV.

If my husband had the same affliction we probably wouldn't have gotten married, since we need one brave person in the house.

So please if you're tempted to post a picture on facebook to share how cool you think you spider looks, remember me when I scroll to your post, because my phone will go flying into the air and wherever it lands it stay until my husband can recover it for me or until the battery runs out. 

Your attention to this matter is appreciated.

Bon Voyage

Prairie Boat Landing

We now have water access. With all the waterways in the area it's great to be back slinking around the sloughs. My husband bought another blow up boat. I know you're thinking a toy boat. This one is actually powered by an electric motor and comfortable for the two of us.

Boat Launch

We had a nice morning on our first trip out together launching at Brice's Prairie landing into the back waters of Lake Onalaska.

Dragon Fly

Here's a few pictures of the area and local birds and other winged things.

It's a bit challenging taking photos when your moving in a boat.





The biggest benefit of this blow up boat is its portability. We can still pack it up in the truck when we take out HaRVey the RV.







the Captain

Heron

Very Comfortable

Archaeology in Trempealeau

B4 Euro's

Some of the last vestiges of native areas in Wisconsin can be found using a lovely book called Wisconsin Naturally.

The book highlights 150 of the State Natural Areas that still exist as they would have been previous to European settlements which changed the landscape dramatically. These areas showcase native plant communities, rare species to geological and archaeological areas significant to the landscape.

This great little book will give you directions, maps and description of the best of Wisconsin. You can order it from their website: dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna . I believe it was under $20.

Brady's Bluff Prairie located in Perrot State Park is among those select 150 sites. Also referred to as a goat prairie, this steep slope is located on the southwest side of the bluff going up Brady's Bluff  trail from the east side. Lots of rare plants, three unusual butterflies and the threatened snaggletooth snail.

When ever traveling to a new area in Wisconsin, I like to refer to this book so I can include a little side trip to another state natural area.

Toasted

We celebrated our 28th anniversary this past weekend with HaRVey the RV at Perrot State Park.

It was a great weekend due to the location of the park near golfing, kayaking and some great entertainment. All the things we like to do while camping. We attended Saturday "Music under the Stars" at Trempealeau Hotel. Only  a couple of miles from the park entrance this venue has some great tunes. Just bring your own chair and you can sit outside with a view of the Mississippi River and watch geese fly overhead while enjoying a little libation.

As luck would have it, on our anniversary date, the band "Blind Baby Olin and the Workbenches" was playing at the hotel. They played at our wedding, so we had to do some reminiscing. We were hoping they would play "Stand By Me", our wedding song, so we could have one dance. It didn't happen so we adopted a new "Our Song", this one maybe more appropriate after so many years, " You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Stones.

Okay you're probably wondering about the giant marshmallows. After seeing so many funky things on display by campers, I had to come up with my own folly. Of course it had to be handmade. The sticks are paper wrapped around large garden stakes and sprayed to look like wood. This was so I wasn't importing wood into quarantined areas. The marsmallows I constructed from garden pots and hot glued vinyl around them. Then I painted them to look a little toasted.

The creative juices just kept flowing around the campfire. Here's my new line of Loggage.