Flower pictures

Huh? How do pictures of flowers have anything to do with "Flowing Waters", or fishing in general?

Well, in a roundabout way, they do. My wife and I have always had pretty extensive flower beds and gardens - mostly perennials. She's always loved gardening, and I followed along after we got married. The way I figure it, the garden is still an important part of the ecosystem, so it's really only a step or two away from the aquatic ecosystem I love so much. We plant to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, as well as multitude of other birds.

Today, when I was moaning about not having anything fresh to post on my blog, she said "Why don't you put up some of the garden pictures you took? They're colorful and will remind everyone that spring WILL come, eventually." We all know that, in the long run, it's better to follow our advice from our wives. So, here are some pics from our garden. Hope you like them.




Columbine, hostas, and the stone rabbit






Vibrant lillies





Overflowing planter



Flowering tree in the front yard




a Hummingbird moth on the butterfly bush




Monarch butterfly




One of the resident toads

Frosty morning in Illinois

I woke up this morning and wondered if I slept for a few days, instead of overnight. When we watched the weather report last night before turning in, it was pretty distinctly calling for a high pressure system to sit over Illinois for the better part of the next week, with little chance of the winter extremes. Yet, when I looked outside, it looked like we had a pretty nice snowfall.

Now, I don't believe the weathermen anymore than the next person, but the maps showed no real clouds, so I was immediately intrigued. After a shower to wake me up, I looked out and figured it out:

Hoarfrost.

It has been pretty mild over the past couple of days - right around 32 degrees. The ground is still snow covered. So, overnight the temps remained steady, and the moisture came from the snow on the ground - fog, if you will. But it was just cold enough to freeze the water vapor on the branches and leaves, and there was a VERY slight breeze, so one side of the trees got more of the accumulating frost than the other.

At least that's my layman's version of how it happened. If you are a meteorologist, or just a weather junkie, feel free to correct me!

Anyway, it looks really nice on the trees, and I tried to take a few pictures. My camera is mediocre at best (a new 13 MP camera is en route, but hasn't arrived yet), so the shots are the best I can do.

Hope you enjoy them.





Pine Tree






Birch tree






Closeup of a frosty pine






Ice crystals on a branch






Icy grass

Figuring Out Winter

I think I've done it - figured out the "Winter Yucks". Well, not really, but I do have a thought as to why it seems like FOREVER from October to March.

My real job - actually working - is VERY hectic in December and January. I am on a 2 week straight road trip right now. That means, when I DO get home , the "Honey Do" list has grown again, leaving precious little, if any, time for outdoor pursuits. In addition to the complete lack of time, winter adventures for me take a little more planning and generally a bigger chunk of time than do the spring, summer , and fall pursuits. As I've detailed numerous times in this blog, lunchtimes getaways to the ponds can do me a world of good. Can't do any ice fishing over lunch, though. So, I end up using these months to plan Summer trips, and remember days past. And acquire new toys for the coming year.

I've got a few trips in the offing for Summer - one for smallmouth bass in Quebec and a possible return to Athabasca in Fall. There is rumor of a Venice LA trip in Spring, but nothing close to definite yet.

So, until I have something decent to post , I'll make do with these type posts, and I'll always through in a few pictures from the past. they help me get through the winter - hopefully they'll do the same for you.




Rocky Mountain National Park trout stream





One of my favorite Utah trout Streams





A small Willamette River Sturgeon - no fly gear on this boat!

Getting through the Winter

I'm starting my 2010 posts with a look back. It's something I do quite a bit in the winter, when I'm stuck indoors, and the spring seems like it will never actually get here. I spend a lot of time looking over pictures of fish and trips from the past years. I was doing that today, and thought it would make a decent first post of the year.

The photos that follow are all from Athabasca this past August, and none are actually fish. Just pictures from the area. I hope you enjoy them.

And, Happy New Year.




A mayfly from Richards Lake






The "Tackle Box" on the inside of the boat - a rope!







A bad looking moose







The best shore lunch spot in the world







A full moon rises over the bay







The shadow of the float plane on the trees below as we left Richards Lake







Mushrooms at shorelunch







How does ANYTHING grow here?








More lunchtime mushrooms







Berries and Lichens







A weather beaten tree on a shorelunch island