Pic Today 9/30/17

 

 

BEAUTIFUL FALL MUSHROOMS

Deadly or delicious?

I leave it to the experts.

I don't know a chanterelle from a toad stool.

 

Pic Today 9/29/17

 

FOLLOW THE SUN

Sunflower's final days 

enjoying the shorter hours

of warm sunshine.

The nights are cooler.

Farewell yellow giants. 

Pic Today 9/28/17

 

 

 

 

GUESS WHERE WE WENT

SHOPPING TODAY?

Yep, finally made it to IKEA.

What an experience.

It's all about style,

and build it yourself.

Daughter Maggie found a

great bunkbed for the kids.

 $160 

Can't beat that.

 

Pic Today 9/27/17

 

THE SASSAFRAS SHOW

Here in the Midwest,

it's always the sassafras tree

that shows its fall colors first.

Unmistakable leaves.

They come with 3 fingers,

2 fingers and 1 finger.

Love this tree.

Pic Today 9/26/17

SOWING SEEDS

As summer ends,

the river banks are full

of flowers and grasses

spreading thousands of seeds

for nature's random planting.

Getting ready for a new year. 

Pic Today 9/25/17

 

FLOATING ON GLASS

Traveling by kayak

is the easy way to travel

on the upper Meramec River.

Smooth as glass.

 

Pic Today 9/24/17

 

 

AUTUMN LEAVES

The year's last

 loveliest smile.

 

Pic Today 9/23/17

 

FREE SPIRITS

Some of us

struggle with the notion

of growing old.

(Know any old hippies?)

 

Pic Today 9/22/17

 

 

 

MY FAVORITE

TIME OF THE YEAR

Happy Autumn everyone!

(Enjoy the show.)

Pic Today 9/21/17

 

ACOUSTIC AFTERNOON

Sounds so good on the porch.

Wildwood Springs Lodge

Steelville, Missouri 

(Happy First Day of Autumn) 

Pic Today 9/20/17

VICTORIAN MASTERPIECE

Worth all the care and upkeep,

a showpiece from an earlier day.

Classic beauty!

Pic Today 9/19/17

 

 

 

JUNIPER BERRIES

IN SEASON

Wanna know what 

gin tastes like?

Bite down on a ripe

juniper berry.

(They're ripe now.)

The unmistakable flavor

of gin will coat your tongue.

Juniper is the universal botanical

used to flavor virtually every gin,

and the main ingredient

in a classic martini.

(It might be safer

to stick with the berry

than the drink.)

Much safer!

 

Pic Today 9/18/17

 

 

POIROT SOLVES ANOTHER

Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth,

Hercule Poirot,

was in classic form in "Black Coffee,"

one of her first murder mystery plays.

And it was performed in top form

by the Theater Guild of Webster Groves,

a local theatrical group.

Support your local theatrical groups.

Live theater is addicting.

 

Pic Today 9/17/17

 

THEY KEPT THE TEETH

THEY PULLED

Did you know,

until the invention of x-rays,

dentists' primary service

was "tooth extraction."

Their tools to extract

were fiendishly primative,

with some drugs and liquors

to deaden the pain.

Did you also know

it was common practice

to keep the teeth

they pulled?

(Morbid, or what?)

 

Pic Today 9/16/17

 

 

THE ZEN OF

STACKING FIREWOOD

It's that time of the year

to cut and stack firewood.

There's an aesthetic and function

to the process.

Little logs and twigs near the top.

Big logs later, when the coals are ready.

And of course we want our stacks

dry and pleasing to the eye.

(Job well done.)

Pic Today 9/15/17

 

SCULPTURE

UNDERSTATED

My favorite installation

at the Laumeier Sculpture Park

is this massive concrete obelisk

tucked away in this corner

of the woods.

Breathtaking subtlety.

Majestic!

 

Pic Today 9/14/17

 

THE ROAD I CHOSE

. . . and it has made all the difference.

(Robert Frost was right.)

 

Pic Today 9/13/17

 

 

DOGWOOD FRUIT

These little red berries

are the ripe fruit

of the Korean Dogwood tree.

The smaller first cousin

of the American Dogwood,

these soft spiny fruits

are completely edible.

The juicy yellow pulp can be

eaten raw, or cooked into

sweet Dogwood jam.

Pic Today 9/12/17

 

THE PROBLEM WITH ART FAIRS

Too much ugly art!

Ugly art is sloppy, wild and

always nicely framed.

Made for customers

who don't know any better,

with too much money 

to spend.

Pic Today 9/11/17

DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT

Early morning fog

on the upper Meramec.

Pic Today 9/10/17

 

 

 

FALL COMES TO THE CABIN

Days are shorter,

nights are cooler.

And leaves have started to turn.

My favorite time of the year!

Pic Today 9/9/17

 

 

IT'S APPLE PICKING TIME

It was a good year for apples.

There's nothing like hand picking

a bag of fresh, crisp apples.

Here, the varieties are

red delicious, granny smith

and honey crisp.

Someone make me a pie!

Pic Today 9/8/17

 

 

UGLY HEIRLOOM BEAUTIES

These end-of-season heirloom tomatoes

come in crazy shapes, but

they are really, really, really good!

Worth growing.

Pic Today 9/7/17

 

HINT OF AUTUMN

Fall is in the air,

and the leaves have

started to turn.

I love this time of the year.

 

Pic Today 9/6/17

 

BLACK LAMP

My favorite lamp,

even when it's turned off.

An exercise in

  horizontal lines. 

Pic Today 9/5/17

 

 

LUCKY'S ASHES

As is the custom with most 

Buddhist monasteries,

cremated remains

are kept in special

mausoleums or

outdoor columbariums

(for pets).

And in late 1994,

that included a special urn

for Lucky.

He must have been 

a very special dog!

 

Pic Today 9/4/17

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUDDHIST RETREAT

In the rolling hills of

Missouri wine country

is the little known

Buddhist Monastery

near Augusta.

Unadvertised retreat

open to the public,

and a peaceful place

to hike and visit.

Learning how to be mindful.