Nature Grows the Seeds

It's getting late in the season but my tomatoes don't seem to care. One is finally turning red!

And I've got serranoes coming out of my ears.

Sunday morning coming down

As expected, I awoke on Sunday before anyone else so I set about lighting a fire and getting a percolator primed and ready. It was another gorgeous morning. I felt thankful that the mosquitos hadn't put in much of an appearance and that the rain had held off. We were truly lucky on those counts.

My friends slowly awakened and joined me by the fire. Ere long we witnessed the percolating of a second fully armed and operational coffee pot. Tents were taken down between cups of coffee and a copious servings of bacon that were fried using a schwenker that one of my friends had inherited from a family member. The griddle has a raised rim and so it can hold a goodly amount of liquid fat.

The newest amongst us had brought their hound and he was tired from all the attention he had received the past couple days.

After breaking my fast I took one last stroll down the road to the boat landing to bid the Black River farewell until next year.

I wasn't ready to leave. If only we could have had a couple more days - of fellowship & laughter, of the peace & calm of the forest. The weekend had been restorative for me. On the drive home I felt stronger, more resilient to the slings and arrows of my outrageous ex-wife. I felt like I belonged, like I was part of a web of friendships.

Though I must admit that I was looking forward to getting home first to Willow and then my ladyfriend.

I wish we would do this more often.

Trees Bring Counsel

I awoke Saturday morning and looked up through the top of the tent where there was no rain fly to see the dawn light. Pausing a moment to prick up my ears, I was rather surprised to not hear any snoring drowning out the birdsong.

Another day in a sylvan paradise!

The path to the spot I've been using to relieve myself had a gentle golden glow as the sunlight filtered through the trees. The big man was illuminating my path or so I liked to think.

My bladder empty, I retrieved some iced coffee from my cooler to tide me over until later when there would theoretically be hot coffee available. I am normally the first person up when camping and it eludes me how my friends are able to sleep so long. I thought old people slept less. Must be the fresh country air.

Some people were planning on canoeing or kayaking this day. No doubt there'd be some fishing thrown in. Others were going to spend a leisurely day in and around camp. If yesterday's highlight was fellowship then this morning was to be all about Waldeinsamkeit as my plan was to take a hike in the Black River Forest.

There are two sets of trails in the forest and I recall hiking the Wildcat Trails because I remember encountering the sign for the Norway Pine segment and then later being exhausted because it's rated difficult. And now every year I go, I have to try to recall if I've done the Smrekar Trails or not. Of course I've done them. Multiple times, in fact. So I'm not sure why I do all these mental calculations and struggle to recall the last time I hiked this or that trail. The farm ruins are on the Smrekar Trail and I recall those well. Getting old can be no fun sometimes.

And so I set off for the Smrekar Trail with a second bottle of iced coffee at the ready.

I eschewed main roads and stuck to the back ones. This included several miles of gravel road that was able to accommodate only one car. Luckily I ran into no other vehicles on that stretch although I did see deer. Sadly, I was only able to get a fuzzy photo of deer butt.

The drive was pleasant and quiet. After 45 minutes or so I arrived at the trailhead. I immediately took care of some, er, business, ate a granola bar, and then I was off.

I didn't start too late so for at least the first half of the hike I was able to enjoy the sun accompanied by fairly cool temps.

I think that everyone who wanders the forest alone loses themselves in their own unique mess of thoughts.

For me it's always a mixture of things. My thoughts begin simply by admiring my surroundings. "What birds am I hearing?" "Ooh! That pine scent is wonderful!" "I hope there are no bears around here."

Eventually the mind wanders. My recently finalized divorce came to mind during the hike. I was glad it was over but couldn't help but do a post mortem on my marriage. I don't think it really did me any good as it was little more than self-flagellation. No new perspectives were unearthed and I still regretted marrying my ex. At that time I felt a lot of shame and embarrassment at having married her - a real blot on my escutcheon.

Now, as I write in August, some three months later, I feel much less embarrassment and less shame. But not that much less. Still, less nonetheless.

At one point I left the main trail to check out a scenic overlook and it was just beautiful.

By this point I was feeling good. The ascent up the ridge wasn't overly steep and the uphill march combined with the wonderful view conspired to induce exhilaration within me - physically and mentally. I felt attuned to my surroundings and open to the possibilities of life after my marriage. It felt good to be alive.

This area was really neat. The trees were more widely spaced allowing for a lush carpet of grass. Too many trees for a savanna but not dense enough for your typical forest. A heavily treed prairie? A lightly treed section of forest?

Walking down into this area just felt different. It was open but not too open. It felt expansive yet snug as well.

Here's a photo that I made sure had that Deakins-eque composition with the trail off to one side.

And another.

Another part of my life that I tossed around for a bit on my walk was my eldest stepson. My visit with him back in March, which I haven't gotten round to writing about, ended poorly. What to do?

This pine stand made for a nice, cozy passage.

I had discovered that, although he had grown into a 30 year-old man, he still had the maturity he did when he was 15. This made me feel very sad and I felt that way as I walked through the woods thinking about him. It is my sincerest hope that he matures into a true man someday and I would love to help him on that journey. While the odds are slim that I will have such a role in his life, I won't say never.

Despite this, I have a lot of empathy for him. Let's just say that his parents did not do right by him. 

If I came to any grandiose conclusions or had any revelatory moments out on the trails that day it was that I should let my relationship with my eldest stepson lie. He showed no interest in changing and I cannot force him to so it's best to just let things cool off and see what opportunities present themselves in the future.

There were moments when I was deep in thought and then was shaken from my pondering by a startled deer a little ahead of me or by a moth. Or is that a flutterby butterfly? The hike was a great mix of introspection and being in awe of nature and its beauty.

By the time I got back to the car my legs were getting sore. My hike was 7-8 miles which is a long way for an office jockey like me. Not only was I ready to relax but I it was also time for some company.

When I got back to camp it was only late morning so there was hot coffee on offer along with conversation with friends who were now awake. I made sure that the mini cherry pies that my ladyfriend had sent along were eaten. This did not take much effort as cherry pie and coffee is a classic combo with or without the Dale Cooper recommendation.

I spent the rest of the day close to camp along with the other folks who didn't get out on the river. A little reading here, some chatting there. And a short walk down the road. Come late afternoon a trio of friends who live in the area stopped by for dinner and conversation and this swelled our ranks to 13. The elk kielbasa I had brought went down well and I had a blast going from conversation to conversation amongst my 12 companions.

Some of them I'd known for only several months and others nearly 40 years. I don't know what I'd do without them all.

The company I choose

Back in May I slipped in a camping trip just before my parks sticker expired. Some friends and I have made a late spring camping trip up in the Black River State Forest an annual event, more or less. I get to see a couple folks whom I don't see often and this year we had a couple new people to boot.

This year I stopped in at Sand Creek Brewing for some suds before heading to my camp site. It turned out I was the first of my group to arrive at the campground. The day was simply lovely, sunny yet not too hot. And, more importantly, skeeters were few and far between. Would I even need to bust out the Deet?

It felt wonderful to be amongst the trees. The smell of spring was in the air and, as someone who lives near an airport, I cherished being serenaded by whippoorwills and all of the other birds that lent their voices to the avian chorus instead of airplanes. My divorce was a mere two weeks old and this was just what I needed to shake loose some of the anxiety and stress surrounding it.

On the other hand, I had adopted my new cat, Willow, only a week before and I felt a little guilty leaving her just as we were getting to know one another. Would she remember me when I returned home?

Before long my tent was pitched. With no rain in the forecast for the weekend, I let the rain fly remain in the bag.

As I was erecting my tent, my friends started to arrive. My campsite was a bit bigger than some of the others and, since I was the only resident, we chose it for our communal activities. Next came the all-important lighting of the fire.

Before darkness started to settle in and I was to commit to a seat around the fire, I went for a short walk. It was just gorgeous.

During my perambulations I received a text from my ladyfriend who was taking care of Willow in my absence. My new feline friend was enjoying her couch fort.

By the time evening rolled around, we had all found a place by the fire drinks in hand. We ate dinner and BS'd deep into the night. Most of us there gamed together so we nerded out a bit though conversation was all over the map. There was the occasional lull when we collectively became entranced by the flames and stared into the fire mesmerized. It was simply a joy to be surrounded by friends old & new as well as the woods.

When I'm with my friends, the Fish song "The Company" often comes to mind.

The company I choose is solidly singular

Totally trustworthy, straight and sincere

Polished, experienced, witty and charming

So why don't you push off, this company's my own

During my divorce it felt like they circled the wagons around me and being with them always made the stresses of the process seem that they had an end in sight, my (ex-)wife a memory that became ever more distant. For this I will be forever thankful.

Sitting around that fire I felt totally comfortable, fully myself. Nothing needed to be hidden, no mask needed to be worn.

With the sun having set, the creatures of the night got down to business and we heard the calls of coyotes, the hoots of owls. I wanted to turn to my Renfield and say "Listen to them, children of the night. What music they make!"

I wish we did this more often.

Watch your honey sticks, can't keep away

Last Sunday Lapacek's Orchard had their first batches of apples ready for sale. My ladyfriend and I were sure to make an appearance.

The drive there was lovely. As we drove down a county road lined with farms and full of gentle hills we passed a field with a sedge of sandhill cranes nibbling away. They've gotta build up their strength for the journey south soon. Arriving at the orchard we found many cars already parked out front. As usual, the first treat in store was cats. This grey one greeted us but was not keen on posing for photos and preferred to do some grooming instead.

We wandered out back to see the goats. And they were happy to see us. So happy, in fact, that they licked our palms and those of other visitors mercilessly. The kids were cute as the dickens.

Would you like to live appliciously?

The chickens were all relaxing in the shade provided by the tall grass and thusly were hard to find.

Eventually we wandered back towards the store and ran into moar cats. This orange boy was more amenable to pets.

This tuxedoed feline was all feisty. "Back off, hooman..."

It being opening day for apples, there weren't many varieties available. Nonetheless I consulted the big board.

My ladyfriend knows Kim Lapacek who was behind the counter as she always is when we visit. They hugged and chatted for a bit as I wandered the store. Apples for me. Check. Apples for my friend's daughter. Check. Apple cider doughnuts for her. Check. I nearly bought an apple cookbook. Nearly. Instead I opted for the bounty of recipes on the internet and figured I'd check a cookbook out from the library before committing to purchasing one.

It's hard for me not to want to cook up a million dishes all with apples when I wander Lapacek's. A pie or a crisp would do my friends some good but I also want to learn to include them in more savory dishes.

I love the Up North soap from Suds & Harvest for its wonderful piney scent. It smells so nice that I probably wouldn't notice if the soap had no cleaning properties. I took many whiffs of a bar of it before finding the strength to put it down. Normally I'd buy one (or more) but my lady has kept me stocked with soap so I have 2 bars, including one made by Yoopers, waiting for the one in my shower to be depleted. And the soap I'm using now is one of those mega-bars from Duke Cannon which apparently makes me manly and virile. It is huge. So big, in fact, that it's stretching my soap scrubber pouch to its limit. In my defense, I got it on clearance at Target. Yes, it's the requisite pine scent.

My basket was getting full so it was probably a good thing that there was no fresh cider available. However, there was still room for a few honey sticks.

Last season my ladyfriend and I seemed to go to Lapacek's every week. Every other, at most, and I had apples coming out of my ears. Time to start putting apples into everything I cook. Next up: apple cheddar scones. That's the plan, anyway.

Walk, 20 August 2026

Mushrooms are in full bloom down the street.

Nature cares not for the bike path.

Evidence of autumn '26.

Enjoy the flowers while they're still around.

There are a few walnut trees along E. Washington by Highway 30.

The trees of Washington Manor Park.