"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime"-MARK TWAIN

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Fall is slowly arriving

 

in our part of the world.  Though our hardwoods are still hanging on to their greenery for a few more days, the cooler mornings are bringing about some pretty displays of fog. While on the way up country to the house building site the other morning, I passed by this timber cutover area.  I actually turned the truck around and parked along the road. The fog was in different layers, slowly drifting up and down with the air currents. Parts of it were catching rays of the sun.  Others lay in shadow.  It was like watching a ballet. The only music being the birds and the sound of the breeze.

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Once again, I only had the point and shoot camera.  I found myself wishing someone like Horst was there to really capture the beauty of the moment.  It’s truly amazing how nature can turn what once was a dismal cut-over, into a place of beauty.

Another sign of Fall in our area are the wolf spiders.  I don’t know if that’s the correct name, or not.  Appearing with the first cool morning, they build huge webs between trees, buildings, even the wires on power lines.  You can’t take a walk in the woods this time of year without walking through some of their webs.  I noticed this one had built a web between a tree limb and our fence.

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For scale, that grass hopper is about two inches long.

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Though they are huge, compared to other spiders we see, I’ve never heard of anyone being bitten by one. 

I’ve been reading the blogs of many friends moving around the Country.  Some in the Smoky Mountains, and up the East coast. Some headed for Florida, Texas, and other points farther West. 

All that is enough to give a fellow the willy-blues if he didn’t have something on the horizon.  Thankfully, we do…….jc 

11 comments:

  1. That is a good Halloween post!

    Although you may not have had the optimal camera, you captured the moment beautifully with your words.

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  2. Thanks for you kind words.... But your photos don't take a back seat to anyone....especially those sunrise and sunset photos....great fog shots especially the second one and the spider photos...thanks for sharing...and Happy Halloween...Horst sends

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  3. This is one beautiful state...you captured exquisitely! Wolf Spiders...that's what we saw! Grow'em big up here!

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  4. Spiders give me the creeps,but they sure are fascinating. Cool fog shots.

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  5. The fog gives a mystical, other-worldly feeling to the landscape, doesn't it? I had seen it, but it never registered with me how different layers of fog are in sun and shade before you pointed it out.

    We have those spiders, too. I often carry a hiking pole to clear the areas ahead of me when I walk between trees. Ugh. That's one bit of nature I'd just as soon hide out of sight. :)

    I knew you would have something on the horizon!

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  6. We don't get enough fog in Wisconsin to give me any practice taking fog shots. We also don't get spiders that large. Yikes!

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  7. I chuckled at your title, fall has come and GONE in our neck of the woods. That is one nasty looking spider!!!

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  8. What cool looking shots of the spider and his prey. Fog sure makes for some pretty sites....if only I could figure out how to get good shots of the fog in the mountains.

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  9. Love this mist and education about the wolf spiders. We may have them here...but I have not seen them.

    Fall is very much here with the crimson leaves of the dogwoods beginning to fall. David thinks he's mowed for the last time!

    Looking forward to lots of camping and rallies next year. See you in a few months!

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  10. Love the pic of the fog and the huge spider!!! Things are beginning to get real pretty around our house as well. We spent a few days this past week at Cloudland Canyon and the leaves were just beautiful. Yep, time to get those wheels rolling!!

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Thanks for looking, and comments are welcome.