Roger’s Ramblings

All Creatures Great and Small

Visitors seen around the yard today include the habitual doe and her 2 bambis, and some “bugs” on the milkweed plants beside the back porch.

Pond Renovations

Since putting in the ponds nearly 2 years ago it has been a constant battle to keep the water clean. I’d only bought a cheap filter at Menards when first getting this set up, and it became apparent that we needed better to try and keep the water clean. Other measures were needed too, like more area covered by lilies or other vegetation. The water lilies we’d had from Menards were tired and not doing very well.

A couple of weeks ago we bought a new water lily, along with some water lily food, and some chemical to help clear the water. The new lily has done amazingly well, the chemical powder to clear the water was slowly working it seemed, and the olde tired water lilies were responding to being re-potted and actually fed for the first time. But it seemed like we still needed a better water filter. Hours spent searching, researching and reading online came up with the thought that we needed a Bio-Pressure-UV Filter – this has mechanical filtering, bio-filtering, and a UV light to kill algae.

Ebay turned one up for $72 plus shipping, and that arrived yesterday. So after much pondering on just where and how to put it, today was spent digging, organising, piping with bigger pipes than I’d used previously, and generally tidying up.

A couple of pictures show this in progress. There’s still more to tidy up before I take the “finished” pictures…

A view showing the new filter (centre of picture), with the pipe coming up to the top of the spillway in its new trench. The garden to the right is to be a butterfly garden.

Another view of the work in progress, with the mess laying around waiting tidying up.

Yard and Garden 7/7

A few shots taken today in the garden this afternoon, and then this evening from the kitchen window. An update to the water garden, and then a visit from bambis

Yesterday Lisa and I went to Apols Landscaping and oohed and aahed at the amazing selection of water lilies and other aquatic plants they have in an amazing array of ponds, and came home with a water lily, a couple of other plants, some “stuff” to take care of the water with, pellets to feed water lilies with and just for a laugh 5 tadpoles.

So the 2 puny lilies I’ve had for a couple of years got repotted and fed and put into one pond, and the new water lily given a pond of its own, along with the tadpoles and assorted snails that were hangers on.

The new waterlily purchased yesterday. It had 2 blooms yesterday - 3 today.

Then tonight after dinner Lisa looked out the window and a bambi was on the patio right outside the kitchen. By the time I’d got my camera, it had raced off to join its sibling across the lawn, and then Mum turned up.

OK - we're done, and I'm out of here, now follow along...

Camaro Superfest 2010

The Camaro Superfest 2010 was held July 2, 3 and 4 at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and (on Friday afternoon) at Michigan International Speedway. Lisa and I, along with friend Kristie, her 3 kids and her parents went to take a look at the cars on Saturday.

A panorama made by joining 15 photos together

Not far in from the entrance - a line up of red Camaros - 2010 models in front, and a couple of the earlier ones up to 2002 bhind.

White 69ish Camaro and Black 2010 Camaro in the shade.

This 1970s Camaro was an amazing orange colour.

A photogallery with a lot more photos follows: Read the rest of this entry »

Ypsilanti July 4 Parade

The Camaro Superfest 2010 was in Ypsilanti on July 2, 3 and 4. July 3 was also the Ypsilanti July 4th Parade, which went right by Riverside Park where the Camaro Superfest was being held. So we got there in time to see most of the parade before going down to see the more than 150 Camaros.

I guess it wasn’t quite what I was expecting – too many politicians “on the stump”, and not enough celebration of America’s history I thought, but we did manage to make our own Red, White and Blue…

Brenden after eating a red candy.

Roger after eating a blue candy.

A number of different groups were handing out promotional bubbles – the bottles all seemed to have a sticker on them for some politician or religious group or school…

Kristy blowing the bubbles while Lisa looks on.

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Tree Trimming

When we moved here in 1998 there were a number of pine trees planted, including a couple “near” the driveway. At first there was about 4′ of grass between the tree and the driveway, but as time passed the tree became wider and wider and wider, to the point where a few years ago I had to cut a small flat on the side of it to keep it a bit clear of the driveway.

Now to today where the tree was now seriously impinging on the driveway. First step – cut what I could reach while standing on the ground.

Partway Done

Now standing on a ladder on the trailer to reach even higher.

The End Result. Hopefully this will hold for a few years, and from now on be a bit easier to keep up with - all the thick branches are cut now.

The UPS driver will be much happier now that he doesn’t have to scrape the side of his truck through this, and then re-adjust the side mirror. A gallery of a few more images is below: Read the rest of this entry »

Behind the Vege Garden

I looked out the kitchen window this morning and “spotted” this scene.

You Just Know that she's saying to the young'un - come back here in a few months and there'll be tomatoes, pumpkins and all sorts of yummy things!!

another “bambi” was off to the left. They left before I could get another photo.

Lunch at the Wren House

A few weeks ago I posted a couple of photos of the wrens who were getting ready to move into the Wren House hanging in a tree beside our garage.

Well they did move in, and while we were away, the produced at least 3 chicks. I took a few pictures of them being fed today – Yum!!!!!!

Two gaping mouths sticking out through the hole looking for lunch

Trying to decide who gets the insect and who gets the caterpillar.

A photogallery is below…

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Carriage Roads by Bicycle

Friday was a nice sunny day, so after some “getting ready for Murder Mystery Dinner on Saturday” chores in the morning, Steve, Don, Lisa and I set out to rent some bicycles and then ride them around some of the carriage roads in Acadia National Park on Friday afternoon.

We picked up the bikes and loaded them into Steve’s Honda Ridgeline truck for the ride out to a car park at the north end of Eagle Lake. From there we set out south along Eagle Lake, and then Jordan Pond to Jordan Pond House for Popovers, then back north on different roads to the east side of Eagle Lake, and back to the car park.

Roger poses beside the bicycle with Eagle Lake in the background.

Eagle Lake

Seal Cove Auto Emblems

Thursday was supposed to be “ride a bicycle around some of the Carriage Road” day, but it rained pretty much all day, so that idea got put on hold (or probably actually cancelled for 2010). The afternoon saw us heading off to see the Seal Cove Auto Museum – “The Brass with the Class”.

We had been before in 2008 (I think it was), just as they were getting ready to sell a sizable portion of the collection in order to be able to settle the estate of the founder of the museum who had died.

While there we took the opportunity to become “Charter Members” of the museum.

Firestone Wheel

White Wheel

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