The Sweet Pea Chronicles

Camille is spending much of her days standing up alongside the couch … or pushing herself up to stand against it. It’s amazing how much she wants to be standing, even while it limits her toy-manipulation.

The absolute joy she gets from achieving standing or other tasks is wonderful to be around … her ecstatic noises, big smiles, and happiness are infectious and I find Kris or I often smiling at her great mood.

Camille can be so expressive, it’s amazing. When she’s gotten sick of photos and smiling … she can make it apparent in just a glance.

Camille is also pretty easy to make smile … a characteristic I try hard to encourage. Every day we start with some smiles and always try for some giggling before morning naptime.

I’m not looking forward to the next teeth to come in, as it will take my happy-go-lucky girl and leave her feeling unhappy and uncomfortable. Thankfully, when it’s all over again she’s quick to let us know - through smiles, coos, and happy times here again.

Before Camille decided it was best to fuss around the hotel at Mommy’s conference, we went on a walk along the Fox River to see the fall color.

It’s peak fall color in Wisconsin now, and it was great to get out and see the trees before they go bare for winter.

Along our hike, we saw this interesting nest. I’m unsure if it’s a birdnest [oriole or swallows?] or if it is a wasp’s nest. As it was larger than a basketball in size [and maybe 40' in the air] … I’m tempted to think it’s for a bird, but if anyone knows for sure please let me know.

Camille has been awake for most of the hikes in the last few weeks, leaving me wondering how far she can see and what she makes of our trips out. She always seems quite content in the Bjorn - suddenly becoming hungry when we get back to the car seat [which she hates getting into] - making me realize that like being held and danced, being carried must be very comforting.

The riverside was beautiful, tree-lined and calm.

The colors were just spectacular … seemingly nicer than in Madison. 

Next time I visit, I will need to bring my frisbee golf discs, as this and a number of other parks have nice courses to play.  Next year, Camille will be able to walk with me … likely making my disc golf attempts only a few holes.  I bet it will be a lot of fun, even if incomplete rounds.

This week, Camille and I went along with Kris to her conference in Appleton, WI. 

The weather was lovely for part of the time, though much cooler weather and rain have arrived breaking the incredible 70 degree October weather we’ve had.  Overall, Camille and I have had a good time - though I’m ready to go home.  It’s been nice meeting some of Kris’ colleagues, though keeping Camille entertained and happy has gotten more difficult the longer we’ve been away.

Fall is in peak color here, and we’ve gone on walks whenever the weather has been nice.  It’s a couple hours drive north of Madison, just enough to hit the ideal fall colors on the trees - which seem to be more colorful and impressive than what we’ve got in Madison. 

On Monday, after getting settled, Camille and I took a ride to High Cliff State Park.  It’s a lovely park along Lake Winnebago, a park I’ve never been to before. 

Closeup of same photo

With a cloudy day, we only stopped by the lakeshore for a short bit - spending most of our time hiking up on the cliffs and looking at the incredible fall colors.

 
The `high cliff’ in the park’s name comes from the bluffs that rise up from the lake, which are part of the Niagara Escarpment [whose other end is around Niagara Falls, NY]. The rocks are strikingly different from what we see around Madison, or even in the Baraboo hills - a nice change from the usual for us.

 

Probably the most colorful was the sumac, which ranged from green-yelllow to orange, pink, and blood red.

Along the ridge-top, there’s a nice path along a while string of Indian Mounds, which include effigy mounds [in shapes of animals, mostly panther - water spirits]. Along with these are some lineal and conical mounds, which generally date from much earlier and show a long occupation and reverence for this area. Evidently this spot has been visited and enjoyed for millenia.

Unusual to this mound group, there are `twin buffalo’ mounds. While we often see panther, bear, eagle, and other mounds in the Madison area [which has a vast number of mounds] - buffalo mounds are unusual to see.

Sadly, mounds just do not photo well - though generally they’re in beautiful spots, worth a hike. Near the end of the hike, there was a lovely overlook to rest at and enjoy the day [even if cloudy].

On the way out of the park, there was a flock of vultures … generally an unusual sight, and once we were sure they weren’t circling over us … neat to watch.

A lot of activity on the Pheasant Branch recently, the birds evidently are not confused by the summerlike weather we’ve had and know cool weather is on it’s way.

Camille and I have spent a fair bit of time on the porch this week, whether rocking together or her in her bouncy chair in the shade.  The weather has been beautiful, and it’s good to hear all the birds as the warblers finish migrating through, the sparrows start to arrive, and the marsh gets newcomers every day.

Photos in this post are from our walks near our home along the east side of the Pheasant Branch Conservancy

Monday heralded the first flights of Canada Geese in their V flying around, and more cranes calling every morning and evening as they gather up into large groups to fly south.  To my untrained eye, it seems the cranes assemble into extended-family-like groups to migrate … I’ve seen as many as 70+ all in one big flight circling around, practicing for migration.  [That was a warm November, a few years back]  Currently we probably have around 20 cranes, and I’d expect to see at least 30 or 40 before they all fly off - which over the last decade has ranged from early November to Christmas Eve for their departure.  We often do get a few singles or family groups of 2 or 3 come through and fly on through the season - but the Pheasant Branch appears to be a waypoint, for larger groups to assemble before migration.

Tuesday I saw a Great Egret out in the water, as well as an unusual hawk [too far to ID] but had a very different hunting style than most we see here.  I also saw the local hummingbird, who is probably going to disappear for the winter in the next week or so.

Last night there was a loon out on the Pheasant Branch, with it’s spooky and beautiful call.  Given they need a long distance of water to take off from, we rarely see or hear loons [and some other water birds] at all in the Pheasant Branch.  Down at the lake, where I fish, there are loons and mergansers and all sorts of water birds I personally find difficult to identify.  In the Pheasant Branch marsh, we get more of the long-legged water birds [herons, egrets, cranes] as well as the most common ducks, geese and an incredible diversity of non-water birds.

Camille and I have a walk on the other side of the Pheasant Branch today - it’s a nice day for photos and hopefully we can see [or at least hear] another bird migrant before winter quiets the marsh.

We still have yet to see the flocks of starlings, red-wing blackbirds, and other common mid-fall groups - so it’s nice to think we still have some warm weather left.  The sparrows are wonderful for their distinctive calls, every morning with a different one outside the window as they travel south and pause for sleep and a snack in the marsh. 

Anyway, my sweet pea awakes.  Time to go.

Yesterday Camille and I went for a walk in the Pheasant Branch Marsh, which we look at out the back window.  Weather was cool [mid 60's] but sunny, a perfect day for a stroll to feel the fall in the air and check out the last remaining summer. 

While the weather has changed and we’ve seen any number of water birds, warblers + other colorful migrating birds, and nighthawks migrating through in the evenings … there are still some summer flowers along with the hummingbirds that regularly visit our feeder still around.

Among the common changes that happen in September, the Sandhill Cranes in the marsh are starting to gather up.  While a few pairs live there all summer, raising their young … in the fall the Pheasant Branch serves as a gathering-point for a large group of cranes [normally 50-70] who start flocking together in groups larger than the trio they spend their summers in [parents and baby crane].

Yesterday morning had a group of 7 cranes practicing and teaching their young to group up, how to circle in the aerials to gain altitude, and practice at flying in formation.  It’s a wonderful thing to watch, as they circle around at tree-height, then slowly ascend quite high in the sky - just circling around and again and again, and at a couple points all calling out and making a ruckus.

It’s really fun to watch, and makes fall interesting as the groups go from 3, to larger, to much larger, eventually to a huge flight before they all disappear around Thanksgiving and migrate down to the Southeastern U.S. for overwintering.

Camille and I took the country-route to get back home, as she has not made her acquaintance with Wisconsin’s most famous residents … cows.  Just past the marsh out the back window, we see this farm peeking out from behind the hill.  It’s nice now and then [when the farmer isn't making the whole neighborhood smell funky] to go and have a look at where things are at on the farm.  [Silage corn is harvested, cows are out and about in the clover field]. 

I tried to get Camille to moo at the cows, but all she could get out was a couple agoo’s which the cows didn’t respond to.  By the spring, she’ll have it down for our next trip.