We had some summer like days last week and Debbie Jarve took advantage of them and her being recently retired, to head out for a bike ride around the Calumet Swedetown ponds. Along the way, she spotted these flowers and said they were so beautiful, she had to stop and snap a few photos. I’m not sure if all of them are Cosmos, but I know some of them are, the greenery surrounding them is very distinct. So neat that she was able to capture a couple bumblebees, pollinating the flowers...I hope she escaped without any stings!

Then she continued on to the peaceful Swedetown pond, not a ripple in the water there and a great place to take a break to enjoy the quiet and the beautiful surroundings. No swans on this day, but Debbie did snap a couple Canada Geese lounging on an old stump in the water. I suppose they’re getting ready to head south soon.

Visit Keweenaw shares another video in their “Crossing Place” series. The lead-in says: “Michigan's Upper Peninsula is regularly lauded as the United State's top destination for fall color viewing, and the Keweenaw is a gem in this crown. Sweeping landscapes, rugged cliffsides, and winding scenic roads provide visitors with exceptional immersion into the autumn season. This episode of The Crossing Place explores how extreme Copper Country conditions can lead to extreme Copper Country fall color!” As of the writing of this, the color was just starting to appear around the Keweenaw. Although last week on a drive to Crystal Falls, there was lots of color down that way already. Perhaps the warmer weather is delaying the color around here.

Hi
With regard to fall colors, the meteorologist on
the Lansing TV station had some depressing news,
at least for downstate. It seems that, just like
for maple syrup, to get good fall color you need
to have it get cold at night so the sugar will
build up in the leaves. I don't think freezing but
not the upper 60's. Also there needs to be enough
rainfall. Here downstate September has been warm
and dry, so the prediction is for kind of faded,
brownish colors in the leaves.

Hopefully the color will be better up north; the
scenery will be anyway. I will be going up to put
the boat away & various other chores in a couple
of weeks, so here's hoping.

“Wow”…what an eye-pleasing set!
“Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow; they toil not,
neither do they spin:
yet I say unto you, that even Solomon
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
(Matthew 6: 28-29)

And an informative video too. That gentleman
landed a nice job.
Here’s hoping for a stellar Fall color season.

These are so beautiful. And the
greenery is most definitely
Cosmos, by what I can see. It's
one of my favorite flowers. I've
still got some blooming in my
front garden. They're so eye
pleasing. And it's always nice to
see the bumblebees doing their
jobs.

Warm and dry here too, Kathryn.

Those flowers almost look like fake
beauties...they are just stunning! And we still
got bees! Yippee....If anyone has
Charter/Spectrum, there's a show on EarthX TV,
channel 689...called Killer Bees..there's a dude
on the channel, named Lance...I've not seen him
dress up in a bee keeper's suit...he just goes
in...and picks up handfuls of bees and they don't
sting him. It is so wonderful. And why do we call
them Bee Hives? I don't think a bee does the
roundy hive...cause Lance has always pulled bees
from anything BUT a hive. I think they are wasps
that build them. And he shows different parts of
the bee's homes...the honey hives, the baby hives,
the queen, etc...it is so cool. To see the new
babies crawling out of the comb is just amazing.
And they go right to work!

I LOVE the geese pic....And the vid is awesome
too....not much color yet...it is starting..saw
some red the other day....it's starting. It's
beautiful.

They are talking how dry we are tho...don't do any
outdoor burning. Cindy Lou smokes butts, and while
out the other day, she really puts them out...we
were near water for one of her puffs, and she
dunked it in the water...AND put it in a garbage
bag...those filters take hundreds of years to
degrade. Hers are ALWAYS thrown in garbage
bags/cans....She's so good. (Hi Eric!!)