SUMMER 2022

Blue Spring Cavern, near Bedford, Indiana has the largest underground river in the U.S. These first two pictures are at the entrance.

There is a one hour boat tour on the river. The stalactites hanging from the ceiling are icicle-shaped deposits that form when water dissolves overlying limestone which then re-deposits calcium carbonate. The stalactites are hundreds of thousands and in some cases millions of years old.

The caverns seem otherworldly. They are eerily quiet and when they turn the lights off it is totally dark. During the tour, the guide slaps a boat cushion against the side of the boat which sounds like a bomb went off. It reverberates seemingly forever through the cavern.

In early June we were in Hayward, Wisconsin. We knew as soon as we pulled up to the cabin that it was going to be our kind of place.

Of course, the deer were there to greet us.

The loons were nesting about one hundred feet off our dock.

With views like this it was hard to get motivated to do much but sit on the dock and stare at the lake.

The end of another perfect day at the lake.

The story of the fisherman’s wife

One morning a husband returned to the cabin after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.

Although not familiar with the lake, his wife decides to take the boat out, since it’s such a beautiful day.

She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book.

Along comes a Game Warden in his boat.

He pulls up alongside the woman and says, " Good morning, Ma'am, what are you doing?"

"Reading a book," she replies.

"You're in a Restricted Fishing Area," he informs her.

"I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing, I'm reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment. I'll have to write you up a ticket."

"For reading a book?" she replies.

"You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,” he informs her again.

“But officer, I'm not fishing, I'm reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start fishing at any moment. I'll have to write you up a ticket and you'll have to pay a fine."

"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault," says the woman.

"But I haven't even touched you," says the Game Warden.

"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment."

"Have a nice day ma'am," says the Game Warden and he immediately departs.

Hayward is home to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame which has ginormous replicas of various fish. That little pink spec you see in the upper left is Barb standing in a giant musky’s mouth waving to me.

Hummingbird

Taking pictures of hummingbirds isn’t easy. You need to shoot where they’re going to be, not where they are. Some interesting hummingbird facts:

• If they were the size of a human, they would consume 155,000 calories/day.

• When they’re consuming nectar from feeders their tongue is moving in and out of the feeder at thirteen times/second.

• Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly straight sideways and backward.

• Their wings move at a rate of sixty-two wing beats per second.

• They are the smallest type of bird.

• Their weight is about the same as a nickel.

With a drop of 165 feet, Big Manitou Falls is the tallest waterfall in Wisconsin.

Its sibling, Little Manitou Falls is no slouch either.

Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield the Cat, grew up in Grant County, Indiana. Grant County has created a “Garfield Trail” of more than a dozen giant Garfield statues in several towns to honor their favorite son. It’s very strange; you’ll be driving along when suddenly, you’ll see a giant Garfield replica. It’s proven to be quite a tourist attraction.

This one is “Garfield Gone Fishin.”

My favorite is “Garfield the Duffer.”

 “Garfield the basketball player” was dedicated to the Swayzee High School Speed Kings who won the Indiana state basketball championship in 1964 in a game that went into nine overtimes. Those poor kids must have been exhausted.

This is Charley Creek Falls in Wabash.

Charley Creek has carved some amazing channels through the sandstone.

As the country moves toward renewable energy, the landscape in southern Indiana and southern Illinois is changing dramatically. The windmills are huge as you can see from their size in relation to these barns. When they’re all spinning it’s like they’re doing a dance. Some of the wind farms have hundreds of turbines.

It’s interesting to watch the dichotomy between wind turbine supporters and their opponents. The supporters see the value of their land going up so they’re all for them. Opponents think the turbines are wasting valuable farmland and blighting the view. There are lots of for or against signs along the roads.

We hope everyone had a fantastic summer after two very difficult years!