So Long, Marie- Hello, Bill

 It's really hard to get my head around the idea that exactly 25 hours ago I was on the train just leaving New York. Now I'm home.

Had to say so long to Marie.

But after 12 hours on the train (maybe 6 hours sleep), I hopped in my car which was unmolested, and it started right up. Drove to Ann Arbor, and went to Bill's house.

We walked downtown to go to breakfast and Bivouac (the primary camping/hiking outfitter in A2) to look for maps. We got one of the ones we wanted. But somewhere on that wall behind Bill is a picture of me and Marie, and maybe Mathilda, because Bivouac is where I purchased all my original backpacking gear except the pack in 1993.

The only flowers blooming here are on a wall mural, although most of the snow is gone.

We walked back to his house and had a blast looking at maps. We are cooking up a potential adventure for this summer. Not 100% sure yet, but probably. Here's a clue.

Then another 4 hours to drive home. Snow pretty much gone here too!

Tomorrow, I'm sure you'll see more Flower Show. I need to stop adventuring and get back to work! Now it's time to rest.

Miles hiked in 2025: 46.4

Sidewalks and a couple of parks through Ann Arbor- 5.5 miles

See Thorne Preserve and Ferncliff Forest

Thorne Preserve and Ferncliff Forest

 The day started by going back to the Shooting Club because they have an event each Sunday. We helped with breakfast for two hours.

Then we set off to accomplish one of my personal unofficial goals for this trip, and that was to be up to hiking 5 miles before I got home.

First we went to Thorn Preserve. I believe they are trying to restore it to a prairie, but at this time of year it's just a big mowed field. It's primary feature is the best view of Overlook Mountain in the area. This is part of the Catskills.

Sawkill Creek also runs beside it. Anyway, we walked around on mowed trails and some other places for 2.8 miles.

Then we went back by the club to get some lunch and use the facilites. No work involved. Our next stop was Ferncliff Forest, which has lots of trails. We could have done all our miles there, but Thorne was a new find, and we wanted to check it out. Ferncliff has topography and a LOT of trails. We took the Orange Trail, also called Bridle Trail, but in reality it was a mountain bike trail. That wandered over a lot of small ridges and crossed a small creek. I thought the ice crystals made this log look like a big bug.

That eventually dumped us out near South Pond after we crossed this little rocky ridge outcrop.

You are allowed to camp at Ferncliff with reservations. There are several shelters and some tent pads. This was the nicest shelter.

We took the white/Scout Trail back to the parking, but it wasn't quite enough mileage, so we headed out again on the Red Trail and looped around to the Church Trail. We're glad we did! We found two of these structures. This one was rock, and the other was part brick.

We found out they are root cellars left over from when there was a farm commune on the land. I've never seen them built with curved roofs like that. Very interesting!

Then we came back to Marie's and repotted a huge plant that she needed help with. I think we did all her projects!

Mini health update: I'm down to 3 ibuprofen a day. I haven't have to sleep with an ice pack on my face since I left home. I wasn't exhausted after the working and hiking today. I'm very pleased! The neuralgia isn't gone, but it's manageable.

Now we have to eat an early dinner and then head for the train station. Sigh. I will be glad to get home, but I hate to leave Marie. Probably one more adventure before I get home. Stay tuned.

Miles hiked in 2025: 40.9.

Thorne Preserve, Zena, NY, 2.8 miles. Ferncliff Forest, Rhinebeck, NY, various trails- 2.4 miles, total 5.2 miles

See Falling Waters- Saugerties

Falling Waters- Saugerties

 Today we made a true effort to not get tied up in things that HAD to be done. We played our game, and read. We are trying to finish a book this week. We'll make it- only a few pages to go. We talked. OK, we made soup and salad and went to church, but it wasn't an all-out race to accomplish things.

We hiked at a nature preserve called Falling Waters. We were there last summer too (see link below). But this time we hiked both trails. This is the waterfall on an unnamed creek that gives it the name.

The upper trail is mostly smooth and graveled, but the return loop has some pretty good hills as it goes down by the river and back up the bluff.

The river is the Hudson, of course. Always impressive.

Today, we had the time to hike both loops of the trail, so I didn't see this second waterfall last summer.

In the 1800s, cutting ice from the river to ship to New York City was big business. There were huge icehouses that held 10,000 tons of ice. This wall is one of the few remnants of the buildings.

Good botanical find- this is snake fern (or common polypody). Nothing is really sprouting yet. These are evergreen, but it's nice to see patches of anything green.

Bad botanical find. These are the seed pods of the "water chestnut" (not the one you eat in Asian food) that are clogging the eastern waterways. See pix of the plants in the link below.

Tomorrow is my last day here.

Miles hiked in 2025: 35.7

Falling Waters Preserve, Saugerties, NY. Two trails and a little more. 2.5 miles

See Falling Waters Summer 2024

Adams Flower Show 2025

 It's always fun to take in the small flower show put on by a large store near Marie's house, and it's free. This was my third one.

They fill one large room of their nursery space with displays. It's always super colorful with the primary emphasis on flowering plants, which is exactly what we all need to see in March.

This is the second time I've been involved in taking Selma to this event. You may recall that she is a friend of Marie's who is now 96. We have to take her in a wheelchair, but we got her into this seat that was created for people to take photos. She really loves going to the show. She can't see much or hear well, but she loved the scents, and was able to feel a number of the plants.

They always build a couple of water features, and this just the top of a waterfall, but I loved the mist with the dragon and the ravens.

This was a new plant to me, called Cardboard Palm. The leaves are very stiff with rough edges, and they form a V from the stem. Selma liked being able to feel it.

Just a closeup of a very beautiful tulip. I have to limit how many pictures I post!

Another great texture plant. This is called 'Dinosaur Kale.'

Another colorful "hillside" display. I like the low junipers, 'Bluestar Juniper.' They are really attractive beside other bright-colored plants.

We spent a little over an hour working our way around this exhibit. Then we bought dinner from the deli in the store. Selma really appreciates getting out occasionally. She needs more help then she did, and she's getting forgetful, but she's still fun to be around. She has a great sense of humor and never whines or grumbles about things she can't do.

So that took care of the afternoon, and we spent the morning with me solving some computer problems Marie was having. I wasn't sure I could do everything she needed, but I managed ALL of the issues. Whew. It's all good, but we were both exhausted at the end of the day.

See Adams Flower Show 2023

Three New Euphorbias

 It doesn't take much to find a new Euphorbia. There are about 2000 of them. They are one of the largest genera of plants. But I love them. I found three new-to-me ones at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

This one is 'Miners Merlot.' It would be a potential rock garden size, but it's not hardy as far north as I live. I love the color.

This one gets too tall for the rock garden, but it is potentially hardy in the north. However, it's supposedly pretty rare and hard to purchase. It's Euphorbia characias, 'Glacier Blue.'

And this one was in bloom. It's Euphorbia x martini, 'Ascot Rainbow.' The leaves get streaked with red and orange as the season progresses. It's also a rock garden potential except that it isn't quite hardy enough for where I live. Close. It would need extra care and special winter covering. I'm probably not up for that.

This photo is a bit too yellow, but it has fairly large and colorful flowers for a Euphorbia. You can see a couple of buds in the corner of the picture above. When the center opens it is bright red, but the rest should be paler green.

Marie and I spent a lot of time working today. She and Ed belong to a shooting club, and she was in charge of a meal at the clubhouse tonight. She's actually the chair of all the meals (what a job!). We spent the entire morning shopping. Then we walked another 2 miles at the mall because it was still raining. It was also reduced-price produce day at another store and we got a peck of green beans for 99 cents. So after we ate, we processed and froze all those! Then we managed to play one game before we had to go to the club and start cooking and setting up for the meal.

Miles hiked in 2025: 33.2

See Euphorbia