I'm posting a ridiculous number of pictures today, so you might want to get yourself a snack or something to drink before you go any further.

The river was surprisingly calm today after a few days of heavy rain. Some of the local residents took the opportunity to get the family out on the water:




There was evidence of high water over the last few days. Here's the view yesterday from the Pottery Road bridge, looking down at the Don River and its waterlogged bank:

More soggy vegetation:

See all the debris caught behind this dead tree? That wasn't there before the heavy rains:

My cup plant runneth over:

I've seen a lot of things along the bike path, but this is a new one:

Someone just left their little pail of yellow plums. Why? Then the rains came and a snail moved in. There's a story here somewhere.

There's no shortage of fruit around here. On the Todmorden property you can find mulberries ...

(Don't eat that one -- it's not ripe yet. Wait until they're deep purple.)

... pears ...


... and a variety of apples:

(Are those crabapples? What are those? They're so big!)

I'm wracking my brain to think of a nursery rhyme or fairy tale about the three little snails who went out on a limb:

Empty nest syndrome:

At Beechwood I declared war on Queen Anne's Lace, and uprooted a good quantity.

The jewel in the crown:

Afterwards I wandered along the bike path and couldn't help noticing how much bugs like the stuff:

(Do those stripes look pink to you?!)

Oh for heaven's sake, you guys, get a room:

Voyeurism:

There were some of those lovely beetles I saw on the path last week:

Whenever the camera got too close this guy would raise a leg menacingly. Talk to the hand! If I was really pushing my luck he'd raise two legs. Eek, run awayyyy!

Earwig lurking:

Meanwhile, over at the murky pond, there were frogs on lily pads:

Ah, I never get tired of the classics. But wait, what the heck is that?!?

I didn't see it at the time because I was holding my camera blindly out over the pond, trying not to scare the froggy away. Here's a closer look at the thing:

What is that?