Perkiomen Creek - Creek Critters Adventure

Tara and I attended a Connections Academy field trip to Green Lane Park.  Our first stop was the Nature Center where we really enjoyed our conversation with one of our educators for the afternoon.  I have gotten really terrible with names, but I believe it was Diane!  Our conversation was about butterflies and bugs, and the difference in the critters we have here in PA as compared to those in FL.  You can tell that she really enjoys her job!  During our conversation I even saw a HUMMINGBIRD.  I wasn't quick enough to get a photo, about the time I realized what I was seeing, it was gone!

I enjoyed photographing a ladybug and a swamp milkweed beetle in the butterfly garden.

Next we headed for the Fly Fishing area of Green Lane on the Perkiomen Creek.  I was prepared only to observe, and take some photos, only to find out we were going to be crossing the stream, to get to our destination.  With my jeans and crocs, I headed into the calf deep water.  It was actually quite refreshing and I am glad I choose to participate rather than stay on the other shore!

The students were instructed to look in the water, under rocks, etc. looking for critters (macro-invertebrates mainly.  Not just of the fish type, but things I never realized were lurking in streams.

The kids found water pennies, snails, leeches, mayflies, stoneflies, dobsonflies, crayfish, minnows and I am sure there are  some that I am missing. Tara helped catch this crayfish.  He was pretty big!

This is a dobsonfly, one of the older students found it attached to his leg. These things can bite....

Tara and I both really enjoyed our afternoon, wet jeans and all.  I was pretty proud of myself, I made it across the creek and back with my camera in hand... and didn't fall!

Oh, I saw two Baltimore Orioles (not photo, they flew over head, I saw the bright orange bodies, but when they landed in the tree, they were not in a spot I could photograph them.... you can't move very quick walking upstream in a swiftly moving creek!)  We also saw a Canadian Goose family... with 13 gooslings.  They have Jon and Kate beat by quite a few!

Blizzard of 2010

If you haven't heard yet, the mid-Atlantic region was hit with two snow storms in 5 days.  These two storms dropped significant amounts of snow on us, in total probably close to 32".

1st Storm Friday/Saturday - I worked both of these days, driving home about 2 hours after the storm had started on Friday night, and driving in a couple hours after it had stopped on Saturday.  Sunday we had a birthday party, and I was dealing with a sick dog, so I didn't get too many photos.

 

  

 

This one was taken after the storm had moved out Saturday.  I was at work and had only my IPhone, so not the greatest photo, but the colors were too spectacular not to capture.

 

2nd Storm - Started about 7pm 2/9 and stopped around 10pm 2/10.  The first photos were Wednesday morning before the worst part of the storm arrived.  Tara and I went for a walk.

 

 

These sunny photos were taken this (Thursday) afternoon.  Our maintenance guys do a really great job of cleaning things up. There is a lot of snow, a lot of parking lot/sidewalk, and really only 4 guys.  My car above is the white one on the right, my mom's is the big pile of snow two cars behind it.  I got it dug out, and Jamal, our neighbor's awesome teenage son had already dug out mine.  It really was a beautiful day, and I actually enjoyed being outside!  Below is the giant 10 ft snowman that some of the residents built!

We took a little drive through town.  

 

No Adventures

Winter weather and a new routine including work has precluded any new adventures!  Will update as soon as I have something worthwhile to post!

Nockamixon State Park and Friday Funday

It has been over two weeks since we have really had an "adventure"!  Today was a beautiful day, so Tara and I went out in search of an adventure, a Friday Funday!  Here is the route we drove today
F - is home (also point A)
B - Care and Share, Souderton
C - Salvation Army, Quakertown (we also stopped at a nearby Goodwill)
D - Nockamixon State Park
E  - Cracker Barrel, Plymouth Meeting

First stop, Care and Share, a local thrift store that is part of the Mennonite Central Committee Thrift Shop Network.  Today was 1/2 off Friday, and it was SOOO crowded.  I felt like I was at Wal-Mart on Black Friday.  It is a great store, but today was not the day either Tara or I wanted to be shopping there.  Tara even had some "older" shopper pull a stuffed animal out of her hand!



We continued our quest for thrift shops.  We found another Goodwill and Salvation Army.  Both older stores, and I think some of the merchandise has been in these stores since the Nixon Administration.  Tara did find the next book in a series she is reading, which cost me only .52 cents, new it would have been over $7!


After the thrift store we headed for the great outdoors.  I needed to rid my nose of all clothing and shoe smell.  The very smell that has kept me out of thrift stores for oh so many years!

The name Nockamixon comes from the American Indian phrase “nocha-miska-ing” which is Lenni Lenape for “at the place of soft soil.” Several American Indian sites from the Lenni Lenape Tribe (Delaware) are documented in the park area.

Secretary of the Department of Forests and Water, Dr. Maurice K. Goddard, proposed the park in 1958. The park was developed with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers plan for development in the Delaware River Basin. Originally known as Tohickon State Park after the principal stream flowing into Lake Nockamixon, it was renamed Nockamixon State Park by the State Geographic Board in 1965. The park officially opened in December of 1973.

Tara wanted desperately to break through the ice by throwing a rock... try as she might, the ice was still too thick.  It was beautiful in the early part of the afternoon.  Later on the clouds blew back in.

Yes, Tara has on flip flops.  In her defense, it was 53 degrees!
I could see in the distance a flock of birds on the ice, so we headed off to see what else we could find.  We soon realized these gulls were on the ice in the area of the marina.

Our next stop appears to be the area where they go ice fishing - when the ice is a bit thicker! Rocks might not have broken through, but I'm pretty sure, a full grown mann would have done the job!  I suggested ice surfing, but about that time a park ranger drove through!

The frozen lake was very beautiful.  I am hoping we get another snow storm this year, so we can visit in the snow.  They have a great sledding hill.  The weather today actually had us both thinking a bit about spring.  I however, am enjoying winter, and not quite ready for it to go!

On the way home we saw this sign.  I've seen it before and I makes me chuckle.  Today I was stopped for a traffic light and could get a good shot!

Both Tara and I were hungry, and the only thing that sounded good to Tara was Cracker Barrel which was further away than I had hoped to go for a meal, but we rarely have the chance to go there.  Tara had her favorite sirloin steak, and loved it.  I had friend shrimp.  It was okay, I would have preferred sushi or Chinese!
Tara's "dunch" (late lunch/early dinner or "linner" if you like)

I love this hat.  If I wore baseall caps, I would have bought it!

On the way home, stopped at another light, I saw this tree.  I don't know, but it almost looked like it was decorated with lace!