From Ripon to Peru

 

Vivian and Spencer Davis and Linda at Whiskey Run and NEA Union Meeting

 Road to the Farm House

A Yellow Warbler at the House

Linda and I left home in Ripon and drove down to Peru together on August 13, and she returned that Saturday to begin her new year at Ripon College, number 27, I think--or perhaps 28.  At any rate, Linda is a Professor of French.

We enjoyed a quiet three full days at the house, a pleasant way to make the separation less severe after a wonderful and busy summer that included two weeks in Morocco, a couple outings in Wisconsin, and a trip to Colorado in addition to relaxing in the house and yard.

After the All-Faculty Meeting on Friday morning, Linda and I attended an NEA meeting in Brownville, at Whisky Run Creek Vinyard and Winery.  In addition to a brief meeting, we enjoyed good food and wine.

Most important for me, Linda got to meet many faculty members for the first time since I began teaching at Peru State College.

And for the past two weeks since Linda's departure, I turned my attention, of course, to the beginning of the new term but also to photographing the variety of birds that visit my feeders.

At any rate, I published a set of photographs--from Ripon to Peru--that capture some of the past two weeks and change since I left Ripon and began a new year at Peru State College.

I will now begin a new set of photographs devoted to Summer to Fall Birds on the Farm.

 Geezer of the Corn

 Another Geezer of the Corn

 Yellow-billed Cuckoo

 Northern Cardinal

  Ruby-throated Hummingbird

End of Summer Break Trip to Denver and Boulder

 Bill, Cary, Linda at Garden of the Gods

 Linda and Leah at the Denver Zoo

 Linda and Cary at Avery Brewery

The nearly one-hundred photographs in this particular set on Flickr cover our trip to Colorado to see our children, Cary and Leah. 

We stopped for the night and a day in Peru, during which time I finished up the grades for my summer Children's Literature class that focused on YA Dystopian Novels.  I look forward to offering the

same class next summer.

We spent the first full day with our son, Cary, who works in Boulder at Avery Brewery where he is the lead canner at this exceptional place.  Here, we enjoyed a

beer.  I favor Avery's India Pale Ale.

Afterwards, we headed to a beautiful place called Garden of the Gods and walked on a series of trails through this stunning area--and on an equally beautiful day. 

In addition to offering spectacular views, Garden of the Gods does not cost a dime.  We all plan a return trip.We had planned to visit a place that featured a variety of fossils but chose instead to visit Pueblo cliff dwellings located, as is the Garden of the Gods, not far from Colorado Springs.  

The Manitou Cliff Dwellings also features an informative museum and an exceptional gift shop. The next day, we spend with our daughter Leah, who is a graduate student in Epidemiology and Public Health at the Anschutz Medical Campus of the U of Colorado in Denver.

I had not visited a zoo in years, but this summer

  Linda and I enjoyed two, the Milwaukee Zoo and the impressive Denver Zoo.

We spent as much time at the Denver Zoo but probably only saw half, if that much.

In addition, pretty much all the animals made an appearance, from the orangutans to the Rhinos.   

The Denver Zoo also features more than a couple aviaries that offer plenty of glorious feathers from around the world. 

Not long after our return to Wisconsin, attention turned to Peru, NE, and the start of a new year, number 21 for me.

Horicon Marsh and the Milwaukee Zoo

While we did not get out on the bikes nearly as often as we had planned, Linda and I tried now and again to get out of the house's cool comfort to visit here and there in addition to the two weeks in Morocco.

In the backyard, Black-capped Chickadees nested in the Peru State

Bird House and entertained after they hatched and continued to return to the feeder and birdbath near their place of birth.

I loaded some pictures from the backyard in early spring before most of the flowers either grew or bloomed.

Instead of biking at Horicon Marsh, a place I enjoy, we spent one hot afternoon there walking the boardwalk and on a trail.  Lots of pretty wildflowers.  Next year, we will return to this favorite place more often.

We had not visited the Milwaukee Zoo since the children were small, so one morning Linda and I drove there, a hot afternoon as matters turned out, and walked for five or six hours.

The Milwaukee Zoo, as the photographs (which include some of our house in Ripon) suggest, offers visitors a lot, but I wanted to see in particular the aviary.  We found the aviary delightful.  And Linda loved the tigers.

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 Milwaukee Zoo

 

 Aviary at Milwaukee Zoo with a Scarlet Ibis

 Horicon Marsh

Crop Rings In My Yard

Oak Bowl Round Three

 

 

September 23:  On September 12, I visited the construction site again.  And the picture at the top here comes from today, taken on the hill by Delzel of the emerging press box.

I also walked around the construction for a bit and took a few pictures here and there to mark the progress made.

Everyone was most pleased to know that the storm last Thursday that knocked down trees all over town did not afflict any serious damage to the Oak Bowl. 

I posted a dozen images from the recent trips.

Earlier this week, I took some photographs around the perimeter of the Oak-Bowl construction site.  

As you can see from the earlier photograph--probably from Monday evening--on the right, the roof for the new press box had not yet gone in.  

Two days later, a roof. 

On this Thursday, August 29, after the All-College Meeting and welcome back reception at the president's house, I walked

from my office to the construction site where I put on a construction vest and a hard hat.

As the photographs indicate,  I walked around, completing the rectangle, the Oak Bowl grounds and took a variety of photographs to suggest the considerable progress made since my last visit in May.

For comparison, look over the first two of the blog pages I created after construction began.   Part One and Part Two.

The previous two links follow the progress from January to May 2013.

 

January 

 

May

 August

September