Flora and fauna and a good old storm!

I cannot believe how fast this week has flown by!  I'm sharing the last of my pictures from last week's camping trip--I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of nature's beauty in northern Wisconsin. Besides nature walks here are a few suggestions for enjoying your time up north.

Take time to visit the small village shops.  There are no chains or big box stores but instead an amazing array of independent artist galleries and speciality shops.  While I personally wouldn't add quite so many novelty figures in my garden I loved the bright colors in this sidewalk display.  After seeing this cheerful garden I think I play it a little too safe in my own pastel colored garden!

The wind coming off the lake makes for great kite flying.  In memory of my dad, we flew the kite he designed for us and it brought back so many great memories.

You can celebrate a birthday, even if the cake gets turned over in the car and the frosting completely melts from the heat!  It's the thought that counts, right?

You can think about one of your favorite childhood books, Anne of Green Gables, and imagine yourself on Prince Edward Island, walking along Anne's beloved Lilac Lane! 

Since I missed most of my own lilacs blooming while on my May vacation, I was delighted to discover them still in bloom up north.

What's sweeter than a bench beckoning you to sit down and rest a spell?  I always think of the lines from Robert Browning, "Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made" when I see benches like these.  I can picture my husband and I years from now sitting on one, admiring the view and still enjoying each other's company.

And lest you think camping is all quiet walks and reflective moments, there are the occasional spiders and thunderstorms to liven things up a bit! 

Believe it or not....this spider was actually this big!  I've never seen one outside of an exhibit this large before.  He was resting outside a restroom door, and my daughter and I decided to forego the pleasure of his company, in case his wife might be waiting inside to greet us.

And if a thunderstorm crops up, it's the perfect time for reading a mystery by flashlight and taking a nap.  Although the mystery may come back to "haunt" you in the middle of the night when you hear strange rustlings outside your tent!

As you can see, our new mat got broken in!

You can stand spellbound in a clearing at night and ponder the mysteries of the universe....

My camera doesn't take great night photos, but here is a beautiful picture of the Milky Way over Cave Point near where we were camping.  It really is this beautiful.
Photo credit:  Ken Merrell

And last, but certainly not least, you spend time with those you love more than life itself.  Seize the day and cherish the moments!

It's a Wonderful World

I see trees of green........ red roses too

I see em bloom..... for me and for you

And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white

Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights

And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky

Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by

I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do

They're really sayin......i love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow

They'll learn much more.....than I'll never know

And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world