Yard Visitors

Last night four deer were feeding right in front of my picture window.  They took their time and then wondered off toward the tree line. 

Windy Lake Superior Beach

This is the last week of Gitche Gumee Museum hours for the 2017 season.  The museum will be open today and tomorrow from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, and Saturday from noon to 5:00 pm.  There will be some days in October the museum will also be open by appointment.  For private appointments I require a purchase or donation commensurate with the time required for the appointment.  When possible, please make appointments in advance.  I cannot always accommodate spur of the moment requests.  For a private appointment please call Karen at 906-494-2590.

Yesterday I decided to visit a beach east of Grand Marais to get a few wave photos.  It sure was dynamic!

This weird looking vessel was on the horizon.

Beach and Birds

The summer season is finally winding down.  The last day of museum hours will be a week from tomorrow on September 30th.  I have a lot going on in October and will be available some days for private appointments, but not on all days so please call or email ahead of time if you are interested in visiting the Gitche Gumee Museum (906-494-2590, karen@agatelady.com).  Fall hours are daily 2-5pm except Tuesday 6-8pm and Saturdays noon to 5pm.

Today I'll post some miscellaneous photos. First a couple of yard visitors...

The other night I had dinner with friends at 12 Mile Beach Campground in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  We saw multiple black and orange beetles.  I looked it up and it appears to be Nicrophorus vespilloides, which is a burying beetle.  Burying beetles are true to their name—they bury the carcasses of small vertebrates such as birds and rodents as a food source for their larvae. They are unusual among insects in that both the male and female parents take care of the brood.

The beetle liked our 12 Mile Chops leftovers.

So did my friend's dog.

There was no sunset due to clouds, but we enjoyed time along the lakeshore.

Cassini End of Mission

Yesterday NASA scientists directed the out-of-fuel Cassini spacecraft to vaporize in the Saturn atmosphere.  The mission launch was on October 15, 1997.  It took seven years to travel to Saturn and for 13 years has been sending back to Earth the most incredible images, videos, and data.  Congratulations to the entire Cassini team for a job well done.

All the images below were taken from the NASA TV special.

 

Cassini image of one of Saturn's moons:

 

Two more moons are shown below....

Countdown clock for end of mission....

Part of the team....

The display below shows there is still a signal from the spacecraft....

.... and then there was not.

 

End of mission hug....

Cassini images....

White BIrch Nature Trail

While camping at the Twelvemile Beach Campground the other day, my friends and I went on the nature trail hike above the campground.  It was a great hike and a beautiful morning.

The fall colors are early this year.

Up the bluff we go!

Twelve Beach Campground Sunset

The other night I joined some Ann Arbor friends and camped out at Twelve Mile Beach.  We had a glorious sunset and a fantastic dinner.  Thanks goes out to Marsha, Jim, and Steph!