Tag: Travel

Autumn…Hummmm…

The Cedar Journal November 2, 2022

Lazy, busy, or just feeling a bit out of sorts, I just haven’t been posting much. But, that hasn’t stopped the Hummm… from happening and I do have a few “Fall” or “Autumn” Hummm to share. Let’s get started.

The Hubby is now experiencing Hummm…sightings even when I am not with him. I guess I have been with him for so long now that my weirdness has rubbed off on him. Good thing he got a picture of this…

We are seeing more of these small type vehicles on the road since fuel has gone crazy but this one almost look like someone is living in it. Hummm… the disabled sticker? Ok…

Hummm… I rather like this 4 wheel vehicle. I was calculating all the plants I could haul in this one!

The following hummm… I found at our local cemetery. Nothing cheers me up after hearing the horrible things in the World or places them in perspective like a visit with the resting. Although… hummm…

This grave was just sitting next to the composter at the graveyard. Hummm… but that wasn’t enough…

Upon a closer look it was actually two graves!😳 Did these people not pay the grave tax? What will happen to the headstones? What sorta of recycling program does this cemetery have? Hummm… so many questions and I only got deadly silence in return.

We spent a great deal of time this month on the Dutch roadways. These are great opportunities to connect to the greater World. Identifying license plates from all over Europe makes for a fun way to pass the time. As we were getting bored the universe senses it and placed the following in our view.

“OMG! Is that Johnny Cash?” I quickly pulled the phone out to capture this Hummm…

We determined that it must have been a roadshow performer that featured Johnny Cash songs.

Our vacation always brings a relaxing time and Hummm… seems to open from the Heavens to drop down to be observed by us.

Wildlife seemed to be a theme.

Hummm… A wolf track? No way! Let’s check…

Hummm… size, large. Direction, straight across path, search internet for tracks. Yup! Wolf!

Hummm… This bird wants to read the paper?

Nope, EAT the paper!

This guy didn’t stop there, he flew onto the Hubby’s plate and ate his bread!

We also witnessed (not caught by our cameras) other small songbirds eating my red canoe cushion knee pad! Hummm… are these creatures not getting enough insects or seeds to eat?

“Hummm…this looks interesting.” Said Hubby. “Wait, I think it is a possible Hummm…” camera, picture…open…

Wow! We are as excited to find it as the young person who wrote it! But wait… there is more…

The backside is signed and had a P.S. instructions. After we were done we returned it and replaced it so that the universe could provide this beautiful entertainment for another unexpecting hiker.

Hummm… what is this? A door in a tree. Let’s look inside.

Hummm… he was so cute I thought we needed to watch him eating the last of our lunch!

While visiting Urk. I caught this old symbol on a house. Hummm… what does all the additional stuff mean? Hubby explained it represented Faith, Hope, and Love.

When we all need an anchor in our lives it always helps to shake of the chaos and hug a tree!

Hummm… there she goes again, hugging some big tree!

Now that the Hummm…file is empty for now. What will November bring?

Environment

A Mushroom Vacation

The Cedar Journal October 27, 2022

Thank goodness that we experienced a natural mushroom vacation and not one that has been threatened for weeks by the terrorist state of Russia!

I didn’t need to go on vacation to study the types of mushrooms that can pop out of decomposing materials, my straw garden has produced many types in the last 10 weeks of gardening.

*** Disclaimer- I am not a mushroom expert and do not collect mushrooms to eat! Never eat mushrooms from the wild unless you have been trained in what is eatable.***

A sort of fungi that grows out of my straw bale garden.

For whatever reason this straw bale has a variety of different mushrooms.

But this canoe vacation took us took us to two different Dutch National Parks (De Weerribben and Dwingelderveld) it was interesting to find so many different mushroom varieties.

The temperatures have been unbelievable warm for late October. Ranging from 15-20 C! Making it very nice for our canoe paddles and for our hiking in the forests.

These look like a perfect a Halloween prop.

This type we found around a standing stump.

These looked like alien life forms coming out of the ground

The morning mist helped give these mushrooms a glossy look.

These are huge! I used my hand for perspective.

This one was peeking out of the leaf forest mulch.

This sort was hard to spot in the leaf litter and had the most delicate stem.

We really enjoyed our mushroom sightings. I was so taken by all the different kinds that I purchased a identification book at the park visitor center.

Taking time to slow down and really see what is in the forest was a nice vacation activity.

Weerribben Wordless Wednesday

The Cedar Journal October 26, 2022

Hummmm… September 2022

The Cedar Journal September 27, 2022

It is almost October and really I have failed as a blogger this month! I promised canoe blogs, product reviews and even some Hummm… from our travels.

Hummmm… that didn’t happen! Why? COVID! Yup the virus finally found us and jumped smack in the middle of the last days of packing for our canoe trip! Of course I wondered where I had picked it up, I don’t socialize much, don’t really shop at the stores when it is busy, but a non stop water facet of a nose and sore throat was a sure indication that I picked it up SOMEWHERE! Two negative tests and a couple days later the Hubby started feeling a bit off (the man is NEVER sick) he did a test and immediately it was positive! I must have tested wrong so took one more and still negative even with all my symptoms. Hummmm… No vacation!

About the same time the drought here was finally broken with rain. Not just a little bit of rain but centimeters of rain!

Drought to wet…bean seeds I thought were bad germinated anyway! Hummm… maybe beans in November?

I only have one real Hummm… to share this month. This one comes from our local grocery store. I just had to purchase as I wondered what a Friendly Viking could produce!

Friendly? Viking? Really?

My home state of Minnesota is full of so called Vikings every fall. A happy sort, dressed in purple and horned hats, yellow/purple face paint, mostly friendly unless you mention the cheese heads from Wisconsin. LOL But, in all my experience with historical research I never really thought of the Vikings as “friendly”.

Until, hummm… now?

I purchased the product and looked closely at the packaging.

But, that wasn’t all they had to tell me.

Now, my suggestion would be if you fear Vikings is to find this product, keep it on your shelf, and when we are invaded by mad looking people wearing pelts and brandishing swords and torches, kindly greet them with this product!

Hummm…

I will leave you wondering what October will bring with the following pictures. Stay safe and stay healthy everyone!

Canoe Netherlands

Canoe Fest – The Netherlands ( 9 – 11 September 2022)

The Cedar Journal August 29, 2022

For those of you that follow our blog for the canoe and kayak news out of The Netherlands, I must say we have been a bit on the slim side of those posts recently.

Never fear! We are less than two weeks away from the once per year event of the Open Canoe Festival located at the Weerribben National Park area.

You can follow the link here http://www.openkanofestival.nl.

I will be staying for a few days prior and a few days after to get a closer look into some blog ideas that have been banging against the inside of my head since my last visit in early January.

One of the cabins at Weerribben National Park

I will be testing out some new equipment and will have those blogs also available, always nice to know what to get those canoe/camping people for the upcoming holiday.

In other news… straw garden is going great! Four weeks and we already have radishes, spinach, alfalfa and rye grass. If that all sounds like a power lifter diet to you, you are right! I have to be able to lift those straw bales somehow and my old guns (arm muscles) need the extra energy.

I will leave you with this video (nope not a canoe video) but cute bunnies I was looking after for a few days. Mork & Mindy! Have fun and stay safe blog friends!