I went to mandolin camp a couple weeks ago (yes, you read that right) and before I headed for home, I took advantage of the fact that I was right near the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore and took a lovely walk along one of the winding trails leading through the dunes.
Before making its way to the actual dunes, the path led through the woods, where there were all kinds of migrating birds chattering in the trees. I managed to catch a couple warblers perched and peering at me out of the foliage (you might need to click on the photo to enlarge it in order to find both of them, since they blend in with the yellow leaves - and are nearly the same size).
Sticking with the yellow theme for just a minute, after emerging from the woods, I came upon some showy goldenrod growing bravely in the sand. It is showy, isn't it? It belongs to the aster family and is quite popular with pollinators.
Before making its way to the actual dunes, the path led through the woods, where there were all kinds of migrating birds chattering in the trees. I managed to catch a couple warblers perched and peering at me out of the foliage (you might need to click on the photo to enlarge it in order to find both of them, since they blend in with the yellow leaves - and are nearly the same size).
Sticking with the yellow theme for just a minute, after emerging from the woods, I came upon some showy goldenrod growing bravely in the sand. It is showy, isn't it? It belongs to the aster family and is quite popular with pollinators.
I finally got high enough to glimpse Lake Michigan over the dunes and, if you look closely, you will also see some birds dotted against the sky. We'll get back to those shortly.
There were spectacular views all along the trail, as well as interesting flora and fauna.
The birds I mentioned earlier were a migrating flock of horned larks and they would soar into the air whenever they felt disturbed by something and then swoop back around to alight in the dune grasses to forage, disappearing entirely - at least to the naked eye or my camera. I couldn't manage to get a closer look at these birds.
Snags left by long deceased trees created interesting sculpture gardens here and there. Those trees had a rugged life out in the wind and sand.
Dune grasses were another visual treat, especially when juxtaposed with the blue of the sky.
Seriously, aren't the tans and blues beautiful together?
So, all in all, it was a lovely and peaceful walk after an amazing four day musical immersion experience! I may even share a little about that, if anyone seems interested!
2 comments:
a camp for mandolin players? How interesting! My dad played the mandolin, as well as guitar and uke and banjo. Happy Trails to you!
Your dad sounds like a talented man! My dad gave me a uke when I was 8 years old. It was my first string instrument (if you don't count the piano, which also has strings). Yes, absolutely a camp for mandolin players. There were 14 students and three amazing teachers covering different genres of mandolin music. Awesome! Happy Trails right back to you! :)
Post a Comment