Afternoon Walk in Zurich

Rob took a short break from the conference this afternoon and we walked through the old town. This is St. Peters Kirche, which has the largest clock face in Europe. We also saw beautiful stained glass windows by Chagal at the Fraumunster Kirche. Sorry, no photos allowed.

Zurich!

We arrived in Zurich this afternoon. We enjoyed the opening.reception of the conference. Jane is enjoying raclette with Szcepan, a friend from Poland.

Abby's Squash 8/27/11

We picked the first of Abby's yellow zuchinni today. We also have Swiss chard and cherry tomatoes.

Abby's Squash 8/23/11 ... First Fruit

Abby's squash is starting to bear fruit. We'll pick this yellow zuchinni soon.

Tall Soybeans!

Rob and others on the advisory committee walked through an amazing field of soybeans. They were up to our armpits and were covered with pods that have not yet filled out. Looks like they'll get quite a harvest.

Trip to Iowa

Rob was in Iowa today for a meeting of an advisory committee on which he serves. This is a photo of an experiment that involves planting strips of prairie in a corn/soybean field. The tall grass in the foreground is bluestem. The bright green area to the left is soybeans. The prairie strips greatly reduce erosion. The big question is whether the benefits from reduce erosion will be large enough to compensate for land taken out of production.

If you'd like to learn more about this, see the article on the STRIPS project on the Wallace Chair web site at   http://www.wallacechair.iastate.edu/.

Abby's Squash 8/9/11

Abby's zucchini is all dressed up with a straw mulch. That's a nice crop of basil to the left. We'll be making pesto soon.

July Travels (cont.)

 

Abby and Nate in new shirts from Holland. Abby's says "Sweet" and Nate's says "Hungry". Abby wonders if the book Nate has is really her book.

But peaceful times follow, as Abby reads well-loved Jip and Janneke. When asked which is her favorite page, she says, "All of them".

Cozy cabin reading spot.

I know Rob posted a Grand Traverse Bay sunset picture with his new phone, but I like my picture, too.

Sarah's friend Kate lives in Traverse City, and built an amazing chicken coop in her backyard.

Abby approves.

Happy hens.

And a lovely hammock, from which to observe the hens.

Time to leave the Shambaugh cabin. A delightful spot to spend some summer days.

A view of the Mackinac Bridge from the UP. It's the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere (third longest in the world). It's about 5 miles long, and was opened in 1957. This year's annual bridge walk is September 5. Pedestrians are not allowed at any other time. 

We spent the night near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, on Lake Superior, and took an excursion along the shore. Note the observation platform in top left of photo. We hiked to that spot the next morning.

For three hours, we passed sights such as this ....

... and this

... and this.

 We were very lucky with the weather.

Next morning a bald eagle flew by this observation platform at Miner's Castle.

Wonder what this spot will look like in six months.

A fellow from Boston took this. 

After another long day of driving, we got home to find our basement dry, thankfully ... and Abby's zucchini thriving. We've spotted a few blossoms!

July Travels

Our first "road trip" in many years ... We got to State College in two days, where Dan, Anna and Walter are enjoying life at Penn State. Major heat wave followed us there.

Walter helps water lavender in front yard.

 

Walter seriously loves trucks ... and airplanes, flowers, dogs and peaches.

Dinner at the Elk Creek Cafe in Millheim. Walter loved their chili. 

Duck pond on Penn State campus.

Diaper change evolved into naked romp.

Walter would have happily plunged in to cool off with the fish.

Back on Fraser Ave. with a favorite book.

 Fun with a little train.

 Next stop ... Pittsburgh. Rob attended meetings while Jane explored. This is the incline across the Monongahela River.

Old City Hall in Pittsburgh.

 Then a looong day's drive to Old Mission Peninsula, near Traverse City, Michigan.  Sarah, Jamie, Abby and Nate were settled in at their cabin.

11 month old Nate needed close supervision. Eating sand was one of his goals. 

 Abby reacts to the disappearance of "Crocodile Papa" into the lake.

 Nate found this "peek-a-boo" beach chair endlessly amusing.

Cooking up a birthday cake.

Many blissful hours spent exploring a small expanse of beach.

 Out to lunch in Traverse City.

Floating in the clear lake water with Grandad ...

... and supervising at the grill. More pictures to follow soon!

Miner's Falls

This was a fun morning hike before heading home.