House on the Rock - Part One

 What would a trip to Wisconsin be without a trip to House on the Rock? 

As we headed home from our week in Oshkosh we sought out our last minute destination to add to the accomplished part of Corey and my Couple's To-Do -List. I had heard other people bring up the huge compound -  now museum in conversation once in awhile...Often with my mental note,"Sounds like a great place to stop and look around." Well, dare I say that day was that very day?

We headed out of Appleton one last time to begin our miles headed back in the direction of home.

 Our timing brought us to our tourist destination shortly after twelve o'clock noon. We turned to follow the signs, joining others headed on the same route into the parking area.

When we entered the gate we could tell there would be little surprises dispersed in natural cul-de-sacs along the way.

Large urns planted with summertime flowers dotted the landscape everywhere. Some were so secluded you needed to look quick or you might miss them.

 

It became apparent during our visit that Lizards, Snakes and Dragons were important to Alex Jordan builder of the House on the Rock over looking the Wyoming Valley ...the House being constructed on a rock formation known as Deer Shelter Rock. 

The original intent for the compound was to be a weekend retreat for Mr. Jordan and invited guests.

As we arrived it was decided that Corey and I ,two tired travelers after a full week of events would take a couples-selfie documenting our visit before entering the museum. It was then time to begin our stroll through the mind and design of  the architect.  

The setting was absolutely one that I would choose to place a private dwelling.  My personal opinion,I imagine that having to step away to gain financing at intervals may have taken away some of the enjoyment of having such a wonderful dwelling. I definitely would have missed the solitude and the space to ramble aimlessly out of the elements.

A large covered public entrance invited us into the tourist attraction.

By the time I finish sharing my thoughts about one of  Wisconsin's eclectic constructions,my hope would be to place enough interest so you too can see it as one of those out of the way places that might be put on your future "To -Do-List."

Please come back to visit soon to see some of the internal attractions I found to be of interest as we journeyed through the corridors,expansive rooms and intimate close quarters meant for the purpose of meditation...Always keeping the mind busy.

Have a great day!

A Visit To The Collins WI Marsh Wildlife Area

As I ponder about events I've experienced, documented in my picture gallery, it is without a doubt time to start speaking about what went on during those days. In a couple of weeks it's almost two years since my husband Corey and I had the opportunity to visit Wisconsin during AirVenture 2018.


I'd like to revisit Thursday, July 26,2018, when a drive through the countryside took us from Appleton through many little towns to arrive at a destination once visited by Corey back in July 2016 with some friends.

We drove by the Neustadter Nature Center sign and looked up the information about the area. If you click on Neustadter above you'll be treated to an Osprey Cam...So much Marsh acreage brings varied wildlife to be observed in many different ways. If you are a kayaker, they are available to be rented at the Nature Center, there are trails for Hikers and an Observation Tower to oversee the surrounding territory.

 Our decision not to go into the Collins,WI Wildlife area  and Marsh took us instead by the Neustadter Nature Center headed in the direction of Manitowoc. Collins Marsh is a 4,200 acre state wildlife area located just 20 minutes west of Manitowoc.

On this road, one of the first things we saw was a retired Fire Observation Tower for this Fire District.The Observation Tower is  110 feet tall open to the public free of charge. The top of the tower allows visitors a beautiful vista of the surrounding countryside. An Osprey couple have decided to make the top of the tower a nesting spot to raise a family this season.

I've seen Fire Observation Towers in Colorado,  South Dakota and now I can add to that list, Collins,Wisconsin.

The new arrivals finding their landing spot within the larger flock

I'd been told by Corey that the Sandhill Cranes might be visible to us in this area since the entourage in 2016 had caught a few on camera during their trip. 

July26,2018 was the first time I was witness to these large long legged birds...I was excited to see these Sandhill Cranes come flying in , making a long turn to come back onto the field where there was a larger flock of birds already interacting with each other on the ground.

Members of the flock

I was definitely in awe of the scene that lay before us here in Wisconsin- being made aware long ago about the migration of the cranes through the Platte River Region in Central Nebraska from February into April each year. It has now become a very popularly organized tourist industry for that State.

After seeing such a large group of cranes together I was on the lookout in every field we passsed along our travel route that day. I did see single couples once in awhile but you had to look fast since highway travelers don't have much patience with drivers not maintaining the speed limit.

The next post will be of our stop in Manitowoc...

Until then have a Great Day!

Visit to the M.A.S.H Reenactment Village - AirVenture 2018

Thank you for stopping into Timber Life to see what's going on today...I know I've been speaking in memories the last few days because I didn't get a chance to relate my experiences at the time of my visit back in 2018; all my information  wasn't conveniently at hand.

On this day,my second full day at AirVenture, it  was already hot and humid by 9:46 A.M. as I walked from the Replica Fighters Association Headquarters down passed Fighter Town  on a reconnaissance mission Wednesday morning July 25,2018, my opportunity to checkout the M.A.S.H reenactment village .

I must admit I didn't go into the village because I was still recuperating from my respiratory difficulty and just wanted to get some pictures to add to my recollections of a past era in our country's history.

I shed a few tears as I stood in front of these trucks ...Who knows maybe my Dad had something to do with them in their time in history? I experienced some acknowledgements of passers-by in my expression of emotion as I stood taking pictures. Thank you for your acknowledgements if you should happen to read this little blog post.

Remember M*A*S*H the television show that captivated audiences for nine years? It was on my evening watch list in it's first run and occasionally I catch it now for nostalgic purposes.

The aircraft above was used in the award-winning M*A*S*H television series and  is a Bell H-13 Sioux, the U.S. Army equivalent of the Bell 47D-1.  The helicopter that flew in the television series has a history of being converted to an agricultural field sprayer before being refurbished once again for display at Fly-ins. 

Traveling Back in History

My Dad, John Koenig ,served in the 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company,APO 301 in South Korea. I hold a few of his letters and pictures home to his parents in the archives of his experiences...

Please check back for more of my memories of explorations of towns and countryside around Oshkosh during AirVenture 2018.

Until next time...Have a Great Day!

Afternoon Airshow EAA AirVenture 2018 Part 2

As I said in my previous post I wouldn't try to put every picture up on my blog that I took through Corey and my whole trip to EAA AirVenture 2018 but you never know...  I'm headed back to some more pictures of the Monday afternoon Airshow.

I would like to offer an apology to Gene Soucy for the misspelling of his name in the last post. You'll find his aerobatic skills aloft at AirVenture and other Air Shows throughout the country. I've discovered that one of his past aerobatic Team members happened to be Tom Poberezny   , they once formed the Red Devils Aerobatic Team along with Charlie Hillard.

When I wasn't snapping happy pictures in front of me I was checking out the  Jumbo Tron behind me to see what was in the staging area for next up on the field.

One of the female pilots  named Jessy Panzer taking the air Monday afternoon in her little Pitts Special reminded me of the free spirited pioneer women aviators Pancho Barnes or Amelia Earhart . I've found a video to let you see the skills Jessy shared with us on the ground. She is a graduate of the famous Emery-Riddle Aeronautical University starting her flying career at 18 years old.

As a woman it would be my opinion the purple,black and white paint job of the Pitts to be appealing. A little hot rod bi- plane.

As you can see in the collage I wanted to bring your attention to CriCri once again, the little planes ability to find itself up among the clouds. It's petite size didn't stop it from heading into perfect air to keep everyone captivated below. Were you there?

One more little plane that brought up the end of the afternoon show for us was  Navy Pilot  Justin Lewis in the high performance FLS Microjet ;  designed in the 1970's by Jim Bede of Bede Aircraft. Eventually the building rights ended up in the ownership of  Ed (“Skeeter”) and Richard Karnes when they started BD Micro Technologies, Inc. (BMT) in 1992 and they began distributing the Flight Line Series of kits for the homebuilder.

Imagine for a moment with me if you will a drag race between the Dracula Demon Bi-plane flown by Kurt Franklin and the Ford XROK driven by Vaughn Gittin's Jr..

Pictured on the Jumbo Tron above is the start of the Race  on the runway, of which I wasn't able to see sitting from my location on the ground.

In the short burst of speed we all know who led and headed on his way to meet every other aviator who was sharing AirVenture Airspace.

You may or may not know who I'm talking about! The Dracula Demon Bi-plane flown by Aerobatic expert Kurt Franklin of course.

If you should ever get the chance to see an Airshow go have some fun already !

Until next time have a Great Day!

Afternoon Airshow EAA AirVenture 2018

How far sidetracked can one individual get?!? Well, let me see...After a year and a month , maybe, I'll work on relating what I saw during my days at EAA AirVenture 2018.

I remember having some interesting conversations with Replica Fighters Association /EAA members while sitting on the front porch of Replica Fighters Association Headquarters. I must admit I wasn't at my best health-wise during Corey and my visit to AirVenture.

Monday afternoon Corey and I headed down to the Airfield after stopping to see about some Experimental Aircraft Association wearables and trinkets. We were successful in getting t-shirts but couldn't find the yearly hat pin for his hat.

The following pictures are those I  snapped as we sat in the hot sun. Spectacular sights were to be had with all the planes lifting skyward, looping, twisting and then gliding over the runway in front of us to a stop.

I'd come down with a respiratory ailment Sunday morning as we loaded the car to head north.  The respiratory difficulty was a replay of 2016 when I caught what was going around in our community, pneumonia like in expression : seems to arise during allergy season and of course the heat and humidity aren't my friend either when these symptoms take root.

I alternated visits  staying inside at our hotel with mainly  fresh air excursions at Oshkosh.

Tuesday, I stayed inside listening to music and sermons by Dr. David Jeremiah, getting time to be quiet and looking at all the Airshow pictures I took on Monday,  while Corey got to spend time with the guys as I healed from my respiratory ailment. I took my selfie in our room in Appleton after Corey had gone.

I'm going to put a few fun pictures in from the Airshow. I'd put every picture I took through my whole trip on here, but you know...

It looks like I'm going to write a few more posts about my experiences with Corey at EAA AirVenture 2018 at Oshkosh and just maybe add a few other ones about the birds and bees.The things I do to make my daily life a little more interesting.

No, I won't try to do it ALL today...

Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture 2018 Excursion - Day 2

Replica Fighters Headquarters as the day was winding down July 28,2018

Monday morning July23rd came into view and we headed off  from Appleton towards our day at EAA AirVenture 2018 to meet some of the guys at the Replica Fighters Association Head Quarters.

Of course Corey was a well known member of the club being editor to the group Replica Fighter's magazine and he introduced me to a few other club members present when we arrived.

The front porch of  Headquarters became a forum in itself. We sat discussing airplanes, past and present projects, as well as EAA group endeavors  to keep the art of amateur builders engaged into the future. How is your EAA group being challenged?

One of the most notable draws for Homebuilders during the week was that of the Bally Bomber.

We at the Replica Fighters Association were privileged to have the one-third scale B-17 Bomber, parked right outside the door. Most of the time people were milling about with everyone trying to get interviews and pictures of builder Jack Bally and his support team.

However, I was around in the evening after the crowds dwindled and the Bomber was being put to rest , preparing for another day.

There were several WWl planes on display  at the Headquarters during the week. Among the displays was this WWl Fokker Dr1 triplane owned by William French. He was given the "Best WWl" award at the Club Barbeque on Friday evening July 28,2018.

The Nieuport l7above was constructed by Dick Hartzler whoes business is crafting Spun Aluminum Cowlings for vintage aircraft. (please click on  Spun Aluminum Cowling to find more information)

My aviation interest spans many genre of planes, but of course WWI happens to be a favorite since Corey and I own Voisin 3/5. A design incorporating two different models of the French built Bi-plane Bombers.

I've heard  Corey speak of several individuals during his past encounters with gaining information on building and attending events where you can walk up to the plane to examine other builders concepts of a designers plans. It was my pleasure to meet a bunch of these people at Oshkosh...including Dick Hartzler owner of the Nieuport 17 and the owner of the "Fat Fokker"DVII, Daryl Porter both having used Robert Baselee's Airdrome Aeroplanes for their supplier .  We used the porch of the Replica Fighters Association to chat about what life brings to those in the serious pursuit of aircraft building and flying.

A"Fat Fokker" DVII built by  Daryl Porter

SE5a a British Bi-plane Fighter tethered at the Replica Fighters Association flight line and built by Randell Roy

In the afternoon Corey and I headed off to do some EAA merchandise shopping and ended up with a couple of T-shirts to commemorate my first Airventure and hopefully the start of a venue of exploration. One can always learn something new!

Next on our agenda for the afternoon was the daily Airshow. I had a great time photographing all the speeding jets, bi-planes and cars provided by Ford, now a sponsor for activities at EAA Airventure held in Oshkosh, WI. at Walt Whitman Field.

Once the Airshow was completed it was time for us to head back to our Hotel to relax and cool off...

Stay tuned for day 3, I hope to be back sooner than the last post.

Farewell Estes Park ,CO. onto Wheatland,WY

Welcome to Timber Life! We are about to set off on another early morning to get us Road Warriors headed in the right direction ; darkness still encircled us as I made my way to the hotel office to checkout,even awakening the managers to leave our key at 6:15. We had decided that waiting to see if the fog conditions would improve over the mountains in the Rocky Mountain National Park wouldn't be a benefit to us.

Our route for the morning took us back through Big Thompson Canyon to Loveland, heading up North on rt.287 to Wheatland,WY.

As you can see my camera eyes were all over the place. I had to pick and choose which images I would share today.I know, that's everyday! 😊

There were groups and single Pronghorn Antelope in the mountainous and valley terrains along the road. Too many to count in a hurry!

We saw some horse riders getting prepared to do some back-country riding and I can only speculate if they would be checking grazing cattle or sheep as the day was wet and cold.

Our first encounter with Buffalo on this trip was on a hillside at the Sybille Wildlife Research Center, that provided holding pens close to the Visitor Center for viewing of various types of the indigenous species. We passed by our opportunity to stop but I managed to get a series of shots with the Buffalo as the subjects.

The main picture in this collage is the Jesus Rocks! Rock we found. I believe it possibly had become full of graffiti that carried negative messages so someone wanted to change the words and thoughts. I Love the message myself. I did a little more editing on the rock to help take off some telephone numbers that really don't need to be advertised.

I did promise pictures of Goshen Hole,WY in one of my last posts. Guess we'll get there soon!

In the mean time...Have a Great Day!

Smiling Angels

 Last Sunday we had an update from a year ago Christmas. Time marches on and we have changed slightly. Glory Be to God we had another day together to get a picture taken!

There are things that remain unchanged and unshakable... Speaking in general that would be that the Love of Jesus Christ does rain down on us even when our daily challenges might become overwhelming.

                                               Romans 8:31-39 (NKJV) 
                                                       
                                                           God’s Everlasting Love 


31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 
36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”[a]  
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We send the Love of Jesus Christ that he has shared with us...Have a Blessed Day in the Lord!

Rocky Mountain National Park Elk Rut

Corey and I drove by where we stayed on our June vacation 2015 ,as we turned the corner onto the street we came across our first encounter with an Elk for the evening. He looked a bit bedraggled with his drapery of grass entangled in the  malformation of his antler. It was without a doubt he was content to graze on his own since  no others were sighted with-in visible range.

Getting beyond all the shops of downtown ,following HWY 34 just outside of town, we came upon a mountain meadow filled with groups of Elk Bulls,Cows and calves from the past season. We pulled off the road to catch glimpses between parked or passing cars of the roaming Bull Elk pictured on the left-hand of the collage,hearing for the first time up close and personal a bugling .

We were privileged to once again capture a collared Cow lazily grazing among the rest of the herd. My understanding of the purpose of the collar is to keep track of travel patterns, age and where her collaring originated. 

As we approached the Rocky Mountain National Park the blinking signs notified tourists that the Park was only open to the 12 mile point due to poor visibility on the mountains. So, we didn't get to go on into the park since we would have still had to pay the entrance fee of $20 and daylight was fading fast. 

On our reverse trip to Estes Park we caught two young Bulls feeding alone. A little further back towards town, we came across a different large Bull Elk ,which is featured in the middle of the collage and found in the middle of the herd on the outer right top picture. What was awesome was the echoing of bugles from so many parts of the hills and meadows in our travel path. The group just above, to our right,didn't come to my attention until I tried focusing on a far bugle.

I know that I've talked about lodging before, as in renting a room but there are several camping areas available for either campers or mixed sites including tents; as well as vacation homes and Bed&Breakfast accommodations.

By the time daylight was done we were ready to retire back to the Twin Owl Motor Lodge since our day had begun so many hours and miles ago. 

We documented our stay...

Time to eat supper and prepare to head off to Goshen Hole,Wyoming. Another long day on the road.

I hope you enjoyed our pictures and blogpost for today.

Here's wishing you Have a Great Day!

Our Evening at Estes Park - Part Two

On our outing for the evening we scouted for future lodging around Lake Estes...Now,we are familiar with names and locations so we know what to look for when we plan another vacation,or can offer a suggestion. It certainly helps to know how the establishment appears from the street to determine whether or not it is a possibility to seek renting a room. 

This little cabin was our accomodation during our stay in 2015 with our family. It's required stay of two days was longer than the overnight we had allotted for our visit last September.

To find out more about renting cottages at Triple R Cottages <---please Triple R Cottages.

On our last stay in June 2015 I saw Mule Deer bucks across the road,a coyote running along the little creek to the back of the cabin and we were told by one of our kids another guest had informed them a bear had gone through the compound.

Please forgive my huntress side, but apart of me was on alert to the fact a bear could have been through, because of being awakened in the night ,due to sounds of bumping along our cabin and later the discovery of animal scat pictured here.


I was searching the yard for evidence of wildlife when I came across more than one sample. It was found to the left of the trees between the tree line and the cabin.

So, if you are in need of getting a close look at mother nature you'll not be disappointed with adding Estes Park,CO. as a vacation destination...

Have a Great Day!

Our Evening at Estes Park,CO - Part One

Entering Estes Park from Big Thompson Canyon we soon found our road that would take us to our hotel accommodations for the evening.

Fish Creek Road intersected with N St Vrain Ave. which runs along the southern shore of Lake Estes.

Via N St Vrain Ave. ,the street to our lodging, we were welcomed with a blinking road sign announcing the most prominent event now taking place in the community. 

I know the sign doesn't spell things out completely but there is enough to give some clues if you are aware of the season.

Let's just say the two most important words I catch a glimpse of are "Elk" and "Rutting".

Arriving at our  destination it was time to take a quick survey of our surroundings before heading into town to see if the Elk were moving about the town proper.

Panning to our right across the street from the Twin Owls Motor Lodge at the west end of Lake Estes we enjoyed the scenery.

The fog was still setting low on the mountains surrounding us and we hurried to make choices as to what direction would be best to go to find the next photo subject(s).

We did get on our way to checkout both the wildlife and tourist populations now inhabiting this well known city.

Because I've got so many pictures I would like to share with you I plan on splitting them into several posts.

Please do keep checking back to see if something new has been added.

Have a Great Day!

Our Trip from Loveland CO to Estes Park

Leaving Loveland, CO in late September last year we went West on route 34 through the Big Thompson Canyon.

We saw so many things  that I found interesting it could take me awhile to get them all categorized and ready to write about.

One of the first things I would like to bring to your attention is the Sylvan Dale Guest ranch sign. Of course I saw it the last time we went by in 2015 but this time I decided it worth snapping. I just read they are offering  a February Romantic Getaway Package. Being only 7 miles west of Loveland, they aren't impacted by the highway construction in the Thompson Canyon region and if you're game for a  cozy cabin with some snow for Valentine's Day an Airport Shuttle could be the way to go to get some R&R.  Looks like a  great place to visit so I'll post their contact information to get you going -

                                                        Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch
                                                        2939 N County Rd 31D
                                                        Loveland CO 80538

                                                        970.667.3915 

                                                       ranch@sylvandale.com

Wooden sculptures and large lawn ornaments by Adobe Designs kept the scenery interesting,interspersed with rock formations galore. Adobe Designs not only meets the outside garden design needs but I've found they also are a Clothing Boutique with an eye for Home Decor as well. 

Have you ever heard of a store called The Dam Store? Well, I hadn't heard of it either until we passed it. You'll see a picture of it in my collage, on the top row clear to the right-side. It's had a few purposes in the history of Loveland. At the present it's a lookout location to see where it was once a hydroelectric plant for the city before a flood and growing population made it obsolete. A retail operation is now housed within the building, offering tourists momentos of their visit to the site and state, along with regional refreshments and jewlery.

Getting on the other side of the Dam Store we started seeing fog not far into the canyon up on the mountain tops with varying visibility. It was a disappointment when it became apparent that some of the peaks wouldn't be apart of the picture album this time around. Ah... Another reason to make a trip to Colorado.

With our incline passage on windy roads higher into the mountains we were finally going to make it to Estes Park for our overnight stay.

Come back soon and see the highlights of our short daylight hours in and around Estes Park.  I'll end here and wish you Have a Great Day!

Next Stop Loveland CO

As we entered the Loveland,CO suburb of Johnstown my head turned to the left to follow as far as I could the huge new Scheel's  Sporting Goods store.

Looks like a great place to visit for one and all. I've found that they've included a 65 car Ferris Wheel,a mini-bowling alley,  an arcade etc...etc...etc...

To find out more at the company website, please click the links  at Scheel's Sporting Goods store.

Today had been full of countryside landscapes so I was ready for a change of  clusters of buildings that we saw closest to our traveled path within the Loveland City Limits.

Oh, LOOK! Mountains in the distance!!! 

This wind driven sculpture was the first one apparent  as we passed the Scheel's Sporting Goods store.

The skies were gray along our way and we did see the rain fall within visible driving distance around us but we weren't in any deluges coming into the city.

I appreciate greatly the new, updated colors and directional signs.

What an impressive sculpture! I know you would enjoy it much better in person. You'll find it located on Highway 34 on the Eastside of town .

Entering our airspace from the right, this jet flew over the hotel below as I kept snapping away to keep my mind alert.

Sitting at one of the traffic lights before we entered the Downtown Area...

This gentleman kept his puppy wrapped up so it couldn't wander away into traffic. I watched and wondered how the little tyke was being cared for???

Heading out of town on our way to Thompson Canyon we passed Lake Loveland.  After passing this body of water several times my curosity was piqued at the beginnings of the Lake construction. I've discovered it to have been reconstructed from a muddy marsh into a source of agricultural irrigation and over time has evolved into a municipal water source.  Please click Lake Loveland above to be enlightened if your curiosity has reached a level of need to know....

Getting to this point in Loveland made our next destination become more real. Getting through Thompson Canyon and then onto Estes Park!

Have a Great Day1