Our good friend and birding mentor said there was a Scarlet Tanager in Wilderness Park that many had seen. So Tom, Linda, and Steve went with us to hunt it down!
It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon…
The park is long and narrow, but once on the trail it feels like you’re miles from any town!
We didn’t want to go all the way down to the river bank, so we just sent our shadows:
A little guy liked our scope:
The sign documents a train wreck from 1894, killing eleven people. It implies that someone sabotaged the trestle, and somebody was tried and jailed for it. But ten years later the Governor paroled him, saying he had “grave doubts” as to his guilt! After ten years! It also says nobody knows who or how many guys were responsible.
We never found the Scarlet Tanager, but did see a Summer Tanager. Steve got some great pictures – I saved the best for last!
Steve happens to be an excellent photographer, and he has let me present some of his pictures of this afternoon’s adventure:
Told you he was a great photographer!
Sunday the Lincoln Adventist Men’s Chorus sang for the St Paul’s Lutheran church. When we arrived, parking was a total mess, due to a section of street blocked off for some event. A parade, perhaps? Nope – it was an event to help folks prepare for a new school year. There were two lines, each over two blocks long. One was for the barber school, where they were doing free haircuts. The other line was for a backpack, with school supplies loaded inside, and then you’d proceed down the line and add other stuff you might need.
The incredibly long lines (I think they started a couple of hours before the event opened) make you realize how many people need help…
This booth was giving out free books, at all levels of reading ability. They also have programs where they send you a new book each month, all free of charge. It’s good to see books and reading emphasized!
A jumping castle and climbing wall (pinnacle?) were also available.
I’d never met Josh the Otter before, but Kevin says he travels to lots of schools and pools teaching water safety.
Here you see the backpack line, which extends twice this far around the corner.
It was good to see how many institutions donated so much stuff to help folks out as they start a new school year!