And the clouds roll in...

It was almost too late to walk. The mornings barely cool-off anymore. It is important to get out before the sun is too far up and angled to warm up the day.

DH loaded his pack - continued training for the canoeing adventure to come. I loaded up pockets with plastic bags, keys and a camera.

And we were off.

DH (How heavy can that pack be if he is carrying his first mug of coffee?)

Neighborhood dogs were already out in their yards and sang their barking songs as we walked by.

Wildflowers struggled to grow out of grass cut short in the fields.

The sun peeked out of the clouds moving in from the south. Rain is forecast. But even before that, the sun and conspire to create a sauna, making it hard to accomplish anything outside.*

Our leatherflowers continue to bloom, but are retreating into the woods. Where once we found bright purple, we now find the crazy spiked balls of developing seeds. Some spiders had started building webs between the spikes.

See the webs?

A line of flowers and buds.

 

In almost every gap along the woods' edge spiders have built webs to catch their breakfast.

Spider and a hint of the web (the webs show better with a little flash).

This spider was busy wrapping up breakfast (a moth). The flash washes out the creatures, but highlights the web.

I am calling katydid (of the family Tettigoniidae).

This guy wasn't bothered by the camera. I love how it grasps the edges of the leaves and hangs on.

We no longer step into the woods. We no longer walk the dirt path. All are posted and unfriendly.**

As we turned for home today I handed Scruff's leash to DH. Scruff is an easier walk...less patience needed. And the boys headed off while I continued to investigate the spiders.

When Paddy and I turned we saw the boys stopped - frozen in place - just past a curve in the edge of the woods. DH and Scruffy stared into the clearing. DH nodded as if to indicate they were watching "something." I called to them. DH nodded again. I joined them in time to see a deer standing at the edge of the woods staring back.***

The deer snorted and fled into the woods. We all continued on our return trip, but the boys quickly out paced us.

Paddy and I were moving along at a "what else are we going to see" pace when mid-way up the second incline of the street I noticed a bright red truck slowing down at the curb (across the road). I stopped and faced the driver.****

The driver stopped, turned to me, and called my name - ah, a friend I have not spoken to in some time. He was on his way home from work and saw us walking. "So this is where you walk!" said he. I admitted it was one of the walks - maybe not our favorite, but a good one.

We took a few minutes to catch up. Then Paddy and I hurried home before the boys started to worry.


NOTES:

*Rain is forecast every day for the next week. After the flooding last month, we cast a wary eye at dark clouds.

**Oh, but they beckon!

*** 1) DH is not usually the stealthiest person. He often frightens the wildlife. 2) We had just walked past this clearing. Two people and two dogs should have "spooked" any deer. 3) DH says there had been 3 deer. Two were already in the woods by the time Paddy and I arrived.

****No shy violet, I. We are trained to be aware and prepared.