Tulip tree mysterious growth

/ Roadtirementvintage / 19 Comments

Last spring  (2020) the state DNR offered free tree saplings. We got some, including Tulip poplars.  The Tulip tree is the State tree of Indiana. We planted three, and they have done very well, and have grown from sapling size to about 4 feet tall.

May 28, 2020

September 6, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve noticed some interesting growth on the trees. On the trunks are single individual leaflets. They are close together, one on top of the other and on opposite sides of the trunk. I have never seen anything like this. Any foresters out there that can explain if this growth is normal in Tulip tree growth?

Never seen growth like this…

Tulip trees were plentiful in the hardwood forests of the Midwest prior to European settlement. The trees were harvested for railroad ties and fenceposts, so state some historical records. George Washington planted Tulip trees on his Mt. Vernon estate. Growing to 90 feet in height with large diameter trunks, the poplar trees provided excellent quality lumber. They do flower when mature, but the flowers are in the tops of the trees so are hard to see.

Cheesy bean enchiladas

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Tonight we had something we hadn’t made before. We love eating at the Mexican Restaurant, but wanted to try fixing something ourselves. Besides, it’s a lot cheaper making our own. It is surprisingly easy and delicious.

One bag of tortillas, we had the 10 pack, but only used 8. We used a 9×12 baking dish sprayed with pam. Mixed 1 can of refried beans and 1/2 jar of cheeze whiz ( I know, but it is good). We used 2 cans of enchilada red sauce, putting a little in bottom of baking dish and a little in the bean and cheese mixture. Then spooned the mixture onto the tortillas and wrapped them, so 8 fit in the dish. Then covered them with the rest of the enchilada sauce. Sprinkled on some Mexican shredded cheese. Baked for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Next time we will make some Mexican rice to go with it. All in all, we were pleased and added some wine (Alley Cat from a local winery) to our dinner and we had a nice dinner.

Our backyard bird feeders are back in service

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Hummingbirds are so amazing!

In May 2021 some species of songbirds began to be afflicted with a deadly disease of some kind. This started in Virginia and moved west. Indiana birds began to die in late May and by early June the Indiana Department of Natural Resources put out the warning to stop all bird feeding in private yards. We posted about that. We both really missed our almost daily birdwatching time our back.

By the first week in August the DNR published the news that 76 out of Indiana’s 92 counties were bird disease free, and could resume the use of bird feeders.

Our cute little Nuthatch is back

We soon refilled our two seed feeders, and also refilled our hummingbird feeder. (DNR also had said to stop using hummingbird feeders as well.) It has been a couple of weeks since we started feeding our avian friends again, and slowly lots of the birds are coming back to our yard. We haven’t seen all of the species we had seen before the “lockdown”, but perhaps that is to be expected. We are grateful that we can again enjoy birding from our backyard swing!

A nice Labor Day weekend family visit

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Sher and I and our son took a quick trip over to Ohio for a Saturday before Labor Day cookout at our #2 son’s house. (He’s the one who got married a little while back.) The trip over was fortunately uneventful with light traffic and no rain.

We had a great time! It is so nice to see family. We had the chance to visit with three of our grandchildren and our new step-granddaughter. The food was great (see the grill photo!). After the meal Sher and I watched the others play some funny and fun online games. We also played the two pinball machines that our son has in his basement. Both he and his new wife are serious pinball machine players, both doing very well in tournaments. While I played the Star Wars pinball machine, I kept remembering the classic song by The Who about that deaf, dumb and blind kid, Tommy the “Pinball Wizard”.

Sher enjoying the lovely day outside.

It is so nice to spend time with family. Sher and I both shared stories with the grandkids about their parents, went over genealogy and pictures, and even discussed future get togethers, including the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. We certainly enjoyed our time in Ohio. Soon we’ll be in Seattle for more time with more family…

Break is over: back to blogging

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It is time for Roadtirement to get back to blogging. It’s been a little over a month since we took our time off. OK, we’ll admit, we’ve missed sharing what we’re up to, and perusing our favorite blogging friends. We’ll be in Seattle in a couple of weeks, but have enjoyed hanging around Indiana. (We also had a wedding in Columbus, Ohio. Our number two son was married to a great lady and the celebration was marvelous!)

L to R: strawberry Mimosa, fresh OJ, and citrus-lavender Mimosa

Sher discovered a new to us restaurant in Fishers, Indiana. Part of a local Indy Metro area chain, Rize is an upscale establishment offering a wide variety of delicious meals. Open from 7 AM to 3 PM, it is a very comfortable restaurant. We started with flavorful Mimosas and fresh squeezed OJ. Then came the specialty of the place: a huge cinnamon roll, smothered in a luscious and unique tasting icing.

Now that’s a cinnamon roll!

Crispy waffle w/ decadent maple whip butter

 

 

 

 

 

Our meals consisted of biscuits and gravy topped with egg, waffles with cinnamon butter, and a marvelous avocado toast with fresh fruit. Yummy!

Avocado toast and fresh fruit

Biscuits and gravy with egg

 

 

 

 

 

Well, we’re back, hope we haven’t made you too hungry. We’re still doing fine. Diets and exercise continues and we are looking forward to our trip to the Pacific Northwest. Thanks for bearing with us during our break, and we look forward to bringing you more Roadtirement posts!

 

Roadtirement is going to take a break

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Pearly Gates morning glory

Sometimes you need to take a break from blogging. That’s what Sher and I have decided we are going to do for a while.

Not to worry, we are both doing fine. Our recent doctor visit resulted in good reports for each of us. We did have to get blood tests today after fasting, yuck. Maj’s diet is still going well, and his daily bike rides for exercise are slowly increasing in duration and distance.

And for those of you who caught our last post on Roadtirement know that we asked you to guess the destination of our next adventure. Today we’re giving the “reveal” as they say on the reality shows. Drumroll………….   We are going to Seattle and the state of Washington.  We’ve visited there before, and our daughter, son-in-law and grandson live near Seattle so fun visits coming! It is beautiful country with lots of things to see and do.

We are not leaving forever, just taking some time off. Thanks so much for your support and we’ll be back sometime.

 

Got our detectors out of storage

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Our metal detector gear, digging tools and headphones

A day or two ago I was trying to ride my bike, my legs gave out and I ended up with 2 scraped knees. Hmmm…. that’s when we pulled out the metal detectors.  Dusted them off, put in new batteries and much to our surprise – they still worked! So, about our  metal detectors, yes we have ’em.  Maj has a Garrett  GTP 1350  and I have a Whites  CoinMaster.  We bought them a few years ago when we were convinced we were going to find hidden treasure!  (smiling face)  Anyway Joshua  Gates , from Travel Channel’s Expedition Unknown really inspired us to do something with our detectors. Joshua uses metal detectors a lot in his searches for treasure and other artifacts. Doing a google search I found that metal detecting is a very good hobby for senior citizens.  

I don’t know if we’re going to find buried treasures, but we might find a few coins and maybe even a piece of jewelry.  We haven’t figured out how well we will be able to bend down and actually dig.  But, it is good exercise and we may just look for surface treasures.  

Why are we doing this? We are getting ready for our next big adventure.  We’re leaving it up to everyone to guess where we are going.  I’d give a prize but don’t have anything really to give that would be good.  Only thing is, you will know if you’ve guessed right.  

The first hint: it is west of our home state of Indiana…

~ Sher

We watch the Travel Channel’s “Expedition Unknown”

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Josh in front of El Castillo in Mexico. Photo courtesy Josh Gates

Have you ever watched an episode of Expedition Unknown? It is a binge worthy show. We started watching because we couldn’t find anything we hadn’t seen, or anyway it felt like we’d seen everything. Anyway, our son suggested we watch Travel Channel’s Expedition Unknown just to see if we liked it. Liked it is an understatement, we loved it! Josh Gates is absolutely fantastic as a guide and a master at explaining things in lay people terms. For the last 4 days we have been binge watching it and still have more shows to go. We are watching this Travel Channel production on Discovery+.

Our pic, also seen in Expedition Unknown

Some of our favorite episodes have been filmed at places where we have visited during our travels. The episode about the search for real-life buccaneer Jean Laffite’s missing treasure in the early 1800’s is partially set in New Orleans, Louisiana.  This episode (Season 4, Episode 13) ended in Galveston, Texas, another place we have seen. It is lots of fun seeing the same buildings, beaches and lands that we have visited. We shared some of our experiences in New Orleans here.

 

Gates has a great sense of humor, and it is amazing the connections he has in the world of archeology, treasure hunting and fascinating history. He journeys take you to all corners of the world, and places that you never knew existed. We also really enjoy his behind the scenes episodes, giving you a look at how large and complex his production crew really is.

~Sher

Diet and cycling update

/ Roadtirementvintage / 55 Comments

It’s been about 10 days since I have mentioned the diet and exercise program I have been on. So far, so good I have to say. The regime of having a salad each day with a couple of meal replacement shakes has been a chore, but I have been fairly faithful to it. My blood pressure has been greatly improved, and stays improved day to day. I am losing weight as well.

Sher and I met relatives at a local restaurant over the weekend. It had been over a year since we have seen them, and we had a most enjoyable visit. For my meal I splurged and chose a cheeseburger. I did, however order it without the bun. (I have not had any bread since I started the diet. Damn, I miss wheat toast.)

Chillin’ on his “front porch”

I’ve been riding my bike everyday. More often than not I ride a second time too. The ground hog pictured is a critter that I see everyday during my morning ride. When I starting riding he would duck under his yard barn as soon as he spotted me. Now he just ignores me and keeps sitting on his “front porch”. I guess he has gotten used to me riding through his territory.