Wild strawberries on a decorative rock. Do the berries remind you of anything?
Rose in full bloom
Asiatic lilies, sage and tomato plants
Not sure what this one is. Any ideas?
Sher’s project is still vacant, but hope it will be occupied soon.
A visitor to one of our Asiatic lilies
Got some pictures this morning before it got real hot. Our high today is forecast for 95 +/-. It is not desert hot, but the humidity (near 90%) is what gets you.
The gray bird landed, and we did not recognize what kind of bird it was. Soon however two grackles showed up and it was obvious that they were here to feed their offspring.
We did not recognize this species
Ah, looks like a parent is here to feed the youngster
There is the second parent and the youngster demanding more to eat
This was an interesting and enjoyable event for us to observe. It was the first time we had seen an immature grackle. There is always something going on with the wildlife in our backyard! We enjoy sharing our photos with you.
We see doves nearly every day in our yard
Here is another one of our welcomed friendly backyard visitors. The mourning dove is in the same taxonomic family as pigeons. It is one of the most common North American birds. Doves have very sad and mournful calls, and have been compared to the cries of owls. Doves also make a very characteristic pulsing sound as they fly. Amongst agricultural societies this bird is known as “the rain crow” due to the legend that the calls of doves warn of the impending arrival of rain.
Might be something here…
This is dried up and tastes bad.
He Has Been Here Before
Maybe there is something down here…
Hey! Look what I found again!
Once this fellow found another strawberry he took it across the yard and perched on the back of our swing to enjoy the fruits (pun intended) of his foraging.
This is our set up for Saturday at the highway 40 yard sale. Today it is sunny not a cloud in the sky temperature will only barely reach 80° and a light breeze. Perfect! 
It is 9:30 and we already have a very nice size crowd. We are looking forward to sales and having a successful Saturday.
The off and on rainfall this evening did lead however to a very beautiful sunset. We have finished our first day of selling at the US Highway 40 yard sale. We will have more pictures coming as we will be here through this coming Sunday.
We took these photos at the Aquarium of Niagara in the Niagara Falls State Park on the U.S. side of the river. The aquarium has a wonderful collection of marine life including a live sea lion show daily.
Taken on June 20, 2020
Taken on June 25, 2021
Taken on May 26, 2022
This Black Cherry was one we got free from the Conservation Service and Indiana DNR. The first picture was taken on June 20, 2020 shortly after being planted. The sapling was then in a cage for protection, and the top visible rung on the cage is less than 2 feet high. The second picture was taken on June 25, 2021. Then the tree was a little over 6 feet tall. The tree has reached a little over 12 feet in height now. It’s amazing how quickly this Black Cherry has grown.
When you come across a blueish colored grave monument you can’t help but wonder how it has maintained its lettering and clarity of the dates. No, it is not a later replacement, it is the original zinc metal grave marker. Manufactured by the Bridgeport, CT. Bronze Company, these long lasting but somewhat fragile monuments were custom made from 1876 until 1914.
When you tap on the surface of these monuments you can immediately tell it is metal. The seams where the individual pieces are joined are also obvious. Each piece was cast in Bridgeport and then shipped to the cemetery for installation. Customers dealt with sales reps armed with multiple catalogues with unlimited possibilities for choice of monuments.
Name/dates of deceased and panel with “Shaking Hands”
“HOW DESOLATE OUR HOME BEREFT OF THEE”
The zinc-tin alloy used in the castings did not rust and resisted the growth of mold or algae. Each monument was custom ordered, so all are one of a kind. The designs included panels that were screwed in and could even be changed at a later date, if desired. These were perfect for symbols like the shaking hands, sheaves of wheat or personal messages in addition to the name and dates of the deceased.
A smaller monument
Name/date still legible after nearly 140 years
The material of these was advertised as White Bronze. White Bronze doesn’t exist. These are made with a zinc-tin alloy. The company, however, felt that White Bronze is a much classier and sophisticated name than zinc. They also claimed (of course!) that their monuments would outlast any stone monument. In a way that was true, however these zinc beauties were susceptible to breakage from, for example, falling trees. In addition, very tall monuments could suffer over time from settlement of part of the bases.
This panel would have been custom ordered for the monument
The next time you are enjoying a relaxing walk through a cemetery or graveyard keep an eye out for different looking monuments. Go have a look, it just might be a one of a kind White Bronze monument that was cast in Bridgeport, Connecticut between 1876 and 1914.
