On the road, across the pond

After a series of excellent meals, and drinks, and meals, and drinks...one needs to get out and work off some of that intake.

With the onset of sunshine on the 26th, we took an old mill walkie...

**couple of nice firs (Abies sp.) right in next door neighbor's backyard

**handsome Betula pendula are common everywhere around here

**when you are tall, you can peep over backyard fences and see novel landscapes - such as this weeping Cedrus that I've watched grow up over the last 25 years

**a small reforestation area, composed of some firs and some other deciduous species, that a festive resident gussied up with a little holiday cheer

**woodland path character through community forest, which connect various neighborhoods to places like the old mill we were heading to

**shared use path (bikes/pedestrians) paralleling local highway (speed limit 90 kph)

**series of interpretive plaques, stating purpose of the managed community forest, cycle of life, ecosystem values, and species descriptions - the more you know...

**not enough places take the time to do this - people do not often think about the span of time that trees can encompass, and the (human) life events they witness

Where's the blasted old mill, already? Getting there, patience...

**care taken to clearly mark the way and provide safe crossing of commuter railway - even in the middle of the woods

**Pinus sylvestris (Scots Pine) logs from planned harvest

**serene Pinus sylvestris - must've won this year's lottery to see another sunset

**some English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) putting on their winter best

Ahh...nearly there.

A walk to a mill connotes that there will be water present.

**wetland backwater around this corridor, and the plant communities change to reflect the hydrological gradient

**very nice impoundment - ok, lake

**big old wheel and watercourse

**stalwart Salix species

**Millyard Dog

Nothing like getting back home to recuperate from a 'relaxing' vacation.
Hope you're feeling better.
Looks like a wonderful trip.

I love winter salix as they begin to waken, so dramatic. Love the stroll...

Thanks for thinking of us, we're still in Germany waiting for the rest of our tour...

Was it the finest Bourbon in the world?

I hope you're feeling better soon VV, I also hope it's run-of-the-mill and nothing new or exotic you brought back from your travels.

I'm not a Bourbon connoisseur (see Pseudo for that), but this 1992 vintage was very easy to sip. So much of the enjoyment is contextual - family, holiday, tradition, etc.

I reckon this is simply a seasonal cold, amplified by travel exertions and trying to catch up at work again. Spend a lot of time outside siting a thousand trees for this year's plantings, and you get a sick boy sometimes. I'll get over it eventually.

Please don't tell me that this plant has a different common name. I'm trying so hard...

Just 'Holly', or 'European Holly', where needed to distinguish it from other Ilex spp. ;-)

Resin

The international registrar at Holly Society of America is not going to be happy about that...

Gloves on? I like a good fight.