Walk to the Marsh

It was a beautiful fall afternoon today, and I went for a walk down the road to the marsh on Mars Hollow road in Milton. The foliage is nearing its peak, and the leaves always turn brightest the fastest on the trees near the water. I spent some time down by the water hoping to see some ducks. There weren't any around, but I was able to get some nice pictures of the foliage and the beautiful, gangly dead trees that stand in the marsh. I also had a huge flock of geese fly over me, which is always fun to see, and listen to. Here are a few of my favorite pics: 

   

This is the road on the way to the marsh.

Here is my reflection in the water, as I look down from my perch on the drainage pipe.

This is the foliage lining the marsh.

 

This most wonderful tree just looks like it should have bird in it, especially crows or birds of prey; I was lucky to catch this bird before it flew away. I think it is a hawk or falcon or something noble like that.

A hot air balloon was floating by and got caught in the tree!

 I hope we get a couple more weeks of foliage and this lovely fall weather! Here is a slideshow of the rest of the pictures I took today on my walk to the marsh. 

Click here to view full screen.

Thanks for looking :D

Back to School, AGAIN?!

It's fun being home in Vermont and sculpting and doing all the lovely things I like to do, but I knew it wouldn't take long before I realized...Oh crap, I don't have any money! Well my friends, that day has come. Being a sculptor rocks and all, but it doesn't pay the bills. So, as a reliable source of income, I've decided to pick up substitute teaching at my home town elementary and high school. I've done it before, but haven't stepped foot in the school district in over a year. I wasn't sure if I was emotionally ready to be thrown to the sharks just yet, but I really need the cash.

So, reluctanly, I put my name in yesterday, expecting I had a week or so to prepare myself before I'd start getting called. But low and behold! They were in need. I'm on my lunch break at the moment, from taking over Mrs. O'Brien's sixth grade class. I will admit, I was a little nervous this morning when I woke up, got dressed, and packed my lunch. I felt like I was the one going to school. Well, I guess I was.

I reached the school 1/2hr early and checked into the main office. I got my little name tag and headed up to my classroom where my lesson plans awaited. I read them over thoroughly. Once. Twice. Then a third time just to be sure. I'm going to get eaten. Alive. The clock was ticking, 8:30 approached. Any minute now, the kids would be storming the door and filling the room like a swarm of bees. Angry ones. My palms began to sweat as a made tiny paces back and forth. They would be here any second. My anticipation was rising as my eyes shot back and forth between the door and the clock. 1 minute left. 30 seconds. 10.

The door swung open. This was it. Their little bodies began bouncing around the room, then in and out of the classroom, to their desks, then back to their lockers. "Do we have a sub?" they would shout. As I affirmed their suspicions I watched their faces fill with glee. What an undescribable feeling it is to wittness the joy of a child. Dear God, Help me! The room buzzed with chatter and giggles as everyone began to assume their seats. I started with attendance. The day had begun.

Long story short, I survived my first day. Those little rascals start to grow on you after awhile, no matter how much they kick and scream. Its funny how the kids who give you the most trouble are usually the ones who tell you how much they love you when they leave at the end of the day. Go figure. They might give you hell, but it's nice to know that you just might have made some sort of an impression on them. For some, the best part about being a substitute is the opportunity to be the boss, which on paper, sounds pretty appealing. Yet once you get in there, you don't feel so large and in charge. But even though they might walk all over you, I think somewhere inside of them, they know that you care about them and they appreciate you being there. Or at least that's what I need to tell myself to get through the day ;D. 

Shrooms of the Season, and Frightening Fungi

Shrooms of the Season

While hunting around in the woods of Milton, we have stumbled upon many different fungi of fall. I never realized how many different kinds of mushrooms were right under my nose, or quite literally, in my back yard! Here are some pictures of some real beauties:

This mushroom stood about 5inches tall and is called the Wood Chanterelle, or the Funnel Chanterelle. This has to be the most beautiful mushroom I have ever seen, and as you can tell, I just couldn't stop taking pictures of it!

Below is a picture of a type of coral fungi. I have never seen anything like it, but it must be because I haven't been looking. These little guys were sprouting up everywhere! Some corals are even edible, but we didn't take our chances on this one. 

These next photos are of mushrooms I thought looked cool, but alas, was too lazy to identify. Feel free to comment if you think you know what they are!

I was attracted to this mushroom by its semi-spherical cap. It has a lovely soft grayish-lavender color, and very delicate stocks. They stood about 4 inches off he ground and the diameter of there caps did not exceed 1/2 inch. 

    This mushroom lured me in by the way it captured the light in its upturned cap. 

After getting more familiar with identification, I started to notice how fantastical some of the mushroom names can be. Here are a few fungi I found with names quite fitting for the Halloween Season!

Frightening Fungi

A Halloween Treat :D

This cluster is given the name Earth Tongues. Don't get licked walking by these delicate gems!

Next, we have the Destroying Angel. These large, eye catching mushrooms can be found dotting the woodland landscape, but don't be fooled by their glaring beauty, for a nibble on these, or maybe just a touch, can be the kiss of death!

How lucky I was too come across this fabulous fungus, a strain of Slime Mold! Its bubbly and orange gooey surface make it the perfect Halloween find and it certainly takes the cake as my personal favorite.  Coming across it in the woods was quite the scare!

Lastly, I present to you the delicate Ghost Flower. Although not a fungus, they are certainly worthy of this post. This parasitic plant spends most of its life underground, only rising to bloom when conditions are favorable. Because they do not get nutrients from the sun, they are devoid of chlorophyll, and lack all pigmentation, giving them their gorgeous ghostly glow. 

Well, that's all I have for frightening fungi! I hoped you enjoyed the read, and I wish you a horrific Halloween!

Wild Edibles: Long Grain Wild Rice

Since I have been home and trying to embrace Vermontian pastimes, my brother-in-law Dan Lovell, has invited me along on his quest for wild edibles growing locally and around Vermont. Given my profound love for nature and secret desire to self-sustain, Into-the-Wild-style, I eagerly took up the offer. So far I have been harvesting wild blackberries in the woods behind my house, learning to hunt and identify wild edible mushrooms, and most recently, harvesting wild rice in the marshes of Lake Champlain.

On Tuesday morning, Dan, his friend Frank and I adorned ourselves with camouflage chest waders and prepared ourselves to tread the knee to waist-high waters of Lake Champlain's Sandbar State Park. There was a slight drizzle and overcast skies, but we felt comfortable that it would hold out. We stepped into the marshy landscape, where the tall grasses danced above our heads. Each carrying a five-gallon-pail, we grasped the fronds of the rice and banged them around inside. The ripe grains shook off, and the young ones remained on the plant.  It wasn'tbefore long that the bottoms of our pails were lined with grain, and most unexpectedly, Spiders.  They must have been living on the rice, Dan Explained. When we had our fill (about half a five-gallon-pail between the three of us) we decided to head out. 

While I sat in the back seat looking after the rice, I also kept the spiders at bay as they continued to climb the walls and spill out of the bucket.  I enjoyed observing them because they were unlike spiders I had seen before. They had very long front and back legs, and the ones in the middle where short.They also had an elongated body. There colors ranged from redish brown to light green. I saw one at rest and his legs were stretch out in front of him and in back of him, making him look very long and thin. Then I realized, "Wow! They must live on the rice, because they actually look like it." Nature is awesome that way. 

Above Photo: A spider at rest next to a grain of wild rice.  

Above: A glance at our harvest after the spiders were "taken care of."

Now that we've harvested, it's time to process. Each grain of rice is protected by a husk. Its now our fun job to separate it. SOUNDS LABOR INSTENSIVE. Well, maybe not. First off, we need to dry it out. Thorough drying will make the grains hard and the husks brittle. Then we can simply crush it by stomping on it with our feet or what have you, which will separate the undesirables from the goods. 

To dry out the grains, we spread them out over a couple cook sheets and popped them in the oven for a few ours on WARM. Dries them out right nice :D. They're actually still there now...

The Other Things I Do

View of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks from my home in Milton, VT

When I started Emily's Sculpture Journal, I wanted it to be a place where I could log my progress and keep people posted on my sculpture. After getting the hang of the whole blog thing though, I wanted to start posting about other things that are not necessarily sculpture related. I have just moved home to Vermont to sculpt, but I have also been rediscovering my state. In this blog I will be posting about my recent Vermontian adventures and what I find along the way. Thanks for reading!