Great River Road Drive to Nauvoo

These are waterlilies on the Mississippi River.

After our last day trip Detour we decided to go back that direction and take the Great River Road up to Nauvoo.  I had seen the waterlilies on the river last year but didn't get any decent photos. 

I was ready this time

There is no place to stop on this road so I'm just taking the pics I can get driving by

I was so focused on the River and the waterlilies I missed this coming...

But, when there is one, usually there are more to come...

This is when I saw the sign for the Poker Run.
A Poker Run is a fundraiser where Taverns along the chosen route participate and you collect cards from the Taverns. At the end of the route the "player" with the best hand of collected cards wins.
I was ready for the next old beauties coming down the road...

This view gave me Deja vu... 

It is so similar to a scene in Malibu on PCH that I used to love.

We drove up to Nauvoo to check out
Baxter's Vineyard & Winery~
"Illinois' Oldest Winery"

There was a Grape Festival going on and the Poker Run and some other Car Show so it was a little crazy. We went into the winery and had a tasting of their wines.

This is the "self-guided tour"

We asked where we should go for dinner and were told the Hotel Nauvoo...

Richard had heard it was really good and well known for the buffet.

We had some of the local wine...

We decided not to order the buffet because the Orange Roughy sounded so good...

We totally confused the poor waitress because she didn't know it was even on the menu.

OMG!...It was the MOST DELICIOUS Orange Roughy we have ever had! 

~

Headin' back home on the Great River Road 

Who does not love this beautiful house on the hill?

(it is FOR SALE ;o) ~ ) 

That little shack out among the waterlilies is a "duck blind"...

Duck hunters sit in there waiting for ducks to come by.

(Midwest Country Lesson #999)

A beautiful view from the other direction...

 This beautiful view is where I am ending the tour of our Great River Road drive...
~
We had seen this covered wagon earlier in the day on the way up to the river and since it was still there at the end of the day I couldn't resist taking a photo.

I hope you enjoyed our Day Trip along the Mississippi River up to Nauvoo.

~

Patty Hagedorn Photography

The Hummingbirds of 2014

As soon as we noticed a female hummingbird flitting around the pine trees this year we put up our feeders. We were prepared for a Summer of Hummingbirds :) 

We put a feeder right outside the window by the front porch and a second one in the backyard Bradford Pear Tree.

The female quickly staked out her territory.

A second female showed up and there were battles to entertain us.

(I know this is not clear and I am very disappointed but you can see the little feet and the fanned tail of this female in battle)

We put up an Oriole Feeder for the Oriole we had seen and the female hummingbirds took that over too. 

A third female showed up and we watched them fight over the 2 feeders in the front yard and going into the backyard to the one in the Bradford Pear Tree.

We started to notice all 3 of the females seem to be living in the Bradford Pear Tree but we haven't been able to find any nests yet. 

All Summer we watched these females and waited for males to show up.

We were beginning to think there were not going to be any males here this year for some reason and wondered why?

We were getting a little sad about it.

We had really been looking forward to watching them become mates and raise babies.

Then ... 

Finally...

As Summer came to an end...

A couple of males showed up.

I got my camera ready and what a treat...

At first I wasn't sure what color his chin was...

When he turned his head so the feathers of his chin were lit up by the sun I was surprised that they were gold...

I had never seen one this color before. 

We were thrilled to have males here and something we had never seen before.

From the back we could see the tail feathers form a V-shape.

The feathers on the head and back go from green to blue.

With his little chest puffed out ...

He has the gold on his chin like shiny gold coins and the band of white 

Then green and black on his belly

We had to look him up

Our little guy appears to be a Male Allen's Hummingbird.

For a few days the males darted around fighting over the feeders.

The females seemed to have taken a leave of absence.

Occasionally we would see one of the females at the feeder but mostly the females were staying in the Bradford Pear Tree so we figured, and hoped, they were nesting.

Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they disappeared.

The males seem to have moved on.

For a few days it was quiet... 

Too quiet :(

Where were our hummingbirds?

Then one of the females came and perched on the top of the pole that holds the feeder.

I had never seen any of them do that before.

She seemed to know I was there and she was just content to sit there in the sun while I took her picture.

She turned to face me but stayed there.

Looking at me for a moment... stillness.

Then ... 

 She started scratching herself... 

Look at her little foot scratching her throat and behind her head

She turned around again and fluffed out her feathers so I took this photo

And then she flew off ... 

Now we are just waiting to see if there will be any babies. 

But the weather has already turned 

The Summer seems to be over and Fall is already here.

~

Patty Hagedorn Photography

The "Detour"

Sometimes the "Detour" takes you on an unexpected journey that turns out to be better than what you had planned. 

When we leave the house for a day trip or "field trip" we usually have a "half-plan" with an idea of where we are headed but not totally laid out with room for flexibility and spontaneity. 

It's always an adventure. 

A few weeks ago we were headed to a golf course we haven't been to yet and were not even sure was still there, but along the way there was a Detour that took us on a road we had never been on before. We enjoyed this "back way" so much we were happy to have had the Detour. I took a few photos but since we didn't know where we were going I wasn't prepared to take many. 

We drove through a tiny town, or "Village" named Basco, IL Population 98.

~

A couple of weeks later we decided to go back and take that road again...

This time we knew the way and were able to really take in the scenes.
I was able to take several photos. 

We could only stop for me to take a couple so most of them were taken as we were driving by. 

I tried twice to get a decent shot of this house as we drove by. It looks like a dollhouse to me. In fact, it looks like a dollhouse my daughter had once. I didn't think there were really houses like that anymore.

And this barn...

I love this tall, skinny barn. 

You can see right through the window to the building behind it. 

And this barn...

 Almost completely covered in ivy.

I love scenes like this...

The windmill, the old barn, the new truck and boat and trailer.

One thing I have noticed out here is that they don't demolish and remove old structures.

They just build newer ones next to the old ones.

So you often see 2-3 barns on one farm from different generations.
Like this...

You can see the somewhat newer barn behind this one that is falling down.

And Silos...
I love the old brick ones, they look like Castle Turrets

This is a very typical scene...
Old and new together.
And ~

Of course I have to put in a picture of a beautiful old truck!

We were intrigued by this roof
--- ???

We also went through the town or Village of Bowen, IL Population 535

So... that is just about the end of our "Detour"

 The sun is starting to set...

Richard decided to take another back road that I have not been on before
And there was a hang glider over a farm in the setting sun light

 We continued on the back roads and when we were almost home we came around the corner and saw this ~

 I had put my camera down because the sun was almost gone but we stopped and I was able to capture this buck in the cut corn field silhouetted against the sunset.

I took one last photo of the setting sun behind the farm as we turned the last corner toward home.

It was a memorable day that started out with a "Detour" and ended with a beautiful buck posing for me just around the corner from home.
~
I hope you enjoyed this day trip.
~
Our next trip took us along the Mississippi River up to Nauvoo. Complete with unbelievable waterlilies, beautiful old vehicles, and the BEST DINNER!

Patty Hagedorn Photography
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