Best Road Trip In Ages, Pt. 4, Conclusion

Here's grand-daughter Logan with her Great-Aunt Rebekah.  Who can resist the "I'm so cute" face?

Marcy and I woke that last morning, a Monday, at Dan & Rosario's knowing there would be more more partings later in addition to those who had to leave Sunday night.  We had become attached and could not hurry ourselves to leave, although we had to in order to make it to an appointment at "the welfare office" Tuesday.  We savor our remaining time as we prepare to leave, taking in all the sights & sounds & smells one more time.

The style-conscious moth says to the shell, "Love your colors, who's your designer?"

~ The Monarch March ~

So I walked up on the latter part of a conversation between Lisa J. and Eric the entomologist concerning monarch butterflies and what plants attract them.  Eric stated that milkweed is their preferred food/habitat and that he had seen a stand of it along the two-lane highway near Dan's house.  He announced that he was going to bring back a sample to show her.  I invited myself along.

Shelf fungus

Milkweed

Eric spotted another inhabitant.

Eric takes samples of milkweed and finds a fallen monarch along the road.

I'd sure like to know what this is.  Currant?  Some related edible berry?

Marcy takes a good look.

~ End of The Monarch March ~

We hiked up Mount Johnson and found this beautiful specimen of fungus on a fallen log.  The camera ran out of juice with no spare dilithium crystals.

The ritual fire stirrer.  We'll carve the date at each gathering of the tribe.

Massive egg recall?  Not my problem!

Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies attracted to Joe Pye Weed along the trail down Mount Johnson

Fairies watch over fallen St. Francis.  Not sure if that bottle was involved.

Dan traded these elderberries for a bushel of beets from a local farmer he knows

Zucchini

This honey is not up to Dr. Dan's exacting standards of sweetness (he blames the Devil's Walking Stick nectar) so he's giving it back to the bees.  Note the sticks for them to crawl on so they don't get too bogged down. 

Here there be Salamanders in spring-fed purity.

Dr. Dan snubs the honey but I go at it like Winny-The-Pooh.

This is the head of Dr. Dan's femur bone.  A ball joint in a Ball jar!  He let me take a picture of his scar from the replacement surgery but I decline to post it in the name of decency ;-)

"I wish you guys could stay!"

This is the road by Dan & Rosario's home.

Gently sloping down out of the Alleghenies

The kind of store I like to see

The power grid leaves a scar

Are we near Three Mile Island?

That building & tower look a bit depreciated

We spent all day chasing the sun and still can't catch it on the glacial plains of Eastern Ohio.  Where are we, Zanesville?

Mark has been at the helm all day, guiding the van homeward non-stop.  Nice job Mark.  It's nice to know it can still shoot the gap, even with the "service engine soon" light on.  We arrived home after dark but the warm glow we felt from being with good people in a good place still remains even as I post this 2 weeks later.