Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Monday, November 17, 2008

Lost In The Jungle

I ate too much that first night in Milwaukee. Wienerschnitzel and Amber Bock. Upon returning to the motel, we found the room at 85 degrees, since the furnace had just been turned on. Windows open, tossing and turning, I finally dozed off. The aquarium at the Discovery Center had been very nice. Later, somehow, I found myself surrounded by a wet warm clammy feeling. I heard running water and opened my eyes. Now, standing next to a bench there were huge trees and flowers everywhere. A small pond in front of me. I heard strange bird calls.

Looking down into the water I saw sunfish. No! It can't be. They had razorlike little teeth. Pirhanna's!

A small waterfall trickled down the rocks across the way. At the base, looking very hungry, were



a pair of white lions. White lions?



I backed warily away and stumbled up a small path through the jungle. There were flowers everywhere. I wondered if I was being followed.


































"Time to wake up dear." Then I remembered, we had visited the Mitchell Conservatory. They had three glass domes. One for seasonal flowers, one for the desert. And one for the TROPICS. Of course!
Later, on the way back home to Minnesota, we stopped to take a look at the world famous Horicon Marsh. The largest fresh water marsh in the U.S., in the fall it is a stopover point for thousands of migrating waterfowl. Unfortunately, the day was very cold and very windy, with the birds well hunkered down. A long way from the tropics I would say. Brrrrr. Winter is coming to the Upper Midwest.

13 comments:

  1. Wonderful post and beautiful photo's!!
    Take care

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  2. Those white lions were so beautiful and majestic!

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  3. Great post. I just love your stories.

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  4. Oh, what lovely pictures of what used to be home for us. I loved them all. I'm sure you were told that the Mitchell Park Domes are known locally as the "Polish Bra."

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  5. Lots of good stuff in Milwaukee--thanks for sharing the pictures.
    Horicon Marsh is on my short list of places to visit next summer too.

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  6. Great pics, but which dome were the lions in? Yipes! (and ncmountainwoman: Polish bra - ha!)

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  7. What a dream! Very nicely done.

    Those sandhill cranes are incredible. At first I thought it was the savannah in Africa.

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  8. That was cute! You take great photos too. I went to school in Beaver Dam, WI but never visited the Horicon Marsh, even though it wasn't very far away. Thanks for showing us "armchair tourists" what we're missing!

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  9. Delightful, even without the picures you painted a visual dream, a writer's lament. A great post Mr. Troutbirder. Take care-

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  10. What a fun trip into dream land. I LOVED your last photo. There is such a feel of open space and fall in it. It's cold here today in Maine too.

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  11. What a nightmare!! LOL!! Love the orchids and the white lions of course!!

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  12. TB: you made some nice captures on your trip. I always have trouble with the temperatures in motel rooms.

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  13. Great pictures and the writings that go with them. Sorry we didn't go to see the swans

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