Susie B.

For some reason, Rochester has both a vast number of Places Of Historical Interest, and a vast disinterested yawn regarding said POHI's. We've noticed a tiny sign on Chili Ave, and finally took the time to follow it down Madison Street to Susan B. Anthony's house. There is obviously some care being taken of it, with a Centre next door -- but it's in a run-down neighborhood just outside of downtown Rochester, and such an amazing woman who accomplished so much surely deserves something more.

Perhaps the years to follow will bring something more . . . ?
  

More Butterflies

Nature sure does like bein' pretty . . . !

There's a self-inspection chamber on the way out of the Butterfly Museum, which is designed to allow people to inspect themselves to prevent hitchhikers from escaping. Makes for an infinity of Us's!

 
 
 
  

Butterfly Museum

Ron and Dar and I went to the Strong Museum's Butterfly exhibit -- smaller than the Canadian Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory, it is still a beautiful collection of flowers, in the form of both flora and fauna! 
 
 
  

Butterfish?!?

The Strong Museum has a butterfly garden, which is a great wintertime destination -- on the way to it, we had to admire an stunning saltwater aquarium.

On the way out, we noticed another smaller aquarium, which turned out to contain what I think is the very first Sea Horse I've ever seen in person. They've always fascinated me, so getting to see one up close was delightful!

 
 
 
  

An assortment of colors . . .

 
Dar was trying to figure out how part of the greenhouse was set up, a perfect opportunity to snap a pic! 

If my sister was from Spain . . .

. . . would she be Spanish Moss?!?!

 
Anyone else remember the Pogo where the Rackety-coon Chil' and Houn' Dawg Pup ran away, and dressed up as elderly strangers? Much the same beard here . . . ! 

Loquat-ey deliciousness

 
Also at Lamberton Conservatory, in my favorite section (the Economic Plants -- ie, Stuff You Can Eat), is a Loquat tree -- a fruit I've had only once, at a Chinese Buffet in, of all places, Birmingham, Alabama!

  

Dar's going bananas!

 The banana trees at the Lamberton Conservatory are flowering nicely -- what a strange and delicious plant! A great way to escape Winter for a bit -- probably more important if you're a resident of Redfield, NY, a few hundred miles to the east, where they're close to setting a state record for snow: 11 feet! We've barely got 11 inches . . . though there's a solid two feet on every main sidewalk, of course! 

Amaryllis & Me!

Our Amaryllis has decided to welcome spring in its usual fashion -- it's several years old, and has been given plenty of sun . . . and it's gotten pretty good-sized! This year the flowers even have a bit of a scent to them, which I at least didn't notice before -- a very happy plant, and particularly welcome this time of year! 
  

Bryce loves his new Sombrero

I don't think that's quite full-sized . . . !
  

Sauerkraut Festival!

Our friends Shawn and Liz joined us at the Sauerkraut Festival in Phelps. They had sauerkraut-colored rides, salt-flavored popcorn, cabbage-shaped pumpkins, and many other authentic sauerkraut-related items. Also, chocolate cake made with real Silver Floss (canned) kraut . . . which was quite tasty, and very moist, with a texture suggesting coconut rather than cabbage!
  

The View from my Office

This is a shot straight out the window in front of me -- note the Acer Griseum (the Paperbark Maple, a China native), bird feeder, transformer, and a generator w/ tandem bike locked to it.
 

I like it quite a lot! 

Global Warming Has Its Up-Side

. . . or maybe there's another reason for this Rochester landscape!   

Hay, Rube!

This is an amazing working Rube Goldberg machine down at Excellus HQ (our BlueCross company -- motto: "We have so much of your money we can afford to buy naming rights for the old War Memorial")  

I would have watched it for another hour or two, but they were closing . . . . 

More Mushrooms

This is a display just inside the Pittsford Wegmans -- it's five varieties of live mushrooms, shitake, oyster, and a few others whose names I forgot. There's a little waterfall keeping the moss moist, which keeps the mushrooms happy. Great stuff! 

Edible Volleyballs

Found these while playing disc golf -- the two larger ones were a bit overripe, but the small one was just perfect!

Fried up in 1/2" cubes and scrambled into a couple of eggs was the best -- it's not called The Breakfast Mushroom for nothin'! 

Rosemary Rye bread

One of the really tasty loaves we've enjoyed lately -- a sponge that ripened for nearly two days, kneaded up into a nice dense loaf, mixed with a bit of powdered rosemary, some basil, a bit of garlic, finished off with some rosemary leaves. Yum!  

Dinky car in Springfield!

On our way to dinner before the Smothers Brothers show, we were passed by this cute "just enough"-sized car of uncertain make. Hopefully my Alert Readers will remind me what they suspected it was . . . !
  

Native Plants on Mills Lawn

As part of the natural science curriculum, folks at Mills Lawn school have been planting native species, including this lovely patch getting a fall makeover.  

How Earl Grey tea gets its flavor!

OK, technically it's the Bergamot, not the grasshopper . . . but it makes you wonder!
 

As it turns out, this herbal Bergamot, while native to Ohio, only smells like the true flavoring of Earl Grey, the Bergamot Orange of the Mediterranean area.