Stepelia gigantea

A new bloom appeared on our library porch this week. 
Stepelia gigantea  or Starfish cactus finally bloomed.

The bud has been growing since early September and I thought it would never open.

Maxine Plum gave me this plant.  This is the same Maxine who has given me other plants throughout the years.  

Another common name for Stepelia gigantea is Carrion flower.  There is a good reason for that.  If you look closely into the elaborate center of the bloom this is what you see . . . Yes, those are flies. By-the-way, while you are looking closely you should be holding your nose because you'll be smelling the same thing the flies are smelling - rotten meat!


But is you have been smart enough to keep it outside then it isn't so bad.  I have chosen to write on the front porch   this week instead of on the library porch.  I will stand back and safely admire the beauty of Stepelia gigantea. 











The weather is supposed to get down to freezing again this week.  I am hoping not while the flower lasts because that is one flower that will NOT accompany the plant inside.

 To read about my connection to Maxine Plum, please read Maxine & Jean.

Sandstone Falls

Nestled in the narrow valley near the beginning of the New River Gorge National River  and ten miles down a narrow country road is Sandstone Falls.

At the park entrance, just off the parking lot is a boardwalk trail that takes visitors out into the river channel.

The day we visited was a beautiful fall day with sunlight bouncing off leaves that glowed in shades of red, orange, yellow and green.  As we walked along the board walk we caught glimpses of the falls  framed by the trees.

A fine mist formed above the water as water spray and condensation met the cool Autumn air.

We walked through and above the Appalachian Riverside Flatrock CommunityAppalachian Riverside Flatrock Community, an area unique to the New River Gorge.  Here the riverside is intermittently visited by the river as its channel changes through the years.  Flat sandstone gradually becomes covered in soil, which eventually supports plant growth whole root systems hold more soil allowing even more growth until the river floods or the main channel  moves in reclaiming the area under a shallow depth of water.  Elsewhere, other rocks are left exposed where lichen will grow and start the process over.

We slowly moved on enjoying the serenity.  

Sandstone Falls is more than one waterfall.  It is series of drops changing with the seasons and with each flood.

Across the river, high up the mountain is an overlook that looks steeply down upon the falls but here we are part of the view.  We are those small dots that folks see from above.

The sun sets quickly in the steep valleys of the the New River.  It is a mountain river and mountains are stingy with the daylight.  Soon shadows begin to compete with light for our attention.

We turn around and start walking back to our car, taking time to quietly watch a Great blue heron fishing for its evening meal. Can you discern the heron from the rocks and leaves around it?

I marveled at its patience as the heron moved closer to the water with movements that were almost undetectable.

We left the heron to its fishing but a few moments we saw it again.

It flew overhead, landing on a river boulder,

then on up to a dead limb overlooking a pool.

One last look and we returned to our car to continue on to Bluestone Camp & Retreat Center . . .  but more about that later.

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The books linked below are about the New River.  Follow the River is about Mary Ingles' escape from the Shawnee Indians and her trip up the New River to return to her home at Drapers Meadow Virginia.  For more books or maps on the New River, click on the tab at the top of my blog, My Amazing Store," go to some of my favorite books and then to "New River Gorge."

Slow Speed Ahead

Speed? Forget about it.

The fast lane? I don't think so.

There is but one lane on the river today.

There is no room for speed.

Dashing and Darting have no place here.

It is autumn.

Life on the river slows

as we contemplate the winter ahead.

Big boats replace the small ones.
Swans and Geese float gracefully
where jet skis and tubes 
competed for space a short season ago.

The carnival tune of a calliope

may now be heard in the distance

accompanied by the call of geese

who gather in flight

They call us into the calm

into a quiet slowness 

that allows us to join them

on the river.

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Click on the tab, "My Store" above to find a book on the paddlewheelers or click on one of the books below (there are more at the store site)

MEET CHARLIE

I've been away from blogging over the summer. Many of you can understand why.  There is summer mowing, weeding, traveling and . . . .well . . . you know all the excuses.  Let me just add that I was also making some new friends. I wish I could let you meet them all but I ask you to be satisfied with just this one.

Meet Charlie.

                              Charlie is a little bit shy

but not too much

Like me, Charlie likes to spend time in my garden.  For her it is a jungle of greenery that provides great cover. Like me, she understands how within the garden she may find protection from the outside world.

Like me she likes it best right with a thick blanket of mulch tucked in around the plants.

Mulch is so easy to tunnel into.

Beneath the ground stays moist.  It makes a great place to snuggle on a sunny day.

But there is also work to be done.  Charlie spends much of her life gathering food. Once I have started feeding the birds I am also feeding Charlie.

            She particularly likes black oil sunflower seeds.

She spends several mornings scurrying up and down the feeder pole

or filling her jaws as she forages through the grass

Soon, her chipmunk cheeks will be swollen to capacity and it will be time to take all those seeds back to her home for storage.

Without her tail as a balancing rudder I am afraid she would topple forward.

Time in the open is dangerous. Charlie studies the distance then darts off  at full speed.

She slips under the garden fence and returns to the jungle

 to transfer her harvest from her cheeks.

 Then its back to the feeder to forage.

After some exploring Charlene found some seeds I had spilled around the can in which they are stored. 

This time she ate what she found.  With her stomach full her activity slowed.  You know the feeling, don’t you?  I know I do. So full. So tired. Arms heavy.  Hard to move  . . . eye lids getting very heavy . . . so-o-o-o . . . grhghgghrrr.

Every nap must end and there is nothing better to get Charlie awake than a nice bath.

Have to get all those hard-to-reach places

Even elbows

and between each finger

Once she feels totally clean it is back across the yard, under the fence and back into my (her) garden.