Happy Independence Day!

 

Traditionally, my son and I fish the river on Independence Day, but not this weekend. The water is too high from all the recent rains. Maybe we can get out there soon.

 Since our road is still closed from the washout, it is a wonderful walking path for us, and we have used it that way often. On one walk, I found these strawberry look-a-likes.  I told my son about them and he said they were likely mock strawberries. He was right.

When I arrive too early for an appointment, I often walk the parking lot looking for nature and in this case I found a honey bee working the perennial coreopsis.

I gratefully caught another meal of bluegills this past week. I was surprised to find many of them still had spawn (eggs) in them. Usually the bluegills have spawned out by this time of year, but I have read that some spawn around each full moon throughout the summer. I caught them, cleaned them, marinated the fillets in mead and spices, etc. and grilled them and ate them all in the same day. Fresh fish is mighty good eating. The slight discoloration of the fish is from me putting them on ice in the cooler immediately after catching them.
 

On today's walk my wife and I ended up at a park where we found black raspberries. She said she would make a pie if we just had a container. Well..........

 

I found a box that looked clean and we got a little bit scratched up and picked enough for a pie!

What a classic activity for the Fourth of July since that is when these berries often become ripe.

Cleaned and ready to be made into something delicious. Graham cracker crust, please.