Nicholson Wildlife Refuge

In the past couple of months my girlfriend and I have been driving around the county taking pictures of wildlife and flowering plants. We've snapped some photos of some of the common backyard sights as well as some interesting surprises. We are hoping to educate as well as honing in on our photography skills. We are not exactly the Nation Geographic quality type of photographers, but we will sure try.

One of our stops was the little known Nicholson Wildlife Refuge here in Racine County. Located on 5 Mile Road between Nicholson Road and County Truck V, this 127 acre gem offers a paradise for shoreline birds like Great Blue Herons, Snow Geese, Canadian Geese, Tundra Swans, Mallards and Hooded Mergansers as well as Magnolia Warblers, Red Wing Blackbirds and Savanna Sparrows. Deer and Beaver also has been sighted there. Below is video I found on YouTube to give viewers a taste of what can be seen there. Just remember when visiting, it's the luck of the draw in finding anything. Sometimes you'll get very lucky...



This is just a prelude to what is to come...we are presently sorting through photos and taking more along way. So in the upcoming weeks, you'll see photos coming in...

New Rush Song

This is the latest song called "Headlong Flight" off of the new coming album, Clockwork Angels by Rush. It's due in stores on June 12. Hell yeah, I'm getting it!

Yesterday & Today

Been busy for the last couple of days.... Yesterday was my son's birthday. My little monster has grown to be a beast of a man at the young tender age of 15. (It's just a metaphor folks, not to be taken seriously). Actually, he's a great kid with a heart of gold. Had him over my place to enjoy a meal of my girlfriend's delicious mostaccioli casserole and cake. Its amazing, soon he'll be able to learn drive...(Lord, help me!)

The day's festivities were marred by the death of music icon Dick Clark. The world oldest teenager best known for his long running show, American Bandstand passed away at the age of 82. The cause of his death was after suffering a heart attack following a medical procedure in Santa Monica, California. Among other shows his gained fame from Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes and the $10, 000 Pyramid. He will surely be missed.

Today saw another passing of a rock and roll great, drummer Levon Helm of The Band. Helm was known for his deeply soulful, country-accented voice, and creative drumming style highlighted on many of the Band's recordings, such as "The Weight", "Up On Crippled Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". Just two days ago, his wife sandy and daughter revealed revealed that Helm had end-stage cancer. Fellow band mate Robbie Robertson had visited him the hospital a few days before his death. The great waltz in sky awaits...

KISS Sighting in Shawano!

My girlfriend's son is a huge KISS fan. So am I, to a point... Imagine the surprise I got he sent me this pic.... I'm still laughing....

Details on the New Rush Album

Just announced! The long anticipated release of the Canadian trio, Rush album Clockwork Angels is set for June 12, 2012.

The first two songs, Caravan and BU2B, were completed during that first session at Nashville’s Blackbird studios and performed nightly during the wildly successful Time Machine Tour, which ran from June 2010 to June 2011.

Work on Clockwork Angels resumed in the autumn of 2011 at Revolution Recording in Toronto after the tour’s finale, with additional strings (arranged by David Campbell) recorded at Hollywood’s Ocean Way Studios earlier this year.

Lyrically Clockwork Angels chronicles a young man’s quest across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy as he attempts to follow his dreams. The story features lost cities, pirates, anarchists, an exotic carnival, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.

The novelisation of Clockwork Angels is being written by science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson in collaboration with Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

Rush will herald the release of Clockwork Angels with a new single Headlong Flight landing at rock radio on April 19. Details of a full-scale North American tour to support the new album will be announced shortly.

Can't wait!

Just Ducky

Seemingly, little do many residents of Racine know about the wildlife here in town. Much of it not in woods but right in front of us! A trip down to the harbor can yield an abundance of birds, mostly waterfowl. Though gulls and Canadian Geese are quite common around here, it's the ducks you've got to watch out for.

Mallards are a dime a dozen around here. Many of them are year round residents, often finding open water to wade in. Pictured above are the drake (left) and the hen (right) .

Looking similar to the Mallards are the Red Breasted Mergansers. Upon closer look, one would notice they are smaller and sleeker than the Mallards. Check out the spiky crest and thin red bill. Unlike the Mallards, they will dive and swim completely underwater for small fish, aquatic incests, crustaceans and frogs. Honestly, I haven't noticed them around till this winter.

Often hanging around the mergansers, I believe are the American Coots. Check out the short white bills on these small birds. These birds can be seen swimming in the open water. They can dive for food and forage for food on land. Coots will pretty much eat anything-plant material, arthropods, fish and other aquatic animals.

Remember, Lake Michigan is a migratory route for many species of birds. I've seen Lesser and Greater Scaups, Buffleheads and Harlequin Ducks on the lake shores over the years. Now, I'm waiting for the terns to arrive. Maybe I'll get a chance to video them dive bomb into the water...

More Thrift Store Shoppin'

Really I just can't help myself..... Just more additions to my collection.

Bryan Adams: So Far So Good
a-Ha: Hunting High and Low
Alarm: Change
America: Holiday
America: Harbor
Atlanta Rhythm Section: Dog Days
Bang Camaro: (s/t)
Beatles: Yesterday and Today
Better Than Ezra: How Does You Garden Grow?
Bonepony: Stomp Revival
David Bowie: Turning Point
Jackson Browne: Lives in the Balance
Tracy Chapman: Crossroads
Chevelle: This Kind of Thinking (Could Do Us In)
Coldplay: Viva La Vada or Death and His Friends
Phil Collins: Hello, I Must be Going
Alice Cooper: Lace and Whiskey
Crash Test Dummies: God Shuffled His Feet
Charlie Daniels Band: Windows
Neil Diamond: Hot August Night
Donovan: Mellow Yellow
Donovan: Greatest Hits
Lita Ford: Lita
Arlo Guthrie: Best of Arlo Guthrie
Hole: Live Through This
Honeymoon Suite: (s/t)
Hootie & the Blowfish: Musical Chairs
Bruce Hornsby: Hot House
House of the Lords: (s/t)
Indigo Girls: Retrospective
Indigo Girls: Poseidon and the Bitter Bug
Mick Jagger: She's the Boss
Jefferson Airplane: Long John Silver
Billy Joel: The Essential Billy Joel
Billy Joel: 2000 Years-The Millennium Concert
Elton John: Honky Chateau
Carole King: Tapestry
Kinks: State of Confusion
Alison Krauss: Now That I've Found You
Mike + the Mechanics: (s/t)
Mike + the Mechanics: Rewired
Paul McCartney: Press to Play
Eddie Money: Shakin' with the Money Man
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks
Mr. Big: Lean Into It
Stevie Nicks: Rock a Little
Peter, Paul & Mary: Late Again
Peter, Paul & Mary: Best of Peter, Paul & Mary-Ten Years Together
Phish: Rift
Police: Every Breath You Take-The Singles
Ram Jam: (s/t)
Rare Earth: Ecology
Romantics: (s/t)
Scorpions: Face the Heat
Scorpions: Live Bites
Carly Simon: Best of Carly Simon
Toad the Wet Sprocket: Fear
Toad the Wet Sprocket: In Light Syrup
Toad the Wet Sprocket: Coil
Tina Turner: Break Every Rule
Wishbone Ash: The Power of Eternity
Johnny Winter And: Live at the Filmore East 10/3/1970

And summer is just around the corner...