Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Dyke

I know. I know.  This title to the blog sounds wrong, but it's actually the right word to use.  This was an old stomping ground for me as a child and it has all of the magic that I think a garden should have! The above pic shows the entrance to the dyke.  There is a wishing well, curvy trees, a frozen river, and a wetlands area right next to it.  In the States, apparently "dike" is used, but I learned this European spelling in school which today is still used..."dyke".  In fact, Wisconsin has a town called "Dyckesville." Oh, the fun people have with this town's name:) But what is a "dyke"? It's a ditch or a water filled drainage trench.  It can also be a levee natural, artificial slope or wall that regulates water levels.  Today I take you to my Grandma's place that is both artificial and not.
This space is truly amazing.  As children, we would run up and down this path.  One side was a wooded river shore and the other was a swampy area that filled up during rains or times of excess water on the river.  There are times when the "swamp" is full and in times of drought, there may be just a trickle or stream of water entering the area. Either way, this area is off limits for construction as the city protects these important environmental spaces.  The East and West Twin rivers have been known to overflow and flood large tracts of lands.
This series of shoots today and tomorrow will speak about the history and magic here.  My Grandma still lives here with her husband and they built a house overlooking this large tract of land. The wildlife here is incredible!!!  You'll find turtles, waterfowl, turkeys, deer, rodents, hawks(mostly Cooper Hawks).  In fact during that day, we spotted one in the sky.  What I loved most about this space as a child growing up was how close everything was to nature.  We ice skated on the river, chased fireflys in summer, fished off the river banks, gardened near the woods, and watched all kinds of critters cross our paths.
My nephew runs through the trees.  There are a lot of older structures here that still remain intact after years of harsh weather.  There are things my Grandfather built 20 years ago that remind me of his presence like the bird house below.  Birds today continue to use these little shelters to protect themselves from the extreme cold.
And when it's time for lunch, they come out in the numbers and feast on the birdseed and berries offered....but always clinging to the branches and brush nearby as they aware of the hawks and other critters nearby.  The shot below was one of the most difficult of this series to get.
The dyke stretches between two properties.  If you are quiet, a deer may pass your way....or a rabbit....or maybe a skunk.  But don't confuse the smells of the wild skunk cabbage that grows nearby the river with that of the real deal:)
The temps on this day were moderate and not freezing so birds were out feeding freely. If it drops below the 20's, the birds will at times disappear....especially if the wind is wicked cold!  Today it was "warmer" with snow flurries.
All you have to do is look closely and you'll see......
....that this walk is full of wonder and history. 
I remember running the fields as a kid, picking the apples and pears off the trees, watching snapping turtles surface up and down the river bank......sometimes coming up on the lawn to lay eggs!!!  Some of these turtles were HUGE!
So while this land is protected and maintained by both my Grandmother and her husband, I wonder who will take over this space when they can't do it anymore.  I worry about its future.  I worry about the Black Walnut Tree that has provided generations of walnuts for many people.  It's old and gnarly.  Will someone cut it down?  My mom's first dog Dixie was buried here.
Look closely at the well again and you'll notice a little visitor.  Three deer currently reside in the marsh near the dyke and call it home.
The river flows along the dyke until it reaches the dam near one of the highways.  This area has become a special place for salmon and crawfish as well as a sanctuary for birds to hang out.
I don't know how long I'll have to appreciate this area, but I visit it every year when I get the chance.  No matter the season, it's always lovely to return and get lost in the memory.  Tomorrow I'll extend this discussion with an addition to this property that will give you a little background on my mom's side of the family.  The dyke was just one of the many special things to inhabit the property.  We'll explore the "Beehouse" that once existed on this land.  Do any of you have a special place from childhood?  A secret garden perhaps?

An old wood burner for brush and garbage.

The old Black Walnut tree

The thicket of woods in the marsh

In the dead winter, skating is possible, but as you can see there are still open pockets of water on the river.

While a breezy green in summer, this patch of woods looks quite lovely this time of year.

16 comments:

  1. What a magnificent and magical place, particularly so for a child. It looks like your nephew enjoys it as much as you. It must be a lot of work for your Grandmother and husband to maintain but a pleasure also I'm sure.

    Your photos bring the account to life beautifully, I love the one of the deer.

    I still live in the same area where I was born so enjoy visiting many of my old childhood haunts, at least, those that haven't been eroded by development :-(

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    1. Bob, Grandma remarried after Grandpa died, hires a person to help him out around the place. It's a lot of property to manage but Bob does a really fantastic job mainting it all. I love having coffee with Grandma and looking out their windows down on the grounds. It's really quite lovely. Thanks for stopping by:)

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  2. Such a beautiful and natural place is even more interesting when the guide knows so much about it.

    There are some places with special meaning that I hope to visit also.

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    1. Do you ever find that sometimes you can't visit the places you grew up near because they no longer exist or new owners have taken over? I faced that issue this last time and it made me sad. But I'm going to make another attempt again this summer when I'm home visiting.

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  3. A very nostalgic post for you Rohrerbot. Nice photo's linking the story together :-)

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  4. What wonderful memories! I enjoyed this journey to your past. You are very lucky to have grown up in such an amazing place, and to still be able to visit it today.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I really love reading stories about people's old stomping grounds. So many times we forget about them, but they helped guide us to the places we live today. I took them for granted as a kid, but today cherish the memories associated with the grounds. Nostalgia, sadness...just parts of our past and getting older. In part it's why I love getting older, but I also despise it:) I miss the people who were a part of it.

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  5. (don't you mean 'dike'?) :)

    i would spend hours as a kid exploring Mill Creek and surrounding territories near my home. beaver dams, wildlife, fields, birds, wildflowers. loved it all.

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    1. Excellent question:) LOL!!! In Wisconsin, we spell it dyke BUT Americans spell it dike. My lesbian friends spell the nickname "dike" and we have a village nearby Two Rivers called "Dyckesville" and I think that's why everyone learns the European spelling around my area. It caused me a little confusion as well.

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  6. Wow it is a place that is indeed full of magic and wonder. I can only imagine how much you and your family must love it. It so reminds me of how I feel about where I live. You have a very deep connection. You know I think it has fed your creativity and your passion:~)

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    1. If it's one thing that I wish I could do....if I had money or whatever it took to buy that land....I would do it. It, to me, is sacred ground and it scares me the most about what will happen to it all. Too much history is here. Too many memories. I don't want anything from anyone but I do believe that preservation is important of this land. At some point in my life, I would love to celebrate my eventual wedding here during the summer month of June under a big tent. It's one of my dreams that I think I may never get a chance to see. My Grandma's husband is particular about the grounds and I appreciate that about him....so we'll see what happens down the road. I do think often about what will happen to the land that's been in our family for almost a century.

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  7. I can see why you liked it so much as a child. When I was a kid I hung out in a similar place but called it a dam. That got lots of giggle, too.

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    1. Ahhhh....very cool. A dam has all kinds of critters living around it. I bet it was beautiful.

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  8. I took some nice photos of my parents' shelter belt on Christmas Day with all the snow cover. It is big with a lot of trees and I had so many adventures in there as a child. My "playhouse" was imaginary. Just an area in the trees where we put old stumps to be chairs and my mom gave us some old dishes to use. My sister and I split up the dishes. I have three of the old plates in my kitchen now. There is now a cedar tree growing where the dining room was.

    You had a great place to explore. All the wildlife!!!

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    1. It's amazing how some places stay the same while others can change. I don't know why but I visualize that cedar tree in the dining room spot. That's really interesting. There's definitely a strong feeling of nostalgia entering these childhood places. And it all seems like just a short time ago playing outside. When I see my nephews and nieces run around the place, being the same age we were, I realize time has actually passed. Thanks for sharing your memories. It sounds really nice.

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  9. Wonderful series of photos, I love the deer resting. Looks like a wonderful place, I can see why you loved it there. Great post.

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Thanks for stopping by!