While enjoying the fall scenery from the seat of his Barcroft recumbent this week, Pat McKay spotted some colorful mushrooms growing alongside the trail. He just had to stop and shoot a photo:

They looked like “Yellow Patches” to him—that’s a common name for Amanita flavoconia—and he shot a closeup to better to illustrate their various stages of development:

Whether or not these are indeed Amanita flavoconia—and differentiating the many Amanita species is notoriously difficult—Pat’s photos are certainly striking, aren’t they? Right-click on the photos to open enlargements in new windows.

We love our bikes, right? And we never tire of looking at them. At least I don’t, and if I’m to judge from what others tell me, I’m not alone. So each Sunday I’ll publish a bike-related picture. Most of the time it will be a photo, but don’t be surprised if a few drawings and paintings get added to the mix from time to time. I might even include a sculpture or two. (OK. A photo of a sculpture.) Anything, in short, that evokes the world on two wheels. And don’t be shy. If you have a picture you’d like to share, just email it to me. I’ll do the rest.

 
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I’m always on the lookout for a bargain. And bargains turn up in the unlikeliest places. I’d wanted a portable drawing board for a while now, but the high prices in the art-supply catalogs put me off. Then I visited the local Walmart and found just what I was looking for, at a price I was happy to pay. But I didn’t find it in the Arts and Crafts department. I found it in Kitchen Supplies. Walmart thinks it’s a cutting board and labels it accordingly. I knew better. And I was right. My new drawing board ticked all the boxes: It was lightweight, compact, and nearly impervious water. Perfect for the alfresco studio, in other words. Best of all, it’s made from bamboo, that infinitely renewable, one-stop shop for everyday miracles. What’s your pleasure? Scaffolding? Bike frames? Herbal medicine? Staple food? Textile fiber? Chopsticks? Whatever the need, Bamboo’s got you covered. I love the stuff.

Of course, this sort of fortunate accident happens only once in a blue moon. I certainly didn’t expect lightning to strike twice. Then, just last week, I discovered that Walmart still had a few surprises up its corporate sleeve. I went back in Kitchen Supplies, searching the shelves for utensils that wouldn’t scar the hard-anodized aluminum pots in my new Trangia cooker. As luck would have it, however, I didn’t find the utensils I needed. But I did find exactly what I was looking for to complete my backcountry watercolor kit. And here it is:

It’s rigid, completely waterproof, and easily cleaned. It’s also just the right size for painting on the go. The matte finish doesn’t glare, and the board slips easily into pack or pannier. Best of all, at less than three bucks, it was a bargain. (Larger poly cutting boards are available, at equally attractive prices. They’d be ideal for studio work.)

The upshot? I’m two for two. And I’ll probably be shopping among the toasters at Walmart for art supplies again.

 
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A woodland track, late in the day. A penetrating chill in the air, accentuated by a gusty norther. Tendrils of mist slowly coalesce into fog. Suddenly, around a bend in the trail, the visitor confronts this scowling visage, carved into the flank of a stately beech cut down in its prime:

Right-click on the picture to open an enlargement in a new window.

With Halloween fast approaching, it’s hard to suppress a shiver at the thought of the fury driving the felled tree’s restless spirit.

 
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