A cute little cluster

On 17 August 2016, I drove my painfully noisy vehicle for just a very short distance, as far as a local park. Each year, I tend to visit the area to look for any mushrooms, and I knew that I just couldn't miss a quick visit. Found a few fungi to photograph, including this little cluster, so I was happy. Interesting that the tallest one has a grey stem (stipe), unlike the others.

Later, I remembered that I had found mushrooms in a different part of the park in other years, so two days later, I risked an even shorter drive to see what I could find. Everywhere was very dry and I saw quite a few shrivelled fungi. Luckily, I came across a few that were fresher and worth photographing. So dark in the forest and many photos were not as sharp as I would have liked.

At the end of my walk, I sat at a picnic table near the parking lot and kept an eye on all the large holes in the ground, made by Richardson's Ground Squirrels. I was just about ready to give up, when I happened to look down close to my feet and there was one solitary 'Gopher' three or four feet away from me. They are such fun to watch.

Returned home without running into a Police car, which could very easily have pulled me over because of the dreadful noise my car was making. However, that problem has finally ended, as I thankfully collected my new vehicle the day before yesterday (29 August 2016). To say that I am immensely relieved and thankful that this whole process is over, is an understatement : ) Feeling totally exhausted!