A Visit to Sandhill Crane Natural Area Anoka County Minnesota Fungus Fungi Mushrooms

Sandhill Crane Natural Area
Anoka County, Minnesota

A Visit to Sandhill Crane Natural Area Anoka County Minnesota

Blog post by Mary Katherine May

Rick and Mary May own QualityMusicandBooks.com, an internet webstore.  Rick retired after 40 years with the same company.  Interests include family and friends, exploring adventures and hobbies, and two miniature dachshund sisters named Tina and Nikki.

LINK to information about Sandhill Crane Natural Area.

LINK to Archive.org page where JPG images and PDF file of images for download are located.

     On a recent fall day when our pioneer spirit surfaced Rick and I drove to the north end of the Twin Cities area to visit the Sandhill Crane Natural Area in Anoka County.  Choosing from two suggested entry spots (no parking lot) and using our GPS, we parked at the end of a cul de sac. 

Rick May walking over stream.

     Described as a natural treasure, I would add emphasis to the natural part as we discovered during the couple of hours walking over uneven ground covered with brush, vines, and fallen branches, and even a narrow stream.  

     On our visit we encountered no one.  As there are no walking trails, I suggest long pants and sturdy shoes, and also watch where you step.  I walked into a hidden string of low-lying, rusty barbed wire.

Cave-shaped tree roots

     The many trees created dim light and cool air on the unusually warm fall day as we made our way to Neds Lake, viewing it from a high spot next to an algae-covered pond. Walking further led to a marsh where sunlight played with cobwebs, hovering insects and gently moving reeds and cattails.

     My greatest enjoyment on this excursion was seeing the varieties of fungi, i.e. mushrooms.  I do not recall seeing so many different-looking types in one area.  I would appreciate help in naming them.

Algae-covered Pond

Neds Lake

Dodge County Minnesota Civil War First Infantry Milliken Creek

Where Curiosity Leads...

Blog post by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com

Milliken Creek, 2013
Photo: Mary Katherine May

Dodge County: Milliken Creek
When visiting family ties in Minnesota's Dodge County, I often make time to explore the area. A few years back I noticed a sign for Milliken Creek and wondered how it got its name. Web information notes the source as being an early settler, and that is about as far as my research went.

Kasson, Minnesota
Canisteo Township

Graves Site of Geo. A. Milliken
Digital Photo by Mary Katherine May

Curious about the founder of Kasson in Dodge County, Minnesota, I learned the original owner was Jabez Hyde Kasson (1820-1891). The family grave is in Maple Grove Cemetery in Canisteo Township, located on the south side of Hwy. 14 and west of the its Kasson exit.  Noticing a grave marker for Geo. A. Milliken, I took a photo and just recently rediscovered it in my digital files.

Milliken Family
American Civil War
1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry
Now armed with a little more information, I renewed my search for the origin of the Milliken Creek name.  Mr. Isaac Milliken and his wife Betsy came to the area from Maine in 1855.  What I know at this point is that there were four sons: Charles, Marcello, George Augustus and Clifton.

Wasioja Seminary, Wasioja MN
Dodge County Civil War Memorial Site
Digital photo by Mary Katherine May

Young men from Dodge County were among the early volunteers. Wasioja was particularly hard hit by casualties, and I have visited the memorial site several times.

Antietam and Gettysburg
Marcello & George Milliken
1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry
Marcello Milliken died in the Battle of Antietam.  George Milliken was wounded at Gettysburg and mustered out of Company I on 15 December 1863 at the rank of corporal. 

Minnesota Memorial at Gettysburg
Photo taken by Mary Katherine May
May 2016

George became an attorney, practicing law in Kasson.  He married Pauline Ellen Jewett on October 24, 1867, and two years later son Charles was born.  

Their happiness, however, was short lived as four years later on October 12, 1873, George Augustus Milliken, born April 6, 1842 in Charleston, Maine, was laid to rest in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Milliken's Creek
Most likely but not for certain and for an unknown reason, it is Isaac Milliken who became associated with the stream now having his name, which then eventually was recorded as such in public records. It is also very possible that long-time residents of Dodge County or the Milliken descendants themselves know who the exact namesake is.  If my curiosity about this matter is again piqued, I may look to see how early the name shows up on maps.

Wasioja, Minnesota: Dodge County Civil War Memorial Site
Digital Photo by Mary Katherine May

Wasioja Seminary as it appears today.
Digitial Photo by Mary Katherine May

What About Those Leather Book Covers Real or Not?

Genuine Leather
LINK

What About Those Leather Covers Real or Not? 

Blog post article by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

The look, feel and smell of a leather book is for many an elegant experience that creates an ambiance of fine living, but are you getting real leather or something else? 

Four Basic Differences in Books Said to Have Leather Covers
A Genuine Leather Book Cover is created with leather still in its original form.

Bonded Leather is made from genuine leather fibers mixed with bonding material which is embossed with a leather grain and then glued to another surface.

Leatherflex
LINK

Leatherflex, Leatherette is imitation leather that feels flexible with a textured finish.

Leather Look has the appearance and flexibility of leather or suede with no leather content.

Please remember: Genuine leather book covers are not cheap.  If you see a new book for $10 that says leather you should be cautious.

Generally speaking, in an online photo image you might not be able to tell whether or not a book cover is real leather.

LINK to article: How to Identify Genuine Leather

Bonded Leather
LINK

As a bookseller I have come across many books, especially on sites like Amazon.com, that say leather that are not.  If you are buying from an informed, reputable bookseller the misinformation that often accompanies Amazon.com listings should be correct in the written description.  

Some book dealers just don't know enough about books to understand how important accuracy is, and some book dealers are in the business of selling books for profit without thought about the actual product and thus just want to get as many as possible put up for sale in as short of a time as possible.  Unfortunately, because of this too many people have opened their order when it arrived to find something far less condition-wise than was expected.

LINK to Abebooks Guide to Understanding Book Bindings

Leatherette
LINK

This is why we here at Quality Music and Books receive so many messages saying that the buyer was delightfully surprised when the book they bought from us actually was as good or better than described.  

A good rule of thumb for buying anywhere online whether it is Amazon.com, Ebay, Etsy, Barnes & Noble...any site...where independent sellers like us at Quality Music and Books, if you have questions or want to be certain that the seller is serious about providing service is to ask a question through email.  Quality sellers appreciate and invite questions.  If the seller doesn't answer your question at all within a few days, think twice about buying. If the seller answers in a rude or thoughtless way, think twice about buying. This is what I learned from other sellers and it is what I do when I buy on the internet and that is why I recommend it.

What About Those Leather Book Covers Real or Not?

Genuine Leather
LINK

What About Those Leather Covers Real or Not? 

Blog post article by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

The look, feel and smell of a leather book is for many an elegant experience that creates an ambiance of fine living, but are you getting real leather or something else? 

Four Basic Differences in Books Said to Have Leather Covers
A Genuine Leather Book Cover is created with leather still in its original form.

Bonded Leather is made from genuine leather fibers mixed with bonding material which is embossed with a leather grain and then glued to another surface.

Leatherflex
LINK

Leatherflex, Leatherette is imitation leather that feels flexible with a textured finish.

Leather Look has the appearance and flexibility of leather or suede with no leather content.

Please remember: Genuine leather book covers are not cheap.  If you see a new book for $10 that says leather you should be cautious.

Generally speaking, in an online photo image you might not be able to tell whether or not a book cover is real leather.

LINK to article: How to Identify Genuine Leather

Bonded Leather
LINK

As a bookseller I have come across many books, especially on sites like Amazon.com, that say leather that are not.  If you are buying from an informed, reputable bookseller the misinformation that often accompanies Amazon.com listings should be correct in the written description.  

Some book dealers just don't know enough about books to understand how important accuracy is, and some book dealers are in the business of selling books for profit without thought about the actual product and thus just want to get as many as possible put up for sale in as short of a time as possible.  Unfortunately, because of this too many people have opened their order when it arrived to find something far less condition-wise than was expected.

Leatherette
LINK

This is why we here at Quality Music and Books receive so many messages saying that the buyer was delightfully surprised when the book they bought from us actually was as good or better than described.  

A good rule of thumb for buying anywhere online whether it is Amazon.com, Ebay, Etsy, Barnes & Noble...any site...where independent sellers like us at Quality Music and Books, if you have questions or want to be certain that the seller is serious about providing service is to ask a question through email.  Quality sellers appreciate and invite questions.  If the seller doesn't answer your question at all within a few days, think twice about buying. If the seller answers in a rude or thoughtless way, think twice about buying. This is what I learned from other sellers and it is what I do when I buy on the internet and that is why I recommend it.