Name that nut!

No, this isn't about the kids.

Until an unwanted blight from Asia came to the US, it's tree was one of the most common trees in the Eastern forests. Now, only a very few survive and some people are trying to save it like you would the Panda.

Well, the European version is alive, well, and all over the place. Yes, it is Chestnut season! They grow, well, like trees all over the place. Not unlike Live Oaks back home. Unlike the acorns from oaks though, these nuts you have to wait for. Their pod is a bit of a challenge.

When they are ripe, they pop out and are ready for the picking. Last weekend after a Friday night windstorm, we took off to the NATO base over the German border where there are groves of Chestnuts trees around the buildings and hangars. There are literally, tons of nuts for the taking.

Being that it was a bright, sunny day with a high in the low 60's we made a family outing of it. We kind of over did it though. We picked up about 60 pounds worth. Some were quite big, though most of those came from a tree near the bus stop.

They are about ready, and we are still trying to figure out quite how to cook them. If it doesn't quite work out no problem, we have a neighbor with a half dozen deer in her side yard who seem to like them quite well.

And yes, it is hard to get "That Song" out of my head.

Falcon training at the castle

Another, "Hey that sounds interesting...." day. Just down the road in a 13th Century castle that is now a restaurant and apartments, Kasteel Terborgh, they had the local falconer club come over for an open house next to the outdoor patio of the restaurant. Adults, kids, dogs, drinks, food, and birds of prey - what more can you ask for. They had everything from Dwarf Owls to real big ones. Small insect hawks about 5" high to 18"+ fellas. The girls even had a chance to "hold" a few here and here.

Though there was some concern when they kept feeding them small yellow chicks.....everyone was soon up to speed on the "cycle of life" issues in time for the training session......