What a Difference a Week Makes

We had a blizzard last weekend which left us covered in a foot of snow. It rained later in the week, and now we are back to green grass. There is no snow in the forecast for the next few weeks, so I am going to enjoy the green while it lasts.

Sunday November 22, 2015

Sunday November 29, 2015

Where Are My Boots?

It started snowing a little on Saturday. It looked like the kind of snow that would melt when it hit the ground so I didn't pay too much attention to it. Then it kept snowing. Sunday morning we woke up to winter wonderland. And it kept snowing all day Sunday too. I am not quite ready for snow (even though we've been spoiled with lovely temperatures in November so far). I am never quite ready for snow.

Frog Buddy

One afternoon last week it was lightly raining when the sun came out. That being perfect rainbow weather, I grabbed my camera and ran outside hoping to see one. The rain had mostly stopped when I got out there, so no rainbows. But I did see this awesome little frog hopping around in the backyard. He spent some time in front of the garage door, before he hopped along onto some very important frog business.

Summer Beach

It's been hot-hot-hot over the past few weeks, so a great time to hang out near the water. Here are some views from one of the many beaches around here, later in the day, after many people have been through to cool off. Even when there are lots of tourists, it's still a very peaceful place to be.

Corn Field: May vs. August

I've been walking regularly, so throughout the summer I have seen the surrounding farmer's fields come to life. During the 30x30 challenge in May, I took a photo of a newly planted corn field. Now it's August and the corn is fully grown. Beautiful visual of the passage of time.

May:

August: 

Sales Barn Deals

For the Civic Holiday weekend, Mom and Dad came up and we hit the Sales Barn looking for deals. The Sales Barn was really happening that day, and we had to park in a field, where we sort of made our own parking space. The place was full of vendors, regulars and new ones just for the long weekend. Dad got some DVD deals and I got book and salami deals. Mom got some Ontario veggies, and it was an all around great day.

Books were all $1.00 each, and I found the following books that day:

Cabal, The Damnation Game, Sacrament, The Great and Secret Show, all by Clive Barker.

Hearts in Atlantis, by Stephen King (a character from the Dark Tower is in this book).

The Bounty Hunters, by Elmore Leonard (his first novel).

The Silmarillian, by J.R.R. Tolkien (a nice soft cover to replace our beat up copy).

We also got some all beef salamis that we ate way too fast, and had to go back the following Sunday to get a few more. We love it!

We ended our fun get together with a trip to the fish and chip truck. It never disappoints.

All in all a great day of family, book deals, and great food!

Park Life

One of the best things about summer is reading a great book outdoors, and I've found a nice new spot to do just that. There is a park that's a twenty minute walk from the house, and it is big, green, and beautiful. I've been down a few times since I discovered it and unless there is a day-camp full of kids, it is pretty much empty. A great place for reading and relaxing. In the evenings there are baseball games, and I had a fun time watching adult fastball one evening last week.

There is a big hill on the eastern side of the park that allows for some scenic views. The following three photos show the left, middle, and right sides of the park (view from the hill).

I found a shaded bench where I can relax and read or watch baseball if there's a game on. The following are some views from the bench.

And lastly, this is a photo of my new favourite bench. It has seen better days, I'm sure, but otherwise a great place to sit and enjoy the summer.

Steak on the BBQ #FoodPicFriday

The price of beef has been too expensive lately, so we've haven't been buying or eating it. There was a recent steak sale, which wasn't that great of a deal, but with BBQ season here we were all craving a nice steak. Beef is just a once in a while kind of meat now, but we really enjoyed having these. Tastes like summer.

Dragonfly Buddy

There are many insects that fly around in the backyard, some more pleasant than others. I could live without mosquitoes or black flies, but bees and dragonflies are nice to see. I caught this dragonfly hanging out by the flowers.

Soft Serve #FoodPicFriday

Sometimes there are bonuses to going on a daily walk. Maybe there is something really neat to take a photo of. Maybe there is someone really neat to say "hi" to. And maybe there is ice cream in the middle (and for most of the way home).

The corner store has their $2.00 soft serve ice cream back (although this year there is an option to get a smaller version for $1.50. To that I say "No thank you!"). Walking with ice cream is pretty great, especially on a beautiful day.

First Trail Ride of the Season

I suffered a back injury last summer that kept me off my bike for the entire season. For that reason, I've been taking it really slowly this year on my bike, even though I want to go-go-go. My most recent ride was 6.5km, riding on the trail on a beautiful day.

Bear Report

There have been a few reports of Bear sightings this spring in my neck of the woods. About a month ago, a neighbour was driving by and saw a bear run into the woods along the far side of Grandma's house (next door to us). Last week one of John's friends said he drove past a bear running into the woods on the next concession over. So it sounds like one or more bears are traveling through the woods around here. I haven't been on any walks in the woods this season, as I've been sticking to the well travelled road. The road seems like a safer bet this time of year, but I keep aware of my surroundings anyway, just in case.

A few years ago we saw a bear on a drive up to Bala. This is a photo of him running from our car.

Have you seen or heard of any bear sightings where you are?
 

(Light) Sky Rainbow

There was a pretty rainbow effect in the sky on my walk the other day. It was far more vibrant in real life, so this photo doesn't really do it justice. But if you look closely you can (sort of) see the colours.

Side of the Road Stories

I happened on these two separate side of the road finds and I'm not entirely sure what I've found.

A different shade of green, hanging in the trees caught my eye. Is it a kite? Or maybe just a random green object that was placed in the tree? If it's a kite, sorry to the kid who lost it.

Along the side of the road I spotted this bag of goodies: Pool noodles in a garbage bag. I can't decide if a family lost their noodles on the way to the beach/cottage/etc., or if someone just chucked out their unwanted pool noodles on the side of the road. I think it's a safe bet that one might store pool noodles in a garbage bag (they get wet, right?), so I'm leaning towards them being lost by accident. If so, sorry to the kids who lost them.

Thirty-One Posts and Back To Normal

While completing my 30x30 Nature Challenge, I blogged daily about the sights from my outdoor adventures. With the challenge over, I'm going back to my normal schedule for this year, which is Monday-Wednesday-Friday posts. I (mostly) remember to take my camera with me when I go out now, so I'll still be posting some nature photos. There is tremendous beauty around here!

Can't believe we are already at the end of May. Hope the weather is beautiful where you are.

30x30 Nature Challenge - Complete

We're near the end of another May, which means the end of the 30x30 Nature Challenge. I am very happy to say I made it outside every single day! Yay! The weather has been fantastic and on the few days it rained, I made it out for my half hour of nature time without getting too soaked. The majority of my outdoor time was spent walking, but I also enjoyed some time outside reading under a tree, enjoying breakfast, or listening to the game. The next step is to keep going with the outdoor time all summer. If the weather is as good as it has been, it'll be easy to maintain these outdoor habits!

Field, Clouds, and a Power Line

I've seen some pretty views over the last month, as I've been spending more time outside. This is a shot of a neighbour's farm that I pass on my daily walk. I love the clouds and the Canada flag peaking out from the right side.

Finally Blooming

The weather has fluctuated from really cold (with frost warnings) to super hot, so these flowers have really taken their time getting here.

Trilliums

Spending time outdoors leads to lots of photos of flowers. Here are some trilliums along the edge of the woods.

The View From Here - Two Weeks Later

It is amazing how quickly nature blooms after the winter. Reading under the apple tree a few weeks ago, my view was mostly brown branches. Now it is full of blossoms and green leaves.

Looking up:

Looking up and left:

Looking up and right: