Of course, things have been busy for the past while, even though we try to keep Christmas and New Year’s very low key. I finally have some time to settle in at the computer, so I’m going to take advantage of that and catch up in things.
I’ll be going backwards in time, for the most part. 😀
Continue readingI was able to swing by the lake this morning. I’d been able to swing by yesterday, as well, and saw that the first few ice fishing sheds were being put up. Today, there were a few more.
I stayed nice and warm in the car to take this photo – I wasn’t about to walk to the beach just to get pictures in this cold! LOL
To the left of the photo is a large mound on the beach. That is sand that was dredged out of the storm drain, after the blizzard we had in early October.
The ice is now thick enough to be safe to drive on, so ice fishing season can start. The “road” to this area is cleared of snow.
I wasn’t able to get pictures, but on the other side of the ice road, I could see vehicles in the distance, and snowmobiles pulling loads across. This is the area where a track has been cleared and people could get lessons in ice driving. Police and ambulance drivers also used the track to practice on. It looks like the organizers are starting to set up with that. No track is cleared yet, but that didn’t stop one car that I saw from going on the ice and spinning around through the loose snow.
That brings back memories! As a passenger, though, not a driver. 😀
It’s interesting to think about how there are entire industries and businesses that rely on ice like this!
The Re-Farmer
This past Sunday, the weather was mild enough that I was able to spend some time on the beach.
It was really fascinating.
The sand was frozen solid, but you could see the effects of water and ice. One dramatic visual was at the outflow for storm drains.
At the time I was there, the tide was still going out. There was ample evidence of how high it had gotten.
Continue readingWith the timing of things for my daughter’s Sunday shifts, I haven’t been able to continue our search for a new church to attend, but I do try to take advantage of her short shift to make Sunday a day of rest.
Oh, to be a cat, some days!
This was actually taken on Saturday. From left to right, we’ve got Creamsicle, Potato Beetle, Doom Guy, Two-Face, and even Pump Shack and Junk Pile kittens! All packed in like sardines, keeping warm and cozy.
Things were not so warm and cozy at the beach in town, yesterday!
I didn’t stay out for long; I hadn’t brought gloves, and it was really quite chilly!
This guys seemed to handle it well.
No rest for them! The geese need to eat as much as possible in between their migratory flights.
I’m finding I really enjoy these few hours in town, once a week. It’s a good time to recharge.
The Re-Farmer
I was in town this morning, and had the chance to visit the beach. Since I was last there, the town has pushed all the rocks and pebbles that the storm had pushed across the entry onto the main dock back onto the beach.
The beach is still very changed in this area, from before the storm. Much of the organic debris has been washed away, but the big rocks next to the dock itself are completely covered with sand. There is no sign that they are there at all!
With every tide, a new sand ridge is created in the area, though.
Where I took this photo, the ridge was probably about 8 inches high.
New layers of pebbles are slowly being washed back onto the water’s edge. So many colours and textures! I just love it. 🙂
The Re-Farmer
This past Sunday, as has become my custom, I stay in town during my daughter’s short shift. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and I was able to have my first visit to the beach since the blizzard.
I have to say again, how incredibly fortunate we were during that storm. Yeah, we got some tree damage and were snowed in until we could shovel our driveway out, but we really didn’t have a bad run of it. Just yesterday, I was reading that there are still some 2000 people without power. The electric company, with help from other provinces, has about a thousand people working to restore power. In some places, generators were delivered or where on the way, to provide emergency power. The remote areas they workers are in, and the conditions, make these last northern areas much more difficult; in some places, workers are trying to restore power lines while chest deep in water and mud! A rough estimate was that the storm resulted in about $100 million in damage to the electrical system, though there is no way to know for sure until after it’s all done and the numbers are crunched.
We have much to be thankful for.
How the storm hit could be very different, depending on the area. Especially with the lake effect. The one time we did go by the beach, it was amazing to see no snow at all, yet just a couple of blocks away, people’s yards had about 6 inches of snow.
People living near the beach and marina posted videos online, and it was astonishing to see the waves crashing over the breakwall on the main dock.
There were some significant changes that I could see, right away.
Continue readingIt’s been another very wet day today (I’ve read that, last month, we got triple the average amount of rain for our region; it doesn’t seem to be letting up this month, yet). We did manage to get a dump run in. Because of when it closes on Saturdays, and when my younger daughter gets off work, we left it to near closing time, then just continued on to town. After running some errands, we had time enough to hit the beach and look for interesting things.
Along with fascinating bones and interesting rocks, we found a tiny surprise.
What follows are pictures of a dead creature, so for those who don’t like seeing that, I’ll post it after the jump.
Continue readingToday was one of those days when I was able to visit the beach after dropping my daughter off at work.
This time, twice!
I got these shots this morning.
Continue readingWhile at the beach a few days ago, I tried to get photos of all the seagulls on the shore.
These are just a few that I could get in frame at once!
It’s so nice to go to the beach this time of year. It’s still pleasant out, but tourist season is over, so there’s hardly any people around. Especially in the morning. 🙂
This morning, after dropping my daughter off at work, I took the time to check out the beach and take a walk.
It was really quite gorgeous.
As always, I keep an eye out for interesting things washed up by the waves and tides. For myself, I look for interesting rocks. For my older daughter, I look for interesting… anything.
And, wow, did I ever hit the jackpot today!!
At first glance, I actually thought it was some washed up, crumpled plastic or something.
I’ve found the odd jaw bone of a fish before, but never an entire skull! It’s pretty big, too. About the size of the palm of my hand. Slightly longer, in fact.
I have no clue what it is, though. That bone “sail” at the back of the skull is fascinating.
Does anyone recognize what it is?
Also, it rattles. There is something stuck inside the skull. Sounds like a small pebble.
As I write this, it is being disinfected! 😀
The Re-Farmer
