August updates

 Unpacking, visitors and lots of time spent enjoying summer and the view from the deck "at the edge".

Watching

marine

traffic,

the sky, the water

and the wildlife; a young Orchard Oriole

and the star of the show.

Sometimes, when the wind and waves are really strong, parts of the marsh get dislodged and float across the bay like little islands.

Nicola visited and kindly let Rasta help with her quilting,

while I finished a small mat that I had started about 4 years ago at the McGown teacher training.

Christine visited and we walked a trail by Silver Lake, which is mostly marsh now,

and Hay Creek

with it's questionable toilets,

easy trails

and closed footbridge.

I took my bike out for the first ride of the season, towards Nanticoke

and found where New Lakeshore meets Old Lakeshore. Originally Old Lakeshore ran right along the shore at the bottom of the bluff at my property but high water levels and erosion destroyed it long ago. Just a bit left.

Bruce Trail - 6th line to 8th line, near Georgetown, Map 13.

Nicola had the Bruce Trail book and, when trying to sort out which section we still needed to hike, identified some flaws with my "bookkeeping methods". Basically I highlighted what we had done on the large map and jotted down approximate identifiers. Now we have been doing this for 3 years, and don't have great memories, this was no longer sufficient. So we spent an evening reviewing the book, my notes and (when really stuck) my blog posts and Nicola created a spread sheet:

As if we needed any more evidence that her brain does not work like mine.

This did help us identify the sections that we still needed to hike. If all goes according to plan we could finish one or both of the Niagara and Iroquois sections this year.

Dave dropped us on eighth line and we were initially walking through  Conservation Area trails. It was more authoritative than we were used to.

We were thankful that the rough, rocky part of the trail was at the beginning, while we were still fresh.

As was our bug spray.

Meadows and

marshes kept things interesting.

Lunch in

a pretty spot but

as it got hotter, the mosquitoes got hungrier.

Robus odoratus or

Purple flowering raspberry.

A quick shot through the foliage has resulted in a poor photo. He could be a Garter Snake or an Eastern Ribbon snake, though they are less common.

We knew this was coming. The last couple of kms were on roads, first Hwy 7

and then a more pleasant stretch

on 6th line.

About 7km took us a couple of hours.

Bunnies in clover

Each morning when giving Rasta fresh water, I take his water dish and empty it into the plant on the porch. One morning this is what greeted me on the front lawn:

One kept his back to me the whole time, playing "If I can't see you then you are not really there".

The other was much braver

That is what they were here for; the clover!

Looks good ..

Smells good ...

Tastes good.

Still not there

Poser

The people I bought from were not gardeners, but, at some point in this properties past, Rose of Sharon were planted along the fence. I have one pinky purple one

and a couple of white ones. Lovely.

I am attempting to root some Rose of Sharon and Hydrangea from cuttings.

Still "putting up" food. I am so glad that the mushroom farm at #6 and #24 has reopened. Mushrooms from the farm gate!