Visitors and kayaking

Its been a busy couple of weeks with first Chris, Jason's family and her friends visiting and  then Brit and her family. While they were here Pam, Sue and Heather came for a day of hooking and/or knitting. 

Then Eve visited for a couple of days and we shopped Port Dover and Port Rowan and ate lunch at a couple of patios with views. This photo is a new mural in Port Rowan.

Sailing has been great with Spellbound still doing very well in the races.

These shots were taken with my phone after we had finished racing and others were still on the course.

Feeding frenzy (gulls and Cormorants) in front of my place.

With an Eagle scoping it out too.

Rick grabbed some seeds from a plant beside a trail he was on, a couple of years ago. I tossed them on the bank and got one plant last year. Took the seed heads from that year and tossed them around. Brit used her phone App and they are Split Leaf Cone Flowers.

This year I have a ton of them.

The bees and

and the butterflies

love them.

Today I kayaked Black Creek.

Saw tons of turtles of all sizes (about and inch up to about 18 inches),

an Egret (photo using my phone so not great), a Blue Heron (let me float to within 3ft but I didn't want to scare him off by reaching for my phone) and a Weasel came to the edge of the river and took a drink.

I went all the way to the Lighthouse

and then made my way back. It was a beautiful, warm but not too hot, day. I don't usually kayak on the weekend as there is a lot of boat traffic but I was early enough today that there wasn't much. Lots of other kayakers though, including a group down from Kitchener Waterloo.

Bailed on the Chaos Race

I was mentioning to Rick that my little "Point and Shoot" camera was no longer taking photos with the clarity that it used to. I have had one of my cameras repaired/cleaned in the past and it is nearly the cost of a new camera. He kindly offered me his "travel camera" for when I go away this winter. I have started experimenting with it and photos in this blog post are mostly to see how it performs in different conditions.

 

For the last couple of years PDYC Race division has held a 2 handed Chaos Race. There are 4 buoys found around Long Point Bay and you have to sail around each one but it does not matter which direction you go or in what order. Rick and I did well the when we participated (I think it may have been the first time we raced Spellbound) and he and Gord won last year. Rick and I were registered for this year.

I watched the weather as race day drew near and, 2 days ahead, I texted Rick and said I didn't want to do it. The wind was forecast at over 15knots and gusting to 26. That didn't sound like fun. So we didn't race. I took this picture at about 8am, already whitecaps. The camera has a much better telephoto capacity than mine.

Later in the day I took these photos of some of the boats who had chosen to sail counter clockwise, coming past my place. Water was even rougher.

According to an email that came out after the race there were 20knot sustained winds for about 2 hours and gusts up over 25knots. Not for the faint hearted (that's me)

Instead of sailing I was hosting Christine and Jason's family and friends. It used to be a normal summer weekend occurrence at the cottage - 10 or more at a meal, but not any more. Chris later took a photo of everyone at the table but I forgot to get it from her.

Checking how it performs with flower closeups. I planted flower seeds in amongst the vegetables this year. I love the Cosmos but didn't realize that they are an Annual.

The Rose of Sharon are beautiful this year. They must like the hot, wet humid weather.

Recently, some evenings the back grass hosts a flock of birds all digging in the grass. (This photo was taken through the window as they all fly off when I step outside)

I think they are young Starlings. The camera takes really clear pictures of their feathers, even through the window.

Not as many as the Starlings

but regularly, in the Rose of Sharon.....

young Baltimore Orioles.

Still taking photos through the window.