'Tis the season...for duck photography

 The ducks have been forming huge rafts on the bay before flying south so I hoped there would be some variety at Silver Lake. I had both my Covid and Flu vaccines at the same time on Friday (I have since learned, in a phone conversation with Nicky, that, according to her naturapath, this is not a good thing to do to your body), was achy and lethargic all day Saturday but decided a walk would get me moving again on Sunday.

Taking the camera with me when I walk an area that I have walked many times before, keeps me interested and therefor likely to walk longer.

Plenty of Mallards around.

New Olympic Sport - synchronized dabbling.

 

Way on the other side of the lake

really too far for my point and shoot to get a clear photo, Buffleheads.

At this point I came across a woman with a much better camera than me. "Are you a birder too" she said and I replied "No, I can't identify them until I get them back on my computer, but I like taking pictures of them"

"Well those are Green-winged Teal" she said 

 

and I took her word for it

though I couldn't see a green wing on any of them.

She also said there were 2 Wimbrels on the mudflats but they must have flown before I got there.

I continued around the lake.

A really chatty Squirrel

but not much bird life at this end.

There are benches placed all around the lake

and every now and then I would sit and just enjoy the sun and the quiet.

The native plant area was all in seed

and most of the leaves are on the ground.

I turned round and rejoined my new birding friend. Yes, there is a blue patch on that ones wing!

The peace was disturbed and many of the ducks flew off as a Bald Eagle flew overhead

and landed in the far side of the lake.

She left one of her cameras on a bench and we both hurried along the shore

to get closer. We wondered if he had caught something

but I think he had just landed to take a drink.

We both clicked away like crazy and then he flew up into a tree. I drove, then parked and walked but couldn't get close and eventually scared him off.

I was taking pictures through bush here but - Hooded Mergansers

and more Buffleheads.

Edmonton - Nov 2025

 

This year I would be in Edmonton for the Port Dover Santa Claus Parade but I spent 2 afternoons, working with Brian and Janis, and converted a race tetrahedron into a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts of sailing lessons (not so subtly advertising the sailing school). Last year we converted 2 tetrahedrons into Mr and Mrs Santa. Janis will pull the tree along the parade route.

A very convenient Porter flight from Hamilton and then Edmonton greeted me with snow!

The kids were off school for their fall break so there was lots of time for walks in the snow and trying to make snow men even though there really wasn't enough snow for that.

Iggy (brown and white) and Benny (fluffball) compete for attention. Iggy has the personality of an elderly cat and Benny is a rambunctious puppy with a tendency to chew anything on the floor and eat anything left on the table.

It reminds me of when I used to take care of Heather and Sarah and school mornings started with hair braiding. But, with Maya, it happens the night before and she takes the braids out to go to school because she likes the kinky look (she calls it "the naturally curly look")

I had taken supplies to teach Maya to knit as she is crocheting up a storm, but she struggled a bit with it so we will leave that for now. I did however knit a hat for each of them while I was there. 

One night we had a great display of Northern Lights. Reds and greens streaking up into the sky, 

visible clearly from their back deck, in a residential neighbourhood.

This was taken with Aimee's phone and is brighter than they were in reality but the ones above (taken with my phone) are fainter than reality. They were somewhere between the two.

 

It was nice to be able to visit with Aimee and Mike, spend time with Avery, Maya and River, walk the dogs, shop for and wrap their Christmas presents, eat an ethnic variety of food not available in Port Dover and know that Rick was looking after Rasta and my house (including replacing a thermostat that suddenly stopped turning the furnace off!)

Now its back to my fall routine of fitness classes and rug hooking. 

Pakenham visit cont

 

Sunday was a lovely sunny day so we walked around

Almonte

as well as a park on the Mississippi river

near Blakeney

Not a large park

but with some lovely views of both the rushing waters and

the calm wider parts.

From there

we walked across the bridge

for a quick visit with a friend of Emma's, a potter,

who lives on the river.

On the way back, I stopped at a roadside stand and picked up some local

Maple Syrup!

 

Finished off the day with Butternut Squash Chili and a visit with Judy and Gaetan, who had travelled to Thailand with us. The next day was another 61/2 hr driving day to get home.

Shou Sugi Ban

 Burning wood, particularly using the Japanese method of Shou Sugi Ban, preserves it by creating a durable, charred outer layer that resists pests, water, rot, and UV rays. The process involves charring the wood's surface, then cleaning off the loose ash to reveal the underlying texture. Applying oil afterward provides even greater longevity. From AI summary on Google.

The porch of the new house will be timber frame and we went to see the lumber being prepared in this manner.

We visited Steve, in his wood working barn, to see how it is done.

 

He uses a lot of wood reclaimed 

from old structures.

Not a lot of machinery involved,

mostly done by hand.

He bought out one of the pieces of wood he is using for Mark and Emma's place and started to burn it using a propane torch.

It was a fascinating process

and Emma, Mark and I all took a turn.

Once the whole thing is charred, it is

brushed with a steal brush to 

bring out the grain.

The final step is brushing it with a mixture of the ash (saved from the brushing) and linseed oil.

Recently Mark sent a picture of it installed. All point together with wooden dowels.