Fall walks

First a quick catch up on Halloween

Cigi went to daycare in her skeleton shirt but then went out in the evening as a "trash panda" (Tshirt with a logo that is on Toronto's garbage cans, racoon hat and a cute, bushy racoon tail). I saw a video but can't post it.

 

Elis, my niece sent this photo, off to a Halloween party.

Nicola came home with me after Dad's Celebration Of Life and the following day we took advantage of the mild weather and walked at EcoAdventures.

We just did a short trail around Burning Kiln vineyard

where most of the grapes had been picked but some were under netting still, being saved for ice wine I am assuming.

Good year for wild grapes

and Highbush Cranberries.

We then treated ourselves

to some "boozy coffee"

on the Marshview Patio.

The next sunny day (they have been few and far between)

I walked along the Lynn Valley Trail

and back beside Silver Lake.

A local group is trying to get the silt removed that is filling up the lake.

Th invasive Phragmites reeds have already been removed and

that does seem to have opened up more water for the ducks etc. Female Mallards I think.

Lots of acorns on the ground and evidence that the squirrels strip the walnuts, while sitting on the benches.

Sleepy male Mallard.

Buffle Heads.

All the flags that I had sorted by race/regatta had to be resorted by boat! Bit of a pain to do but it did result in a much smoother and shorter awards section to Sailors Night which left more time for dancing.

The following day, greeted by sun, Rick and I went to Long Point. These Sandhill Cranes were near the Causeway. We looked in the fields where we normally see them but the corn and soy had not yet been harvested. Therefore no Cranes feeding there.

The Causeway had cars parked along the side and clusters of birders. They said they were looking for a rare bird that had been sighted here...A Pink Footed Goose. This bird summers in Iceland and Greenland and migrates to the UK and Western Europe. There were 2 unconfirmed sightings on the Ontario Rare Bird Alert for today, when I later checked on the internet.

They also identified the masses of little birds flying and wading in the mud as Dunlins and Black Bellied Plovers.

It was difficult to see the individual birds in the mud flats but there was a sense of constant motion there. Rick had bought his camera with the large telephoto lens with him but the battery was dead so these shots are all taken with my little point-and-shoot.

I think this guy is a Lesser Yellowlegs.

We left the Causeway and walked on the marsh trail, off Erie Ave. These are Sandpipers I think.

and some more Yellowlegs.

Unfortunately this one was backlit so very hard to get a decent photo

but he flew in to another part of the tree and I was able to get a slightly different angle. Enough to see his hooked beak which makes me think he was a Northern Shrike.

We walked past my old cottage and spoke to the new owner, putting up the snow fence, and then walked along the beach. Then back into the car and another stop on the Causeway, where the crowds and cameras with huge lenses were still in evidence.

I took pictures of numerous birds that turned out to be Canada Geese but this one is quite different. Could this be the famous Pink Footed Goose? Can't see his feet but he is the right size, shape and has the dark head. He was on the other side of the Causeway from where the birders were focused.

This is a picture from the internet of a Pink Footed Goose.

On our way to look for Sandhill Cranes we did see a large flock of Swans along Front Road.

Blown Away (by the experience and the food)

 I am a fan of the series on Netflix called "Blown Away". It documents a glass blowing competition and, knowing this, Christine, for my birthday, bought us a glass blowing workshop.

The studio is in the Artscape Wychwood Barns complex.

 

 Artscape is made up of a group of not-for-profit organizations with a mission to make space for creativity and transform communities. To fulfill our mission and vision, we engage in social enterprise in the following fields: real estate development; property management; performance and event services; consulting and knowledge exchange; artistic programming and community animation; and creative entrepreneurship development. From their website.

When we arrived we parked and walked past some of the live/work spaces as this complex houses some artists, has some studios, a large event space, green space and community garden.

There are a number of Artscape locations in Toronto but this one is in the old streetcar maintenance barns.

This studio is just a teaching space and Chris had booked us for a " date night" workshop so there were just the two of us.

After signing waivers we chose the items we would make and were talked through the process

We decided to make a little glass bird and a bud vase. Next we had to pick our colours.

First the instructor got some melted glass (which is kept constantly melted in this oven) on to the end of a rod.

Handed it off to Chris. She went first and I took photos.

She then rolled it tapped it into 3 different colours while rotating the rod.

The instructor smoothed it in a small wooden cup and

periodically put it into "the glory hole" (another extremely hot oven) to keep it pliable.

Then with pincers the tail is formed. Another blob of melted glass is attached and the pincers used to make the beak. It is then placed in a cooler oven to gradually cool down (over night)

I went through the same process to make my bird. I found it surprisingly difficult to manipulate the glass. I had been hoping for a Blue Jay but think it will look more like a Bluebird as I couldn't get the tail long enough. Photos of me are by Chris

Then it was on to the bud vase. Blob of melted clear glass, dipped and turned in coloured glass

and blowing it into an orb. Usually you blow straight into the rod but we blew into a hose attached to the rod so we could see the effect. In this case I was surprised by how easy it was to blow the bubble and then, more gently, until it was an orb.

Then it was Christine's turn to go through the same process (she chose different colours  though)

We wont be able to pick them up for a few days but I am looking forward  to see how they turned out.

Our instructor was is a helper on the Blown Away show which is filmed in Hamilton and said that they have just finished filming another season. Our workshop was from 5pm to 7pm so we were hungry afterwards and I proposed that we just walk the block to St Clair and eat somewhere there. Chris said she had heard that there was a restaurant with a Michelin Star close by but doubted that we could get in without a reservation. We decided to try. Surprisingly we had no problem though we were definitely under dressed ( the workshop instructions had been to wear no synthetics and nothing loose so I was in a cotton tshirt and jeans)

The restaurant was FK (Franks Kitchen) and it turns out it was a Michelin recommended restaurant (still way more than I had ever experienced).

This was my appetizer. One solitary Nova Scotia scallop....raw, slightly ceviche with the vinaigrette. It was one very tasty mouthfull but I then ordered the beet salad as well. (pureed beet base, cheese centre, surrounded by golden beets ... plated beautifully and absolutely delicious)

Squash in pasta, with a light cream herbed sauce and shaved truffle. The helpings looked small but the intense flavours would have been too much with larger helpings.

Chris had the Iberian pork chop on a bed of braised cabbage with a berry compote on top.

Of course we had desserts, no pictures of those, The service was just right: attentive without being intrusive, thoughtful not pushy, informative and enthusiastic without going on too long. We left feeling that we had eaten but were not stuffed. I loved the meal but wow it was rich. Chris compared the prices to two other restaurants that she had eaten at in the last couple of weeks and said that it was about the same price but the food and the service were far superior here.

Woolstock

Woolstock used to be held at the fairgrounds in Woodstock and there was an annual pilgrimage of the Paris hookers to this fabulous fibre festival. More recently (not sure of the timing or the why) it has moved to the fairgrounds in Paris.

Three buildings full of yarn, wool and anything related to knitting, crochet, weaving and rug hooking.

 

I met Pam and Sue there and having vowed to buy nothing, as I am trying to decrease my "stash", I only bought a couple of scains of wool for whipping. There were other J.J.s there and I was told that Peggy and Pat had both been there earlier. We then had lunch at Winsey Mills and I met some "Paris Sketchers" for the first time. I think I will probably try and attend some of their events as I really enjoyed the urban sketching in the Junction.

Inspired, I came home and finished this piece with 2 rows of crochet for the edging. Fall designed by Connie Bradley.

I blanket stitched the backing on. It is now for sale in the Woodhouse Gallery in Port Dover.

Three fishing tugs on the hard for winter maintenance. This took a huge crane that we saw on our last race night.

Beginning to see "duck rafts" form on the lake as the various species gather before heading south. I think these are Mergansers.

Long Point Bay is also filling up with "Lakers". The Seaway, which includes the Welland Canal, is on strike so nothing can move between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. I can currently see 7 ships sheltering in the Bay, waiting, and there are even larger clusters off Port Colborne and Port Dalhousie (at either end of the canal)

They get to enjoy the pretty fall sunsets.