A RARE SIGHTING

We spotted this beauty when we were last up to Hinkler.  The shots are not that clear because we had to use the zoom on the camera and it is a bit tricky to get good shots from so far away but you can make out what it is.  A beautiful Canadian Lynx.  And a big one at that.  We saw a female and her kitten years ago and even heard their growls.  This one was alone as far as we could tell so it was probably a male.  So in all the years I have been up here and all the times I have been in the bush, this is only the third one I have seen.  And since they usually hunt at night, it was indeed a rare and beautiful sighting that I won't soon forget.

HUNTING AT HINKLER

 One of Rejean's birds

 Some beautiful Tamaracks along the trails

 Me with a "bird" smile under that turtle neck sweater.

We had a lull in our busy schedules so we headed up to Hinkler for a few days to try and get some birds.  We got there Sunday - a beautiful day - and we did get some birds.  Just being out on the trails in the warm sunny days of late October was very nice.  There was still a lot of leaves on the tress and even dragonflies!!  Unheard-of for this time of year.  We did get a total of 14 birds in the 3 1/2 days we were there.  Some nice ones too.  Each bird is a story of how we spotted it and hot we got it.  I will spare  you some of the unpleasant ones.  I am surprised at myself enjoying the hunt and the taking of the birds but they are so delicious I just remind myself of the soups that we will enjoy this winter.
It was also moose season and when we pulled into camp after a morning on the trails, there was a huge bull moose hanging in camp on the Wednesday.  It was so big it didn't even look real but Ron said it was actually a smaller bull.  Hard to believe they get bigger than this one.
We also passed one road that washed out after the big rain storm we had on Monday nite.  It stranded an MNR truck on the wrong side but the driver managed to hitch a ride back home - there will be some repairs done quickly to this road as it leads to some good hunting areas.
I think that is it for our bird hunting this year.  I have enough in the freezer now to do me the winter soup season.  Yum Yum
Have to get ready for my TWO weeks in Florida with my sisters in November.  Can't wait!!!!

PURE GOLD

Such a happy day!!  My dear friend Ed and his beautiful wife Claire are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today.

I wish you many, many more years of joy together.

YUMMY

Trying to clean out my freezers and came across 3 bags of pirogi from Costco I was going to feed Jodie and her gang but never got around to it.  Potato and bacon.  I had pre-cooked some bacon earlier and left the drippings for the pirogis.  I boiled them first, then crisped them up in the bacon drippings and then tried a trick I learned at the Wharncliffe Hall.  Put them in the oven with cheddar cheese, more bacon and some green onions on top.  A nice healthy dinner with a salad on the side.  I always ask Rejean "on a scale of 1 to 10" for anything new I make.  Well this got a 9 1/2 - can't seem to get a 10 out of him...

ps - Barry and Ed - I told him to make this for you guys in November - easy peasy.

STAYING BUSY

Except for the top two pictures, all the rest were taken on the Axe Lake Road which is one of the nicest roads around here this time of year.  But I imagine all the roads are beautiful with the leaves being  what they are today.  I got to ride the four wheeler today while Rejean was in his truck.  Nice and cold today but if you are dressed for it it is very comfortable.  We have been having some amazingly beautiful fall days lately along with some much needed rain.  We have had a couple of fires just to take the dampness and chill out of the house.  The leaves are starting to fall heavily which will be good for the hunters - deer, moose and bird.  Rejean checked the trail cameras today and we managed to get a shot of the two lost dogs which were since found.  They both had harnesses on which could have had some disastrous consequences if they had become entangled on trees or bushes.  But they were both found and are home with their very happy owners.  During tourist season it is not uncommon for pets to become lost - a strange place with all sorts of new smells and sounds for them to become distracted.  It is best to keep them on leashes at all times.  You never know when a squirrel or deer will make them run and then not be able to find their way back.  I am always on the lookout for them.

SOME EXTRA PICTURES

Picture it next year with lush green grass growing and the fire pit right there between those two birch trees sitting in your easy chairs with a cold beer looking out over the beautiful Lake Jobamageeshig (Jobam for short).  Life is good!!

JUST A FEW FINISHING TOUCHES

Terry and Kim and Bruce finished their work yesterday.  We were over doing our thing as well.  We raked and prepared the area for grass seed and helped rake out the sand that now completes the landscaping of Parker's.  What a difference some hard work does to a property.  You can now see the lake and there is a nice pad for a garage in the back plus lots of space for some extra vehicle or trailer or boat parking.
I took some shots of the place from a property around the bay from them.  It is beautiful this time of year but the colours are slowly fading from the vibrant reds and oranges to the mellow yellows and browns.  Still nice.
I saw a bear today not too far from  our place.  Not a big one but last year's cub.  And we had a partridge in our back yard last nite.  I didn't shoot him.