A FEW DAYS HUNTING BIRDS

The weather looked good so Rick,  Rejean and I headed north to do some bird hunting.  We left Tuesday morning and by the time we got all set up and had an early dinner we were out on the trails late afternoon and managed to get two.  It is not as busy during the week so we pretty much had the trails to ourselves.  And you couldn't have asked for better weather.  It was a bit nippy heading out at 7:30am but the sun quickly warmed things up and by afternoon, it was beautiful.  Altogether we got 14 birds total - 8 white birds and 6 "black" birds which are spruce hens.  They have a livery taste to them which I don't mind.  We have to send some white birds home with Rick for Rejean's Mom who wants some.  And after cleaning them today, I must say that we are all pretty good shots.  Not too many pellets in the breast meat.  And I think only one bird was missed.
Along the trail after dinner we encountered a Barred Owl who flew with us for a distance down the trail.  He kept flying ahead of us and was quite upset when we followed him.  He was getting a bit tired so he didn't fly away before we got to where he was.  I managed to get a picture of him before he took off.  I was thinking I should put my helmet back on in case he attacked but eventually he flew off into the bush.  And in our travels yesterday I got a shot of that beautiful creature on top of a tree - my camera certainly takes good zoom shots!!  I think it is a Swainson"s Hawk but if you think it is something else please let me know.  And we encountered the little chipmunk that didn't seem to mind eating his treat right by us as we took a break.  And look how hot it was in camp!!!!  Stupid thermometer never gives the right temperature in the sun.
The picture of the guys on the road each holding a bird is actually Reagan's double header - I spotted them and he got both of them with two quick shots.  He's good.
And the last picture is for Joanne to show her how pretty the Tamaracks are right now - spotted this one on the trail and thought of her.
I had fun!!

ALL I HAVE BEEN DOING...

We got all our kindling done the other day - talk about a slow process.  Each piece of cedar is split into smaller strips that I use to start the fires.  I won't run out of that this year.  And we are still working on the fire wood.  The pile is slowly getting smaller each day.  Rick and I are working Joanne and Mitch's log splitter and Rejean is using our tractor.  We usually only work in the mornings because by the time the afternoon comes around it is too warm to continue plus it is hard work and if they want to keep me working I need my afternoons off.  I figure maybe 2-3 more days of splitting.  Rejean gave Rick and I tomorrow off so we are going fishing.  Twist my arm...

BACKPACKS FOR THE KIDS

Pictures of the kid's new backpacks for school.  I wonder what could possibly be in a two year old's backpack.  For Charlie and Monty I am sure there is nothing but snacks.  HaHa

A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW

My friend Sandy takes pictures of mushrooms from underneath to get a different perspective.  I copied her technique and I am very pleased with my first attempt.

BRUCE MINES FALL FAIR

It is the season for fall fairs everywhere including our neck of the woods.  We decided to visit the one just down the highway in Bruce Mines.  Joanne and I went while the guys went to the Home Hardware store for supplies.  There were the usual flowers and preserves and vegetables on display which were very interesting.  We placed our bets on the Cow Pie Bingo table (no phone call so I guess we didn't win) and we watched the tractor pulls.  The one pictured is a 1946 model which pulled a grand total of over 50 feet.  Plus there were a lot of beautiful horses waiting around for some sort of display.  It was a quick visit to the fair as there really wasn't too much to see but what was there was well worth our time.

BEARS IN TOWN

My friends John and Linda looked out of their window in beautiful downtown Thessalon today and saw this little guy walking around.  It is just this year's cub - not big at all - and he probably lost his mother.  But not the kind of animal you want wandering around in a residential neighbourhood.  There has been others that are bigger around town for the past couple of weeks including one that was chased up a tree by a local cat.
There aren't a lot of berries in the bush this year and the nights have been getting colder so they have been preparing for hibernation with not a lot to eat.  They can smell the BBQs and  garbage so that is what has brought them into town.  One was shot in Sudbury the other day in someone's back yard - there was an apple tree there so he was just feeding.
I just hope this little guy realizes he belongs in the bush and not in town.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE NICE WEATHER

The days are getting shorter and the hot hot days are gone.  When the weather changes you do take advantage of a nice day so we got the Band back together and got in a little kayaking on the river again.  Mitch kind of Macgyver'd his kayak to make it a little more comfortable for his physique - it seemed to work.
My fishing rod of choice today was an ice fishing rod with a small regular reel and I used a hook and a worm and splitshot.  Last time I do because the split shot kept falling down the last eye and I had to adjust it a lot of the time.  The river was low and I misjudged how long it would take me to paddle over to  the far shore to go down a set of small rapids.  I bottomed out and I had to stand up and step into the water a couple of times.  Too far to "jerk off" the rocks (kayak talk - nothing dirty).  There was a good stretch that had big rock faces so Joanne tucked in there to fish a hole.  It was kind of windy so hard to remain in one place without too much effort.
We have a Go-Pro now so I will read up on how to get a video on this Blog to let you see the action photos.  Rejean wore it on his hat for the river run.  Fun to watch.

FIRST DAY OF PRE PRE PRE SCHOOL

...and off they go for their first day of "nursery" in Abu Dhabi.  And as Jodie revealed it did not go as smoothly as this picture lets on.  The parents were in a viewing room where they could watch the kids on a video screen and she said they were tag team crying.  One would start and then stop and the other one would continue on.  The other kids in the class had all been there before so it was a bit hard on the boys.  A strange place with strange people and no Mommy around.

Things can only get better...I hope.  And I am sure they will eventually.

STARRY STARRY NIGHT

One thing that happens up here is the Northern Lights.  I have lived up here full time going on 11 years and have never seen them like the other night.  AND as a bonus, Steve was up here to enjoy it as well - and being the amazing photographer  he is, he got it on film.  We were enjoying a campfire with Steve and his friends and had just finished discussing the Northern Lights.  I said I had given everyone around here a standing order if they saw the Lights - no matter what time - to give me a call.  Roger and Ute called to say they were out.  It was amazing.  To see the sky lite up and moving!!  It was as tho there were spotlights lighting up the northern sky.  Waves of white brightness.  We headed down to the road where there was a better view.  Steve got his camera out and took these pictures.  And because he knows how to set the shutter speed, we got to see the true colours  of the Northern Lights.  And he got the Milky Way in as well.  The night skies around here are breathtaking and Steve has managed to capture the beauty of our Northern Skies.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE AND MONTY

They be two as of August 27th, 2016.

My two beautiful grandsons!!