SUN, SAND AND SISTERS

It is that time of year again where I leave the bare trees and frosty mornings for the warm sands and sunny skies of St Pete Beach to enjoy a week with my sisters Susan, Joanne and our honorary sister Deb.
I look so forward to this week to be able to enjoy their company, drink our favourite cocktails (Susan wants to try Whiskey Sours on the beach but I think I will just stick to strawberry daiquiris and margaritas) and go to our favourite spots to eat and dance the night away - ok so maybe stay up to 10pm.  Watch the beautiful sunsets with our friends we have met there - Roger and Sherri - and just enjoy the walks on the beach and the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore.  Our search for sea shells and other beach treasures is a daily routine.
This year I have pledged to go down the big water slide at the Trade Winds - I will be sure to get an action photo of that!!

Ladies, start your engines...

HAPPY GRANDPARENT'S DAY

I'm a Happy Grandma!!

WATCHING...

Got all my chores done and it was a nice day so I passed some time in the double blind this afternoon.  I had charged my camera so I got some pictures of the only visitors to the feeder - the blue jays and the chipmunk.  My Canon SX600HS has an amazing zoom - it says on the actual camera that it is an 18x optical zoom but I can get it up to 72x - probably not optical but I am not too techy but I know it can get some great closeups as you can see.  We haven't seen the BIG bear around for the past few days but the little cub is still coming around and so are the deer!!!  I was hoping to see the little cub but he must be sleeping.  I was entertained by these guys tho.  Fun to watch.

And I want to welcome Mimi and Bob to the blog.  They run Mimi's Vegetable Stand in Cottom in Southern Ontario - friends of John and Linda and any friends of John and Linda are friends of mine.
Enjoy!!

STRUTTIN' FOR THE LADIES

We brought the trailer back from Hinkler and you usually see birds on the main road in.  A lot of people hunt them this way from their cars as they don't have a quad to go down all the trails.  You can sometimes get your limit this way.  I was prepared on the way in and on the way out.  Did not see one on the way in but saw this fine looking gentleman and his lady friend (on the other side of the road) on the way out - it was on a corner and we could see another vehicle coming the opposite way stopped as well.  We would have been in his line of fire if he had gone for it and vice versa.  The other vehicle backed slowly away.  We were hauling a trailer so we couldn't back away as easily.  I really didn't want to shoot this guy as he was way too focused on his lady friend to even notice us.  We slowly pulled passed him on the road and let the other car and hunter know they were still on the road.  I don't know what happened after that as we drove away.
We have enough birds that we really wouldn't have missed not taking him.  Today, I made partridge soup!!!!

DINNER AT AUBREY FALLS TRADING POST

We got a group together and headed up the highway to the Aubrey Falls Trading Post for dinner.  It is under new management and the hosts - Michelle and John - are doing an amazing job.  The place is spotless and the food is delicious and the ambiance is so welcoming.  The colours on the way up were nice to see altho I would say they are past their prime but the yellows and oranges were still very vibrant.
We had arranged for a group of 15 of us and they would prepare a special meal for us.  It was soup - either mushroom or smoked ham and split pea - I had the latter and it was delicious - I really am not a split pea kind of girl but it changed my mind.  Fresh dinner rolls were on the table and horseradish - you can't have a roast beef dinner without horseradish!!  The main meal consisted of mashed potatoes, generous slices of roast beef and green beans and carrots.  And gravy!!!  And for desert we had home made apple pie and whipping cream - I even had desert and it was very very good.  The service was very professional and we were all attended to by our hosts.  They made sure we had everything we needed.
I am sure this won't be the last time a dinner is organized at the Post.  It is nice to have such a special spot for dinner - or breakfast or lunch - in our area that is within an easy drive - but I can't speak for the conditions when winter comes.  And they cater to snowmobilers as well.

BIRDING

Rejean, Rick and myself headed out for one last bird hunt this week - we decided to go to Rapid River as we hadn't been there in quite a while and never hunted on the quads there.  The trails were beautiful and should have produced more than the two birds we saw.  Rick got the last one and we are having bird for our pre dinner snack this afternoon.
Just one question for all my loyal readers who know something about hunting etiquette - when hunters on on a trail and more hunters come up behind them - should the second group of hunters who approach turn around and go back or proceed in front of the original group.  This has happened to us twice where the approaching hunters have gone around us and proceeded up the trail, either spooking the birds or shooting them.  I think they should turn around and go back as the first group has first dibs on the trail.
What do you think?

LOOK WHO I WAS WATCHING

Rejean came back from filling the feeders and said he saw the cub across the lake.  I quickly got my gear together and headed out to try and catch a look too.  As I was pulling up on the quad, I could see the black fur so I stopped and turned off the quad.  I got the picture on the bottom just as he turned away and disappeared in the bush.  I walked the rest of the way to the blind and settled in.  I would say 5 minutes later he calmly walked over to the feeder and started eating the candy corn we have for the deer.  He ignored the delicious apples and the salt lick and chomped on the corn for another 15 minutes or so.  My camera died!!!!  But I got a couple of good shots.  After he was done he started coming up the hill towards the blind but I was ok as I had locked the door and I could quickly close the window.  But he headed over to the right and continued up the hill and out of sight.  I made sure he was gone and made my way back home to download the pictures.
What a thrill that was!!!!

ps - it was the cub so no one is going to shoot him - at least not this year….