October Outing

I'm way behind on creating posts right now but this one (among others) has been sitting in my drafts folder for quite a while so now is as good a time as any to share it.

Last year I went fishing with Salvador Dali. He was using a dotted line. He caught every other fish.

~ Steven Wright

Before the last of my belongings and cats were packed up and I moved out here, I spent a few days visiting - during which time we went fishing. It was late October.

The day was cool and crisp but sunny. The fishing spot was about a 15 minute boat ride from the dock - and somehow, it was against the wind in both directions! It was a lovely hour or so spent trying to catch some walleye but not succeeding.

Grab a life jacket and hop on the boat to join us.


Pulling away from the dock, you can see our house on the right with the addition (still in the process of being built) on its left.






Oranges and yellows blend to create the perfect autumn backdrop as we pass through a channel.







Our lines searched for those elusive walleye while we continued to enjoy the view.






Frank pointed out this seemingly abandoned cottage which he had seen on previous and more successful fishing expeditions. It sits on a point, surrounded by water - prime property. There is no sign of anyone having lived there for a long time - nor does it seem to be available for sale. One of the lake's little mysteries.






The scenery is just as beautiful on the way back.






This tree, leaning out on the edge of the shore is a landmark which tells me that we're not too far from home.






Dusk came softly in pretty pastels.






And the full moon rose up to greet us.






And shared her enchanting light.

A nice break from the reality of a snowy winter and frozen lake. More photos coming up soonish.

Oh Deer! and Posts of the Week

First of all, an apology about the Posts of the Week. It would seem that I've fallen behind. Again. Therefore, some of the POTW post go back a fair ways. Maybe it will be fun for folks to start getting new comments on their older posts. Yeah, I'm sticking with that and retracting the apology. Never mind!

TexWisGirl has her Whistlers on Wednesday and Gail has her Tri-colored Tuesday. I don't know if I would actually dedicate a day to these beauties but I do have a fair number of photos and so you're going to see a lot of them in the posts to come - at least through the winter. Oh deer!

I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her.

~ Ellen DeGeneres

I know some of you folks see deer quite regularly. Some enjoy them with their cameras - some see them as sport. Considering that I was into my fifties before I had ever seen one in the wild, I am enjoying the heck out of their daily visits, this winter.


Those enormous eyes watch me closely every time I step outside to scatter the food around. Sometimes apples or carrots are added to the menu. And of course bird seed is never turned down.






One of the contractors working on the addition once told me that when you see deer eating from the evergreens, it's going to be a very cold night. So far, he's been right. Then again, it is winter.






The little ones are so adorable. This guy was probably born last spring.







This lovely beast appears to have had a big bite taken out of her ear.






That doesn't stop her and Skitty from curiously watching each other.







I watched for about ten minutes while these two groomed each other in the warm afternoon sun.







When the sun goes down, even more elegant wonders make their way over from the neighbour's place, in hopes of a few late-day handouts.







Now, by the above photo, you might think that we've come to the end of this tale/tail, but I do have one more image for you.







A softly-painted sky, the moon on the rise over the frozen lake and one more beautiful deer to simply make my day.

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

***

A GOOD READ

Counting Back
by Rosaria
at Notes, Tales and Observations


Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music
by A Cuban in London
at Un Cubano en Londres
  
To My Sweater
by DS
at Third-Storey Window

***

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Still Stuck Between Seasons
by Karen
at Spokalulu

Rainy Morning
by Daryl
at Through My Eyes

Macro of..
by Indrani
at I Share

Synchronicity
by Daniel
at The Pixel Collective


***

YOU'LL SAY "AWWWW"

Woof
by Sandy
at Writing in Faith

***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

Love Letters
by Kerry
at Ed and Reub

Before Snow Arrived
by Laura
at Shine the Divine

Pink Scarf Reality
by Yaya
at Whispering Pines

***

YOU'LL LAUGH

The SIx Stages of Cable/Internet Service Disruption Adjustment
by Chicken
at The Chicken's Consigliere

Meanwhile, Back at the Water Cooler
by Tabor
at Room Without Walls

***

READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: Gail
My Guardian Angel
by Pallavi
at Diary of an Indian Girl in Singapore


Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.

Thank you

What's Skitty Watching?

Skittles spends a fair bit of time looking out of the lake-facing window.

  I suppose it helps that I've placed this cushy seat near the window semi-recently but mostly, it's because there's a lot going on outside that window at any given time.







It might be this lovely Hairy Woodpecker which frequents the feeder. She sat very still between the bars of the deck for a pretty long time. The image was shot through glass.





If not the woodpecker, perhaps this cute little Junco. Is that what you're watching, Skitlet?





Maybe this hungry Blue Jay? It's one of many who hang around the deck waiting for their regular handouts.





Just when Skittles has seen enough takeoffs and landings, this little guy scurried into view. The Red Squirrel has become a nearly immediate visitor when the seed is spread out. He's a cute little guy, isn't he?





Far, far across the bay, a lone wolf made his way from a small peninsula to the point of the island directly across from the house. The image is poor as he was waaaay off in the distance. I think that's a good thing, Skitty.





Moments later, he was followed by two more from his pack. Beautiful creatures.





And speaking of beauties, this handsome fellow also enjoys the birdseed which is scattered on the ground. And apples. And now deer feed because.. who could resist luring them into view? And out of the wolves territory. Right, Skittles?





At first, they were all pretty shy and of course, most of them still are. This sweetie is so endearing with those little peek-a-boo ways.





And this young one. He thinks that Skitty and I can't see him hiding behind the bars of the deck. Come on out, little guy.





Awww that's better. Aren't you just such a cutie!

Well now you have a good idea of some of the things that Skitty has been taking in over the past several weeks. I hope you're up for some more deer pictures, over time. I've been taking a LOT of them lately. I just can't resist their charms.

More photos coming up soonish.

Harmony in Autumn

There is a harmony

In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,

Which through the summer is not heard or seen,

As if it could not be, as if it had not been!

- Percy Bysshe Shelley

The following photos are not all from the same day but they do represent one of the pre-snow autumn days up here. I hope you enjoy them.


The sun comes into view just above the horizon, across the bay. It looks like it's going to be a lovely day.





These frilly steps are growing on a less than healthy tree on the property.





Still, it has much colour, texture and beauty to offer.





A left turn at the end of the driveway takes us toward the public boat launch. This was taken along the way, sometime in October.
 





This little mushroom offers its cap as a resting place for some debris which fell with the season from the tree above it.






This canoe has seen better days. It's to our right near the end of the boat launch path.







Glancing across the bay, we find ourselves looking at beautiful Blueberry Island.






Autumn catkins catch my eye.






Dusk is falling on the lake - in shades of pink and mauve and blue. I can only imagine the view for those who face west.







Later in the night, the full moon offered a glimpse at a tree's bare branches. That was a treat but even more so, it delighted the eyes a bit earlier when it was just rising...







... and it did this.


Thanks for joining me on this (compilation of a) day. It's been a while since we've walked together. Let's not wait so long next time.