Goosebumps

I had already been out for a stroll on Friday. I'd seen and photographed a number of eye-catchers which will appear in future blog posts. As the day wore on, I felt restless and very much in the mood for another walk so I headed back toward the park with camera in tow.


As I approached the water, I saw a pair of Canada geese with a jumbled bunch of fluff in between them, navigating the modest waves of Little Lake.






Introducing Father and Mother Goose and their six little Goosebumps. They began to swim the short distance to shore, a little beyond where I was standing.






I moved a bit further along than that and sat quietly while they made their way up onto the grass.






The little ones pecked around while the parents stood sentry.






Satisfied with their snack, four of the six wee ones settled down into a downy cushion of contentment.






Last summer, I was still living up north on the lake. A lone goose egg sat abandoned on the shore. No geese stayed back to attend to it in any way, and after a day or so, it became obvious that the egg was not viable. I had assumed that some animal (raccoon or squirrels, if nothing else) would devour it in no time but that never happened.






A short while later, I spotted it in the water where it stayed for several weeks.






This maturing family wandered by on the same day - a small number indeed. I suppose surviving the surrounding wildlife is not easy for these guys.





Their adult markings are just beginning to show as they grow into that awkward yet still lovely adolescent stage.






This one has learned the skill of staying safe by camouflaging itself beside mama.






It's a gift and honour to see new life and to be allowed the privilege of watching them grow.

More photos coming up soon.

Unfamiliar Light and Posts of the Week

Do you see that out there? The strange, unfamiliar light? It's called the sun. Let's go get us a little."

~ Nora Roberts

As has long been the case, on and off, these days, I'm finding myself falling behind with blog reading. The weather is nice. The house is still in a stage of unready and I'm an expert procrastinator. But I will be around for a visit before too much longer, I hope.

I have lots of spring images to share with you but they're all still in the camera right now. The photos below are from that transitional stage between late winter and early spring. If you just squint and ignore the ice on the lake, you'll never know the difference. At the end of the photos, I'll post a short video that tells us once and for all that the spring season has arrived.


Glancing through the kitchen window (yes, it's spotty and in need of a good cleaning), the sun was making its subtle presence known on a very grey day.






I took a walk down to the public boat launch, one afternoon when the ice had just begun to pull away from the shoreline. There was a colourful world of discarded nature just above and below its surface.






Same spot as the water reflects the low-lying branches of a nearby tree.






A short distance up the road, there's a small cottage and trailer rental spot. This was their mailbox which had fallen of its post sometime during the winter.






I posted a photo of this road recently. This is just another view of Paradise Landing - the one through the windshield.






Late day sunlight gave some much needed colour to the landscape across the bay. There was still ice on the lake but the colour bounced off of the clouds and onto the watery patches close to shore. The lake has been pure liquid for the past couple of weeks now.






Here's a close up of the point. Take note of that spot - it will appear in the video below.






And here is a better look at Blueberry Island with just a few remaining patches of icy snow on its beautiful rock face.






Let's zoom in just a little bit closer still. Imagine the view from up there? Some folks do climb it. I bet my adventurous blogging pal, DJan would tackle it in a heartbeat. Oh I know she's a hiker and not a rock climber but she's jumped out of planes, for goodness sake! Lots of them.






On a cool, clear night, early in April, this is how the moon appeared. All crisp and cold and deeply into the serious task of becoming full.






She came in through the bathroom window a few nights later wearing nothing but the branches of still-bare trees. Apologies and thanks to the Beatles.







We watched these two Common Loons take chase across the lake from our far left point of view to the right. Every now and then the one who was in pursuit would change direction briefly and then so would the chaser. They'd quickly return to the business of running away and following. We weren't sure if they were a male and female in a mating ritual or if it was a territorial issue between one of our established bay watchers from last year and a newcomer. Google confirmed the latter. They sure can be goofy birds and I'd have to say that they come by their name honestly. But they're also incredibly beautiful birds and they serenade us with their haunting songs every night.

More photos coming up soonish.

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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.

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A GOOD READ

Look Up
by Hilary
at Crazy as a Loom

The Centre of the Universe
by Leah
at the Goat's Lunch Pail

Foxy Lady
by Stephen
at Chubby Chatterbox

The Fad
by Joe
at Cranky Old Man

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PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Leucy
by Gail
at Louisiana Belle

Look Up. Look Down
by Daryl
at Out and About in New York City

Foxy Lady
by Daniel
at The Pixel Collective

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JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

High-Rise Country Living
by Theresa
at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report

Let's All Shout for Trout
by Crabby
at Cranky Fitness

The Hairy Eyeball
by Yaya
at Whispering Pines

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GOOD ADVICE
 
What Your Flower Delivery Person Wishes You Knew
by MessyMimi
at Messymimi's Meaderings

When a Photo Becomes the Canvas
by Karen
at What Karen Sees

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READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: Tabor
In Defence of Nothing
by Leah
at The Goat's Lunch Pail


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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