That Warm, Sweet Sunlight

Late afternoon sunlight, warm as oil, sweet as childhood

~ Stephen King

A couple of posts back, I mentioned that there was one evening when the sunlight was gracing us at that golden hour. I had walked to Little Lake where photo opportunities seem to ever-so-kindly present themselves to me, most days. There's always something of at least mild interest to be seen in Peterborough. Come join me on this walk and see for yourself.

Pleasure is wild and sweet. She likes purple flowers. She loves the sun and the wind and the night sky.

~ J. Ruth Gendler

I pass by this little garden of phlox (and at that time, tulips) almost every time I head to the lake but this time, the late-day sunlight really intensified the purple colours.

I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.

~ Alice Walker

Here's a close up view from directly above.

A wild goose never reared a tame gosling.

~ Irish Proverb

The goslings are growing up very quickly - no longer little goosebumps. However, Mother and Father Goose are still very protective of them. Here, the mother is shooing them along, out of possible harm's way.

The family is one of nature's masterpieces.

~ George Santayana

They paused by the water's edge for a little nibble of grass and tiny, wild violets.

Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

~ David Ogden Stiers

After giving it some thought, Mama figured it would be safest to bring them into the water where the Dad was waiting.

Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.

~ Brad Henry

And they casually moved along, soaking up those warming rays.

I would rather sail and hit a rock than sit and rot in dry dock.

~ Lester Roloff

Elsewhere on the lake, this odd sight was approaching - like an oversized wooden alligator.

I've learned .... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

~ Andy Rooney

I've never seen anyone move a dock like that but these folks did not appear to be having any difficulties with it. They transported it a fair distance, slowly and steadily.

I have great joy in the tulips and lilacs which make my garden 'look like the waking of Creation.'

~ Helen Keller

On that day in May, the park's tulips were in full bloom.

Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.

~ Gerard de Nerval

There were different colours sported in various areas but I quite liked the oranges, yellows and whites of this collection.

To me sometimes a mute sky is more expressive than the roaring sea.

~ Munia Khan

The boats had only begun to gather at the marina for the season. Just a week later, it was quite full - but that's for another blog post.

Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.

~ Steve Maraboli

There are two of these Survivors Abreast dragon boats filled with women wearing pink PFDs, who row to raise awareness and funds for cancer care in the community. Each of these women has had a diagnosis of breast cancer.

She made broken look beautiful, and strong look invincible. She walked with the Universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings.

~ Ariana Dancu

Here are the pink warriors on their return trip, an hour and a half later.

I worry about kids today not having time to build a tree house or ride a bike or go fishing. I worry that life is getting faster and faster.

~ John Lasseter

This poor fish had a rough go of being caught. It was rather battered against the rocks and then endured the wait while the kid wrestled the hook from its mouth. I'm not so sure that it survived its release back to the lake, but the kid sure was proud of his catch.

Pit bulls are famous, in circles of knowledgeable dog people, for the love and loyalty they bestow on anyone who shows them a smidgen of kindness.

~ Linda Wilson-Fuoco

Some of the sweetest dogs I've ever met, and heard about (I'm thinking of you, Roy Boy!) are pit bulls. And this handsome boy was no exception. Ontario has a very unfair and biased ban on pits. The ban should actually be for people who raise them to be aggressive. Of course, that or even educating the public about responsible dog "ownership" is the more costly and tougher task. This dog is only part pit bull but looks like he's a pure breed. He belongs to his human companion's daughter but was enjoying a lengthy, possibly permanent visit with "grandma" due to family circumstances. The dog tends to bark encouragement when excited, in a very non-threatening way, and a neighbour recently decided to make a call to police about this woman owning an illegal dog. The officer arrived, got down and cuddled with the pooch and got nothing but gentle affection from the dog. Still, she had to reluctantly make the report, and give the woman two weeks to get the papers from her daughter, in order to prove that the pit bull in him was truly watered down with another breed or two. She can and will get the papers, hopefully within the required time (which would be long passed by now). According to the woman, if she could not prove it, this beautiful soul of a creature would have to be destroyed. That's just unthinkable. Our province is very backwards with this law. I hope to see this duo out on a walk soon, so I can know for sure that all is well.

The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog.

~ Ambrose Bierce

All this sweetie wanted to do was dive into the lake to retrieve the sticks which his person was tossing, shake off the water and go back for more. Over and over again. He kind of reminded me of a crazy little JRT I once knew. ♥

How come everyone calls me 'Crazy Eyes'?

~ Uzo Aduba as Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren

And speaking about Crazy Eyes.. it's almost time to binge-watch season four of Orange is the New Black. Who else will be watching?

Around the Dock

There were a few times during our cottage stay a couple of weeks ago, which didn't revolve around dragonflies. Please remember to click to enlarge the photos below.



Fishing was the first order of business. We didn't have use of the boat, so we were limited to casting off of the pier. This was a typical scene - Benny at Frank's feet, watching and waiting for him to reel in his line, and then barking at each recast.



Frank snapped this photo of my catch. I wasn't focusing on Benny when I reeled this critter in, but I think what he saw flopping around on the end of the rod led to his new-found habit of...



...biting the rod. Every now and then, Benny would have to take a little nip at the rod, just to let it know who's really boss.



Since the dragonflies were only in the early stages of their development, there were still too many mosquitoes. This made a cozy, evening campfire unlikely. We did build one during an afternoon so that we could roast hot dogs. Frank used this hatchet to chop our firewood.



The hot dogs must have smelled good because this little snake poked its head out from a nearby raft to check it out.



One perspective from the dock. I was leaning back toward the lake to take this shot.



Turning to the lake, this ever-ready net remained unneeded.



A rod at rest.



A dog at rest - in body only. His curious mind never relaxes.



If we abandoned the rods for a while, we'd leave them on the dock, dangling in shallow water.



One had a crayfish clinging to it when we lifted it out.



We tossed it back into the lake but Benny wanted to catch it again.



This Mayfly was resting on the porch screen.



As the day became saturated with the colours of the setting sun, this was our view from the cottage.



Though mostly overcast through the day, the night sky dazzled us with the colours of a sun-kissed country night.