Late Day at Kerncliff Park

Emma sits on the trail, watching and waiting below the 'God's Rays'

On the edge of the wildflower meadow at Kerncliff Park

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) in the meadow

Such a hazy afternoon it was at our favorite walking place in Burlington today, Kerncliff Park. This is a wooded area and is part of the Bruce Trail, which runs along the Niagara Escarpment. The mist made the late day sun throw beautiful rays through the woods, shown here. Emma sat on the trail looking down the hill sitting perfectly still in the perfect spot to get in the photo. I didn't realize why she was sitting so still until a couple of dogs and their owner appeared out of nowhere!

At the top of the hill just outside the wooded trail, a meadow is in full bloom, and was just beautiful swaying in the soft breeze. The town has been working on this meadow for a few years, and it's finally coming into its own this year - its just beautiful!

Beaver at Great Pond

We've been walking at Great Pond again this spring, a local state forest. The pond is a marshy area that was flooded decades ago and now is a protected area for birds and wildlife. Last summer, we had noticed that the resident beaver started adding to his lodges, and built two more at one end of the shallow pond. One was just beside the spot where we let the dogs jump in to fetch a stick and get cool. It was the deepest area and clearest of sticks and weeds, so it seemed like a good spot. One day, Emma jumped in to fetch the stick, swam out to get it, and on the swim back to shore, it surprised us when this huge beaver emerged from beneath the water and started chasing her down! Jim and I both started yelling at Emma to hurry up, calling her name and encouraging her as best as we could to swim faster, and she dropped the stick and did the best she could to beat it to the shore. We couldn't believe it when the beaver appeared, and poor Emma didn't know what was going on, just that she had to get out of there fast! To this day, she won't go back in there, and stays well away from the edge. Will, on the other hand, still wants to chase the stick, and wonders why we won't throw it for him anymore.

Beaver watching us

Emma and Will stay far back! No beavers for them!

Let's get out of here!

Storm Charlotte

Like the rest of the northeast, we are just getting out from under the big snowstorm, Charlotte. The snow has stopped falling, the sun has come out, but the winds are still blowing it all around. Two feet of snow lies on the ground all around us. It is just beautiful!

Will and Emma wanted to play in it, but could hardly move. They kept mainly to the sidewalk and driveway where Jim had cleared with the snowblower. Here's just a few shots to show how much we got.

Jim snowblows the driveway

Will and his stick

Emma wants to play

The back deck

Snow in CT and my first iphone photos

Just a few images that I took with my new phone. Finally figured out how to use the Photostream on my computer! The snow is melting here in CT, but these were taken a week or so ago, when it was still pretty as a picture!

We've been out snowshoeing at Simsbury Farms a few times now. Even today, when the snow is mostly melting slush, we found it easier to use the snowshoes than to walk on it. Not sure how much longer the snow will last with the warm temperatures we're having. And there's no snow in the forecast for this week!

Jim with Emma on the snowball

Emma and Will

Emma watches Will

Will watches me

Snow in Burlington

Emma and Will - the 'Siamese' twins

Will

Emma takes the leap at Will with the frisbee

Snow, snow everywhere this year in Burlington, Ontario! After a very snowless winter last year, it's great to see the snow again. And Will and Emma couldn't agree more. They love frisbee in the snow, and will play endlessly in it. We took them to Central Park for a good run in the fluffy white stuff at dusk the day after the snowfall and had fun watching their antics. Will loves to tease Emma with the frisbee, and she loves the chase!

Kingston Sheep Dog Trials

August 13, 2012

We spent a wonderful weekend in Kingston, Ontario, watching the Sheep Dog Trials at Grass Creek Park. This year was the 25th anniversary of these trials and also the Canadian National Championships. The competition was excellent, with well-known competitors from all over North America. Of course, home-town hero Amanda Milliken was the one to beat, and many of the 150 entrants gave it a good try. Laurie Cunningham put on a really great show with her dog Matt, as did so many others. And Bev Lambert from our wonderful state of Connecticut did a great job both on the field and doing some commentary.

Here's just a few shots of some of the dogs and their handlers doing their job with the sheep.

Border collie and handler 'dance' with the sheep

Teamwork

The border collie 'eye'

Border collie - sheep face-off

Lori Cunningham and Matt

On Deck

Here's the link to the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials if you want to check out their results.

Winter with no snow

Will doesn't mind no snow

Bare ground at the golf course

Checking out the rebuilt stone wall

Will watches Emma, wondering what keeps her amused

This has been such an unusual winter in the northeast, as in other parts of the country, and the world. For us, we have had only a few inches of snow this year, that has melted within a day or two. The normal amount falls closer to 11 or `12 inches for the months of January and February. I am not complaining! As much as I love snow, I am enjoying our outdoor time this year without it. Last year was a bit much, with record amounts of snow here (about 110 inches total), roofs caving in, ice dams causing flood damage, and just no end of winter. But this year, we're enjoying lots of sunshine, warm temperatures and little snow or rain.

At least it's been cold enough for the ground to be frozen, and easy to walk on. I've even been noticing the earth cracking and drying out with the lack of snow and moisture. I'm afraid for the farmers this year with such little precipitation. It probably means that prices will be higher for lots of our produce and other crops. I would guess it'll be higher prices for gas, too, since it's made with ethanol, which is made from corn, which will be more expensive if the crops are in shortage this year. Will it never end?