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?

Practice with flash photography

I bought the flash for my camera shortly after I purchased my first digital SLR, but never took the time to try it out and get used to the settings and controls. The other day, I had to learn how it worked because I had volunteered to take photos at a meeting the other day, and thought it was wise to do some practice shots to try out the best settings. So what better subjects than two housebound border collies! While I fiddled with the settings, and deciphered the manual (after I finally found it!), Will and Emma settled in nearby in the kitchen. They were not the best at posing, but they didn't run away either, so I had my chance to try fill light and vary the flash settings. The shot of Will with a kind of strange look on his face is my favorite shot from the afternoon. He couldn't figure out why I was just standing at the kitchen island, and kept bringing me frisbees. If I had the camera in my hand, I think he figured it was time to go for a walk, and what do we bring on the walks, but a frisbee!
Emma poses for the camera

Are we done yet?

Will brings in a frisbee Do you want two frisbees? You choose!

Ok, if you won't choose one, I choose this one!

Ok, now what?

Weather Report: Fog

Foggy morning at Tulmeadow Farm

Last week was the first snow of the year, and it came after an afternoon of rain, and was followed by a morning of rain. It was a mess. Not exactly the winter of heavy snow that the farmer's almanac had predicted for the northeast.

Later on Thursday and then again Friday, following the snow/rain mix, came the fog. And with it brought flight delays. Jim had been away all week, and was trying sadly to get home from Houston, via Chicago O'Hare Airport, which can be a nightmare at the best of times. But introduce the least little bit of weather and it becomes delay after delay.

After arriving very late into O'Hare, they actually boarded the plane that was to bring him to Bradley Airport in Hartford. That was 11:30 pm. It amazed me that they hadn't cancelled that flight! They sat on the runway and waited to take off for an hour, then when they finally got to Bradley, the pilot circled three times attempting to find the runway but the fog was too thick, and he could barely see the lights. So off they went to Syracuse! They landed there at 3:20 am, and even though the passengers were told that they would be flown to Bradley, they ended up saying that they had to get a bus! In the end, Jim decided to fly to LaGuardia in New York City instead, where he rented a car and drove himself the two hour drive back to CT.

The joys of business travel!

Emma watches for Will, foggy field in the background

Footprints in the snow - this is all we got! Just enough to leave a footprint.