Keeping Cool at Great Pond

Well, as you can see by the thermometer, we are in the midst of a July heat wave. it goes across most of the country, as apparently we are under a heat 'dome'. About 150 million people are affected in the US, according to the news. So, what do you do if you want to keep cool? You can go swimming! Well, not us, exactly, but two hot border collies who don't much like the heat can go. So here's a few more images from our daily trips to Great Pond, a very shallow pond which is really a wildlife area about 5 minutes drive from our house here in West Simsbury. There is only one tiny area that isn't completely covered in water lily pads and that is where we take Will and Emma for a nice swim. They can hardly wait to chase the stick into the water. They have both gotten quite good at jumping in from the edge, and as you can see, Will can get pretty high in the air. Jim has started to get them to take a running start, and while that doesn't add much height, it does add a little distance before he splashes into the water.

Heat wave hits New England

Walk the boardwalk to get to the swim area

Keeping cool

Will the retriever

Emma swims while Will watches

A bit of Tug-of-war

Wet dog Emma

Swimming at Great Pond

Emma gets the stick

Emma and Will with their sticks

View of Great POnd

Emma and Will again

Will wonders what is taking me so long

Well, here it is summer already, and it's been a long time since the last posting. We've been pretty busy this spring, going back and forth between West Simsbury and our second home in Burlington, Ontario, and keeping up with the usual exploring in each area. We've discovered a couple of state parks pretty close to home this year, and they have become our new favorite places to take Will and Emma for their walks. Both of the parks have a pond or two, and that is extra fun, since they adore the water. You can hardly keep them out of it if it's nearby. Will, especially likes to run off and take a dip if he senses water. I think he can smell it! And they both get so excited when you throw a stick in for them. Emma can hardly keep her excitement inside - she starts to whimper and whine when you even pick up a stick to get ready to throw it. It's quite funny to see them.

Jim and Emma at the Vista

The beech grove at Devils Hopyard

The long climb at Devils Hopyard

Emma and Will in the Devils Oven

Devils Hopyard, A New Destination

The last day of calendar winter was cool, but mostly sunny and we decided to check out a new place in Connecticut. We hopped in the car and drove an hour south to Devil's Hopyard State Park, located in East Haddam on the Eightmile River. It was one of those places that has been on our list of places to see but we had not managed to get there yet. The gates were not yet open for the season, so we found parking on the roadside, not far from the entrance, along with quite a few other people who wanted a day outdoors.

It was quite scenic along the trail with lots of grey moss-covered rocks, a beech grove, acres of native mountain laurel in many places along the trail. I had my first view of skunk cabbage coming to life along a wet stream and saw lots of evergreen ferns in the shade of the trees and on the mossy rocks. We were looking for the Devils Oven that was on the map, and had to circle the loop trail twice before we found it. Despite the myth, it seemed nothing more than a big overhang of rock alongside the trail. We were told there were unusual markings in the rock that could not have been made by man, but we didn't see them. We'll have to look again next time. We did find the 'vista', which was a pleasing view of the Eightmile River meandering along the river valley far below. It was a great thing to do on a beautiful Saturday in March.

It almost feels like spring

Even though our temperatures are still below normal for this time of year, we are finally getting to feel like spring is near. The snow at Simsbury Farms is almost all melted, and I've actually seen some daffodil leaves poking their heads above ground over there. At our house, though, some of my gardens are still covered in piles of snow, but where they are bare, I see the tips of some of the hardy plants still showing. The buds are expanding on the trees, too. The willows are turning a yellow color, the Bradford pear buds are plump and some of the flowering shrubs are glowing red, to let us know that they are getting ready for the spring too. My rhododendrons, which have been fighting the cold air all winter by curling their leaves back into themselves, are looking a lot better too. Although this morning was another cold one (about 25 degrees F) and their leaves are curled again. Plants and people will be happier when the warmer weather gets here.

But the dogs, well, they don't mind the cold at all. They seem to prefer it to the hot humid days of summer. But there are lots of times in between, too, that they love, with the more moderate temperatures of spring and fall. Just like in life, we need a good balance. It would be hard to imagine living in a mono-climate, all winter or all summer. The annual cycle we live in, especially in the northeast, gives time to experience different aspects of life, at times more introspective like when we 'hibernate' in the frigid winter months. And then it is balanced by the more outward summer months, when we want to be outdoors more, either in our gardens, walking, biking, traveling or just sitting on the deck enjoying a warm evening.

Thank goodness for change in life, and for the annual cycle of things. It works best for all of us. Too much of one thing, and no one wins.

View from our deck, still lots of snow under the trees on the hillside

Spring has sprung at the Simsbury Farms, a golf course built on an old apple orchard

View of the last signs of winter from under my favorite white oak at Simsbury Farms

Simsbury Farms logo

The big tease - Will sits with the frisbee in the background, while Emma is preparing for the chase (step 1 of 'the frisbee dance')

The Frisbee dance

More of the frisbee dance

Where is spring?

This is the end of the first week of March and it finally seems like spring is really trying to get here. It's been raining non-stop all day, but here in the woods of Connecticut, we still have a good ground covering of snow. It's turning to ice as the rain melts it, but we are beginning to see the bare ground appearing around the trees and the edges of the high ground. It's been a long winter and we're really ready for spring to get here.

These photos are from a couple of days ago, before all the rain began to fall. We were still able to do our walk to Tulmeadow Farm without crushing through the snow and making it a difficult go. It was so cold that the snow was frozen solid and crunchy to walk on. That is not the case today. It was so rainy that I did not got out with Jim and the dogs for our usual daily constitutional. They were like drowned rats when they came back, and boy was I glad I stayed home in the warm confines of home! Even cabin fever couldn't get me out today.

Will on the trail, stick at the ready

Will and Emma listen intently for who knows what!

Where there is snow, there are skis! Our neighbors live right beside the trail, and they are out regularly with their skis.

Still lots of snow and hay bales line the fields. The horses won't go hungry!

More snow and more frisbee

We've donned our snowshoes once again for a walk at Simsbury Farms. Will and Emma get into their usual routine with the frisbee: Will runs away with it, Emma stalks him to get it, and then they both grab onto it to play tug of war or to run it back to us (after a bit of play) to throw it again. It's quite the dance!

Emma stalks Will who is guarding the frisbee

Sharing the frisbee

Cross Country Skiing at Simsbury Farms

With all this snow and ice that we've been having, we are all getting to feel a little housebound. I think you might call it a major case of cabin fever. The snow just keeps coming, and we are trying to figure out a way for all of us to get some fresh air and exercise. These two border collies are just not used to staying inside and being inactive like we've been doing. It's all we can do to get out for a daily walk, let alone a good romp twice a day, like our usual routine. So we thought we would get our skis out again and try the golf course on the bright and sunny afternoon we had a couple of days ago. Just to note, today we are not having such good weather, once again. It is freezing rain outside right now, as it has been all afternoon. What a mess that will make!

So the other day we strapped on our skis and took off over the hills at the golf course, our favorite winter place. It was the day after a two day stint of snow and sleet and freezing rain, so you can only imagine what we encountered. Yes, it was a nice six inch layer of fresh snow, covered by an inch of almost solid ice! Well, we forgot to put new wax on our skis, and as a result, we just skidded around the top of the icy snow. Of course, Jim led the way and broke through as well as he could, and I got to follow in his tracks. Will did his best to follow in the tracks too, but Emma, being the little explorer today, did her best to walk on top of the snow. it was hilarious watching her - she would step as gingerly as she could, but then her back legs would crash through, and she'd almost get stuck in the deep snow. She'd pull herself out, and keep going until she broke through again. It was tough, but she's a real trooper! She got herself trapped behind the safety net on the driving range and really had a tough time getting through the deep snow to get back around the net. It was all we could do to watch and wait for her - even Will just laid there spotting her wondering just what she was up to! She was getting a little worried that she would never make her way around the long netting, and tired of the struggle, too, but she finally made it.

It is somewhere around two and a half or three feet of snow built up on the ground now, so you can only imagine how difficult it would be to walk in. If the snow hadn't been so icy, it would have been quite a nice ski. We did a bit of a circuit around the course, but were all happy to get back to the car. Even Will and Emma were tired out.

This is our mailbox and newspaper box buried in snow

Will watches Emma struggle in the deep snow behind the netting barricade

She made it!

Cross country skiing at Simsbury Farms

My favorite birch tree at Simsbury Farms