photography

Scene outdoors

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Glorious weather has arrived in the Adirondacks. It’s time to play outdoors. We took two ferries to ride our bikes on the causeway in Lake Champlain. It’s a great ride spanning several miles on a narrow strip of roadway that was an old railroad line. A bike ferry takes you across a small gap in the path. We made it a 30 mile round trip ride by starting at the Plattsburgh ferry.

Tim is on a “Swim 47 Adk Lakes” quest and we headed down to Blue Mountain Lake, where we also visited the oddly named, Adirondack Experience. They have a great boat exhibit with a fully restored Idem class boat.

One of my favorite exhibits was found in an outdoor gazebo. It was an empty picture frame with a view of the lush scenery.

After the museum we swam in Blue Mountain Lake, where the water temp was 70 degrees. I’m still wearing a wetsuit and the swim was lovely. We had dinner in reverse. First, ice cream at Hosses in Long Lake, then pizza and a beer at Paradox brewery. So much for burning off calories!

During a fairly big rainstorm, the beaver dam on the mountain next to our house failed. Tim thought he heard an engine running and went to check it out. This is usually a small stream. It became a raging river. We did not swim in it.

I keep trying to grow peonies to no avail.

I did not grow this one. My sister in law gave me a cutting. I forgot I had left it in my 88 degrees car, while I worked all day. I put it in a little water and it has been in full bloom for over a week. I transplanted my patch of peonies because Tim always threatened to mow them down. Time will tell if they like their new spot.

I like my spot.

Home is the place to be

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We have been lucky to be able to experience stellar sky events right from the comfort of home, sometimes without even leaving the couch. This could become dangerous.

The total solar eclipse was visible right here. Tim considered climbing a local mountain to view it, but I was confident we would have a clear display, right in the comfort of our own driveway. And we did.

Glasses made all the difference. In the past, I had only used a pinhole camera. Glasses were a game changer because we could look directly at the Sun as it was obliterated. The sky darkened, the wind picked up, animals quieted and it became cool. Eerie. For those who traveled here, however, traffic was horrendous.

This image was captured down the road a piece. I have no Astronomy photo skills.

We could clearly see the flare at 7:00
Solar eclipse?

Then out of the blue, a major solar flare occurred and the Aurora Borealis could be seen here.

After watching outdoors for a while, I came inside, sat on my easy chair and viewed the show from a cozy spot. I have traveled to Iceland and Manitoba for these displays. And here they were, right out my window.

This cozy spot

A Phoebe also thinks it is a cozy spot and has been pecking the windows. I posted owl deterrents. Her nest building continues but tapping is slightly reduced.

We’ll continue to travel as much as we are able but will always be happy to return home.

Winter fun in the sun

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I probably don’t spend enough time playing outdoors in the winter. Sitting near the wood stove is so cozy.

Because I’m a princess, conditions have to be just right: not too cold (above -10 f); not too icy (this could keep me in all season); and a chance to spend time with family.

Grandkids drew me to Vermont, where I skied with my son’s family. Conditions met all my criteria and, for some reason, there were no crowds. I even went tubing! Our faces show it all.

This week Tim and I stayed at White Pine Camp. He had high hopes to cross country ski, but there wasn’t enough snow. So instead we walked and hiked.

First to Debar Pond Lodge, which is in a beautiful wilderness setting. The buildings themselves are in disrepair and there is some controversy over what NY State should do with the property. I hope we the voters decide to keep it as is.

The wind picked up ahead of a cold front and we could see how it funneled down the pond by the lean of the trees.

It was an easy walk with microspikes although my dendrophobia (fear of trees) kicked in. I don’t fear trees, just the possibility of them falling on me.

So I kept my head down and examined the pond.

These reflections morphed from a hawk flying overhead to a large goose.

At least to me.

Back at the Camp, we played pool, ping pong, and Tim tried his hand at bowling on what must be one of the oldest “functioning” bowling alleys. There was a sharp curve to the right but the ball return worked.

He had big plans for us the next day. The temperature had plummeted and the strong winds continued, creating a windchill that barely met my criteria. We walked from Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center, the VIC, to the summit of Jenkins Mountain.

A good part of the walk is along a part of the 85 mile long Rainbow Esker in the St. Regis area. An esker is a narrow ridge, formed by an underground ice tunnel when glaciers covered the land. Very cool.

Trees squeaked, groaned, and scraped but I only saw one branch actively fall. Active fall?

Then we headed home to our house, which had lost power due to – fallen trees!

Now for the birds

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We keep feeders out for the birds until some other animal knocks them down. I’m imagining a small, overzealous chipmunk, but I could be wrong.

This morning, a male Northern Cardinal was hanging around and collecting the discards from the birds above. Both feeders are on very fragile limbs and only the Blue Jay is daring enough to try it.

The Cardinal was much more discreet, first hiding in the rhododendron.

Should I consider this a harbinger of Spring?

Busy bees

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A lot of wood has gone into the stove since my last post. We had snow, then a melt and torrential rains and finally, flooding. I couldn’t get home from work for several hours because the road was flooded and then washed away. I had to walk over the bridge but the road was repaired the next day.

We travelled near and far. First to White Pine Camp, where we plan to spend a lot of time in the next several years. We spent three days at President’s cabin, where the fireplace was blazing.

Our bedroom had a quilt pieced by former President of the USA, Calvin Coolidge. How many of our former presidents were quilters, I wonder.

We were reminded that Adirondack black bears look sweet when compared to those of Manitoba. They do not stand taller than me and like to dress up for holidays.

Christmas quickly approached and we spent a few days in Kittery, Maine with family. A good time was had by all. I received this knife, to add to my collection, and now it looks like we have the makings of a murder mystery in the kitchen.

I did not walk away from this holiday season uninjured. First I burnt my finger on the new wood stove, which is much less forgiving from the old one. Then it became infected and entailed an ER and doctor visit. That finally healed but then we went ice skating with the grand kids, and I decided to show off and demonstrate speed skating form. Well, I fell and broke at least one rib, maybe two. You would never know it from my happy smile taken after the fact.

It’s been two weeks now and I no longer tense up for a sneeze or cough, but I still hold on.

On the home front, a friend had a new baby and I got to make baby things. I tried out my new to me standard gauge knitting machine and made a cute little fair isle sweater. Note to self, it needs more contrast in the bands.

The event that will dominate 2024 is my daughter’s wedding. I already took a trip to DC and she found the perfect wedding dress. I am working on linens for the newlyweds, so can’t preview them, but here is a shot of my weaving area, where I will be spending plenty of time.

I’m going to try downhill skiing again in a few weeks. Hope it doesn’t slow me down!

Best dam, beavers

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Someone has busy around here. We took a walk up the hill out back and saw an amazing engineering project. It raised the pond level by 5 feet. These were no small branches used to shore it up. They must have had help.

Lady of the Lake

The next day we took a walk up the hill across the road. The path seems to have grown longer and steeper than I remember. So I distracted myself, and Tim, by looking down. And here is what I saw.

And then this.

From the frying pan into the fire

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We decided, just in time, that this was not our ideal gig. Just in time, because two planes were already scheduled to fly in, before the weather turned, with 12 barrels of fuel. It snowed a little the day before the planes were due.

Our replacement arrived on the first plane, and we left the next day on the second one.

He was already familiar with the property, is a big ice fisherman, and brought his own augur, ice fishing tent, and heater!

We spent 24 hours together reviewing the systems, the back up systems, and enjoying a few meals together.

Then we flew off – to what we learned is the most dangerous city in Canada: Thompson, Manitoba. The primary employer, a nickel mine, closed in 2017, which created a lot of poverty in the region. Gangs formed, drugs arrived, violent crimes occur frequently, sometimes by “machete kids”. Our replacement never left his hotel for these reasons.

But all the hotels were sold out. So we booked an overnight bus to Winnipeg. When we told the pilot we needed a place to wait until the bus station opened for our 10 pm bus, he said he would drive us and find a safe place to wait.

We did and were fine. Since it was a late night bus, many people were in “good spirits”. But there was a strict bag check policy, and for good reason.

The week before, in the same bus, two guys tried to get on with loaded guns and drugs. They escaped. Even worse, in 2009, a passenger BEHEADED another passenger! Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore. Bring back the bears !!

Our trip was uneventful except the bus had no heat and it was 20 degrees !! We survived. Luckily I was still in lots of layers.

We arrived in time for balmy autumn weather in the Adirondacks. Then we headed south to summer weather in Washington, DC to congratulate my daughter and her fiancé on their engagement.

There’s no place like home.

Did you see it?

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I get excited by nature’s wonders. Yesterday, we got to see a portion of the annular eclipse in the morning. First I made my pinhole camera.

Then I headed outside to wait and watch. The last time I experienced a solar eclipse, we were on Protection Island in the Strait of Juan de Luca. My technique was a little different this time. I used two separate pieces of cardboard.

And it worked. Photographing it with one hand was little tricky.

Then I tried to get a little creative.

When I returned to the cabin, I took another look a half hour later and it had changed to this.

It transitioned from an Apple computer apple to a heart. What a day!

We have come to realize there is no need to rush at anything we do because we don’t have anything else to do. So we can take our time and enjoy. Already, the nights are colder and frost covers everything until late morning.

The days are quickly growing shorter. The sun rose today at 8:22 am and will set at 6:40 pm. This is already 2 hours shorter than when we first arrived in late September.

I thought it was quiet at home, but here the only sounds we hear are made by us, the birds and the squirrels, since there is no one else within hundreds of miles. We got hear a wolf howl one night. I have already begun talking to the birds with a call and response. The other day I had nice chat with a Greater Yellowleg. We are sure to become great friends. The Canada Jays follow us around. And I never realized how versatile a Raven’s call could be. You’re never too old to learn a new language.

Whack a mole

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As Tim likes to say, there’s no such thing as paradise. We boarded and reboarded the cabins and Lodge the last few days. Today we went for a nice walk on the southern esker. For better or worse, the weather was balmy, in the high 40’s f.

We had checked the doors before we left. When we got back, plywood covering two doors and a window were peeled back like cardboard.

A bear had gotten into one of the cabins and the office. So we boarded them up again. This is all making us a little uneasy.

But I walked to the dock after dinner and still found the views lovely.

It’s funny how perceptions can change. I was relieved to see only wolf footprints on our walk and am hoping for cold weather so the bears will finally hibernate.