Winter Arrived December 20, 2015

Well, winter finally arrived this week ~ more or less.  While people up the trail north of us were receiving lots of snow, we would get some snow, then it would rain.  So, after this happening off and on all day, we have a white icy mess that set up with a couple of days of near 0 temperatures.  But, we will have a white Christmas now ~ anyway.
The dog and I have been making tracks around my trails for the past few days ~ trying to get it sort of decent to walk on.  It had been punchy as it crusted on top.  We had about 6" of snow that set just hard enough for a dog or fox to walk on top.  Not so lucky for this human!  Do you know what punching through the snow does to ones' leg muscles when you do that for a few miles!?
I will be waiting for a few more inches of "nice" snow on top of this, now, so I can start skiing.  I always enjoy that.  I have been trying to clear all the branches and litter off the trails as I walk around each day now so I don't have that to run over when we do get more snow.

The other plus has been all the big waves from several directions this past week.  It has been great for making ice formations on the shore of Lake Superior.  These two were taken on different days as I have been out and about.  Now that we finally are getting interesting ice formations ~ it means I should probably get down to the shore for some sunrise shots showing off the pretty ice too.   It's sure nice to have different views on some of them.  Winter is still my favorite time of the year to get interesting scenery shots.  Adding the big waves to that is a close second.
Of course, critters in winter scenery is nice too as there often aren't so many distractions.  So ~ I guess I will have plenty to keep me busy for a while.  The usual winter critters are showing up these days.
In fact, yesterday ~ I had just put some treats out for my favorite deer friend.  I saw that she was happy and nibbling away at her food.  So, I came in and sat down and was just turning to face my computer when BANG!!  One of the other deer had just shown up and was going to chase Shadow out of her spot.  She ran right into the basement window and wall.  Jeez!  I darned near went right out of my chair.  Those two have been around here for just over 8 years now ~ both being 8 1/2 years old.   You wouldn't think they would have to run into the house........would you.  Nothing got broken ~ so, that was a good thing.  Me and my friends.......we have an interesting life up here.
Anyway ~ I have pretty much gotten ready for Christmas and I have gotten lots of work done on my web site now.......just because I can.  So.......lefse to be made on the 24th and get through the Christmas holidays.......then ~ on to other "exciting" things to take us into the new year.
So......if I don't get back on before Christmas ~ Merry Christmas everyone!  :)

A Strange December ~ December 11, 2015

Now that I have broadband, after all these years, I have actually been working on some projects just because I can.  I have also been going through some photos I hadn't looked at in a while ~ because, in amongst them, there are a few treasures.  This one of the butterfly I had kept because I did like the butterfly.  I was pretty sure that was spotted knapweed, which is noxious, rather than a thistle.  So, I wasn't sure people would appreciate the nasty weed. Also a wasp there.......   But you know, some things are just hard to delete.  I have gotten much better at that "delete" part than I used to be though.  That brings me to the strange December and why I happen to be working on this stuff and my web site now.  We have had more rain than usual for the month of December ~ even tho, for a good many years now, we have had a December thaw to ice everything up for the duration.  But, all the rain and gray and MUD!!!  Did you hear that ~ MUD!  Oh jeez........ but I am so sick of mud all over everything.  We should have frozen ground.  Oh, I still get out and get in all my walks with the dog and such.  But, I have spent a bit more time on my computer than I have in a while because of the mud.
Now, because I can, I have even added galleries to my web site.  That is kind of nice if someone is looking for a particular subject.  You don't have to look at all the photos to get to the subject you are interested in now.  I am not done.  Have to do  "ice" and "sunsets" yet.  If you have never looked at my web site ~ it is  http://sandra-updyke.fineartamerica.com.  Check it out and tell me what you think.

I added a few bird photos to my site and galleries this week.  Some of these make for interesting cards and pillows besides just wall art.  People are open to doing a lot of different things with wildlife art these days.  I could decorate my whole house with wildlife art and "critters" and be quite pleased with myself.  Just in case, mind you, there weren't any outside for me to look at at the time.  That generally isn't the case tho.

Here is a photo of interest I took ~ just because I rarely get decent looks at good sized bucks with their antlers in velvet.  This one also had a strange rack in that he had a brow tine and no other points on the right side.  The "girls" were very busy getting acquainted with the big guy too.  That was amusing to watch since it wasn't the season and nothing going on.  They were all beside themselves showing off for him tho.  :)

Of course, you know I would have foxes on my site ~ and, a fox gallery.  I have so many fox photos even I can't believe it.  Sometimes, it's hard to know when enough is enough.  Some are pretty dang cute.  Some are even X rated!  Oh my.  But, I have tried to be very picky about what shots I put on there and not get too carried away. 
Today is another one of those very gray December days.  It actually had dropped below 32 degrees so some spots were just a bit frozen this morning.  Betsy wasn't completely covered with mud.  There was still mud tho.  I wish I had thought to document how many nights we have had, already this month, that didn't freeze at night.  Just strange.  One person on the shore told me they had just picked some kale out of their garden again.  Unheard of.......in December.
Well ~ back to some gray day work until the next adventure with Betsy.........

Days Remembered on Lake Superior's Shores ~ December 3, 2015

Here I am, on the shore of Lake Superior today.  I am inside the doorway, looking out the window, of an old fisherman's home ~ or, shall I say.....what's left of it.  I think they have been gone from this world somewhere around 20 years now.  But, I was thinking about some of the things this old fisherman did over the years ~ and what he thought when he looked out the window some days.  This is kind of a sheltered little cove.  However, you can see the waves are breaking in here pretty good today.  The life of the commercial fishermen on the shore of Lake Superior wasn't an easy one, for sure.

I found yet another old boat I hadn't noticed before.  Just numbers on this one, no name.  It was an interesting old boat too.  I'm sure, if it could talk, it could tell a lot of interesting stories. 

Just inside the door, I saw this beautiful old sewing machine.  Notice ~ there is still thread in it.  I guess I had never realized some of those old sewing machines were so ornate before.  This was a beauty in its day.  I'm sure it did its share of serious work too.

Here is another shot of the little cove the fisherman fished out of.  Notice the waves.  There is also that old scale in the foreground, covered with lichens and blending right in with the rocks on the shore.  I just thought this was the neatest old thing when I first discovered it on another trip.  The leaves are all down and gone now so I notice a few more things each time I walk around ~ always being careful not to disturb anything.  Some things are to be looked at and pondered ~ not disturbed.  Just think about all that has happened here over the years.
I should add, the first time I saw this, I had no clue what the heck it was.  I posted a view of it taken from the other side.  I was pretty sure a few of the people that had commercial fishermen in their families would know what it was and enlighten me.  And, they did.  I was amazed at how many knew what it was and in some cases, still had them.   But, I bet most of them aren't blended into the scenery as well as this one is.  A piece of the Hovland history, for sure.

Here is another shot of this old scale, taken from the other side.  This is more like the original I took several weeks ago. 
I spent a bit of time just standing on the rocks ~ watching the waves roll in.  I wondered about the times he had to go out and pick those herring or trout in some of this rough weather we get on the North Shore.  He was a tough old fisherman, for sure.  They had to be.  I had noticed how gnarled his fingers were from years of picking nets.....way back when.  I'm sure the old fishermen must have had their share of arthritis from picking all those fish in that cold water. 
I never used to get quite as interested in all the old fishing history around here as I do now.  I watched it and knew several of the old fishermen.  I guess I just took it for granted ~ like a lot of younger people do.  Now ~ when I look at some of this stuff and think about it ~ I appreciate it a lot more, I think.

This is just a scenery picture from out on the end of the point today.  It is a pretty spot. 

Last of all ~ I found this old net rack today.  I thought it was pretty cool.  It isn't real close to the lake so the fisherman had to haul his nets a ways to use it.  It's pretty much surrounded by the brush and trees now.  But ~ another piece of history discovered today.  It might make you appreciate that next fish you buy in a store ~ just a little bit more, now. 

Good-bye to Toby ~ December 1, 2015

I haven't written my blog in a while.  I guess I got in a funk about things when Toby died this summer from his bone cancer.  He was a pretty special dog to me and everyone that knew him.  He was diagnosed in May with the cancer and made it until August 3rd.  That was a rough day.  In fact, you might say I considered it one of the saddest days of my life.  Toby did everything with me from the time he was a puppy.  He went to work with me and got to know everyone around.  I mean, in a small town, what better place than the post office to get to know everyone.  Once I retired, he was still very social on our walks on the beaches and any place else we went. 
I entered him in contests now and then and he made cover dog on a couple.  In fact, the September 1st edition of Northern Wilds featured him looking out at everyone as they picked up the issue right after  "that day."  Yes, he was a fantastic dog and I miss him.  Betsy, my rescue dog from northern Ontario, Canada ~ was also feeling lonesome.  I had him along when I picked her up and she had him as her constant companion to learn from.

Here's a photo fo Betsy playing in the waves of Lake Superior recently.  She is a very high energy dog and she does keep me busy when I am not busy anyway.  Summer is always a busy time with extra things to do outside and gardens to take care of.  No dust under my feet.  But, now that I am getting back into shorter day activities again, I will get back to my blog also.  Thanks for your patience. 

Here is one more younger dog Toby photo, playing with his favorite frisbee.  He loved that game.  Water frisbee or land ~ he could never get enough of that.  However, later in life, he had a little less stamina for it.  But, he was always ready if you brought it out.  The top photo is one of my favorite  photos I ever took ~ and I took a lot of Toby photos over the years.  He was such a ham for the camera and loved to pose.  That was one thing he taught Betsy well ~ how to pose for the camera and a love of adventure ~ especially if he saw the camera come out.  He was ready. 

Here is one more photo of Toby from last winter out on the ice.  He is sitting on the shore by some big ice formations here ~ watching me and Betsy down on the ice.  Ice was getting harder for him to navigate so he usually opted to stay on the bank if there wasn't a nice gentle trail onto the lake. 
So ~ with this said........ I will be back to talking about my deer friends and fox friends and any other critters I have been watching these days.  There's always something going on in my little spot in the woods.
Farewell ~ Toby.  You were the best dog ever. 

May 18, 2015 Well...........I thought Spring was coming.........

Here is a nice photo I took on Friday, the 15th of May, the day before Toby's 12th birthday.  I really liked how it turned out.......even tho it was such a foggy day.  He still loves his adventures.......even if he can't do such strenuous ones any more.

The day of his birthday, I headed to one of his favorite spots, shown above, to get some nice reflection shots of the cliffs in the pools in the rocks before they evaporated.  It was morning, the sun would be on the side of the cliffs......perfect.  Except, it wasn't.  You see how foggy it is.  It was even thicker when I got there.  It had lifted a bit when I took this one.  However, even with all this fog, all the water in those pools on the rocks had nearly evaporated already.  I might add......we had a clear blue sky with no clouds up here when I left.  I waited quite a while in case the fog would lift.  It did lift even a bit more after this one, but never went away.  When I did get home, it was still a beautiful day and shirt sleeve weather up here.  Some days, being just over the hill makes all the difference.

This was a photo taken in that spot two days before the foggy one.  It had been raining and more rain was imminent.  It was a really gray, stormy looking day.  But, the lake was still and I could get up on some of these spots and found what cool reflections I could get in these puddles.  This is why I wanted to get there on a sunny morning while there were still puddles.  We now have puddles again after 2 1/2" of rain in 24 hours.  But.......no sun.  It is still spitting rain, today.......and snow or snow mix is in the forecast. 
Bah.........humbug!  I am ready for spring to be here to stay. 
I did, on Saturday afternoon, while we had blue sky, shirt sleeve weather.......finally start moving some of the chives out of the starter beds and near the house making it easier to use them when I want them.  I still have more to do........but, it ain't happening today!
Ok, enough grumbling about the weather.........I suppose!  But, it has shades of looking like last spring when the ground was so wet and saturated, I couldn't do anything or get equipment anywhere to get anything done.  Looking very much like a repeat right now...........

I will leave you with a fun photo of my pup, Betsy, who will be one year old on May 31.  With her is her best bud, Kirby.  He's a few years older than her but much younger than Toby.  Toby can't manage this hike any more.  They had so much fun playing beneath this falls.  It's been a favorite of mine for many years and since most people don't know about it........we never have any competition.  :)

May 14, 2015 Well.......that was a short Spring!!

Well.......last week was warm and things were drying out almost to workable...........then, there's this week.  Rain, snow.......cold, you name it.  It isn't an inspiring week for things done outdoors.  It did, however, make the rivers run high again.  The northeaster the other day made for some darned good waves on Lake Superior too.  It's been a pretty gray week so far.

However, with the moisture and a bit of warmth, it had gotten the little flowers out of the ground and a few are even blooming.  Earlier this week I found both the white and purple violets out and blooming.  Yesterday I found a large patch of spring beauties.  The buds were fat and they looked pretty nice along side this beaver pond.  However, not a one was open yet.  A few other little plants are starting to grow.  I even have a few domestics coming up.......not much; but, at least they are coming out of the ground. 
It will be an interesting year in regards to my "flowers" in the yard.  I have always had the battles with the chipmunks, who are forever digging holes in and around and under everything!!!  Of course, I now have Betsy......who has decided it is her job to get those chipmunks!  She hasn't yet.  But, she does manage to give them a bad time.  And......if I thought the chipmunk holes were a nuisance, I don't even want to tell you what they look like after she decides she is going to dig one out of that hole!  Oh well..........

I almost forgot......on Sunday......I found my very first flowers of the season......Bloodroots.  I have always thought these were quite pretty.  There was a quite large patch of them poking out of the grass.

The dogs and I have still been doing a lot of hiking each day.  On this particular day, I just took Betsy as it is really rugged and there are a lot of windfalls on the high ground.  It is such a pretty area to hike in.  However, the top, which I always loved, and has some fine views, is so full of windfalls and storm damaged trees, even the deer are having a harder time to navigate through it now.  As I walk around this, under that, over this........I start to wonder......is there a point!  Oh yes......a few wolves and deer still make their way through it.......but, the trails aren't much used anymore and also have a lot of detours.  I finally went off the side, which is where Betsy is here.  Enough was enough already.
One thing about Betsy.......who will be one the end of this month......she has plenty of energy and enthusiasm for that sort of thing.  But, a few times ........even Betsy had to look at me like.......are you nuts!?  Are we really going through that?
That day, on the way home, we had a little other excitement just before I got home.  Right on the county road I live on just before home!!!  I was driving slow because of neighbors chickens and dogs and such........and, in my peripheral vision, I saw something coming at the road.......fast!  I was hitting the brakes to slow more........and by then, could see what it was.  That big, dark timber wolf with a fair amount of black in......that I have seen numerous times this winter.  He was coming from the south side toward the north side.........and, in a hurry.  Since I can see for a distance here.........I knew it wasn't chasing a deer.  But.......it ever even slowed down and I stood on the brakes and came "this close" to having it as a grill ornament!  Oof!  I don't need that kind of close calls. If I had been in my truck, instead of the Edge.......it would have been a dead wolf.  The brakes on the Edge stop you RIGHT NOW!  The pickup brakes.......not so much.  I never liked them in the winter.....but, never really realized how "slow" they were until I started driving the Edge.  Man, what a difference.  Well......it did make a difference to that critter, which never did slow down as it headed up the hill.  I was, of course, watching out for it the rest of the day then.....knowing it was so close.  The dogs couldn't figure out why I wouldn't let them out to play.  But, better safe than sorry. 
So..........outside of an absolutely awesome Scrabble game with my mom yesterday.......this is kind of what my week has been like. 

May 3, 2015 It's Too Hot Out There..........

It's a hot one out there today, relatively.  We have had a couple of days that hit 60-65 degrees.  However, it was 72 degrees, here in the valley, early on today.  It is just after 4:30 now and still 75.  Wow!  It's also windy so out there hiking around, one gets dry in a hurry today.  I am not complaining.......at least not yet.  Maybe things will start to green up around here.  I took this shot of the flowering willows yesterday.  I was surprised to see that still going on.  Pretty!

It's been a busy week.  I have made a lot of tracks.  Nice weather will do that!  Whether out hunting for sheds, of which I found one, or hiking with friends......it's been a fine week to do that sort of thing before the bugs come out......which we all know will happen this month.  This one was taken on Wednesday.  My sister-in-law and I decided to hike our dogs here, for a change of pace.  Then, on Thursday, our ladies' hiking group got together and hiked a number of rivers and checked the waterfalls.  That was a very enjoyable day also.  Nice scenery and good company always works!

This river was one I had never been to before.  This hole in the rock was rather interesting.  I have never seen anything quite like it.  I'm sure it probably started out as a kettle.....as there is one near it.  However, since there is a bottom to this rock, which is above the water.......I guess it wore through.  I thought this was one of my more interesting finds of the day.  One of the other rivers was really interesting also.  It had such a different rock makeup and structure than the others on the shore.  I will be going back there some time in the near future.

This one was taken on today's expedition.  The dogs had to cool off!  They were too warm, just like me.  We got down to the shore and the temperatures ranged from 49 to 53 degrees!  Quite a change from up here.  I expected it, luckily, and brought a jacket.  I hadn't expected it to be that drastic tho.  Anyway, we spent a while down there and quite enjoyed ourselves. 
I guess we will wait and see what the week brings!  Maybe........just maybe, it will be time to start working on gardening and vegetable beds so they are ready when the ground warms up. 
Have a good week!