We had an unexpected beautiful day yesterday. The the weather was mild, the sun was shining, and there was no wind. When we walked the path around the pond, I was struck by the mirror like surface of the water. It intensified the blue of the sky and there were still enough colored leaves to make some interesting photos.
Our crab apple tree has small “apples,” about the size of grapes. They are very hard and bitter so we don’t use them at all, but the birds sure do. Already this year robins and grouse have already had their way with the crab apples and have eaten the bulk of them, but there are still a few scattered around on the ground.
That was good news for this Varied Thrush, a robin-looking bird, that wears fancier dress. It has been out in the yard picking up the crab apples are left. Although the Varied Thrush live around here during the summer, they seem content to spend their time deeper in the forests so I rarely see them except for in the Spring and Fall.
I always thought their call resembled the ringing of a distant telephone, and when we first moved to McBride, I would often be working outside and hear the thrush and think it was the phone ringing in the house, so I would stop what I would I was working on and go in the house to answer the phone. It took a while for me to figure out what was going on.
Take a look at my paintings: davidmarchant2.ca
Yesterday was the Canadian Thanksgiving, and we had a memorable one. The day started out with 2 inches of snow on the ground, but by noon that had melted away and the clouds opened up. (I took this photo at the McBride airfield, where we walked Kona).
The big event of the day was a Thanksgiving gathering and feast with friends, something we hadn’t been able to do for over a year and a half, because of the Covid restrictions. It was so nice to once again gather around a big table covered with food, and to be able to engage with friends as we ate the bounty they produced in their garden. It was a wonderful return to the socializing we had been so long without.
The food was almost entirely locally produced, most of which, by the serious gardeners who sat with us around the table. I was amazed by the size and quality of the tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and cabbages the were devoured. The chicken was the size of a small turkey, and delicious. The feast was topped off with a tasty almond tart (below) created my talented wife had made. The leisurely meal was accompanied by the conversation of friends who had too long been apart.
On our drive home we discovered an aurora in the sky, something else we had not experienced for a really long time (probably decades). It was not the most spectacular one I have ever seen, it was faint and broad rather than bright and defined, but still it was nice to see again. We saw a STEVE, a long linear, newly discovered, visual object that sometimes accompanies an aurora, it was something we have never seen before. I tried to take some photos, but unfortunately, they were all miserable failures.
Seeing the aurora was a nice end to a really wonderful Thanksgiving.
You can view my paintings at: davidmarchant2.ca
They say a change is as good as a vacation, but last night we had a big change in how everything outside looked after a 2 inch (5 cm) snowfall, and it sure doesn’t feel like a vacation. There are still so many things that need to be done outside before winter moves in.
I took this photo of the front of our house this morning and I thought it showed an interesting contrast: The Nasturtiums are still blooming in the window boxes, while the Honeysuckle bush is covered with snow.
You can view my paintings at: davidmarchant2.ca
I’m not sure how well this is showing up on the photo, but we are getting some snow. It really can’t decide if it wants to rain or snow, so it keeps switching back and forth. I don’t think there is any danger in any of the snow sticking to the ground, but I am still going to consider this our first snowfall of the year.
In the photo you can see about half of the firewood I have stacked. It should be more than enough to get us through winter, although I always get nervous if we get a severe cold spell and start going through the wood rapidly.
As I write this, the snow has now stopped and there is just a few raindrops falling. It’s pretty changeable out there today.
Here is another Autumn shot from the trip we took up to Prince George the other day. I really like the dream-like quality of the soften the trees down in the foggy area. I wish I would have taken more photos because the color and morning light was pretty spectacular, but I felt time pressure to get to Prince George because we had a dental appointment.
You can take a look at my paintings: davidmarchant2.ca
We have had Kona in our life now for almost exactly a year. We have sure enjoyed having her in the family, although with her boundless energy, she often runs us ragged. I happened upon a photo (above) that was taken a few days after we had gotten her and it is difficult to comprehend that that skinny-looking dog is the same dog that we have today.
She was tightly shorn when we got her and we decided to let her hair grow out, which totally changed her appearance. She is still the same dog inside; she still loves to be close, to be touched, and cuddled. Which is all very endearing. She has sure made a positive difference in the Covid-restricted life that we now lead. She came into our lives at exactly the right time.
