Musings

The rain overnight stopped by morning, leaving the lake three inches higher, the rain barrel full…

…and the orchard and field vegetation tipped over from the weight of the moisture. [BTW, this is the lupin cluster that a deer nipped the other day.]

We attended a hearing that began at 9am in a county courtroom, presided over by a judge who was over in Sault Ste. Marie (because, we heard, all the county’s judges owned land on our lake, or had loved ones who did, so had to recuse]. The topic was the county getting in compliance with state law about managing our lake levels. Most attendees were more concerned about the actual lake levels than the legal issues; many wanted the levels to be higher later in the fall to facilitate fishing by sportspeople using very large (IMHO, aka relatively deep draft) watercraft.

The upshot was: the county needs to get in compliance, which means the legal lake levels are the issue—and so the judge ruled (if I properly understood what happened).

By the end of the day, it was sunny and pleasant, but the air quality seemed reduced—distant views are somewhat obscured by moisture and/or smoke particles, or perhaps even the arrival of Saharan dust.

Posted at 10:03 PM | Comments Off on A different day

The on-shore wind was pretty strong all day, kicking up waves.

Nevertheless, these dandies managed to hold their fluff-n-seeds, and keep them from sailing away.

Around 6:30pm rain rolled in. Now, the rain barrel is nearly full (after just having a skim of water on half the bottom), and it’ll be overflowing before midnight. This is very good, as things were getting far too dry.

Posted at 10:11 PM | Comments Off on Windy day

I didn’t anticipate any more photos of the lupin pair that I’ve posted several times, until I saw them this morning en route to the beach this morning. Nipped in the bud. Or almost the bud. By deer, I’m sure.

Also deer-nibbled: apple branches that were low enough for the herbivores to reach in the winter starvation times.

At the beach, the water level has dropped since we arrived, but it’s still waaaaay too high IMHO.

Orchard view: petals are dropping, and leaves continue emerging, so that the petal-white is becoming overwhelmed. Still pretty, lovely, and wonderful, however.

Posted at 10:32 PM | Comments Off on Nibbled &more

I did some outdoor chores this morning, which turned out to be a good decision because trace smokiness arrived in the afternoon, which meant I’d rather not be outside…so, instead I read some, and fidgeted with odds and ends of screen-and-internet activities.

Let me apologize for the run-on sentence/paragraph above with a morning photo of a gull and a pontoon boat offering visual interest in this lake view.

Posted at 9:32 PM | Comments Off on In the details

Across the orchard, almost all the blossoms opened, and some of the petals began to fall in the late-day breeze.

With even better scent, the lilacs began to open.

In non-vegetation news, I was out just before the the sun descended…I didn’t stay to photo the setting.

Posted at 8:59 PM | Comments Off on Blooming day

These tracks were in the water this morning the whole length of “our beach.” Big, so perhaps a great blue?

Also, it’s forget-me-not season. I’ve been unable to take a shot that’s in focus until this one—which is close.

Here’re the ferns by the door, but the view from the cottage into the yard.

Posted at 10:05 PM | Comments Off on Unthemed

I postulate that this is one of last year’s spotty fawns. It hangs with about five others, and they all have this tawny color at present. I think it hasn’t lost all its winter fur. I got to enjoy watching this visitor’s slow progress around the cottage as I sipped my first cuppa coffee (photo through screen, cancha tell?).

The lake was so still this morning; this was 8:20am.

Mid-afternoon, I found this lupin with just the barest bit of purple showing. Also, around the orchard are many more buds than I saw three days ago.

Posted at 9:51 PM | Comments Off on Color commentary

We departed our VT sanctuary well fortified with coffee. This involved braving a steady rain. But not for too terribly long.

Soon, however, we basked in open skies, almost sunshine…and did (more or less) for the rest of the day. [If I had to name this photo, it’d be something about rest area (temporary) cones contrasting with everyday functions like picnic tables. I think.]

At a later rest area, irii (my plural of iris) exhibited in multiple colors. Here’s a medium purple one with yellow highlights, oh so lovely.

Posted at 9:28 PM | Comments Off on Leaving New England

The benefits of staying with a friend who’s a baker are obvious…and tasty: apple pie.

Trees at night…not yet leafed out. BTW, this far north, today the mowing guys did our friends’ yard for the first time this year. As is common, the mowing guys change out their equipment and clean the driveway through the winter.

Posted at 8:20 PM | Comments Off on We are sated

Flowering plum (?) on dunes.

1917 approach, Provincetown memorial.

New plaque, installed around 2010.

The historic main street in Provincetown, dating back to such olden times, is narrow, and now one-way. This section is residential, but most is partly commercial, and no doubt a horror for deliveries.

Tidal flats, very overcast and tide neither in nor out. Saw small crab remains, about 3cm in diameter.

Also, we’ve seen turkeys, one per day the last three days.

Apologies for the late post. I picked the photos, then fell asleep early, trying to fight off the cold (sniff, blow) that came over me Sunday night.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on On Cape Cod