Sharon's Week 7: Have Work, Will Travel

What an awesome day it has been!  The temperature rose to eight degrees above zero and it was sunny...blue skies popping sunny, not just plain ordinary sunny.  I am very glad that I had already decided I was doing no work today.  The million pending reports can pend a little bit longer.  I enjoyed some time at Whitefish Island (as you will see) and I headed up to Sawpit Bay to see if there are ice caves this year (as you will also see) and I even had time for a nap (nope, you're not going to see that).  Can't get much better than a day like that.  Well, I guess if Levi had agreed to join me, that would have been better but it was pure awesomeness anyway.

It was a much needed happy day after a very long week in Timmins.  I headed up there for work (long story which I won't bore you with) last Sunday in heavy snow which cancelled and delayed flights and resulted in a long day of travel.  That was followed by five days assessing kids whose referrals were two and three years old in schools I am not familiar with (and whose addresses in Google Maps were not altogether accurate) addressing issues other than those I see during my regular work.  On the positive side, I stayed with friends and we did get to spend some relaxing time together enjoying some delicious wines, playing cards and watching their ridiculously gigantic television.  Just before I came home I had a couple of hours before I needed to be at the airport so I headed for a conservation area which turned out to be so beautiful and it was the perfect opportunity to take out Hermione (as, once again, you will see).

About the week's photos, they were HARD!  I had almost no ideas for most of the week even though I thought of them all the time.  I really hope next week is easier.

wild card

I am putting this first because I love, love love all of these birds!  The eagle was spotted at Whitefish Island this morning.

The rest of these birds were at Hersey Lake Conservation Area in Timmins.  A note about Hersey Lake...apparently it is pronounced Hershey Lake...sort of like we say Pointe Aux Par for Pointe Aux Pins here in the Sault.  Weird.  After I had a little walk and I was driving out of the park, I noticed two large platforms and a bunch of birds flying around.  I stopped and got out of the rental vehicle to check it out.  I immediately headed back to the vehicle to get the long lens...so many birds!  Donna, there was a pileated woodpecker - I saw him fly, heard him peck and heard him sing - but he didn't come within photo range.

4

I found this shadow on the snow near where I was stalking the eagle this morning.

help

The McIntyre Mine is what I picture when I think of Timmins.  It graces much of the literature about the city and it figures prominently in Timmins photography.  I was in Timmins helping out.

drawing

I saw this on the rocks at Sawpit Bay this afternoon.  It says, "I carry your heart with me, I carry it in my heart."  I was surprised this week by my reaction to the death of Stuart McLean.  Maybe the death of this much admired Canadian icon who I have been listening to for many years just renewed my grief about John's sudden death but there have been several days with tears and sadness and I appreciated the sentiment in this pretty little piece of graffiti.

a fence

I have been kicking myself for months for missing out on a unique photographic opportunity that involves a fence.  There was a house just this side of Thessalon that had old bicycles lined up along the front of the property, forming a fence.  I have always wanted to stop and photograph it but I always made excuses...there was a transport behind me, I was running late, the light was bad, etcetera.  Well, I missed my chance.  Those folks have moved and they took their fence with them.  As I drove around today looking for something interesting, it became evident that our overabundance of snow has covered many fences.  This photo is not interesting but I like the three layers of fence and the pink evening sky.  The fences house a herd of bison.

starts with A

Did I mention my many, many hours in the Porter airport last Sunday?  Did I mention the delay was due to snow?  At the time I took this photo, planes were grounded.  See all the huge snowflakes?  Here are some airplanes that start with A (but don't fly).

funny

I had a really hard time with this.  I ended up choosing this photo taken at Hersey Lake.  It shows the funny trees that I like so much.  Years ago when I visited my friend Fiona in Inuvik, I was taken with these trees...I think they are black spruce.  The way they are skinny all the way up then have a tuft of needles right at the top amuses me.  They were all over the arctic and they are all around Timmins.  We have some here but not in the same abundance.

Here is what they look like from the road...

And here is a photo of the ice at Sawpit Bay today.  

Happy long weekend everyone!