Late Summer days, the world according to Groot;)
If only everyone would be so easy to please:) Groot runs down to the dock as soon as you shake the rod and reel, like music to his ears. Every cast has him on the edge of the dock watching, waiting, weed or fish….I’ve never seen a happier cat. The other two, well, meh, it’s the whole water thing Gamora says, spoils her perfectly soft fur if she falls in, not that she ever gets close enough to…Rocket, well, we’re waiting for the day he tumbles off the dock looking at something underwater:)
It’s those last days of Summer, picture perfect weather, calm water, no wind, a few fluffy clouds that puts everything in life into perspective, for Groot anyway:) Fall officially starts September 22 so we do have some Summer left! The Bald eagle has been doing some fishing as well across the bay. Over 900 feet out and heavily cropped, at the limit for the telephoto lens but not too bad a shot of him snagging a bass I think and taking off to the tree for a snack. I saw his/her shadow fly over and looked up from hummingbird stalking to see it dive down on the opposite side of the bay from us:) Such amazing flyers these raptors. The 150-600G2 Tamron Lens never ceases to amaze me. These are all hand held, in the VR3 mode for panning that I use for the hummingbirds.
I loved how the hummingbird saw it go over before I did:) It wouldn’t be much of snack and actually hummingbirds are known to build their nests near raptors, safer against other predators that way…smart little cookies!
Happy this is the last big Summer weekend as well-hopefully the jet skies-seadoos will be put away soon, only a few on the lake, and at an Airbnb rental. We refer to them as lake lice:) A friend sent me a contest application for invasive species, I was wondering if I could work humans and jet skies into that;) It might get a chuckle;) One lady who used to live on the Rideau said they had a BB gun down at their dock for the repeat 20 feet from shore at 40 mph offenders, Mike was thinking something bigger caliber, tank perhaps;) I am becoming a curmudgeon! Mike just asked winking “Becoming?” ha!
Contrary to public belief I do not spend all day stalking hummingbirds, eagles and bugs and cats, only part of the day;) We had a good garden this Summer, a jungle of tomatoes and tomatillos, which entails a bit of work, somewhat free of pests mostly until last night early while it was still light out, I heard Mike muttering as he flew out the front door, but not before grabbing one of my shoes on the way out to hurl at a young deer eating his hot pepper plants…it took a few minutes to compute in my brain what exactly he was doing;) Hell hath no fury like a man protecting his serranos! That poor deer will be emotionally scared for life after being attacked by a smelly flying sneaker
he chased it all the way down the driveway as it huffed and puffed at him, a juvenile with attitude! It has been enjoying the remnants of the chard and kale as well, which I have been covering up with a tarp so it had moved onto something different, not sure that one will be back;)
I came home yesterday with a monstrous bag of picked off the tree, Ida Red apples. I also scored an entire bag of bruised ones, for the horses, but Jennifer informed me today I had won the title of Supreme and Exalted Forager by the little raccoons in the barn, who ate every last bruised apple in the wee hours of dawn:) Nothing like sharing…I will have to stop by the lovely farm house where I bought the apples again soon! We have been driving by for years and just saw their apples for sale sign so I finally ventured into an immaculately kept old stone home and barnyard. I knocked on the door, heard a little dog bark, some French being spoken. When a lovely older couple answered the door I apologized profusely for my horrible mixture of French and Spanish, explaining I hadn’t spoken it for a great deal of time, we won’t go into how many decades, after living in Mexico for 10 years! “Pas de problème!” the lovely lady said, it will be good for you to practice some, I used to work with Italians and Spaniards so we will get along just fine! Her husband and she showed me through the older carriage part of their magnificent stone home ( we are talking stone arches, amazing craftsmanship here) where they had bushels of apples picked…But “NO! she said ” the ones picked fresh from the tree always taste better!” So off we went to a small orchard and glorious garden with grapes and berries as well and picked apples, the best year they have had since they moved here from Switzerland in the 1982 she exclaimed! All in French, what a lovely way to buy apples! We filled a very large bag to the top, then in the carriage house she filled another bag for the horses and I promised to return with Mike, I believe they speak German as well, for coffee one day! I think I will have to make them an apple cake as thanks! On my way out I loaned a woman who’d just arrived several bags from our bag pile in the truck so she could get some, as she had nothing to put them in, pass the kindness around! Life is short…Mangez du gâteau aux pommes! Groot says cake is fine, as long as it’s fish cakes HOOMAN! Looks like I better get back down to the dock and get to work!
Saludos amigos, hasta pronto!
