Night Visitor at the Cottage

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….most wildlife at the cottage is pretty much unseen

When I arrived at the cottage last week I heard from a couple of my neighbours that a fox and her four kits lived close by. Usually the fox stay back in the woods but this mom and her family have been seen during the day checking out the area around the cottages looking for handouts.

The second night at the cottage I heard a very loud and strange sound. At first I thought it was the young man next door sneezing loudly. When I heard it a second time it sounded more like a woman screaming. The third yelp was clearly closer to the cottage and the sound was a half animal and half human cry. After several strange screams I heard the neighbours start to come out of their cottages.

D from next door was walking up the road with her head lamp on and soon saw that the noise was coming from the mother fox. She continued with her crying for a little while longer but we have no idea why she was so traumatized. Eventually she left and the rest of the evening was relatively quiet. There has been some speculation that the fisher in the neighbourhood may have gotten one of her kits.

Like I said earlier much of the wildlife on the island stays out of site and in the evening when you’re walking along a path you have to be careful not to step on the toads. One evening I went to the water barrel to wash my hands and I heard a rustle in the leaves. When I looked down I saw the biggest toad I’ve ever laid eyes on. With the aid of my lantern I was able to get a couple of shots of him before he jumped away.

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New Flower (August 9, 2016) -Pink Rose of Sharon

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Mama Cormier

……hanging from a tall bush on my walk home from the store

Photography in the Dark

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….I’ve been experimenting with my camera and looking for interesting shots at night

All of these photos were taken at the cottage.

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New Flower (August 8, 2016)- Ruffled White and Yellow Lily

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….the frilly edges give this flower a very delicate appearance

Evening Shots From the Cottage

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….on my first visit to the cottage this summer I walked the beach in the evening to get some night time pictures

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New Flower (August 7, 2016) – Giant Yellow Dahlia

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Mama Cormier

…..walking through the neighbourhood this week I spotted the biggest dahlia I’ve ever seen

Opening the Cottage in August

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….I was dreading going to the cottage on my own to open up for the season

Before we left for Italy I was hoping to open the cottage so that it would be ready when we returned. Unfortunately that didn’t happen for too many reasons to go into to.

When we did return home from our amazing trip it took me a couple of days to recover from jet lag. My husband was still recovering from his gastrointestinal problems so a couple of days were spent visiting his doctor and then a specialist. One thing was for sure; going to the cottage meant going on my own. My husband didn’t feel well enough to be at the cottage, my daughters couldn’t make it until later in August and my friends were busy with elderly parents and health issues of their own.

Last Sunday I finally packed up the car and made the trip on my own. Leaving on a Sunday meant I missed all the weekend traffic and the line-up for the ferry (barge) was short. One of the other reasons I was hesitant about going up alone was because the regular car ferry had been taken off the lake forever and a temporary barge was transporting eight to twelve cars at a time (normally 20 cars were on the old ferry). The fear of the unknown kept me in the city longer than I had planned.

Everything went fairly smoothly crossing the lake. When I got to the cottage my neighbour’s adult children had already removed the plywood panel from the back door and had moved my propane fridge from inside to the deck outside. It was evident that the mice had moved in last fall after we left or early in the spring. It’s been worse. I quickly cleaned up the mouse poop in the kitchen and removed all the cushions from their protective storage bags.

Every day that I was there I tackled a new job or two. This way I didn’t kill myself trying to do it all in one day. After four days I had wiped down all the surfaces, washed most of the dishes I would need, swept and washed the floors on the main level and opened up the sofa bed to make sure nothing was living inside. Outside I raked the leaves from the pathways, swept the deck and set up the outdoor furniture and the barbecue.

While I was there I had some fun as well. I visited with my good friends next door, celebrated a birthday down the way with cake and a bonfire, learned a new board game, went for walks on the beach and actually swam in the lake, two days in a row when the water was calm. I was able to get some reading done and finished a novel I had started earlier in the year. I’m now on a second book that I hadn’t finished from a couple of months ago.

On Thursday when I left I luckily got the last spot on the barge for my car and had a leisurely drive back to the city. It felt good knowing that the cottage was somewhat visitor ready and that next time the trip would be less stressful.

The other fun thing that I found time for was taking photos that I will share with you over the next few days. You may have already seen some of the flower shots that I took of my neighbour’s garden.

New Flower (August 6, 2016)-White and Pink Lily

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….more flowers from my cottage neighbour’s garden

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WPC – Morning

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….in Italy, mornings start with a coffee and a sweet

In Florence we found a famous baker from Vienna who made 20 different croissants every morning to serve to his customers. We first discovered his shop late one afternoon, just as they were about to close but they invited us in and made me a special ice coffee. Apparently ice coffee and coffee cream are two things that you don’t normally find in Italy. I didn’t know this but the baker was more than happy to whip up his own version of ice coffee for me. I also tried to order cream for my husband’s Americano and the baker was about to top it with whipped cream but I stopped him. It was then that he explained that coffee cream was a German and Viennese thing and in Italy only milk was used in coffee or served black.

That afternoon we enjoyed our beverages and some of the best pastries we’ve ever tasted. As we were leaving the owners of the cafe encouraged us to come back for breakfast so that we could try some of their special croissants.

A couple of days later we took them up on their offer and stopped for breakfast before heading out to the leather market down the street. Sure enough there were numerous croissants to choose from. I decided on the most unusual looking one. It was completely black because it was made from ash and it was filled with prunes. It was absolutely delicious and complemented my cappuccino. The only downside was that it left black flecks between my teeth that were difficult to remove.

For more ‘morning’ photos check out WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge 2016 – Week 31

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge can be any photo that doesn’t seem to fit into any other category

I have no idea what possessed my sister to kneel on the ground like this. I’m pretty sure she’s not praying. Her husband took this shot somewhere in Italy.

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