Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas!
Jess and Darrell made us a new sign and clock combo which we have put up in our entryway.

Jon and Magan hosted the Christmas celebration on Boxing Day.

Darrell and Jess made a fast trip for the Boxing Day celebration and Tim and Juanita were able to come to our place and stay a bit longer.

Mal made a car game for Kaleb and Jack and they seemed to enjoy playing it.

This picture of a sparrow in the snow was taken earlier in the month. By christmas Day it was so warm that we didn't have a lot of snow left. Overall, December was unseasonably warm, which thankfully made for great travelling conditions.

Winter Garden

There is a certain beauty about a garden after the snow has come.
This is our hydrangea.

Cranberry shrub.

A weed that never got pulled!

A raspberry that nbever got picked!

Climatis.

Ladybugs and Such

I got up at 6:30 this morning and noticed there was a pretty dramatic sunrise, so I put some sweat pants and a jacket over my pyjamas, grabbed my camera and rushed out to take some pictures. It was amazingly beautiful and warm, so I stayed out for about half an hour just taking pictures. Great start to the day!

A month ago the air was thick with aphids and they were devouring our plants. I guess the ladybugs prospered with all that food and now we have ladybugs all over. My sunflowers, our trees, the ground and even the deck are loaded with them. I've tried to catch a picture of one flying so I can see what they look like up close when they fly. They look like it would be impossible for them to fly - even more so than a bumble bee. I did get one picture of a flying ladybug, but not clear enough to enlighten me.

This one flew away just a milli-second after I snapped. I could see he was getting ready to go with a wing stuck out behind him, but I missed the take-off.

This butterfly is called Mourning Cloak. It was enjoying our apple tree when I snapped him.

Mal is pretty pleased with the size of his green peppers. We have them up against the south side of our house where they get lots of sun. We're eating his tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans, and peas now. Yum!

Canoeing Adventure

We were camping with Rob and Linda when Mal and Rob decided to canoe down the Little Red River.

A mother Merganser and her brood led the way for about an hour of the trip. The mother is at the back with the bright orange bill. There were 9 young, and they will also develop orange bills.

When they got close, the birds would run ahead. Mergansers typically run along the surface of the water to gain speed until they can take off in flight.

The Little Red had flooded earlier in the summer and banks washed away, leaving trees and debris in the water. This made the trip quite a challenge! They had only gone a short distance when they came across the first tree trunk, and tipped the canoe trying to get around it. This was the first of several soakings! In other places the river was very shallow and they had to get out and walk down the river. All in all, there were continual challenges!
Meanwhile Linda and I drove to a Saskatoon Berry Farm and bought some great pies. Then we went to the bank of the river to await our returning heroes!

They arrived, very tired and soaking wet! Mal went off in the vain search for a hot shower, and Rob comforted himself with some hot chocolate.

Now comes the best part of the adventure: "Remember that trip we took down Little Red...!"

Marlene's Surprise Birthday Celebration

Ron and Marlene happened to be here on her birthday,
so it was a good chance to plan a surprise!

She knew we were taking them out of dinner, but she had no idea sister Irene had come back from B.C. with us, or that Kristen and Keith and these good friends would also be joining us.

Irene and I decided an appropriate theme for the celebration would be BLING!

"BLING! BLING!
Marlene loves BLING!
These sparkly gifts will make her sing..."

Marlene and her BLING!

The cake.

(I didn't tell them which birthday it was, honest, Mars!!!)

The Saga of the Fledging Hawks

While camping with friends Rob and Linda we happened to set up near a tree with hawks in the process of leaving the nest. They kept us entertained with their antics as they stretched their wings and tried to fly.
Double click on these pictures to catch the detail and take particular note of the leg positioning. It's hilarious!
We start in the nest, of course.

This getting out of the nest isn't as easy as I thought!
(Note right leg!)

Maybe I'll just sit here for awhile!
(Again, note right leg.)

Awk! It's a long ways down. I think I'll walk along the branch for awhile.

I'm determined to do it - my maiden flight!

(Continues below)

The Fledging Hawks cont'd

Wheee! I've got air!

This is going great!

Oops! How do I land?

This is the Big Jump - from tree to tree!

That wasn't so bad!