Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Ski day!

On Sunday, we went cross-country skiing with our friends at the beautiful Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Near the sanctuary, there are lots of ice-fishing huts on the the St. Lawrence River...


Yes, people drive their pick-up trucks onto the ice and yes, I think it's crazy, and yes, every year, somebody's truck goes through the ice. This happens all over Canada. Like this. And this.  And this. And, oh wait, this.

If you don't have your own ice-fishing hut (like this deluxe version we saw on the highway outside Montréal), you can rent one in Long Sault:


I'm guessing "collette" is French for ice hut. That's one word I don't have in my French vocabulary!



No thanks!

But back to skiing...


The bird sanctuary is a beautiful place.



 

The snow was pretty slippery though, and I should have put more wax on my skis...


...because I fell flat on my back three times! I was quite comfy lying in the snow, and the view was pretty, but people kept offering to help me up!



There were lots of animal tracks in the snow. These ones belonged to a raccoon!



Looks nice enough to skate on!



There is a little chalet and outhouse halfway through the ski course. I took pictures of tree graffiti while the girls had a sit-down.

I am wondering if that says Hope &  Todd forever, or "Hope", "Love" and "Todd Forever." I wonder if she still loves Todd? That graffiti is deeply ingrained has been there for a very long time.



GOrdon and our friend Jim skiing under the  afternoon sun.





There are a lot of tame birds at the sanctuary and this little White-breasted Nuthatch was looking for a handout. I didn't have anything on hand, but...


...later we found a few peanuts, and fed the chickadees near the main building. They are exceedingly tame there!




How can you not smile with a chickadee in your hand?





Here comes Gordon!

And this is weirdness...


pussywillows in January?! Too early!!!!



We had an excellent day and I hope to get out skiing again soon. It's snowing right now but we're due for up to 12 hours of freezing rain tonight into tomorrow. That will make for a big mess. I just hope our power stays on! I didn't live here during the Ice Storm of 1998, but this farm was without power for over two weeks, and all the hydro poles along the laneway had to be replaced after they collapsed!

Have a happy winter day!







18 comments:

  1. some really cool pics. thx. gee, i wonder what that collette rents for?

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    1. I suppose I could call and ask! :)

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  2. It's 5C here today..and things are melting! We like to snnow shoe but have never tired cross county skiing. Do you have to stay on trails?
    Jane x

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    1. No, you don't although it makes the skiing a bit easier. You can snowshoe there too. I snowshoe around the farm all winter. Cross-country skiing isn't too hard but a lesson or two can help with technique!

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  3. Beautiful...It makes me so lonely for my past! But at least, with your photos, I can see that it wasn't a dream. All I have to do is put my face over yours, and there I am, in the 50s, cross-country skiing à St-Sauveur. Also falling a few times!!! Alas! I never held a chickadee in my hand. Merci de tout coeur for sharing that great time with us. Collette is probably the company (family) name. It's not in my Multi Dictionnaire (for French Canadian expressions.)

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    1. C'était mon plaisir, Claude. I love all your photos from the north.

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  4. today, your blog proves just why I love reading these on line diaries.... you get a quick look into the lives and the worlds of others
    lovely

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    1. THanks John! I like reading about your life, too.

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  5. Wow, those pictures are just terrific. It all looks so pretty, cold but gorgeous. Chickadees are my favorite bird just because they are so tame. But look at them sitting on your hands. That is too great. I just love this post. Looks like great fun doing all that skiing. Take care.

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    1. Marg, we had a fun day. Chickadees are my favourite birds.

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  6. LOL we probably passed each other at some point on Sunday as we were there too :) we were just hiking around. I got a picture if that porcupine, he was sleeping in a tree.

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    1. I can't believe you were there too! :) It was a great day.

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  7. Great pictures. We haven't had enough cold weather to freeze the lakes here, at least not enough to drive a vehicle on the ice, and the ice in all but the smallest lakes is pretty thin. Nor have we had enough snow for cross country skiing, but all that is changing as it's getting colder this week and we had some snow today and more coming tomorrow.

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    1. I didn't really think the ice here was thick enough for driving on (it has been a mild winter) but there they were!

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  8. Looks like you had a super ski. These chickadees must be really used to people and handouts. Excellent way to tell a story of your afternoon.

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    1. They get fed all the time! The nuthatches are tame too.

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  9. My favorite shot was the nuthatch. It looks like a charming day. Our winters at this mid-Atlantic beach are typically gray and damp, but I recall Alaska's brilliant sun-on-snow days with real fondness.

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    1. I have to say, I love winter. People think i'm nuts but I do. I love the light, the snow, all of it. Until March. Then I've had enough!

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!