Dog Vomit

Day one. Appears overnight from apparently nothing.

Several days old. 

About a week old. Gone to seed (well, spores, actually).

No, not Donald Trump. The slime mold Fuligo septica (as in septic). Appeared in several patches, overnight, along the newly cleared hydro right-of-way where last year the big shredding machine turned forest into mulch. Thrives on rotting wood (and mulch). The Scandinavians call it troll-cat vomit, while in Holland it is known as witch's butter.

Sue off to meet up with Ab, Katy, and Will at the Sault, then back here tomorrow. Still, humid, warm. Even a brief shower.

Getting Ready

Getting set for Ab, Katy, and Will who will be heading this way tomorrow. Also finished trimming the big bedroom. 

Warm, still, somewhat cloudy.  

Yellow Time

Tansy and goldenrod.
Day of calm, with a mix of sun and cloud. This evening, on the deck, dragonflies darting about and picking off flying food bits at a speed that made them almost invisible to the human eye. (They obviously operate at a higher Hertz rate and have a shorter neural path between eye and muscle.) Then, a few minutes later, a dozen gulls operating in the space above the flies (above the trees) using acrobatics much slower than their distant insect relatives, but apparently pursuing the same prey, and apparently almost as effective. 

All living things need food; those who wish to survive need to find it. Both the gulls and the dragonflies twigged to a passing food source, and both apparently had a satisfying dinner tonight.

We had steak on the grill, salad, and sweet potato.

Onward

Spaldings back to Sudbury airport en route to Batavia by way of Toronto and Chicago. Off they go. But actually nice for us, too, to be back in our old routine. All told, a pleasant and interesting week, in spite of all the falling down.

Yesterday, on our walk to the falls, we saw, just a few yards down from the cataract, a group of four or five boys, maybe middle school age, wading in the river. Quite suddenly, a great deal of agitation—shouting and squealing, and jumping about. City kids clearly, on an excursion, seeing a bit of the natural world—river and waterfall. And they had found a snake!

Mixed in with the excitement a few “eewws” and a few “yuks.” Then the group began picking up rocks and smashing the reptile into paste.

Way to go kids, you've got the world figured out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You get what you give, and not only that, the giving is already the getting. So don’t hold back. Don’t look back or forward too much. Just be there where you are now. You’re always only in the day you’re in.”
—Kim Stanley Robinson, Aurora

Wind In The Trees

Dark clouds and showers in the morning; bright sun and brisk wind in the afternoon. Lazy day. A walk to the falls the only significant activity. Spaldings packing tonight for early departure tomorrow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How happy is the little Stone
That rambles in the Road alone,
And doesn't care about Careers
And Exigencies never fears—
Whose Coat of elemental Brown
A passing Universe put on,
And independent as the Sun
Associates or glows alone,
Fulfilling absolute Decree
In casual simplicity— 

Emily Dickinson

Fine Weather

Bright, windy, mix of sun and clouds. Off to Mindemoya for breakfast at Mum's (not realizing it was still the Civic Holiday and therefore crowded). After noon, Jeff and I took the Windrider for a sail in a gale while Liz and Sue visited the museum and the Chocolate Factory.

Rain

Moderate to heavy rain, with some thunder, for a good part of the day. The forest soaked it up.  

Past Couple of Days

Past Couple of Days. Blue moon over the bay, and a picnic on the Benjamins.

Blue Moon and Benjamins

Last night, a Blue Moon party at the lower deck. Today, a wild ride to the Benjamins (for lunch and naps) and then a wilder ride back. Lots of photos to come, but right now NTTB (No Time To Blog).

Gorb

To Gore Bay, after a leisurely start, for exploration, farmers market (Purvis whitefish) and lunch at Buoys.  Pax stiff and sore from yesterday's romp. Wind riding attempted late afternoon but wind too strong. Kayaked instead. Watched Hobie cat capsize (incompetent sailors) and starting to go for help when finally righted.