Brother Duck

Our campsite attracts an odd assortment of neighbours!  This flock of ducks - I think they are a nestful of juveniles - followed us home from the beach.  

They marched right up the path, along the road and into our campsite.  They looked at us inquiringly: "got anything to eat?" We found a few crackers.  Apparently we are not the first campers at this site to find a few crackers!

They hung out for a while but stayed back a bit once the dog noticed them.  

They were rather like a group of monks going on their daily alms rounds.  They have no begging bowls, just a hopeful look in their eye and a willingness to eat right off the ground.

Do not adjust your set

I was having some technical difficulties adding photos to my posts.  Not so good when they are about a picture!  Seems to be fixed now.  Sorry about the delay!

Midsummer Garden

This garden is at its peak in mid to late June, when this picture was taken. The Shasta daisies are in full bloom and the purple iris bloomed for the first time this year. At this point I started to realize just how crowded the garden is. The raspberries are taking over the right side so that nothing else has a chance to grow there. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to plant vegetables here!

Spring garden

Sorry, I got a bit behind with garden updates. I have been busy with my vegetables at the community garden. This is how the corner garden looked in late May or early June when the first few plants were starting to poke above ground. Promising, but still a little sparse.

Epinette

One of my favourite spots. Just a few steps from a gravel parking lot to the rolling prairie. Step carefully or you'll get cactus thorns between your toes! Past the cactus patch and the rolling hills begin. You can bike across the prairie, or hike it if you don't mind climbing up just to climb down again. It's a beautiful walk but the sun can be merciless.

Beautiful blooms today - purple prairie clover, pink onion, wild bergamot, goldenrod, sage, and others that I can't remember the names of. The first time I came here, years ago, there was forest here. Since the fire the blue Grama grass has taken over along with all these wild flowers. Charcoal and decaying wood feed the soil for new trees to grow. A few remain to lead the succession.

This spot feels sacred, and it's not just because of the sundance site nearby. Here you can feel the slow insistent cycle of life.

Roadside Lady's Slippers

I spotted these Showy Lady's Slippers in a ditch along the TransCanada Highway. It was a steamy hot day and they were at their peak. They just caught my eye as we were driving past.
I suppose I really ought to be watching the road. Still, it pays to have a roving eye!

Flowers under the deck

The space under the deck was looking too bare and muddy since we took away the old deck. We decided on a hosta bed around the bottom of the tree and a bark path making a curve around it. We filled in the spaces between the young hostas with impatiens in all sorts of bright colours. I'll add a picture soon of how they look now that the flowers have filled in and the bark has been added.