leisure stroll at a new location (for me) off Anderson side road.
What I came away with was a HUGE craving for steak med. rare with a side dish of fresh fiddle heads. So much so, I cut my “walk” short and headed for the local fresh fresh grocers (Farm Boy) Came home, seared a steak, tossed a salad of greens and shrimps, with a side dish of steamed fiddle heads with melted butter..
I found this woodlands to be more like a park, not so much the rugged, wilderness of other trails. the paths are well worn and the width of a rural road, I’ll have to go back another time and really wander further into and down trails that lead further in. Today I was always hearing the traffic going down Anderson. Even tho’ I was early, shortly after 8, there were other visitors, so a lot of meeting up with other hikers/walkers.
Take the first step with determination. A wishy washy attitude will not help you get a good start on things. The minute you make up your mind to do something, things will start moving forward.
This is the kind of terrain I hiked yesterday – getting on and off this boardwalk was challenging, this is when we are happy we have a sturdy walking stick to help balance as we walk the planks (logs)
Don’t think “I can’t” from the start. Begin by taking the first step, then you’ll be able to see what comes next and a path will open.
The boardwalk above, was the one at Old Quarry Trail, if you have not been on that trail, it hooks up with the Trans Canada trail, which I discovered when I took a turn to the right instead of to the left. ( gave me many extra Km, to walk to get back on track to find my way back to the parking lot off Eagleson)
Also note.. the trails I’ve been on, the two yesterday were very VERY wet, muddy, and the boardwalks were slippery and in some places in need of repair, be careful, and wear your gum boots or good hiking boots!
my reward he visited with me while I was on the boardwalk! Yes this is on the same trail where I met the porcupine.
I watched the little beggar cross my path, and waddle over to the tree and begin to climb it. I had my Canon with me and not the Nikon. By the time I got the camera out and tried to find him.. zip.. finally I did see him sitting calmly on a very high branch looking down at me and now a couple of other hikers.
he was not a figment of my imagination
I’ve never seen a porcupine up close, never had one within my space, this was a big deal. I knew to give him/her space, I was very taken with every detail of his/her person. Talk about a slow and deliberate mover… even so, I have to find another way to carry the Canon or not use it and stick to my Nikon. Both of the cameras tho’ are not really good at getting close ups of birds /animals that are not within easy reach.
The little guy was not as clean and his colours were not as bright, but he had yellow shading, his latin name is Erethizon dorsatum.
taken from wikimedia
Not going to say he/she was pretty, but it was exciting for me =^_^=. I came across this critter at Old Quarry Trail off Eagleson in Kanata. It was my third stop of the day, I was a busy bee this morning.
Earlier I had retraced my steps to where I had seen the Egret (bird) yesterday, nothing, it was cloudy overcast, and very damp, you would think perfect for ducks, geese and fowl, but nope… I saw few there or at the Hope Side Road location.
My fascination today, was watching the porcupine climb high into a tree.
Egret? I couldn’t get closer, I tried but she/he flew away
Listen carefully and speak clearly. A good relationship starts from truly understanding each other.
Perfect Liberty 2021.5
It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else will affect its successful outcome.
William James
I was beyond happy at sighting this bird.. I so didn’t expect it. I had stopped to check a small area of water off a road, saw lots of geese, and was turning to go back to my car, when I saw a spot of white in what looked like a run off, that ran under the road. Its times like this I think I need a better camera.. thankfully the moment passed.
these were only some of the geese in this location, it obviously was a happy place for them
Some evenings I sit in silence – my thoughts travel the distant shores
Often it is a brooding silence that haunts me, clinging to me, shouting for recognition
In far off lands, I walk a shoreline where the wind howls and the seas lash the rugged coast
there my spirit roams, the salty air wraps itself around me
the mist gathers me in, and I am free to simply BE -Q
Energy springs from your smile. A smile makes you and others cheerful and energetic.
Perfect Liberty 2021.4
A smile is something we feel inside, a smile plastered on your face, doesn’t mean you are happy – it is the simplicity of smiling from within that radiates from your eyes and your whole demeaner – being happy is an art.
Energy springs from your smile, when that smile is sincere ..
Another area to explore here is the east end of Dolman Ridge Road, now gated farther west than before, where you can park and walk the old roadbed and trail heading east. WARNING: There is a warning sign here to beware unexploded Second World War bombs. It was an airforce practice area then. So you enter at your own risk. But since hundreds of people walk the trail itself, as long as you don’t wander off the beaten path, you should be okay. This trail eventually crosses Mer Bleue. Many good birds have been seen here, especially in winter. Among them Northern Hawk Owl (Dec. 2, 1990 to Feb. 23, 1991) and Gray Jay (Dec. 9, 1990).
info taken from NCC site on Dewberry Nature Trail
This is the bog area, the dogs and I found today, where the University does its research, parts of the boardwalk was under water, I didn’t venture out on it, felt the dogs would be best on solid ground.
buds and new growth beginning their new season
The dogs had me walking at a steady pace, we walked without really taking a break, there is no place to really sit and rest along the way… I would have liked an area to sit to catch my breath, a dog/waste receptacle mid way, and at the end, since this road is the one area where dogs are allowed on leash. Many other areas in and around the nature trails are forbidden to dogs. Our outing was almost two hours, out and back, steady pace.
I heard a lot of geese, only saw two making their way across the bog area. Heard a few woodpeckers, saw one dove on a high wire, aside from that, until we returned to the parking area, the dogs and I were on our own. Good hiking or walking shoes recommended.
I was taken with how this one tree is growing out of the base of the bigger one.
Life does not wait: Whether we spend our lives meaningfully or not, the time will be used up moment by moment.
Dalai Lama
Inspiration will come when you approach things with deep interest. No matter how challenging the situation, if you take it on with enthusiasm, you will be blessed with a hint for a solution.
Good morning everyone.. yesterday was a blur, I allowed myself to be distracted “by the call of the wild” wonderful as it was, it did cause me to miss my 10 a.m. service at church. I told myself I was where I needed to be… the rushing water, the moisture laden air, the budding vegetation, new surroundings, (I had never ventured down the path further than the main observation area) ….I was saturated with the exhilaration of a new discovery.
All that said, in living an “artistic life” one still has to deal with .. fact … no one can be in two places at one time. =^_^= ahhh the little inner voice says… back to choices eh ….. well… once made, the moment passed, and can’t be reversed. move on..
Today is Monday a start to another work week for many… May it be a productive one for you !
Improve yourself to have a kinder heart. Do what you can to be caring and considerate to make others happy.
Perfect Liberty 2021.3
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
came across this duck while strolling, he was more interested in his grooming than in me
I had already realized that my Nikon was no longer going to perform having received the battery tired message. These were taken with my cell phone. I tried to capture him with his face towards me, but he just wouldn’t stop his grooming.
This duck was another one who visited, he actually started to come up to me, then the squirrel intruded. I possibly insulted him calling him a bird, and not recognizing he was a duck. I’ve never had occasion to call or converse with a duck before !!
The birds/ducks were all over the place today, I should have gotten there earlier, I would have had more time, as it was I only got to explore on the other side of the road, not the part of Mud Lake I had been on before.
This side of the road the walking is more difficult, a good pair of hiking boots would have been best.paths were rugged, rocky and wound up and down the landscape. I’lll add it was cold today, there were other photographers everywhere.notes on this Saturday’s adventure from Mud lake.
PL Precept #1 Life is Art…. Life is also an adventure… live it to the fullest.
The NCC is working at restoring the sand dunes in Pinhey Forest What a delightful discovery for me yesterday.
Do things joyfully instead of taking it easy. Enthusiastically engage with what’s in front of you. You’ll enjoy it more.
Perfect Liberty 2021.30
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle
How fragile must our own beliefs be, if we resist even listening to opposing ideas. I have schooled myself that when I am ready to totally dismiss another person’s ideas our of hand, I stop myself and try to listen to what the person has to say. I still may not agree, but I will know something more about them – and of my own thinking. In the past year I have listened to another “perspective” on life .. as it is seen and lived in another part of the world. I have learned a lot, in some areas, my personal belief has strengthened, and to my surprise, I gained insight in ways I would not have guessed about myself.
PL Principle # 6, I will not be stubborn, being captured by my own thoughts
Friday everyone, the start of another week-end….
It is raining here today, I heard the forecast yesterday that it was to rain most of the week-end, I have wanted to return the wonderful fragrance of lilac to the backyard. When we bought here many many years ago, the neighbour in the back had a patch of lilacs all along the back fence. In the spring we would step outside to be greeted by their wonderful presence. When new owners came along, they ripped out an ancient old oak, some of you may recall my lamenting that from years back and most of the lilac. They left one .. that was old and weak, it soon died.
It wont happen over night, the plant I brought home is perhaps 3.5 foot high, but it is healthy and from a well established nursery.. I got it into the ground as soon as I got home, then surrounded it with wooden pieces from my various trips these past weeks and months. this will protect it, for its settling in period, Today’s rain, which will continue for the next couple of days, will help it to gently settle in. (Monge Lilac)
Tomorrow May 1. Service at 10: a.m. Day of Peace ceremony
TAOIST Life is Art (Perfect Liberty precept #1)
contact info.- via blogs
--- there are two energies, Yin and Yang = ONE
---to have balance we must live each moment
of our lives.. with Makoto (sincerity)
The only constant in life is change. I am grounded in the reality of Living.
This is true, in all worlds. RL or virtual. I am me and only me.
dymoonblog 