Nature Walk and new lens

So this is very much just a photo post. I got a new lens for my Nikon, 55mm-200 mm telephoto lens and thanks to my good friend Magda I have been slowly learning how to take pictures manually with my Nikon D60. This Christmas I will have had my camera for two years and now I finally set the ISO, the aperture, and the shutter speed and let the camera do the auto focus but I do select my light metering and my area of focus. It has taken me a long time to get to this point but it is all starting to come together now that I have a selection of lenses. Still so much to learn but sooooo fun!

This week we met field naturalists, Barbara Gartener and Rob Reid at Stony Swamp with the Nature Walk group I am now organizing. It was a wonderful turn out and in a time span of 2 hours we made it about 1000 ft. through the woods and in the field. There is just so much to see with every step when you have someone to point everything out. We learnt so much in such a short time. Rob showed us flora, and ruins from an old house, an old well, animal bones, bugs and birds. It is an awesome time to learn and play with friends. With the wind it was -10 but we bundled up and enjoyed the sun as best we could. Thankfully the kids don't seem to get cold.


Discovering milk weed pods

Sue and Gwenael watching Tristan feed the chickadees


Isabella warming her hands in her moms coat while sneaking in a cuddle


Little Ika exploring an old log that we found animal bones in!

Rodent bones of some type. Rob showed the kids how to sketch them and then let them take some pieces home. (ewwww)

Sid and her friend Bella playing hide and seek. Sid is counting while Bella is hiding!


More hand warming for Bella

Bella, Sid and Sabine planning their next game


Sid giving her friend Tristan a hug and kiss goodbye.

Some of the local wild life hoping to score some seeds

Doesn't it look like the squirrel is saying "Brrrrrrr

anti-gravity chickadee

Wordless Wednesday

A week of Birthday

Yesterday Sid celebrated her 5th birthday with her friends at Starr Gymnastics. This ended a wonderful week of birthday salutations in the form of gifts, cards and phone calls. I still can't believe Sidney has been in our lives for five years! Whoa, how is it possible time is going by so quickly?

The celebration of Sid's day began with some gifts from Mom, Dad and Nan Nan.

Dad and I bought Sid a new playmobile zoo set, a favorite book and contributed to the skis from Grandpa Ho-Ho, Granny, Grand-Mama and Grandpa Bill. Nan Nan sent a wonderful package with all kinds of goodies that Sid just delighted in. A few favorites were the ballet barbie and the ballerina twin bed set. Sid insisted on having her bed all made up and then crawled in and asked for breakfast in bed.


Anything to make the day special for our birthday girl!

Later that morning we met our friends at playgroup and the kids played from 10:3o until 2:00. We were so lucky to have beautiful weather so we could enjoy the outdoors! Sid's friend Isabella gave her a talking, moving, singing Macaw that was a real hit. She has since been everywhere with us and draws tons of attention as she talks to strangers (the bird that is) and winks at people!








More celebrations later with just mom and dad. Sid picked ham and scalloped potatoes with boiled cabbage for her birthday dinner and chose a chocolate Oreo cheesecake for her b-day cake. This girl has a good sense of D-Licious!!!


Later on Sid tried on her skis but since we are still snow-free (yippppeeee) I laid out a quilt for her to try them on.

Then Dad and Sid finished off the evening singing together. Wow so special!

On Saturday Grand-mama and Ann, Dirk and the cousins met us at a really nice cafe and we had dessert and snacks together. It was so fun being out everyone and Sid was just so thrilled to see her cousins. At least once a day she asks "When are we going to see the cousins again??!!"

And then the birthday party yesterday!


I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

The Birthday girl is in there somewhere!

Thanks to all our friends and family that helped make Sid's fifth so special! We love you and appreciate having you in our lives.

xoxox

One Word Wednesdays

Autumn

A big day coming up!

We are giddy with excitement here as Sid's birthday quickly approaches. Every morning she wakes up and counts down the days until Friday the 12th. She already knows that Granny and Grandpa Ho-Ho, Grandmama and Grandpa Bill plus mom and dad have gotten together to get her a cross country ski package. Poles, boots, skis, and bindings. I had to bring Sid in to size all the equipment and she was just thrilled. She was the one to ask for skis for her b-day! They installed the bindings last weekend and we will pick them up on her birthday. Sid said she would pretend to be surprised lol. We have a few other gifts tucked away as a little surprise for her and we are just as excited for the day to come.

Sid's profound question of the week: "After our race is extinct what is the next race going to look like?" Hmmmm good question! Sid drew a picture of the next race. They had a LOT of legs and many eyes.

Daddy got himself (and us!) a new toy too. He picked up a four wheeler with a plow blade and winch so we can use it to do the lane way this winter. How fun!!! Of course we need to ride it around the yard and through the woods to get used to it! Sid LOVES the 4 wheeler and keeps asking, if we can we go for another ride. Around the yard we go slowly and don't put the helmets on but do wear them once we head into the woods. This will be really fun next spring and summer. We can load the quad and a dirt bike into the trailer and go on family rides up at Larose forest, just around the corner from us! Can't wait!

Mom's first tour around the yard in first gear since Sid finds second still a little too fast!

Fun for almost the entire family! Groovy loves riding on or in things, like being on the dirt bike or lawn tractor or being in the trailer. This was her first quad ride! Sadly Maggie has to watch from the deck or she chases the machine and will get run over.

After bath and jammies, Sid convinces Daddy to take her for another night time cruise through the woods. The night before they actually spotted a bunny! It's only -1, why not?? The cold weather will NOT keep us in the house. We spent all day Wednesday, well 4 hours, outside in the woods and at the bog with Isabella and Magda and Kristianne and her sons. We had a really good time playing with the ever hungry Chickadee's!

Once on the boardwalk the girls had fun breaking all the ice in the bog to "save the fish!". I love the way they think!

"Don't sit on the bench, you'll kill us" - Isabella

The chickadees were landing on anything and everything in hopes of food.

Another squinty picture of me captured by Magda!! The truth is we put birdseed on our heads and laughed for 15 - 20 minutes as we were barraged by chickadees and nuthatches.

I just love this shot!!!

This past weekend Magda, Ildi and I went to a spinners and weavers fair to check out the wool and knitting and felting supplies. I so need to concentrate more on my felting. There were a few felters there that had some interesting things but I think I can seriously out felt them. There were really creepy dolls and some tiny not very detailed dogs for 45.00. The dolls were crazy expensive and the artist was making a living doing this. It was really inspiring to see what others are doing and to know that I can do that and better. Now I really must get to work! Currently i have a few commissioned projects to do but I think I will start working after Christmass to make stock for next Christmas craft fairs. It will be good pocket money for the holidays.

Here is my most recent work. Brutus the Boston Terrier and Alonzo the Chihuahua. They are my friends dogs and one owners commissioned the dogs for the other owner for Christmas. I hope they love them. I had a blast felting them!

Meet Brutus the BT!

And this is little Alonzo the Chihuahua!

Doggie Brothers!