Life in the Bristolwood

I said I would show a few more photos, but somehow time (and energy, possibly!) slipped away!

While I was in Woodville, this is a shot of the cottages and hill across the lake.  I was amazed in looking at this photo in its original size. (BIG)  The trees that provide such fantastic lush greenery in the summer months look like PINS in a pincushion! They all look so tiny…like toothpicks.  Funny the things one notices!

This next photo shows the “dock installer”. Well, I am not being techical at all here, but this barge-looking contraption is used for installing docks.  So, it would be a dock installer,no?

Looking toward the south end of Canandaigua Lake….

Oh, and I could not leave Woodvile without showing some of the ice formation on the tall shale walls across the road from the cottages.

I left Woodvile and went on up to the “upper road” leading to Naples….County Road 12.  That is where the town carved out an overlook of Canandaigua Lake.  I have taken photos here in the different seasons, but it is always different!

And here is one looking to the east, across the lake.  In this photo, it is clear to see the deep ravines running into the lake.

These certainly aren’t the most attractive photos, but they do give you, Dear Reader, a look at our little corner of the world!

the atmospheric conditions lend themselves to a GREAT day for photography.  Today was one such day, albeit cold and windy! And so, this afternoon, I went off on a photo shoot to see if I could find some cool stuff. 

I did find some nice things, but I am only going to show a few.  (for now!)

The skies this morning were tinged on baby pink.  I was unsure if the shepards and sailors should be concerned or not, but I think the color was an indication of changeable skies.  The weather is changing, but for the better?  We are supposed to be above freezing this coming week.  Strange. Very strange weather.

My little outing today took me down to Woodville.  I was hoping to see some waterfowl, but all I spotted were Canada Geese and gulls.  I did see some ducks a little northward, but wasn’t wanting to traipse into someone’s yard to get a closer look!  Ah well.  While near the boat launch,  I noticed a beautiful arrangement of golden grasses and bright red berries.  Nature’s attempt at a beautiful still life. 

Even in their “dead” state, these “weeds” provide such pretty color against the stark white background offered by newly-fallen snow.

I drove up onto the high road.  This is where the town built a scenic lookout.  I was fiddling around some with the camera when I noticed a big old crow sitting on the top of a conifer,  looking all the world like a black “angel” atop a Christmas tree.  I wouldn’t have paid this rogue any mind, except for the fact that he squawked and complained the entire time I sat there.  Perhaps I was blocking his view?

Mighty haughty chap, that crow!  Perhaps he thinks he owns the road!

Well, I showed you the morning sky.  Now, how about the Bristolwood sunset? It was very, very pretty!

I was like a Mexican jumping bean…I would sit down and review the photo on the camera, when suddenly the sky appeared to have included even more colors in its pallette!  I would hop back up, insert the SD card, then run outside.  I did this a few (ahem) times!

The new little camera is still getting its menus and such worked through and out, by me.  A lot of these photos aren’t very good, but I will get the hang of it!  I think the photos are getting better and better as I use the camera,

How I wish the next two would have turned out better.  Murphy was investigating the Christmas tree and it was hysterical!  In the photos, the light he is concentrating upon is red, although it shows up orange.  However, Murphy’s bright red nostrils and mouth were not inflamed…just a reflection of said light!

The last photo was taken this evening as Mark and I sat in a parking lot at the north end of Canandaigua Lake.  Off in the distance, the lights from Bristol Mountain were reflecting off clouds and making a glow in the sky.  When I took the photo, it looked nearly black until I tweaked the colors and focus a bit!

Hope you are having a good weekend!

We are still struggling, learning how to live without our little Angus, but today, I actually felt like taking some photos.  These are all taken within just a few miles of our house….(and some in our yard!)

No further explanation required!  Enjoy!

Yes! After days of rainy and wet weather, we saw that bright yellow orb in the sky late this afternoon!  I heard on the radio things are going to dry out a bit for folks in flooded eastern New York.  My heart goes out to those who have lost so much.  I heard the weatherman say yesterday that the flooding was “historical”. 

Today, I went shopping for groceries.  I have not done that in ages.  It is so hard to find time to get to the store!  We are always rushing here or there, making it hard to shop.  I really need to concentrate when I shop and going in and out of stores in a hurry just makes it hard!

So, today, I took a little time.  And, afterward, I took just a few pictures by the lake…

Whether the sunshine or the fact it was Friday…doesn’t matter….folks just seemed so chipper today!

That is a kind way of saying I carry TWO cameras and drive the family absolutely crazy.  I am constantly looking at life as though through the lens.  I cannot help but try to compose life into a continuous series of photos.  Sounds pretty sad, eh?  Ah well, it is a relatively harmless “addiction”.  I don’t mind missing, say, a day of no photos, but don’t expect me to go MORE than a day….it might cause withdrawal!

Okay. Enough of the silliness.  I had stated in the previous post that I would see if there were any good photos on the little Canon camera.  I thought there were some good ones there, so here they are….

There you have it!  (How was that for a little self-tour without my narration?)  The reason for two cameras is simple.  The Nikon had a big, heavy telephoto lens on it.  (the lens alone weighs in at about 3.5 pounds)  This is great for shots from a distance…works great for that.  However, sometimes I want a wide angle on things, like the photos taken on the village green above.  The Canon not only fullfills that role, but it also does a great job of portraits and closeups. (Like the sweet little sheep face in the fence rails)

Late yesterday afternoon,  Mark and I drove to Canandaigua.  We had had a few downpours and Mark said he didn’t see any more storms headed our way…so we slipped out for just a little ride. (and an opportunity to take more photos!) When we got to Canandaigua,  I asked Mark to drop me off on the pier.  I would walk my way back to the truck and hopefully get some photos along the way!

Right after Mark let me off, I began taking photos and walking around.  I love these times…it is great to get to stretch my legs and get photo ops, all at the same time!  The only problem was,  I had only gone a short distance when the skies began to really threaten.  It got so dark!  I didn’t take my camera bag out of the truck, so it was just me and the camera.  If the rain started, I was going to have to hoof it for shelter….I didn’t have a jacket or anything that could protect my camera!

Shortly after hopping out of the truck,  I was greeted by this (adorable, happy, amazing!) face…

Look at the sky changing colors and how the clouds have transformed into angry, dark clouds!

This storm was moving in from the northwest and if one looked in that direction, it was scary!

Scary….yet, as I was about to snap the shutter,  a small streak of sunlight shone down on the walkway between boathouses!

Looking toward the west, one could see nothing more than foreboding skies with brighter skies rimming the dark clouds. Talk about a power struggle!

Even the lights on the pier seemed to come on prematurely.

I walked….rather briskly….hoping I wasn’t going to get caught in a downpour.  It was okay as at this point, there wasn’t a whole lot more to photograph.  As I walked along Lakeshore Drive, I looked to the south and saw nothing but big, puffy, white…harmless clouds!

I made it to the truck and then the wind began to blow like crazy.  Thankfully, the camera…and I….were safe!

I went down to the dentist yesterday…my appointment was originally for today, but when the little plastic temporary crown made to cover the post for my mini implant slipped partially off on Sunday,  I was anxious to get in a bit sooner!

On my way down to the dentist, I had a few extra minutes, so I stopped at Woodville and saw that one of the Eagles was perched in “the tree”.  I also watched as a young woman backed a small trailer carrying her kayak up to water’s edge.  She parked, walked around, then launched off on her own.  Time was a-tickin’ and I had an appointment!

I got to the dentist office and was taken in quickly.  The first order of the day was to remove the temporary. The hygienist was ready to crank it off with those dental “pliers”, but I told her it should pop right out.  She took a gentler approach and out it came with little urging or force!

The hygienist then told me she was going to scan my teeth.  Mark had this done previously for the manufacture of a crown, but it was new to me.  I was amazed as she began, listening to the computer giving her instructions on which to to scan, the surface to be scanned, and the degree at whixh to hold the “wand”.  It was funny….the voice sounded similar to a female computer voice for GPS.  When this was done, the hygienist looked at the scan….for one reason or another, it didn’t show the teeth properly.  She spoke to the dentist, and he came in to give it a whirl.  For one reason or another, the scan just wasn’t working….it seems there was too much light reflecting.  I told the dentist it was just my luminous nature and we laughed!

Ah yes, back to business….the lab was still going to need an accurate model of my teeth. So….back to the good ole impressions!  The hygienist came at me with one of those bite plates and a “caulk gun” full of goop.  The dentist and I laughed as she was about to try out the plate….it looked about the size to fit a horse….I have an abnormally small mouth!  She came back with the right size and gooped it up, bluish green glop running down the sides of my mouth.  To add insult to injury, the bite plate had to remain in my mouth for five minutes.  Yikes!

After that procedure was done, I thought maybe I was free, but not. Next, a bottom impression was needed. Thankfully, the glop wasn’t so wet and the plate only needed too remain for two minutes.  Then, a bit model needed to be made, showing how my bite is, top to bottom.  This one was really easy and only had to stay in two minutes as well.

In the midst of all the dental marvel, there was a four-year-old sitting in a chair kitty corner to me, absolutely terrified of the filling that was being worked on in her mouth.  Ah, what ambiance!  I was thinking back to our kids…they didn’t have filling until they were older.  It would be traumatic getting a filling at four! 

I was thrilled when the hygienist took a photo of my teeth and told me I was done!  Hurrah!  In about three more weeks, I will have the final crown mounted and this mini implant will be complete!  I am thrilled, particularly since the dentist was leary at first.  He had done a bone scan that indicated I might not have dense enough bone. However, upon screwing the post into the bone in my jaw, he said it appeared the bone was very dense.  Whatever….he was impressed when he tapped on the post yesterday.

I went back home, noting that there was an Eagle when I passed by Woodville.  I quickly made lunch and cleaned up.  When I was done,  I asked Mark about going kayaking by myself.  He has always been an advocate of the “buddy” system, just in case there is a problem.  I told him I had seen at least four women launch their kayaks with only themselves. He thought about it and gave me a thumbs up!  It was awesome!  I loaded the kayak in the back of the truck by myself and drove on down.

I was able to unload the kayak and get into the water in record time!  There was an Eagle in the tree and I paddled like crazy to get out there!  It was so obliging and just sat there as though it had been waiting for me! I took zillions of photos. Of course!

What an awesome bird!

I could have sat all day, admiring my friend, the Eagle.  Thinking I probably had some fairly good photos, I decided to leave.

I paddled over near the mouth of the river and looked over toward the tree where the Eagles often perch. I felt sorry for anyone who doesn’t even realize they are there!

It would be so easy to miss seeing these birds if one didn’t know where to look!

By now, I had taken enough photos. I had to get back home, so I began paddling away. As I was paddling, something made me turn back.  I looked at the Eagle and called out,  “Jesus loves you, Eagle”!  A funny thing to say to a bird, but I thought about the verse that states that God even knows when a sparrow falls from a tree.

I paddled to the north a bit to get out of the water lilies and seaweed that grow profusely in the shallower waters.

Suddenly, a large shadow came over me and I nearly fell out of my kayak. The next photos are awful.  Between shaking, and just being bounced about by the waves, (there was a pretty brisk breeze over the water) it was hard to capture what happened!

Now, I have no idea what, exactly, inspired that bird, but both in taking off and in landing, it flew directly over my head.  I don’t remember when I have been quite so awestruck!!!

hahaha…you will hear why soon!

Ben and I decided to take a little kayak adventure this morning.  Instead of just paddling along on the lake,  we decided to head on down the river.

As we passed by the Eagle tree,  we looked, but no Eagles to be seen. I did find this little bird seeking food while sitting on lily pads rather amusing!

The little bugger actually placed the lily pad in its mouth and picked it up, looking underneath for food!

We paddled out into the lake and turned into the river. There sure was a lot to be seen there.

Ben called out to me about a Great Blue Heron ahead.  He hung back while I paddled ahead, hoping to get close enough for a good shot.  Well….

That bugger lifted off! As Iwas photographing it,  I heard the strangest noise…Refusing to lower the camera, it was only after I had finished that Irealized the dreadful sound was the Heron!  Wow, could that thing make noise!

We passed by so many, many turtles! They seemed to be “hanging” off every floating thing in the water!  Some were very shy,  immediately going overboard as soon as the kayaks approached,  while others held their ground,  seemingly undaunted by me and the camera!

As we paddled along,  it began to grow hotter and hotter!  The hat on my head had to be removed as I thought I was going to explode from the heat!

We passed by some pretty awesome “still life’s”.

We had a good time, but as the heat increased,  I was anxious to get out of the water and to remove my life vest.  We paddled some more and even though we weren’t exactly sure we were on the right path, Ben assured me he was 85% sure.  Not that the 15% worried me….too much! 

As we moved along, the green algae increased.  I made a comment that it felt more like we were in a Louisianna bayou than the river and Ben smiled….he had the very same thought!  As we approached the launch where Mark agreed to pick us up,  we needed to paddle down a fairly short “corridor” of waterway.  We moved along at a pretty good clip..the algae was so thick, I can only liken it to porridge!  The stench was enough to propell the paddles at a nice rapid pace!

All in all, the scenery was lovely, but we shan’t repeat this adventure until some of the “green” disappears!

I have been around, just too tired to post! 

We have been spending a good bit of time looking at cars. We need a vehicle that gets better mileage because RIT is a good haul and the Explorer gets about 15 miles per gallon.  The biggest problem is that cars are so expensive!  My goodness….they have increased greatly in price over the past few years.  We bought the Explorer in 2002 and got a good deal because it had 18,000 miles on it.  I wish we could find a similar deal now,  but all the “gas sippers” are in short supply.

I also have  been having a bit of a time with breathing lately.  No idea what is going on, but I do dislike the heat and humidity!  It only seems to make breathing even more difficult. 

Sometimes Iwish we were Amish!

Those photos were taken on the way down to the dentist the other day. Shh…..we  were a few minutes late for our appointments, but these are amongst some of my favorite photos….they look surreal, don’t they?  Another time, another place….far away, and long ago.

I included the last two photosjust because I loved the colors! 

We are getting ready for Kingdom Bound.  It begins Sunday and the kids are excited. It is always a fun excursion and they get to hang out with their friends each and every day, all day!   So….guess I had better get moving along!