Life in the Bristolwood

Before I upload all my photos from the SD card into the computer,  I thought I would have a little looksee. Wow. In looking back at everywhere we went,  I miss these places.  Even though we are “rural”,  we have neighbors nearby. In Lewis County, it seems one can travel a great deal before running into civilization.  There is so much pristine beauty and people seem sometimes few and far between.  Considering the harsh nature of winters there,  I guess this area just isn’t that much of an attraction.

Having noted the winter conditions at Lewis County, we were advised that winter weekends can be horrific, as people travel from far and wide to the Tug Hill Plateau with their snowmobiles in tow.  We were told if we ever think about snowmobiling there,  it is best done during the week after all the “city hillbillies” have returned home.

The photos I took might not all be at Lewis County, as we did some traveling elsewhere during our visit. These are some of my favorites and believe me, they probably will make no sense at all!

An odd assortment of photos, I know, but some that I rather liked. Funny thing is, while looking over my photos, I found a series of a day trip we took I had forgotten about!  More on that tomorrow!

We seem ro have such a bumper crop of wild sunflowers this year, even those members of the family who fail to notice the native flora are making comments about how pretty those “yellow flowers are”! 

Taken with the cell. (with a bonus of a couple of bugs added!)

Our weather has been so incredible lately with frequent fast-moving thunderstorms producing copious amounts of rainfall!  We’ll take it, of course, but what storms we’ve been having!

Late yesterday afternoon, (around 3pm) we decided to take a ride to Darien Lake so the kids could try out the new waterpark that opened last weekend.  We arrived at the park at 5 o’clock.  The kids went in to the park and Mark and I sat in the truck with the Scottie boys.  The waterpark closes at 7 pm, so we met the kids and they changed their clothes,  then went into the amusement park.

Mark and I had initially planned to walk and roll around the park, but I was so tired that I just enjoyed sitting still!  At about 9:30, the kids came to the truck and Mark went with them to the area where the laser light show is held each night.  I chose to stay in the truck as I just don’t want any more bouts with mosquitoes!  I have had my fill!

The show began and even though the parking lot is located on the opposite side of the park,  I could hear strains of music from the show.   As the first fireworks went off, I nearly jumped out of my skin, not realizing what it was. After that, I was fine, but Angus was *not*!  The poor little fellow didn’t understand and he grew rather frightened.  I should have thought to turn the radio on to drown the noise, but poor little Angus did his best to tunnel below the seats, trying to hide from the loud explosions. Murphy, on the other hand, was snuggled up against me, sound asleep and oblivious to the whole event.

The colorful lights on the right side of these photos are on a large tower where crazed people actually pay money to be dropped down on huge bungee cords to bounce up and down…I was disappointed by my photos of the fireworks, but I was using the small p&s Panasonic.  With a near-hysterical terrier in the seat with me,  I found myself a bit debilitated!

When the show ended, Mark and the kids reappeared  and we were off toward home.  As we drove home, there was no threat of rain, but when we returned home at about 1 am,  the heavens let loose! The rain came down so heavily! I finally fell asleep to the sound of rain pelting the roof of the house.

This morning,  the skies were overcast and dreary, but there was no rain.  Finally, at about 10 am,  Mark and I headed up to the park so I could walk.  As we drove up the road, the rain began to fall.  It varied in amounts and velocity as we drove,  but when we reached the park, there was only a mist.  We were surprised, however, by a parking lot full of vehicles.  Mark finally found a spot to park and encouraged me to go ahead….he was staying in the truck as it would be difficult for him to roll through puddles and the rims of the wheelchair become slippery when wet.

I hopped out of the truck and began to walk.  As I worked my way around the track, I saw a small sign for a soccer tournament.  The field was divided into two separate playing areas and there were many, many players out on the field.  I continued my walk, feeling sorry for the participants, as there were very few spectators.  As I completed about 3/4 of the first lap, the mist suddenly became rain…and quite heavy at that!  Not only was the rain making its entrance, but I was confronted with winds that nearly blew the headset I was using on my I-pod off my head!

I rushed back to the truck, where I sat and waited until the rain slowed back up to a heavy mist once again.  I was determined,  figuring if those soccer players were that dedicated, so I could be in getting in two miles! (which I did!)

Later this afternoon,  I drove down to Naples to pick up a few groceries for dinner.  As I drove through Woodville,  I just had to stop to see what is new at the lake.  Oh my! The goose families I had previously seen were no where to be seen. Their babies have grown so much, large “teens” with the soft yellow fluff now replaced with gray coloring.  I did see a new goose family and a couple of Mallard hens with their ducklings in tow.

I just love the wild irises growing along the lake.  They are so lush and thick this year.

I have no idea how old these tiny ducklings are, but they are about 1/3 the size of the goslings! They were so little, they looked like little polka-dots in the water! What was funny, though, was as I observed them,  I saw them scoot about in the water as though they were jet-propelled!  They would take a peck at one another, then shoot rapidly across the water! They were just so adorable.

There were two hens with their broods following closely behind.  Another interesting observation was that while the geese did lead their brood into the water, they stayed close to the shore,  as though waiting for any danger or threat to leave.  The ducks immediately hopped into the water and swam away from the shore.  It is also noteworthy that the goose males assist with the rearing of their offspring while the Mallard drakes are nowhere to be found.

Now, since I had the telephoto lens mounted on the Nikon, I decided to take a shot ( yes, haha!) at capturing a Mallard hen who was sleeping or maybe resting atop a log floating on the surface of the water.

I was pleased with that last photo as the duck was out quite far and the photo has a still life feel to it! If you enlarge these photos, you can see “the mist” was still continuing at this point!  The good..or bad…news is, just before the sun submerged over the hills,  bright blue skies once again showed up! Yes, the weatherman has said the chilly damp weather of today is now behind us!

I know that a good many of my friends actually can tolerate and (gasp!) enjoy high amounts of humidity.  I hear them say that they feel more vibrant and alive when the weather heats up and gets juicy.  Well, somehow the Good Lord cut me from another cloth.  Michelle and I began our day by walking three miles, and at the end, I was as red as a tomato and feeling limp as a dishcloth….that had been wrung out, mind you!

I seriously *tried* my best to endure,  but as the day progressed, so did my irritability.  I’m sorry to say, but I complained and snapped at my family.  I took it easy, trying to just relax and at least live with the weather that felt as though it was consuming my very being.  I even took some photos!

Along about mid-afternoon,  I thought perhaps a ride on the ATV might make me feel a bit better.  I told Mark and he said he would go with me for a ride.  Our neighbors have given us permission to ride on their property, so with access to about 75 acres,  that gives us some good riding.  But alas, even the ATV was less than refreshing.  Mark said we needed to wear hats as the Gypsy Moths are all over the woods.  Well, as soon as the hat went on my head, I am sure my core temperature rose a few degrees.  Since I don’t sweat, I grew even redder! Ah well, the short ride up the cobbles in our front yard was fun!

When I got ff the Honda,  I decided I needed some refreshment.  Since my choice now is lemonade, I grabbed a lemon. The kids have a friend who refers to my lemonade as “lemon water”, but even though lemons grow on trees, they are not cheap!  The good news is that as the year goes on, the lemons keep getting bigger and bigger!

Ah, the result was refreshing!

Wish you were here to enjoy it with me! Of course, you are always welcome to come for a visit! I will even promise not to be grouchy,  no matter what the weather!

We opened the pool, and par for the course, we discovered not only a leak in one of the hoses (YAY! we had a spare!) but also in the pump.  The pump will require dissembling it and replacing some parts. Mark and Michelleto the rescue! Every year, there is always some minor “tinkering”!

The weather changed, drastically, last night, and now it is once again “my” weather.  For the time being, anyway! Much cooler and with scattered rain.

just to brighten your day! And, just a few steps from my house.

Mark, (being foresighted as he is!) decided that yesterday would be a good day to do something special for Mother’s Day.  He knew that one of the things I have been wanting to do lately is visit a series of New York State parks that are all located in a fairly compact area.

We got ready to go around 8 am and were off around 9.  Before beginning our adventure, however, Mark insisted that  we take our semi-daily 2 mile walk and roll around the park track.  The reason our treks are”semi-daily” is because if the weather is too rainy, Mark cannot roll the wheelchair so easily….think mud!

Because we arrived at the track later than usual, we encountered more folks than usual.  This made for some slower than normal progress.  I got a bit frustrated and left the track after my third loop, whereas Mark stuck with the program and completed all four loops. (The track is half a mile)

As soon as we were finished, we were off and on our way!  Our adventure for the day took us east past Geneva, then down roads parallel to Seneca Lake.  I had completely forgotten that we would pass the old Seneca Depot in Romulus, home of the white deer.  I had spoken about these deer before on this blog and they are not albino Whitetail Deer, but white “versions” of Whitetail Deer.

We saw a few deer nibbling on the greenery in the woods, so I got out of the truck and walked a bit, siting the deer and trying to get a shot.  It was tough because I had to shoot through chainlink fence separating the deer from the highway.Add to that the fact that these deer spook really easily and it is very hard to get a secent capture, particularly when not spending a good deal of time along the fencing. I was bummed that in this first photo, the deer was looking away from me instead of toward me!

And, too bad this deer was walking away from me instead of toward me.  Ah well.

We continued on our way, finally arriving at Taughannock Falls State Park.  This is such a fabulous park, home of falls with  a 215 foot drop.  They are beyond awesome!  It was just so very beautiful!

I grabbed the Panasonic camera to take the rest of the photos, as it has a nice wide angle capability.

We found out that we could drive to the end of the park and hike a trail through the gorge. The kids and I were game…the trail was 3/4 mile, so it would be easily doable.  There were story boards placed along the trail, citing facts regarding the falls, but the views along the way were awesome. The literature stated that the walls surrounding our walk were as tall as 400 feet!

We finally made it to the little bridge beyond the falls pool.

What a nice woodland walk this proved to be.  The weather was a bit quirky, with some breezes.  When the sun poked through the clouds, it was almost too warm to wear a lightweight jacket, but as soon as the clouds covered the sun, we would immediately get chilled!

The last photo is for Carly.  Carly had posted a photo of Wood Violets on her blog and I identified them.  There was a prolific bunch growing along the trail as we walked and I couldn’t resist….

I just love the purple flowers and the pretty heart-shaped green leaves!

Now, on to the next adventure…

Today was just one of those “ho-hum” days that I was fortunate to have climbed outta bed.  Well, not really, exactly.  I just wasn’t too thrilled about much of anything today.  I had taken the Nikon with me when I took Michelle to school, thinking perhaps I would find something interesting to capture.  But alas, there was naught.

So,  how about a pretty Trillium found growing in the woods near a stump?

I did eventually wander off the porch this afternoon when Mark and Ben went to Canandaigua  to pick Michelle up from school.  Every now and then, when Angus isn’t around (he went with Mark and Ben)  I will allow Murphy off his lead to play a bit.  Since I planned to do that,  I put three of these in my pocket before going outside….

Murphy is quite food-driven, so if I want to keep his attention,  all I need do is flash a “cookie” in front of him and he is all ears!

We hopped down the steps, me with camera in hand.  My Allium plants which started out as bulbs placed in the ground late last November,  are beginning to bloom.  As I was taking this….

Murphy’s long snout reached right into my pocket and grabbed one of the little gingerbread boys! (They are not gingerbread….I think these are chicken-flavored)

What a mischievous little pickpocket!

It was a day when I felt unsettled.  No particular reason and I really wasn’t “anxious”.  I guess the bottom line is, I didn’t want to do housework!

They speak for themselves (or hover over photo to see what it is!)

Ben has been getting interested in doing some running,  so this means *I* get to do some walking!  Yay!

I have quite a history of walking.  When I was in high school,  I often skipped taking the city bus (before the days of school buses ) and walked the two miles home.  I would walk with my parents after dinner and walk just about anywhere I could with anyone who would go along with me!

In my twenties,  we moved to the country, and I soon found a friend who also liked to walk.  So, three times a week, we would walk twelve miles, taking about three hours to do so.   We had so much fun walking along the country roads!

More recently, about five years ago (perhaps I shouldn’t admit this!)  I got mad at Mark one day while we were in Canandaigua.  I became so upset,  I slipped away from the truck and began walking home, steaming all the way!  The catch was,  as I walked along,  one of the straps on my Dr. Marten’s shoes broke, making it nearly impossible to walk.  Feeling so aggrevated,  I continued on, until a blister began to appear on my heel. 

Did I mention that there was a winter storm warning issued on this day?  Yes, the snow had begun to fall and more than one person stopped and wanted to know if they might give me a ride home?  As the blister began to become more painful,  humility finally forced me to eat humble pie and call Mark.

Mark and the kids were so relieved to see me, they all began saying sweet and kind things to me.  I discovered that I had traveled half the way home by foot….eight of the sixteen miles!  In the snow! With a broken shoe! (it had been beautiful when we went to church in the morning, so I didn’t wear boots!)

I’ve not lost my cool since then, but as Ben works on running around a track located just a short distance from our house,  I have been enjoying walking about two miles each day.  It has been so nice, as I really missed walking.  (we live on a very steep hill and walking on our road is tough on the knees…..it s also very rural)  Walking is so relaxing and it is so low-impact!  I have noticed some benefits, too, as I just feel better.

I took the above photo this morning after my walk.  There was a huge wild rose bush growing alongside a pine tree and the pink color of the flowers was so intense! The bumble bee was just a little added bonus! (taken with the little Panasonic)

YES! Today, the sun has returned! Although I really don’t mind our “rain pattern” of late, it has really left many feeling quite discouraged because of the cool weather. 

Carly, her husband, Jeff, and their kids came down yesterday to celebrate the 4th.  It was funny watching the kids as they hopped from pool to hot tub several times,  warming up to cool off! They had a lot of fun even though the weatherwas a tad chilly and windy. 

Mark and Carly had fun using their cameras, trying to capture a good shot of the twitty, elusive hummingbirds.  The feeder hangs very close to the table on the porch, so the birds kept swooping in and out for a sip of nectar.

This morning was pretty cool, but the sun made its way out and the sky is blue as can be!  The wind has died down and it is a nearly perfect summer day,  even though the weatherman says the temperature is several degrees below normal for this time of the year.  I will gladly take it!

Here are three Sunday morning photos that I took today. 

The kids and I are going to go out in our kayaks at some point today.  The perfect ending to a holiday weekend!