Summer Time and the Living is Easy

We tried to spend as much time at the cabin as possible this July. Three of the weeks turned out to be mainly work – a four-hour bathroom fix turned into a three-week complete renovation…but that’s another story.

The last week we mainly sat, walked, read and wondered, with a few photography sessions thrown in.  It still amazes me that we can can have this glorious beach almost to ourselves in the middle of a wonderful summer – and it’s less than 90 minutes north of Winnipeg.  Look at this beach view from our coffee spot one morning…

Hillside Beach on a busy day. A couple walked by and disturbed our reading!

It’s hard to read though, because there are so many natural distractions.

Three large flocks of Franklin’s Gulls flew by, these seemed to be performing for an air show, or flying square dance “All Join wings and round we go…”

We brew a Thermos Flask of coffee to take with us – Mugwump (Older brother), worked for Thermos at one time, years ago. Everyone in the family had Thermos products – they are still the best thing for keeping coffee hot and it’s flavour intact (the old glass-lined vacuum flasks that is).  We take a couple of nifty slot-them-together sand chairs and our books, walk as far as our legs want and then sit and relax. The smell, the breeze the lapping of the waves and the cries of the shore birds really refresh the soul.

On our walk back that day we were suddenly accompanied by a pair of Least Sandpipers.  These were busy walking and grabbing lunch, but didn’t seem to mind our presence.

A pair of tiny peeps that surprised us. Least Sandpipers I am pretty sure.

They are very tiny birds – sparrow sized and we only had Susan’s small Canon with us (that sounds like an oxymoron).  But I was able to capture a few ‘memory’ shots.

I like the way the one is turning his head. He gives a great view of his bill size and shape.  Thanks Tom (these are known as Peeps!)

Here is the last of the Least

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (cabin),  the spiders had been busy.  There were webs everywhere and lots of delectable bugs for lunch.  We declined the invitation to dine but I was intrigued by the colour and pattern of this handsome devil.

We had long-legged beasties like this in London – my dad called them, variously, Cherry Eaters and Daddy Long-Legs. Look at the length of the one extended leg!  Hmm, some stain needed on the siding I see.

DDL 2. That is a four inch painted letter that Mr DDL is heading towards.  Everyone in the family was asked to paint their own first name letter, and we attached them to the side of the cabin. BTW Can anyone tell me why the second pair of legs is so much longer than the others?

DDL 3 a close up and crop to show the interesting black pattern and hip joints. Thank goodness we only need to get hip replacements for two legs!

As I mentioned, summer time and the living is easy…