Tonights sunset

Words not necessary

Sunny day sundown

Another nice day with great sundown. Lots of snowmobile trails on the lake now there is lots of snow.

Balsam fir winter buds

Out trying out the macro lens again.

Duncan Lake

Great day today warm almost felt like spring.  Our groundhogs couldn't come up through the snow to see his shadow or not.  We always have six more weeks of winter anyway.  A couple of pics from Duncan Lake the other day.  One I may have gone a little overboard with.

Frost on the window

Testing out a new macro lens on the frosty windows in the porch this AM.  I'm looking forward to some close ups of flowers this summer.

More snow

Yesterday it dumped about 15cm and I went out and cleaned up with the snowblower by the time I had finished there was another 2.5 cm by this AM there was another 10+cm.  Out with the snoblo again nice, bright sunny morning and took these pics to show there is enough.  Some are saying that we have too much now. Can't please everyone.

Friday was the coldest morning of the whole winter so far, my thermometer was hanging around -30C fortunately this AM was a lot better.  Around 9:00 AM the sun was out and it just got warmer, good time for some pics.  Up the Everett Lake road to a new cut by Fiset around the west end of Babs Lake.

The first picture is one of the two rock cuts at the top of the hill into Gowganda I call them the gates of Gowganda.  The second is a shot of the mining exploration camp up the Everett Rd.

The last is a scan of a picture I took in the Gowganda Museum  a couple of years after we bought the house in 1986 and I have carried it in my wallet ever since, I thought you might enjoy it if you have been to Gowganda.

Snow building up

A couple of days ago we had a great overnight storm that dropped close to 7-8 inches.  It is hard to know exactly as it was drifting and blowing everywhere.  The next two days have been sunny and very cold, tomorrow it is warming again.  This mornings temps were around -23C.

Another dull foggy day, good for going to town, didn't look much better when I got back either.

West on Hwy 560

Out to take some pics with all the new snow.  We have well over a foot of snow now, had to snoblo again this AM.  More snow the the next couple of days in the forecast.  The lakes have enough ice but the slush is very bad.  There are some air holes to look out for too.  Hope we have  some sunshine soon.

Winter arrives

Finally there is enough snow and ice, there are snowmobiles on the lake and one ice hut.  The snow plows seem to have magically disappeared as the snow gets deeper.  I was told that the routes had been changed because their was more need for them around the mine at Matachewan.  The road is now split at Long Point Lake.  One snowplow comes from Shingtree to Long Point and the one from Elk lake turns back at Long point.  The road to Elk Lake is half plowed most of the time until they finally get around  to it.  It used to be one snowplow from Elk Lake to Gowganda and back, which is better for the school bus.  What is wrong with these peoples minds.  The safety of the kids on the school bus should come first.

The second pic is from the high hill looking back towards the west as the sun was coming up.

Bright sunny and cold

                                                                    

Good crisp morning today with temps around -27C.  I had put up one feeder before I left Gowganda and there were only a couple of Chickadees hanging around.  Yesterday I filled up the big feeder and ended up with Redpolls and Pine Grosbeaks like the one in this pic.

I've had the other picture hanging around on my desktop for some time, I took a pic a couple or more years ago of the same place (along highway 65 nr Hooper's hill), but this time the roof is starting to struggle a bit. Now I can remove it from my desktop.

Happy New Year to All

Well another new year has started, I just got back from another tour of the south, this time  Sudbury, Lindsay and Huntsville and back home about 1400km.  A great time visiting family.  Great to see everyone but it's sure nice to get back home.
The road into Gowganda was covered with snow coming in yesterday and this morning I had a hard time opening the door to get out, the wind and snow had laid a big drift right at the door.  Several large drifts in the driveway got the snowblower treatment.  There is probably enough to get the snowmobiles out now but I haven't seen any all day.

Today's pic is from Lindsay area at the Ken Reid Conservation area.

Happy Holidays

Have a safe and Merry Christmas and all the best in 2012

This mornings pics

A couple of pics of town on my way back from walking this AM.  One of the lake covered in snow and ice and the other looking down past the store as George is coming up the road to start plowing.  Gowganda will have a white Christmas where many in Southern Ontario will be looking at grass.

Damp and misty

Mostly damp, misty and grey skies while going out for a couple of pics near Leroy Lake.  They loggers have fixed up the road going into Leroy lake so they could get at timber on the north side of the lake.  A small bridge was put in over the creek where it flows towards Lost Lake.  These are pics from the bridge looking east.

Gowganda design

Something a little different on this damp afternoon.  Maybe a new Gowganda logo or something.

Crazy weather

We have had many ups and downs with the weather this month, just about everything under the sun, today it is around 2C and misting, snow is disappearing again.  Not your typical December at all.  Haven't been out taking  many pics but played with the old truck in the Miller Lake cut with the snow.  Kind of a dark picture with the truck highlighted.

The ice returns

After a wet warm weekend most of the ice broke up and  melted.  Early this morning under clear cold skies the lake froze again.  Tonight is going to be another cold one.  The frost build up around the edge of the clear ice looked as though there were feathers on it.

ICE

With the cool temps last night it made a very thin ice sheet, with some open water steaming in the sunlight..

Off to town today

On the way back a couple of fall pictures, crop land has all been plowed for the fall and cattle are roaming fields before the snow and cold.  In the summer the crops go on for kilometers on which was once an ancient seabed. Click on the top picture for a panorama.

Lake still open

The main body of the lake still has no ice and the weather is holding up.  Up to Edith Lake yesterday for a few pics.  Here are some ice rings.

You can run but you can't hide

Here is a Snowshoe hare from today, he looks a might damp too.

Shadows

After yesterdays ice storm and today's drizzle it's about time for some sunshine.

A bit of ice on the lake

Yesterday AM the north arm of Gowganda Lake had a skim of ice from side to side, this AM the ice had retreated.  The mist was rising from the lake early in the AM.  The cold air and the warm lake mixing.  Pretty soon it will all be white.

Parry Sound pics

Just a few from Parry Sound while deer hunting

Back from another trip

This time some deer hunting in the Parry Sound area, deer were scarce this year but wolf sign was everywhere. Had a good time but no game was hurt.  After that it was a trip to Toronto, to a Photoshop Seminar right down in the heart of the city.  Haven't been down there for many years much less being on a subway.  Survived and had a great time. Thanks to Lauch and Ruth in Toronto and my friends the Pecks in Sequin Township.  Just a few pics of downtown which has grown so much since I was a kid down there.

Firewood finally stacked

Finally got the firewood stacked a couple of days ago, glad to see the end of that.  The rows are 24 feet long, 2 feet wide and just under 5 feet high.  I figure there are about 6 bush cords of wood stacked.  Lots of wood for a couple of years or more.  Just have to cover it now to keep it dry.

Another Yukon favorite

This pic with the sun shining on the poplars on the banks of the Ogilvie River, with the mountains for a backdrop is one of my favorites.

ATV trip on Sunday afternoon

Paul and I were in a couple of new cuts on Sunday afternoon, one up the east side of the Everett Lake Rd just north of the highway and another on the Miller Lake Rd. Lots of big trees cut some over 100 years old by the the rings counted. That's around when the mining for silver started back in 1909.
Another find at Miller Lake is this old Ford truck right in the middle of the cut, notice the bullet holes in the window right where the driver would sit. I hope that's not how it got there.