MacGregor Point, July 3-5 2015

 Hurray!!! We finally had a sunny and warm weekend. It was nice to get back up to MacGregor as we enjoy our excursions at this park. There is always lots to do and see in and around this area. We spent our time Friday in the park enjoying the sights and sounds. There was a Red-eyed Vireo that spent most of the weekend at our site singing its wonderful songs from the tree tops. Before a late dinner I went for a hike and was rewarded with some great shots of Cedar Waxwings and Redstarts. After dinner we enjoyed and evening by the campfire.
 Saturday was a busy day. I was up early so I went for another hike and found a Great Egret standing on a large rock at the edge of the lake. I was able to get a few pictures before it flew off. I walked along the old road trail and came across it again down in the water by the beach. I also came across a pair of Song Sparrows that were busy collecting bugs for their wee ones. After a quick bite to eat we  headed out to hit the bakery in Southampton to get a few goodies for ourselves and we couldn't go visit John and Joanne without bringing a treat. We then headed up to Sauble Falls to spend some time enjoying the views along the falls. The water was quite high there as it is everywhere this year. Our hiking was more limited due to the water levels. After heading back to Southampton we stopped in at the Market before heading to John's for a visit. He had a busy day working on his fifth wheel and cutting down a birch tree in the yard. Dwayne and Karen were there so we had a great visit with all of them. Thanks also for the yummy dinner. We spent the evening sitting around their outdoor propane fire pit. What a great way to keep warm on a cool evening.
 Sunday morning I was off on another hike before a late breakfast. It was sunny and warm and I enjoyed my walk along the waters edge. We packed up early and parked the motor home down at the beach parking lot and went to the visitors center to walk the trails in that area. Down by the water we found two Great Egrets fishing for their lunch. There were lots of wild flowers along the way that I always enjoy seeing and the turtles were out and about at the pond. We then went to spend some time at the observation tower at the duck pond. It was great just being able to be out in the warmth enjoying the sights in the park. We headed home at dinner time and enjoyed cheese, crackers, summer sausage and veggies on our trip home. Just outside of Elmira there were 3 hot air balloons coming down for a landing so I was able to get a few shots of that as we passed by. It was a fabulous weekend and we thoroughly enjoyed the sun and warmth.

Northern Waterthrush, a first for me

Missing a few parts but still looking lovely

Clam spider has caught a butterfly

Natures beauty on my walk

Male Redstart singing his song

Juvenile Redstart waiting for some food

Beauty in soft colours

Cedar Waxwing enjoying a berry

Young Waxwing out exploring.

Still needs to grow its tail feathers

Doing some grooming, note the short wings still

Shimmering green on this dragonfly

These flowers like it down by the water

Song Sparrow in the pine tree

Natures flower pot

The start of a lean two down by the lake

Great Egret enjoying the view

View along the rocky shore 

Doing some fishing in a marsh area

Your to close, so I'm out of here

Muskrat at the duck pond

Rondeau, June 26-28 2015

We had the pleasure of having Emma with us this weekend. Her dad, mom and uncle Drew were going to have an uninterrupted games weekend. We arrived at the park and the weather was hot and humid and the bugs were horrendous. We were quite shocked as we had never been bothered by mosquitoes, midges and fish flies while at Rondeau before. Needless to say we couldn't spend much time outside. By late Friday evening the rain and very strong winds started and they didn't let up until  Sunday morning. It was definitely an indoor adventure. Emma was amazingly good for being unable to get out very much and run around. At one point on Saturday morning while were outside under the pop up tent we heard some cracking noises and then there was a big crash. A very large tree had come down behind our site in the forest. The winds were quite strong at the time so we assumed that the wind was too much for it. Luckily it fell away from us. In the afternoon we went for a drive in the park to get out for awhile. There were branches and leaves all over the roads. In some areas there were large branches down and rather large puddles in other spots. Emma had lots of fun playing with the duplo farm animals, her stacking cups and having books read to her. She loves her books and can point out all of the hiding mice in one of the stories. When she wanted to go out she would either bring us her shoes or she would bring ours to let us know it was time to get out for awhile. She is such a sweetheart and can keep you very entertained with some of the things she does. Sunday was a drier day with just a few rain showers. We went to the visitors center where Emma enjoyed watching the fish and seeing the animals. We went for a short walk before the rain started again. The park workers were busy with chain saws trying to clean up the downed trees and large limbs. Emma really enjoyed the french toast we had for brunch but her hair was a little sticky by the time she finished. The sun made a brief appearance as we packed up to head home. I am sure that Emma will have lots of fun camping with us in the future and we will have to make sure that it is a sunny weekend where we can get out and do lots of things. This was a record breaking weekend for picture taking. There were not many opportunities so the photo section will be very limited. Enjoy!

Emma enjoying the rain with 

 her little pig beside her

The rain was blowing across like a snow storm

You couldn't see across the bay

Keeping our electric cord out of the puddles

Some of the puddling on our site when the rain was heavy.

We had over 50mm of rain

Lots of debris on the roads

There were a few bright things to enjoy

The birds were out on Sunday

This red-winged blackbird was quite vocal

Nice to see the wild lilies

Young catbird waiting for lunch

The nest of barn swallows survived the storm

My Litle Friend

 Emma is changing and growing so fast. I took a few photos while I was grandsitting on Monday at their house. When I arrived she did her little shy gesture and then came over and gave me a hug. Nothing can be more heart warming than getting a hug from Emma. She is such a special happy girl.

Emma and her wee pigtails

Curly girly as Pops call her

Point Farms, June 19-21 2015

 We seem to be heading to the right towns this year to take in the festivities that are going on. Goderich was hosting a Multi Cultural Festival in the town square on Saturday so we enjoyed some of the music and dance that was going on.
 Friday was a little cooler than it had been so it was a pants day for heading up to Point Farms. We arrived to a very wet and muddy park in spots due to all the rain they had been having. Fortunately for us our site was just a little damp in spots. We did a trip into town to make a stop at the bakery to place a Saturday morning pick up order. We must have some fresh donuts to enjoy while we are there. We picked out a dozen cookies to tide us over until our donuts were ready the next day.....lol When we arrived back at the park we drove around to check things out. Duncan mentioned that we had not seen any deer here since our first trip to this park. It wasn't long before we spotted one trying to hide in the thick growth along the road. The tulip tree was in bloom so I finally got some photos of the flowers. I went for a walk along the beach before dinner and we spent the evening at camp enjoying the fire.
 Saturday we hung out in Goderich for most of the midday. We shopped at the market and a few stores and enjoyed listening to a Scottish pipe band, some Gaelic music, a Mexican mariachi band and a native group performing some of their dances. Back at camp I found a nest of Red Starts in the trees behind our site with 2 new babies. I was able to observe mom and dad feeding them and get a few pictures to share. There was also a mom red squirrel doing some renovations to her nest in the pine tree. Her little ones were out and about playing and looking for food. On our trip back to our cottage from town I saw a thrush near the gate so I got out to try and photograph it. They are very hard to get pictures of as they are very elusive birds and are usually in thickets and brush. It happened that there were two of them and they got rather vocal so they must have had a nest near by. I was able to get some photos and enjoy some of the communication between the pair. Our evening was spent relaxing at the fire. It was the warmest evening we have enjoyed so far this year.
 Sunday morning I went for a two hour walk through the park enjoying the sights and sounds. We enjoyed brunch and a relaxing time at camp before heading to the beach in the afternoon. While we were walking along we came across a spotted sandpiper that became very vocal so I figured there was a nest nearby. I didn't find a nest but I did find a wee one out and about. It was a really cute feather ball. While reading about the spotted sandpiper I found out that the males are the ones that sit on the nest and raise the young. They are one of a few birds that do it this way. After a wonderful time at the beach it was time to hook up and say goodbye to Point Farms.
Duncan read that there is going to be a Celtic Festival in August in Goderich and we have lucked out with our booking and will be there to enjoy the music and activities from that. Next week we are off to Rondeau and if everyone is well, Emma will be joining us for the weekend. She will enjoy exploring the park and all it has to offer.

White Crab Spider on a daisy

She has caught a bee for supper

Flower of the Tulip Tree

Mom Redstart

Dad Redstart

Mom sitting on the nest

One of the babies

Mom feeding one of the 2 chicks

Dad bringing in bug snacks

Busy as a bee....

Upper and lower level accommodations

Goderich Pipe Band

Pond lilies in shades of pink

Saturdays view of the lake

Mom red squirrel

One of the baby red squirrels

Wild rose in full bloom

Brown Thrasher, a first for me

 

Long tails and beaks

Tadpoles in a pooling area on the beach

 

View of the beach in Duncan's shades

Dad Spotted Sandpiper

One of the young out adventuring