A Canoe Ride

/

October 31, 2012

It took all of the summer and part of the fall, but I finally found some time for a canoe ride last week.  We were treated to one of those exceptionally calm days.  It was the kind of day that just begs for someone to be out canoeing.  Though I am not a fan of cold water, how could I resist?

Paul agreed to humor me, and he capably manned the stern.  After two canoe trips this summer, he is quite adept and in shape for this.  Me, not so much.  My shoulders were protesting after just a dozen strokes! Evidently, the muscle and joint action required for folding sheets and towels does not put one into shape for canoe paddling.  No matter, I would just pause for a moment or two to take photos, and then resume.  Pretty soon it wasn't a problem.

Due to that afore-mentioned cold water, we did not venture far from shore.  But we did head to both the west and the east. The sun on the water provided some good light for photos, and kept me warm.  Since the lake was so still, we could see the bottom.  Had we tipped, I knew we weren't going to be in the water long.

As we rounded the point to come home, one of our guests was starting a campfire.  The wafting smoke filled the air and delighted my sense of smell.  A little aromatherapy to accompany my short canoe excursion.  It might not have been as long as if I'd taken time to do this jaunt sooner, but it certainly filled the bill to round out my summer.

Last Hurrah for the Colors

/

October 29, 2012

While going through my photos recently, I was again struck by the lovely colors we had this fall.  I couldn't let them go completely without one last look at some of those hues.  Winter is vibrant in its own way, but the colors of autumn really can tug at me.

lastcolors2.jpg

It was amazing to me how long my flowers lasted this year.  Despite cold temperatures and occasional frost, the ones near to the lodge managed to hang on for more days than I expected.  I like growing flowers. If I can manage to keep them alive, they give me their bright sunny faces.  In the case of this daisy, I was pretty pleased to see this color combination.

But now it's the time of transition, when we go from a sunny calm day to one filled with blustery winds and rain and snow showers. It's the struggle between the seasons, and of course, we all know who is going to win this one. But for this moment, I will savor a couple more "lasts" of October and the gifts that it gave to me.

Firewood Season

/

October 9, 2012

It's yet another season here at Heston's--the one in which we process  our firewood for the upcoming winter.  Last year, we received an order of twenty-four cords of maple wood, and that stack has been towering over me each summer day that I would walk by.  When the cold winds of fall began to blow, we knew that it was time to start knocking down the pile. 

This year, Greg also tackled a long-planned project, that of building a wood shed for the lodge.  The shed is within sight of the bread oven, and often during pizza nights, people would ask what he was working on.  It looked like a big wooden platform, and so we said that he was building a dance floor.  While we never got a chance to dance on it, we will soon be foot-stomping in a good way, as we build the stacks of wood, to dry for the cold nights ahead.

Paul returned from Alaska recently, and he assisted in the roofing of the shed.  We made this video of the job, and my only wish when watching it is that the work would move this quickly all of the time.

Last week, Greg told me that he and Paul were going out to buck a few of tons of wood--that is what it is called when they use chainsaws to cut it into stove-size lengths.  I thought that he was joking.  He told me that it is true---a cord of wood weighs in at approximately 2 tons, depending on how dry it is.  To that end, he made the floor of the shed strong enough to hold the skidsteer, in order to use that machine to move the wood.  I wasn't so sure how welcomming that news was--did I really want to know ahead of time how much weight that I was going to be moving around over the course of the coming weeks?  It might be better to know once it was all done.  It did answer why my back is tired at the end of a day of splitting and stacking.  But will my biceps be any stronger once  I am done?  That's the real question.

A Tapestry in Orange

/

October 3, 2012

It's been a pleasant surprise this autumn to watch the colorful tapestry unfold around us. Since we haven't had much in the way of rain in two months, I didn't expect to see a usual color change.  Indeed, the birch leaves began to turn brown, curl up,  and just fall off the trees, back in early September.  But in the last two weeks, the rest of the trees have exploded in amazing shades of gold and orange that have more than made up for the birch display.

The weather, too, has been delightful.  A week ago, we were experiencing damp, cold and windy days. Then something changed and the wind died down. The clouds cleared and the temps went up into the sixties. Loads of sunshine warmed us all day long. The lake was like glass for much of this time, perfect for canoe and kayak jaunts.  One day, while over at Birch cabin, I caught sight of something flashing on the Canadian shoreline. A closer look revealed a second flash, and I realized that it was a kayak paddle as someone ventured along. It was perfect weather for it.

Along with the color and summery weather, it has been quite peaceful.  A lot of people commented on that, and I decided one day not to spoil the quiet by running the woodsplitter.  When a slight breeze came up, it rattled a few leaves, and I could hear them falling to the ground.

The main color of this season has been orange, everywhere I look.  As I walked to a cabin one evening to turn on the porch light, I felt like the glow from the foliage could light the way. It's spectacular.

But now that tapestry is beginning to unravel. The winds came stronger yesterday, and blew a lot of leaves down. The familiar outline of bare branches is beginning to emerge, and I realized that I am not quite ready for that landscape. Fortunately, we will still have the backdrop of all the pines and cedars to fill in the skyline.  They are donning their darker, more drab green. Tomorrow, something new will be ushered in by the wind, and snow has already been mentioned in the forecast. Whether I am ready or not is a moot point.  Change is here, and I may as well just enjoy the ride. We have one last day of warmth in the forecast, and I plan to make the most of it.