A text message....

I received a text message this evening which read:

"Gram, did you catch the rainbow?"

Which of course meant...did I run to the balcony with my camera to take a picture of the rainbow!

I did run after I received the text as I was doing some computer things and wouldn't have known.

I probably missed the best parts of it but I did manage to capture this:

 

Hope you got a chance to see it too!  It was lovely. There were the makings of a double, too!   I looked for the pot of gold in that fir tree but I think the Blue Jay got there before me.:)

Hope tomorrow is as nice as today was....weather wise.

Unusual sights...

Sometimes we come across some pretty wild and unusual scenes, don't we?  We walk along in our days, everything looking pretty normal...then all of a sudden we turn a corner and we find the most weird picture before us.

Well, that happened a few times during our vacation this summer.

One evening we were at Big Olaf Sundaes getting our usual ice cream when a very loud siren began blaring.  It was calling all volunteer fire fighters to come running...which they did.  We weren't sure where the fire was but as we drove away from the ice cream shop and turned the corner, a huge black billow of smoke rose into the sky and very close to where we were.  My first thought was a business in town or a cabin but as we continued on down the lake shore drive and came up to the new four-way stop, there sat a truck, engulfed in flames.  Matt and Thais had been walking home and they stopped to chat with the onlookers and get in on the crazy action as it unfolded.  Apparently, it was the truck of one of the fire fighters.  Away it went, up in flames.  People were everywhere...looking in wonderment.  How often did something this exciting happen at Waskesiu (other than baseball size hail, that is).  Our vehicle happened to be one of the first to drive on the scene but of course, had to turn around as the fire truck took up the intersection.

One morning, another unusual scene took place right in the kitchen of our trailer.  There was much activity going on around the sink.  Matt and Thais were busy preparing their morning 'concoction' of healthy stuff.  The blender sat there as I watched the ingredients being cut up, plopped and poured and stuffed into it.

Orange juice, whey powder, yogurt, blueberries, banana, nectarine, spinach, strawberries....and an apple for good measure.  Press "mix" and out poured a marvelous smoothie, rich in vitamins, minerals and everything good.  It was delicious, too!!!  We each had a glass and after consuming it, we felt like we should be able to run a very long marathon, swim across the lake or jump rope for 6 hours...'should', being the key word. .

Yes, these sights were unusual, at least to my eyes!  Not sure if I would like to see another vehicle flame broiled but I sure wouldn't mind seeing my blender filled with all that goodness again.

Hope you have some unusual sights in your life today.  They make for interesting moments to reflect upon:)

There were babies...

Well, fawns, to be more specific.  They wandered around all the camp sites with their ma, sticking pretty close to her...just in case.  They were cute little ones, too.  I feared for my petunias because the last year we graced the trailer park, the deer and elk severed every last twig from my flowering pots and left them looking like the badlands of Australia!  But being so cute and all, one could forgive them for most anything.  This year all they did was 'look'.  It was the hail that severed them all off this year!

But here they are in all their spots and cute little faces and mom, of course, leading the way.

You can get so very close to the animals in the park as they really don't have much to fear and they get used to humans being around for a good part of the time.

It's a blessing to be able to see first hand just how wonderful nature can be.  These little ones captured my heart but mother kept a pretty tight reign on her kids.  They liked to wander!  Kind of like our kids...

Enjoy your evening.

My poor body...

After that three hour session of secondary physio, my body doesn't know what hit it!  I have muscles I didn't know existed and they're sore...really, really sore.  Up and down stairs I went (sort of) and up and down ladders (sort of) and on the treadmill for twenty minutes, not to mention all those stretches and pulls and lifts.  Then there was the half hour lecture session on muscles and posture!  Oh man, do I have some intense work ahead of me.

So I shall do whatever is required of me to get my knee in good shape again.   It was all that swelling that took it's toll.  Being swollen for so long made my muscles not do their jobs and so I am now retraining them to work as they did previously.  No small feat!

I would far rather think of finer days of sand and sun and flowers and birds.....(click on the pics)

 Footprints after the rain...

 Brittney enjoying the evening...

 A meadow of daisies and clover.

 Rain drops remain on the giant puff ball (a close-up).

 Beauty in yellow.

 Yep, my poor old knee came to the beach with me, (along with my wrinkled toes and
broken toe nail!!!!) kicking all the way there and back!

It liked it when it got there though:)

 An outdoor kitchen by the beach.

 A sunny beach day - with waves.

He snacked on our leftovers.

That's what I'd rather be doing....taking pictures of nature and enjoying warm summer days.  They go by far too quickly.

'Nite all....enjoy the thunder...and yet more rain....:)

Mist...

I love mists.  To me, they are mysterious and intriguing.  Rarely do I think about what mists really are because I believe that would take away their mystery!  After all, who wants to go around saying "Looks like the clouds have sunken a bit today!"  I would far rather think of them as a veil between you and another dimension.  It sounds so much more romantic that way:)

We did see some misty days at Waskesiu.  It is really difficult to capture it all because it means, of course, that out I go into the elements....with my camera...which shouldn't get wet if I wish it to function properly.

But I go anyway.

 Mist rising from a hot day on the Narrows Road.

 It rained hard but it looked like mist on the lake...so beautiful.

(Through the car windshield...rain was just too intense!)

 Misty rain on the road leading into the Heart Lakes.

 Heart Lakes road.

A road...somewhere:)

Through all the misty days of my life, I find it awfully difficult at times, to remember that above the mist and clouds, the sun shines!  When I keep my mind focused on not being able to see fully and clearly through the mists of life, I can't possibly see anything but bleakness and gray.  So I must make a conscious effort to remind myself that there is a sun shining brightly in a blue sky...just above that mist!  It is also up to me to appreciate the mist for what it is...temporary....yet beautiful.

I trust that the sun will shine through the mists of your life today...

Oh....and, Happy Birthday, Carman!  I pray your days this year will be super sunny!

Evening shadows...

I've always enjoyed evening shadows.  They seem to make everything soft and heavenly somehow. And sunsets...well, a new one every day. 

Reflections show up so much more clearly too in the evening...early morning too, but who's crazy enough to get up at 4:30 AM to capture those!!!???  Not me....not quite yet!

Perhaps some day I shall become a morning person.  Tomorrow shall find me at work then physio and not sure what will happen next. 

Hope your evening was very good.

The sun DID appear...

No, it wasn't all cloud and misery this past month!

We enjoyed some sunny days too.  The warmth was heavenly after a long cold winter of sitting around with my knee up or bumbling around on crutches!  A real blessing!

Here are a few sunny day pics. (click on them to get the full effect!)

 All is calm ....for now!

From a lookout.

The Trading Post had a nice display outside.

 "Finders, keepers!"

 The boardwalk before the storm....water still higher than normal!

 Path to breakwater was almost flooded before the storm.

 Daughter catching some rays.

 Granddaughter on her supper break.

 Thais enjoying a very cool swim.

 "Somehow, we're supposed to be able to get into this thing!"

 Two lovely ladies enjoying the sun.

 Matt took to the waves.

 Chillin' and readin'...

 "How do we throw these balls again?????"

 "Who's closest???"

 Interesting....:)

 We all went out to enjoy our 43rd Wedding Anniversary.

 Walking...

 Moments....

 Chatting...

 A bee hovered...

 Some kind of wild flower/weed????

 Is this clover???....it was in amongst some other shorter varieties. Pretty.

An evening at Birch Bay.

 Which way shall I go???

 Checking out the Heart Lakes docks.

 Reflection and words...

 Calm evening at the beaver slough...

 A famous golden Waskesiu sunset.

 

Thais - "The Bocce Ball Queen!"

 He liked visiting my beach towel.

 An enormous puff!

 "Certainly, I can pose for you."

 The poplars of South Bay.

 Boreal Forest.

Taking a rest.

 Hard at work.

 Fire weed??? or some such thing.

Miss glam....:)

See!!!  We did have some sunny days. The best part though was spending time with our children and getting to know Thais, not to mention having Brittney stay with us for the month while she worked hard.

Next time we come back here, I shall be a person of leisure ie. retired!...the Lord willing....

Now to bed!