Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Family Day Weekend

It was a long weekend for us here in Ontario with yesterday being Family Day. The temperatures continue to be cold, although they've risen this morning and it's now -15C on the thermometer. On the weekend I was looking at this when I got up ...


A bit of snow fell which piles up on top of the old snow. Cody can't remain still for very long when he's out in these freezing temperatures. His paws get too cold and he sits up. I have to watch him when he goes out to do his business because he'll get stuck out there in the middle of the yard ... paws too cold to walk on, and he won't come back to the door without an encouraging whistle. I don't want to say my dog isn't that bright, but ... well, I just don't want to leave him out there too long in case I find him lying on his back with all four paws in the air afraid to walk the 10 yards to the door.

I convinced my husband to accompany me to the marsh down by the lake. I was a bit disappointed that there were hardly any birds there. The marsh was frozen over ... 

The marsh. Lake Ontario lies on the other side of the line of willows.

A couple of squatters.

... even Lake Ontario was frozen over.








I was looking directly into the brilliant sun while taking photos of the lake, so the photos didn't turn out as bright white as it was in person. The snow was just blinding making our eyes water. A brilliant blue sky blazed above us.  I'll share the few birds that we did see another time.



Far across the lake there were pastel coloured clouds mounting up over New York ... looked like more 'lake-effect' snow for them ;)


Despite the cold temperatures, the sun was warming here on shore. There was barely any wind, which made for pleasant walking. The ice wasn't particularly thick on top of the water here, and all we could hear was the continuous cracking and shifting of the ice as the sun warmed it. The swans and geese had little open waterways to travel through the ice. Those would all be freezing shut again once the sun started to go down.

We decided to go back to the park where I got all the waterbird photos last week. I wanted to show my husband all the birds. But it was a completely different atmosphere when we arrived.




There wasn't a sound. The inlet was frozen solid with much thicker ice.




The geese and swans were huddled on top of the ice. Only an occasional honk of a bird was heard as they stood up to resettle. None of the hustle and bustle they displayed a few days ago.






A few seagulls flew around looking for morsels, but except for handouts from people, they weren't finding a whole lot in that ice.




The five-day forecast shows temperatures rising slowly but steadily. 
Another month and we'll start to feel some early spring weather bringing on the maple syrup :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy

21 comments:

  1. Hello Wendy, pretty wintry scenes and images.. I feel sorry for your poor Cody.. and for the birds. I am hoping for a thaw and some warmer weather.. We just had 4 inches of snow overnight.. Come on spring.. Have a happy day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Isn't it funny how dogs have their different ways of dealing (or not dealing) with weather. Your photos are simply stunning and made me shiver with the cold. It must have been a whole lot better without a biting wind. Have a wonderful evening. Chel x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Even the bitter cold of winter makes for some wonderful pictures! My poor puppy is having the same problem with her paws during these frigid temps!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Wendy. lovely winter pics. Love the one of your dog holding his paws up. Poor boy. He needs knitted winter socks.
    Rosezeeta.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your dog sounds such a sweetie! We haven't had any snow to test my dogs paws this year, I was looking forward to seeing how he would cope. Lovely photos as always. xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Poor Cody with his frozen paws, beautiful pictures as always Wendy but they make me shiver when I look at them. :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. aw it all looks so beautiful ....I wonder what the creatures find to eat in such a frozen landscape....Sending you a warm hug ...Gail x

    ReplyDelete
  8. The pictures are so pretty!! I wish today was a holiday too :)
    stay warm - Gaia

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my Wendy! I feel so for all of you over there in all that cold and snow and ice. You must be so very ready for spring to be springing and I really do hope that it will be very soon!!!!! xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your poor furbaby....I've had to go out and pick Topaz up to bring him inside when he's been too cold.
    Yes, think positive and dream of fresh maple syrup being tapped next month. :-)
    Stay warm!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Brrrrr! Poor little puppy....makes me grateful that us humans get to do our business in the house, in a warm bathroom. Those pictures look soooo incredibly cold! I'm happy for you that the temps are supposed to start rising. Whew!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh goodness, your sweet puppy, I am so thankful Cody has you to watch over him! Your photos are stunning-you have really captured the striking beauty of this cold, cold Winter.
    Be safe and careful in your adventures.
    Warm hugs,
    Jemma

    ReplyDelete
  13. I do enjoy your photos! Our weather is quite different (thankfully, I have no idea how to survive such cold temperatures!) and we don't get scenery like this. So very very beautiful!!!
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  14. How precious is that sweet dog - afraid of the snow! So glad that you keep an eye out and coax him inside! Everything looks so beautiful. Hoping things warm up soon for you and Cody, and the wild things, too! xo Karen

    ReplyDelete
  15. I really enjoyed looking at your pictures! Wish we had such a wonderful winter here in Germany!
    And your dog is a real cutie!

    Take care
    Anne (Crochet Between Worlds)

    ReplyDelete
  16. brrrr the photos look so cold-Cody looks cold too-perhaps his little bootties would help his paws too

    ReplyDelete
  17. Poor Cody. Your photos, as always, are beautiful. Those icicles are incredible. Hard to imagine such a large area of water can freeze. Stay warm.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Poor Cody. I wonder if the birds get cold feet!

    ReplyDelete
  19. BEAUTIFUL!!!! I can feel the silence through your photos Wendy! My goodness......your shots again.....amazing!!! Just inspiring! Here is to temps heading up! Though it is still so cold here! You take care! Nicole xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  20. I had to chuckle over your dog's dilemma. :) It certainly was cold there on the weekend. Wowzers. Your photos of the marsh and lake are really beautiful. Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  21. The picture of your dog made me laugh! Our little miniature dachshund used to do a similar thing when we lived in Kamloops. When it would get down to around -20 she would just crumple to the ground when I set her down outside. Had I not been right there she would have frozen in place like a statue. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...