Jack’s Walk

Today we’re sharing Jack’s drive to get to his favourite beach. The road we take winds through Gargantua Mountain and it doesn’t matter how many times I see these cliffs they always take my breath away. It amazes me that trees can grow and thrive in these conditions, rooted in rock and hanging on the edge of a precipice. Everything here seems to grow madly and even the road isn’t safe from the creep of nature. All along it now we see plants biting into the tarmac and steadily moving forward. Every year it gets worse and there’s no effort to halt the growth. At one time there was a thriving campground and restaurant on the mountaintop, but the owner died several years ago and no-one took over. Now the buildings sit empty and the road is just used as a shortcut from here to there.

Roses

Nightjar has sent us some roses today and they’re all so pretty that I just can’t pick a favourite. The white rose looks so delicate and fresh, the yellow rose has that beautiful salmon blush and that last rose is bold and bright in shades of fuschia. Even better, they’re all memory roses from the garden of someone special. Nightjar says,

These are not from my garden, but from my grandma’s garden that since she died is kind of abandoned. I still go there sometimes to deweed a few things, but I don’t have enough time to properly care for it. Somehow, beautiful flowers still grow there every year, including these roses! The house is about to be rented, and from what I heard about the family that will move there, I’m hopeful they will keep the garden alive. But I will make a few cuttings of these roses, just to be sure…

Another not so itsy-bitsy spider

It seems to be spider week here at Affinity. Opus has sent us some incredible photos of a bright orange beauty.

I can’t remember if this appeared previously on Affinity, but even if it did it might be worth a second run. Several years ago I was walking down the driveway when I noticed that an acorn was walking the same direction that I was. It was actually a spider, probably a Marbled Orb-weaver spider. I was able to take a number of photos before releasing her to (hopefully) lay her eggs. It was a rainy day, so reflections were a problem. No matter, she was absolutely gorgeous! (In case anyone is interested: Nikon D700 and Tokina 100 mm macro lens)

The spider is gorgeous, Opus, and so are your photos. They are definitely worth a look. Thanks for sharing.

Panda on Pause

David in New Zealand has recently been to the Adelaide Zoo and he’s sent us some very adorable Giant Panda pictures. David says:

This is Funi, one of the two Giant Pandas we have. They’re on loan from China as part of the breeding programme, but so far, no cubs. Wang Wang (yes, he’s the boy!) was hiding, but Funi seemed quite comfortable sleeping here. I have had days like that, but I didn’t always choose to sleep on the rocks.

Well, that does look like a heavy head to hold up. Thanks David.

Itsy Bitsy Spider (for real)

Wonderful photos and a tongue in cheek title from Nightjar, who says,

Prompted by Charly’s post “Itsy Bitsy Spider (Not)”, here is a really itsy bitsy spider I found on one of my zinnia flowers. Not bigger than a typical ant, I only spotted it because it is totally not camouflaged.

Nope. Definitely not camouflaged, but certainly very, very small. Good eye, Nightjar. Thanks for sharing.(click for full size)

Jack’s Walk

It’s fairly windy today and there are small whitecaps on the ocean so we decided to take Jack swimming in smaller, calmer water. He didn’t seem to mind. As long as he’s wet he’s all Happy Jack.

This is the backside of a place called Corner of the Beach. It’s a popular spot for tent camping, for those in the know. It’s just off the highway and easy to get to, but it isn’t well-marked. There’s seldom more than a few people here at a time and it feels like you’re deep in the wilderness. It’s quiet, except for the sounds of nature and at night there’s very little light pollution and the skies are ablaze with stars.

Friday Feathers

The second bird instalment during the week comes right before the weekend.

Today’s Friday Feathers come from Nightjar who managed to capture barn swallows. The one with the feeding is my absolute favourite. As usually, click for full size.

“Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!”
© Nightjar, all rights reserved

“Was that all????????”
© Nightjar, all rights reserved

Jack’s Walk

Malbaie Salt Marsh

This is part of the Malbaie Salt Marsh which is a federally protected nature conservancy. The marsh is the largest natural lagoon in Quebec and is an important habitat for over 200 species of birds and 25 species of fish. It’s also an important location for migrating birds. This photo was taken at low tide and you can just see the sandbar in the background that separates the marsh from the ocean. At high tide there are gaps in the sandbar which allow the fresh and salt waters to mix.

Jack’s Walk

Jack and I went to a place called Belle Anse today, but we usually call the place Glass Beach because there’s always a lot of seaglass to be found among the stones. The secret to all the seaglass here is that a friend of mine feeds the beach. Every autumn she takes buckets of broken up bottles and coloured glass and tosses them into the surf. It only takes a few days for the sharp edges to round off and by spring all that broken up trash has become treasure. My friend is a stained glass artist and she uses the seaglass to make all sorts of beautiful things. Jack doesn’t care about any of that, though. He just thinks it’s another fine place to frolic in the surf.

Wednesday Wings

Hello and Welcome to Wednesday Wings, one of the new features replacing the Daily Bird. Today’s gorgeous pics are from David in NZ, who writes the following:

This is Manu, he puts on a show for the crowd, flying from one keeper to another, untethered and outside a cage. He did go for a “holiday” for 3 days last year.

Cheers

David

I know that the birds of prey ion our local zoo tend to go on holidays as well, but generally return because hunting is too much work.

A Living Remembrance

Nightjar has sent us photos of a Barberry shrub that she planted in remembrance of Caine. She says:

Here are the photos of the shrub I planted in her memory, it was in such a small pot and badly in need of being planted. The colour red, thorns and berries that attract birds are all things Caine loved, and that’s what made me pick this shrub.

That’s a beautiful way to remember someone, Nightjar. I know Caine would approve. Thanks for sharing.

Jack’s Walk

This is Smuggler’s Cove, one of our favourite beaches. It’s a bit out of the way and the road in isn’t well-marked, but that just means we usually have the place to ourselves. The cliffs here show off the mixed rock that is typical of this area and the colours change as the light moves across the sky. At low tide you can walk along the base of the cliffs and if you’re lucky you’ll find a fossil or an agate. I often also find sea urchins and sand dollars here. It’s one of my best places to beach-comb.

Tree Tuesday

This week rq has sent us gorgeous photos of a majestic oak tree that looks straight out of a fairytale. rq says:

This oak is 800 years old or thereabouts and has earned the title of dižozols, which means ‘Grand/Great Oak’. If a tree adheres to specific criteria regarding trunk diameter and height and other things, it can also aspire to dižkoks status and people can send in submissions to the registry. They get marked on a map as objects of tourist interest, and also go down for preservation measures if anything happens or threatens their surroundings.

This one! Is the second tallest Great Oak in the country at 23m in height, with a trunk circumference of 7.1m or so. It is well and alive, and hosts a large number of birds in its branches, including being permanent home to an owl. It is also hollow inside, home to an unidentified bird, possibly a dove or wood pigeon or some such (see final photo, it’s dim, but there was definitely a bird hissing at me when I peeked in).

I visited at sunset, it sits above a winding creek and overlooks some farmland and marshes.

rq thanks so much. 800 years seems like an impossibly long time for a tree to live, but there it is. This is definitely a tree that I would like to see in person. There are several photos (all of them beautiful) and the rest are below the fold. [Read more…]

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Jack’s Walk

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Roses

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Another not so itsy-bitsy spider

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Panda on Pause

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Itsy Bitsy Spider (for real)

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Jack’s Walk

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Friday Feathers

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Jack’s Walk

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Jack’s Walk

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Wednesday Wings

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A Living Remembrance

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Jack’s Walk

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Tree Tuesday

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