Winter melts into Spring..

Winter is long gone. Our once frozen Lake has melted and instead of skates and sleds, kayaks glide over the water...

Their bright colours spruce up the gray-blue water of the Lake.

Time to go back! Already? But they just got out!
Well, not really, I'd had time to eat breakfast, wash the dishes and take a shower before these hearty kayakers returned to home base.

The air was still cold when I took these pics, so these brave souls must have been freezing out there on the water.

It was nice for me to watch safe and warm in my living room while they took their first run of the season.



"Who's Missing?"

....asks Five-year-old Granddaughter, as we step into the hotel elevator on our way to breakfast.
I was taken aback.

We look at each other. There are six of us. Grandmother, Daughter, Son-in-Law, and three of my grandchildren. "Nobody's missing, Jasmine."
The elevator doors whisk open and we step out into the hallway of our Resort. A huge buffet breakfast is waiting for us and we're hungry.

Another day. Palm trees sway in the gentle breezes and a strong sun warms my winter weary skin. Every morning I rise early and walk the beach. The sand is unbelievably soft and powdery underfoot and I revel in its smoothness as I make my way down to the ocean. Waves lap at the shoreline with a rhythm of their own, and I take pleasure in wading into the shallow, cool waters. Shells crunch under my bare feet, but I don't mind. Looking up, I see a V-formation of brown pelicans flying quite close to the water. Suddenly one of them dives headfirst into the ocean, no doubt to spear a poor unsuspecting fish.

Back at the hotel, the family is waiting for me. I quickly change out of my beach clothes and into a summer dress. We leave together for the breakfast feast. All six of us step into the elevator.
Little Granddaughter turns to look at me, "who's missing?"
Once again, I'm taken aback.
Once again, Daughter and I look at each other, then glance quickly around, although we know everyone is here.
Daughter bends down and looks her daughter right in the eye.
"Nobody's missing sweetie."

A strange feeling comes over me and I shiver a little.
"Could it be Alex? Katie? Lara? Stella?"
Jasmine shakes her head.
Having eliminated her playmates, I try for cousins. "Is it Simon? Ryan? Owen? Adrian?"
"No."
Light is beginning to dawn on me, but I decide to keep quiet.

Weather here in Fort Myers, Florida has been absolutely perfect. Blue skies, warm sun, and no rain at all. We were happy to leave behind our bulky winter coats, hats and boots in exchange for flimsy flip-flops and blissful bathing suits.

The children were delighted to spend each day swimming in the clear waters of the Resort pool, or making sand castles and sand mermaids on the beach. Twice during our trip, we watched a pair of young dolphins swim so close to shore we could almost touch them.

It was a nice change for me to take a vacation with my family, rather than going alone.
It was good for my family to take a break from their work and school routine. Although we'd had a mild winter this year, there seemed to be a lot of viruses going around. Everyone had been sick off and on since before Christmas. It was definitely time for a change of scenery.

All too soon our vacation was over. This was to be our last day. The children were eager to get back home to familiar surroundings. They missed their pets, toys, and friends.
We'd had a wonderful time and were ready to go home. I  think we were all  getting a little weary of restaurant food (with the exception of those sumptuous breakfasts).

The elevator seemed to be slow this morning, but we didn't mind. This was a day to take things slowly, to savour our last moments here in Florida. Finally it arrived. Doors opened with a whoosh and the children surged in - all wanting to "press the button" for the appropriate floor.

Jasmine turned to look at me.
"Who's missing?" she asks yet again.

Mother makes a decision. It's time to get to the bottom of this.
"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy," she replies.

I take the plunge - "is it David?"

"Yes."

Winter sports on the Lake

Is this man walking his dog on the ice?

No, he's actually playing  hockey with his dog. Guess nobody else was available.

Hey Fido! Game's not over yet!

Dashing through the snow....um......ice

Is this a kite stuck in a tree?

 Nope - I think this is called kite surfing on ice. Or wind-surfing on ice.

Oops, where did the surfer go?

Notice the sky changing colours as day time turns into evening?

 

Is that a crescent moon? LOL!

No matter what kind of weather we have: ice, snow, or cold, people always seem to find ways of having fun. That guy was kite surfing until after dark.

Sorry for the bad quality of this pic. I couldn't believe he was still out there after dark and ran to get my camera (which I'd put away). It looks like he's upset that the kite has fallen. Time to call it a day.

Living in a condor

"My Grandma lives in a condor," says Granddaughter importantly to her school friend.

A condor? I had to stop and think for a minute. Isn't that a dinosaur?
I googled "condor" and found out it was a new world vulture.
Hmmmmm....I knew that.

Well inside my condor I have an indoor garden.
Come and see....

Evening - the light is softer, caressing the flowers in my garden

Let's move in a little closer for a better look

I'm always excited to see the first signs of new life...

My orange hibiscus rewards me with a bud. She must love the south facing sunny window

First tiny goldfish bloom. Spring must be around the corner, even though it's freezing outside

Shhhhhh, crocus buds are sleeping.

Ahhhhh, the magic of sunshine

 

 

Hello? Anybody out there?

Nope, the street is empty and so is the lake. Good- bye

Winter in Montreal

What's this rectangle doing on the frozen lake?

Let's take a closer look. Hmmm, could it be ice faeries preparing a dance floor?

Nahh, just some school boys making a hockey rink. 

 

 

Come on buddy, hurry up and tie your skates. It's not much fun playing alone. 

What better way to spend Sunday afternoon than skating on the frozen lake?

Well that was fun. Time to go home.

Just thought I'd snap a pic of this couple out for a chilly stroll on the lake

   Faerie lanterns in the trees? Naw, it's just a reflection of my living room lights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Night.

Duck messages...

This blob in the middle of the frozen lake is a flock of ducks.
 With the zoom feature, they look closer to shore than they really are.

This pic is deceptive, as the water looks as if there are waves rippling the surface. It's really all ice and some white snow on top of each frozen wave.

As I watched, some of those ducks took flight, leaving their neighbours huddled together for warmth.  Did they go off in search of food? Were they just stretching their wings? 

The sun shone brightly through my living room window this morning, giving me some much needed energy and lifting my spirits. Even though Christmas was a joy with my family all around, I find these dark December days difficult to get through. I miss David every day.

With the sense of bliss sunlight always gives me, I decided to get back into my daily tai chi practice. Standing with arms as if circling a tree, my gaze was drawn through the picture window over the lake to the horizon beyond.

And then it stopped at a blob. What is that blob in the middle of the lake? Ahh, it must be the ducks (my ducks). Now that the shore is frozen, my ducks are farther away in their need to find open water.

Had I not been in a tai chi stance, eyes focused on the horizon,  I would have missed them. Perhaps the message for me this morning is to relax and stay focused; or like the eye of the storm, there is a calmness (a blob of ducks) at the center of chaos. I still have unpacking to do, furniture to buy and lots of adjusting to do to this new lifestyle. Some days I feel as if I'm running in circles. I have trouble making decisions and have been to various furniture stores, looking at the same merchandise over and over again, for-seemingly-ever. Eventually, it will all fall into place. Life is like that. 

On another topic, I will need to learn how to take pictures through my window when the sun is shining brightly. As you can see, these pics and the ones from the last post are completely washed out. I did set my camera to "sunny days" and used the edit feature in my camera software, but the result still produces a lack of colour. If anyone has any tips or advice, I would be very happy to hear it. 

Wishing you all Love and Light as the Wheel turns and darkness in this part of the world slowly begins to recede.

Settling In...

A view from my balcony.  Early each morning these ducks swim away from shore towards the middle of the lake.

The trees are bare at this time of year, but it makes for a better view of the water, and the late afternoon sun.

Just to my right, is this view of the shoreline. Too bad those power lines get in the way. but I was standing on the front balcony when I took this.

It is early morning as you can see by the soft pink sky.

Now how did these little monkeys get in this post? Unfortunately, the light was not right for posing on Grandma's windowsill, but I couldn't resist adding these.