SPLITTING LOGS

Today we are busy with "Fall Chores". Mary is clearing the garden beds, I'm busy splitting logs.

I use the skid-steer to bring the logs over to the splitter, then lift them on to the bed of the splitter and get to work.

A few passes and the log is soon in pieces small enough to burn in our wood stove.

We will leave it to dry for 12 months and by the winter of 2020 it will be ready to burn.

It's a perfect fall day, cool and crisp just right for working outside.

Next job will be tilting the solar panels down to take advantage of the lower sun trajectory in the winter.

Time for lunch then back to work.

Thanks for stopping by and safe travels everyone.

PORCUPINE VISIT

Had a prickly visitor this morning, fortunately he just kept ambling through without a problem.

The back end looks all business, NASTY BUSINESS!!

He kept an eye on us; we kept an eye on him, from a safe distance. This is when you bring your dog inside and let the dog watch from the window.

We always enjoy seeing nature up close, .................. but not too close.

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.

SOFT WATER

Yesterday, Glenn was here installing a water softener system. Our hard water causes problems with our in-floor heating system and this should solve the problem

The water coming in from our well now goes through a sediment filter before entering the water softener, This filter we expect to change every 6 months as our water seems very clean to the naked eye.

Next step is the actual water softener housed in these two black tanks. The system is able to monitor itself without any electrical draw from our batteries and clean itself without any work on my part. This is the perfect system for our needs in an off grid house.

As always, Glenn's work was neat, clean and done to perfection. Thanks Glenn, so happy to have soft water.

Safe travels everyone and thanks for stopping by.

FOUNDATIONS

There are many abandoned mining sites around Bancroft where one can find only foundations where building once stood.

One such site is Bessemer the site of an abandoned iron mine. At one time the village housed several hundred people who worked in the mine. There was a store, school, houses and a baseball field.

This is the foundation of the Bessemer Hotel, a building that never got past this stage in construction. The mine closed before the hotel could be completed and once mining stopped the village soon disappeared.

It is always amazing to stand among the ruins and wonder about life back then when so many folks lived and worked here, a place that today is silent and home only to trees.

Safe travels everyone and thanks for stopping by.

ALGONQUIN PARK

We spent this week up in Algonquin Park with friends. As usual we had several campers come over and ask about our camper which is a converted cargo trailer.

Marg and Roger arrived late on Tuesday and we enjoyed a campfire together that evening.

Next morning we had coffee around the campfire deciding what to do for the day. That became the pattern for the week. It was very relaxing without any schedule or time commitments.

Later we meandered over to the store. Roger's company had built the addition many years ago and I wanted a picture of him in front of his work.

Most of our time was spent around the fire-pit sharing stories. Mary is obviously explaining something "large" to Marg.

We did enjoy many shared meals and you can see that we were able to camp beside each other which made meals so much easier. Looks like Roger is checking out the dessert.

After so much delicious food we did get some walking in every day. The campground is large and it is always interesting to walk around seeing everyone's setup and chatting with folks. There were a lot of Germans in rental RVs there to enjoy the fall colours.

They were not disappointed as the colours are just reaching the peak viewing week.

If you are planning to head north to see the colours I think next week they will be at their best in Algonquin.

Thanks Marg and Roger for a wonderful time together. Hope we can do it again next year.

Safe travels everyone and thanks for stopping by.

BLACKBERRIES

Today we went looking for blackberries with Linda and Durl. It's impossible to tell from this picture just how rutted and rough the old logging road was. Durl did a good job of keeping all four wheels firmly connected to the ground ................ most of the time.

We even stopped and hiked some trails but no berries could be find.

Our last stop was an old mining site and there they were these tiny illusive berries hanging on prickly branches just waiting for us to arrive. Picking must be done carefully as every branch is totally covered by thorns. It's wise to wear an old ragged shirt as your skin and garments will be pierced often as you reach for every berry. It's a lesson in dexterity.

Mary seemed immune to the spikes and was actually delighted to be out in the wilds harvesting what grows naturally just a short bumpy ride from our door.

No blood visible as she moved quickly to fill her bucket. Said it reminded her of picking berries as a little girl on Mr. Bird's farm.

We came home with a total of  4.7 pounds of berries thanks to Linda and Durl's very kind contribution.

Tomorrow we head further north for a few days in Algonquin Park. Not sure if I will be able to get an internet signal there.

CORN-ROAST

Getting together for a corn-roast is popular this time of year. Last night we joined 60 other friends from church to enjoy sweet corn-on- the-cob at Jerry and Betty's place. It was a wonderful time together.

Some folks arrived early and they soon had

10 dozen cobs ready for the cookers.

There's something special about a campfire and enjoying fellowship in the circle. Fortunately the rain held off until we were packing up.

Sweaters and warm jackets were needed but everyone enjoyed the fire and the kids enjoyed the "S'mores".

Before we ate we moved inside for some entertainment lead by Durl and Barb.

Lots of food for everyone.

Mary was busy keeping the pot full and hot corn on the table.

Thanks everyone for a great evening.

CECROPIA MOTH

Mary went down to pick Elderberries yesterday and discovered this guy busy enjoying lunch.

This is the Cecropia Moth in its mature larvae stage. It will soon spin an overwintering cocoon attached to a twig of the Elderberry plant. Another sign that winter is coming.

It will emerge next year, sometime in May to July as an adult month with a wingspan of over six inches. It would be wonderful to see that happen in the spring.

Yes, Mary did pick the last of the Elderberries. We managed to get 4.27 lbs of berries from our few plants. Each year our production should increase as the mature plants send out new runners and more plants fill the area.

WINTER IS COMING

Although I would prefer not to deal with it; winter is coming. This week we had a heavy frost, enough that I had to scrape the truck window in the morning.

It's time to bring as much wood up to the porch as we can. We use about one skid (background top picture) a month and I usually can store a five month supply on the porch.

My supply is mostly birch as we had a lot of dead birch last winter. This winter I will try and thin out our bush by removing some large maple trees we've already identified.

Safe travels everyone and thanks for stopping by.

EARLY CELEBRATION

Kate officially turns 3 this Saturday but we celebrated early on our way home from London.

Sherri (Kate's Mom) made ice-cream cone birthday cake and it was delicious and just the right size for a three year old. Here Kate blows them out as Mommy holds them.

The face of success. Doesn't take much to make little ones happy.

Big brother waiting patiently for his ice-cream cone cake.

Looks like Kate could devour the whole cone in one bite.

I think she was busy licking rather than eating.

Thanks Mom for a wonderful party! You are the best.