This farmer had an interesting solution for climbing a fence.

Mat's survivor pose. The Tribal Counsel is now in session!


Nature is not always beautiful, but you must agree it is interesting, Mat took this photo of a snake eating a toad. I was busy running down the path.






Last Friday was my day with Mat. Now that he lives so far away I always like to have one day that is just ours, we sometimes do nothing but sit around and talk, and other times we share what is special in our lives with each other. So it seemed fitting that on this day I take Mat on a hike. Feeling venturous we chose a level 4 (Millennium Trail) trail in Goderich.

At the very onset of the hike it was easy to see why it was rated level 4, the paths were narrow and ran steeply up hill then down hill. Though it was a workout it was a nice change from the less challenging hikes. Unfortunately a few minutes into the hike we came upon a washed out bridge and had no choice but to turn around and find new hiking ground. We decided that we would do another part of the same trail, though this part was rated a level 3. It turned out to still be a challenge.

It was a great day, we both got to play with our cameras, enjoy the beautiful weather and best of all laugh and share memories, while we caught up on each others journey through life.

In order to find one's self you must be willing to try new experiences, even if they don't seem appealing at the time.

A couple weeks ago the weather threaten to turn nice after it had rained most of the night, so we headed for the Naftel Trail. But as we travelled north it was becoming apparent that the weather in this region had not improved much from the evening before. It was quite foggy and drizzled off and on. Normally I would have been willing to call it a cold miserable day and head for dryer ground, but not this day, something inside of me kept pushing to forge ahead with the hike.

Early into the hike we were soaked from the intermittent light and heavy rain, and it was cold. The odd part was I was having a great time. Odd because I have always dreaded getting caught in the rain, and especially hate rain and cold mixed together. But on this day there was such a sense of stillness with the soothing sound of rain falling on the freshly bloomed trees.

As for the Naftel Trail, though it was not very challenging, it did provide and array of texture from both forest and plant life, as well as a beautiful stream. On a dryer day there probably would be a variety of birds as we could hear them, but with the rain they were out of sight. There were signs of deer as you could see their ruts engraved in the long grass. This would definitely be a beautiful trail to walk both in the fall and winter months.

Sometimes what your looking for is right out your front door.

About six weeks ago I was heading out early one morning and saw a snail inching across my sidewalk. I was amazed at the speed this little creature could generate to cross over the sidewalk in search of safer ground; the garden. Unfortunately I was in a hurry and had no time to go back for the camera, this would be an image I would have to keep to myself.

But as luck has it, I was heading home from work a couple a weeks ago and Iggy the snail was again traveling across my sidewalk, on his way to the weedy garden. And as tale has it, there are such things as snail trails, just check the pictures above.

My well anticipated Sunday had finally arrived. I had pictured it for the last 5 days, up early, packed and out the door by 10:00am; destination unknown. But who was I kidding, I must have been dreaming, because it was more of the typical Sunday, many false starts and then finally on my way.

It was 1:30pm, the van was bulging with an array of baby necessities, the fam minus a sick husband, cameras and more important the chatter of excitement. We had decided that today we would head to Alvinston to visit the A.W. Campbell Conservation Area and hike some of their 8km's of trail. Little did we know that you can't always trust the internet; which earlier in the morning had our full attention as it boasted about a mix of forestry, wildlife, beautiful creek, high lands and low lands. Maybe this was all true and as they say "beauty in the eye of the beholder". But we soon reliazed that none of us were "beholding beauty", when we discovered the best part of this conservation area was the cleanliness of the washrooms. It was time to cut our losses and move on.

Destination : Rock Glenn

A perfect choice. Rock Glenn never disappoints, whether warm and sunny as was the case or dull and cold, there is a beauty that no words can describe. Each time I visit I find I am filled with perfect wonderful senses that I don't even know how to express. It is definetly one of my "seven wonders".

I love this picture! Gavin in Maitland Woods.

Maitland Woods - Addie's first hike.

Ahhh! Spring has finally sprung.

For me to be up early (before 11:00am) and dressed on a Saturday is usually unheard of. I have a motto that most in my immediate circle understand all to well; "Wake me and die". Hence most Saturday mornings Mike wakes and dresses in the dark exiting the bedroom ever so quietly. But not last Saturday, the unthinkable happened, I woke before him. Like the excitement a child feels on Christmas morning, I had anticipated a beautiful warm sunny day for most of the prior week, and I was not disappointed in the least. I knew exactly where I was headed for. With my hiking guide and a little input from Mike and Bree we narrowed the spot to Maitland Woods. A 4.3 km trail, part of the Maitland Trail System.

Today would be the first time we introduced Addie to a little nature, she being a little more tempermental than Gavin at this age, I was not sure how she would handle the great outdoors. But to everyones amazement she sensed how relaxing the experience was and fell fast asleep in her stroller only waking at the end of the hike for lunch.

We set out on the trail with anticipation of the wildlife promised by the brochure, streams and wetlands. As for wildlife it remained pretty well hidden, we could hear the birds but on the 2 hour trek only managed to spot a hawk in the air and 3 Candian gesse in a pond. As for the wetlands, they were mostly just muddy patches which surprised me at the lack of water at this time of the season. The trees, of course, have not yet bloomed, plants not rejuvenated, but the overall beauty of the woodlands were still very much present. It was the smell that left the biggest impression on me. The fresh scent of pine fragranted the warm breeze throughout the whole walk.

With the hike over, we headed to Goderich, another favorite spot of mine. As a kid we would camp in the park above the beach every summer. It provided us with all the passions in our lives, we could camp, spend the day at the beach, as well as run up and down the dock watching the freighters. In the evening we always headed to town, which was just up the block. The centre of town was one large circle, and we generally hit all our favorite spots before going back to camp for the evening fire.

Many years later my parents would pass these warm memories on to Bree and Mat, though camping was no longer permitted in the park, they could still enjoy all the other amenities that Goderich has to offer. With this in mind, I thought it would be great to have a barbeque on the beach and maybe I will be able to pass the love of this town on to my grandchildren.

All in all it was a wonderful day, a hike, time spent in Goderich, great weather, the beach and the best part; sharing it all with those I love.