Helicopter & Martin Mars

 I've no motivation to travel. I do like watching the skies, though. From my back deck:

I watched it go by!

 

August 10th

First, N97BP flew from Montreal to Oakville. It's a Bell 429 Global Ranger. 

• Cruise speed: 150 kn (170 mph, 280 km/h)
• Range: 390 nmi (450 mi, 720 km)

From Oakville (maybe a refuel?) it went to Detroit. 

The helicopter can carry 7 passengers. Wiki Photo By Jim Duell from Warsaw, NY, USA - 8-19-11 NEW 2010 MERCY FLIGHT 5 AT WCCH 027, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Wiki Photo By Julian Herzog, CC BY 4.0:

The next day...  August 11th, they flew to Arkansas. It's gotta be a long trip by helicopter!

That's something like 2500m!

🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫🛫

Martin Mars water bomber to be 'centrepiece' in museum exhibit

The Hawaii Mars was one of six prototypes produced by the U.S. navy in the 1940s. This one was based in British Columbia at the end of its life. It was converted to a water bomber. 

The Martin Mars retired! 

Earlier this year, Coulson Aviation, the company that purchased the Hawaii Martin Mars in 2007, announced it is donating the aircraft to the B.C. Aviation Museum, calling it a "grand ending to a great history."

The Hawaii #MartinMars has made it to Greater Victoria! CHEK News video captured around 6:15 p.m. Sunday shows the moments the Hawaii water bomber flies over Patricia Bay in formation with the #Snowbirds. ✈️ @CHEK_News pic.twitter.com/Do1vQq8BJj

— Ethan Morneau (@EthanMorneau) August 12, 2024

Hops Vine, Raptor

Cinnamon and I headed down to the forest on Sunday. After collecting the memory cards, I noticed a broken tree.

I'm wondering if Papa Bear chased Booboo bear up the tree. I think Booboo bear climbed it. You can hear the bullfrogs in the frog pond. 

broken tree trunk from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The katydids are out! Katy was sitting on the Basil, beside the Russian Basil.

🐛 I think these are Eastern Comma caterpillars. 

The Hops Vine has another guest. I noticed them, and each night they'd eat a section and move on as a group.

I was videotaping a helicopter, just for fun. I heard it coming over the treetops. You can see something below it. After the helicopter moved on, the other object came towards me. It was our local hawk, with what looked like a snake in its talons. 

 

 

helicopter from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The helicopter looks like a toy!

Don't ask which kind of raptor, they fly by all the time REALLY, REALLY fast! They seldom land. I have to be lucky and ready. This little one visited us in August, 2023.

The cats are doing their indoor duty. 

Beryl dumped a ton of rain on us. It is hard to fathom, this massive storm rolling up the continent carrying so much rain. More rain today. Floors are washed. Let's see what I can get up to today!

The fliers!

Firstly, Lake Effect Snow is flying!

Snow flying 

Well, we aren't getting much snow here, just a skiff on Tuesday night. However, the Lake Effect Snow squalls in Muskoka resulted in school bus cancellations on Wednesday. Back in January, 2010, when we lived by the lake, you could see the wind picking up the snow. 

Dishes flying

We were happy to relax on Tuesday, after our medical trip the day prior (PART CXI – Bone density scan #8). Tuesday night, reaching for a cereal bowl, I grabbed the top one, but rather than lifting it up and out, I dragged the whole pile towards me, and 3 or 4 fell onto my newly cleaned kitchen floor! I counted, and we still have 4 more left. I'd bought them just after my 1995 divorce. They are blue iris corelle ware. The bowls are fairly generic. We'll pick up a few at the thrift store. 

Just for fun, a helicopter screamed overhead. 

But the other day, it was a military helicopter. They don't tend to show their call signs. The sound is quite specific as it roars overhead.

military helicopter from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

What else is flying?

 

morning doves from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

😼 Cat visitors

Then there are the jumpers. We've a new strange cat visitor. Dec. 11th.

 

strange cat from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

What isn't flying are the cats. Fur might be flying, and we are brushing them frequently. Nutmeg is happy to rest in her turtle pose.

On the ground and in the air!

I am feeling happier these days. Maybe it is the temperature change, or things slowing down in the garden. I accomplished a lot, despite waking up with a really bad bought of bursitis in my hip.  Dr. Ho helped, as did some stretches and some Advil. 

I've been working on old Frosty. He has standing issues! I'm not quite done, as he still needs several more coats of paint. 

I made an apple crisp. This is a treat. 

I split the front of two of Joe's sweatshirts and inserted a zipper, as requested. For some with a persistently sore arm, it makes a difference in dressing. The material was pretty stretchy, but this is a practical solution!

I wrote previously that Monday was garbage day. It was a foggy morning, and a bit creepy! The crows were ready. They like to eat the garbage, ripping it apart. This is why we use a metal can. Fooled you, crows!

Monday morning from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

There are spider webs everywhere. They look lovely and dewy. I always take a camera when I put out garbage. Out early, you never know who or what you will encounter.

The skies were busy in August. I thought things were slowing down.

 

airplanes Aug 20 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Another helicopter zoomed by. I wondered if it was related to the incident in nearby Smiths Falls, where there was an OPP request to shelter in place, but it didn't seem to be an OPP helicopter. "3 people in custody following police investigation in Smiths Falls area" It wasn't on the radar. It was pretty low. 

 

Helicopter Sept. 12, 330 p.m from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Busy days

 To reply to your comment, AC, the cats are on weight control vet food since Cinnamon is chubby, and they are both adult cats. At one point they stopped eating it. We tried a whole bunch of different ones, but couldn't find a brand they liked. This is working out well.  

With older cats, it's best to give them exercise. Sunday afternoon, I thought I'd take him 'walkies,' but he tried three times and couldn't find the courage. I promised I would protect him. Cinnamon and I often go walkies. Just in the past week (Sept.4th) he has been reluctant to go outdoors. We didn't know if he was sick, or had something else wrong. I think he had an encounter with a predator. We've a red fox, bears, coyotes, mink, fishers, skunks, and it could be anything. I tried coaxing him three times, and he ran down the hill, ready to go, and completely whipped around and ran to the house. The poor thing.

Cinnamon walkies from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I headed down to the trailcams to see what I'd find. The forest is peaceful, and so green. For now!

There are lots of rodent holes, as everything is preparing for winter.

We've one pumpkin seed that finally germinated and produced a flower. These are from the ones I had delivered from Millar's Bay Farm for the deer last year. It doesn't have time to set fruit. Oh well! There was another, but I bet something ate it!

 I found a senior out for exercise!

 

Grampa walkies from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Also, a doe. But that was all!

 

doe at The Point from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I was watching the skies, again. 

I was outside, cleaning the goldfish pond pump, refilling the water fountain, weeding, when a helicopter flew over. I'd hoped it wasn't a sad soul headed to hospital. They ended up at the Ottawa Airport, so no worries.

It looked quite pretty, bright red in the white clouds. Sept. 10th, 12:45, looking into the sun, I sneezed!

ornge helicopter from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Happy summer solstice!

🚁It's been a sad week for our armed forces. A CH-147F Chinook helicopter went down near the Garrison Petawawa base during a training exercise. just after midnight. Two soldiers were taken to hospital, but two are missing. There were military members, OPP, and local firefighters looking for survivors. 

They took the two survivors to hospital by air ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

They were worried about pollution in the water, and the town of Petawawa has stopped taking water from the river, while they are taking water from Pembroke. 

It is peony season. I cut some and decided, with the ants on them, I'd keep them on the back deck. The bugs have lessened enough to sit out here. Sadly, we've blackflies, mosquitoes, and now: deerflies. They are early. 

 The durn orchid kept falling over. It has grown over a few years. From Jan., 2020, I repotted it. 

I am doing something right! So many flowers. Basically, I use goldfish tank water to water them, and it sits under a plant light. You can see the burned leaf from last year out on the back deck. Me bad.

My orchid stand arrived.  It is a simple design, but flexible. There are two sets of cross bars, I only used one set. It is brilliant. 

It is back indoors, now. The sun is too much for it. It is much less tipsy! 

The first milkweed plant to bloom. 

The Catalpa tree is in bloom! They just popped. I was out refilling the water fountain and took photos with the iPhone.

Hooray spring!

On the back lawn, the wild strawberries are out! Our local farm is open for picking. I might send JB for another basket! My first rhubarb crisp of the season was great.

We are watching: Striking Out, about Dublin lawyers, after our day is done. I quite like it. 

VIMEO is having issues with their pages. I hope they fix it soon. I've a bear video, as well. I hope this is the goldfinch. Let me know if you can view it. UPDATE: it is still broken, so I removed it. Thanks for letting me know. How disappointing. 

This morning's sunrise.