Deer and bunny

 Here we go! It's a chilly one, again. Yes, -14℃! 

That said, knowing the importance of outdoor play, I toddled down to the trailcam. I had my booklet with me, as the settings were quite wrong! I had over 800 images. Either it both too quick a trigger, plus a 1-minute delay in the trigger. 

This just makes me laugh! It could have been a great photo.

Indoor play, I redid my sun. 

The amaryllis and paperwhites have been planted. 

The sunset was glorious from the front deck. Now, I could have run down the driveway, except it was pretty cold.  There are days when I wish we had a second floor, or a tower!

This was through the bathroom window, including the screen! And the satellite antenna. Not so bad.

We had Labbit the cottontail visit. They have to be cold and hungry!

   

 We had deer visit, as well. They nibble on dead garden plants.

 

The big news in Ottawa is that the Rideau Canal will be open for skating on Saturday. This is early, even for a 'normal' year. That's how cold it's been. It didn't open long (10 days?) last year. The year before it did not open at all. We've been calling it Waterlude, rather than the February Winterlude Festival. 

Narrows Lock to see the birds! #1

Sat., March 10th's drive: 'twas a whim. The sun was peeking behind the clouds and we expected more snow. JB suggested a drive.

Narrows Lock to Newboro #2
You can see how many lakes and rivers we have. The birds stop on their way north to their nesting grounds. This was my hope.

Other times we've seen trumpeter swans. The water was quite open, and it was cold in the wind. The sun came and went.

The wetlands are slowly thawing. You can see tracks on the frozen snow.
I'm glad I wore my boots!

They've been repairing the locks over the winter. [Narrows Locks] That is finally done. 

The Rideau Canal, of which the locks are a part, were developed as a defense against a potential threat from the Americans (1812). Since then, the locks are a lovely way to travel by boat from Kingston to Ottawa.


There was a lot of action on the water.


Glad I wore my boots!


For that full experience! The sound is glorious!

Narrows Lock Geese from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Narrows Locks

On our way to Newboro (Another adventurous drive), we stopped at Narrows Lock, on Rideau Lake, as we spotted the swans. They are back to refurbishing the locks in the off season (Day trip: March 23rd), we photographed it last year. Our tax dollars at work!

 It's a huge, old, long system, the Rideau Canal, and should be taken care of. It opened in 1832, and is a UNESCO Heritage Site. Good old mechanical engineering! Like all of us, it wears with time. It's a major contract and good employment.



A lovely sight, the swans, Canada geese and ducks.  They know where to be safe. They were off in the distance, just off the point of land. This is with the zoom and cropped!


It's a spot where the lake narrows, and they decided to build a road across. Or they built the locks. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The red pin is on Narrows Lock Rd. Westport is to the west.

We drove across the bridge, then I spotted these in the bay. Hubby parked, and I went back to film them.
Narrows Locks Birds from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Masonry Repairs: Narrows Lock 35 

 In December 2016, Parks Canada began heritage masonry repair work at Narrows Lock 35 located on the Rideau Canal National Historic Site. Work will include stone replacement, grouting and repointing to ensure the continued structural integrity and functionality of the lock. Some of the repairs will occur below the swing bridge, requiring the bridge to be shifted to open position for their completion.

@RideauCanalNHS posted some photos of the inside of the tented workplace.