cold times in cottage country

Yes, double-digit negative C. temperatures, but I am not complaining. The frost on the branches delight me.

 

This is the scene that welcomed me to the new day. By the time cats were fed, the sun still low in its winter solstice, I put on my boots and coat (over jammies) to capture the scene.

 

The day before, after visiting my hospice client, I took the long way home and spotted deer up above me on the hill. 

They watched me as I sat in my car. After a moment, they decided that I wasn't so much of a threat as the snowmobiles over yonder.

A friend, in PEI, tells me he saw snowmobilers acting like idiots. 

"Snowmobilers killed a fox her on the Island. Rounded it up, circled it and then ran over it. Hit and killed a dog too. Too many snowmobilers fueled by alcohol."

It is too bad that a few ignorant, drunk louts give those who snowmobile responsibly a bad name. Most are following trails, refraining from alcohol and doing the speed limit. Many volunteers give up time to train and help others. Unless you are part of the solution - you are part of the problem, however.

Adam Giambrone Withdraws From Mayoral Race With public values and morals being what they are (TTC Chair Adam Giambroni diddling a young woman or two, while living with another, then running for Toronto's mayor's office...) and leaving an electronic trail, they want to get caught.  What was appalling was The Current interviewing Howard Moscoe (retired teacher, politician in Toronto,  friend of Giambroni) who claims that most people have such low morals and participate in cheating on partners. Oh my. He is of that older generation of red-neck politician and male chauvinist, born 1940, 70 years old, of the Old Boys Network of the 'good old days'. I remember female colleagues speaking about these men who went to Toronto for AGMs and my friends had fun, while the men were drinking, and timed the prostitutes coming in and out of the hotel rooms.
I kid you not!

Journalism vs. responsible communication

I think it is time that CBC got back into the business of reporting news, not gossip. On this web post,

Trenton colonel's charges spur cold case review

they have closed comments, and rightly so. This is now a justice system issue. Best left to the professionals.
The CBC has, however, requested those who knew the accused to send in an email. This is disgusting.
Shameful spending our tax dollars on this crap. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

If it bleeds, it leads.
And, apparently, if there is no more blood the media look for it, or look for tears and fears.

Let the professionals do their job.
They are convicting this man, and destroying my faith in CBC.
My apologies to the military, who are apparently being targeted my THE MEDIA, not the public.
The media have gone out of their way to find the one person that took revenge on the military.
Most of us can understand that we are not our bosses.
Most of us understand that there are sick people in this world. They are clever, or they would not get away with criminal activity.

Move on, CBC. You owe it to the family of the victims to stand back, not to create news. You continue to victimize family members and those who know the accused, by exploiting them in the media.

"Two sources, including Williams's neighbour, Larry Jones, told CBC News that police investigated Williams after his tire treads matched the tracks at Lloyd's home. However, Rae would not confirm that Tuesday."

Read more...

The 'man in the street' interviews are not news. Let the justice system do their work. Unlike the cop shows on TV, police work is time consuming and must be thorough. The world is not a CSI lab in which murder is solved in 52 minutes.

Forest flora and fauna

It occurs to me that these 400 lb. + machines are deadly even when operated normally, let alone driving above speed limits. In the hands of an inexperienced sledder they are weapons. As one comment said, "As far as I can see, snowmobiles are but low flying aircraft these days. I mean come on now, who needs over 1000 c.c.'s of power?"
 
There are a large number going off trail and hitting trees. This should tell us something about the reckless speed. You can see where sledders choose the more difficult route, one going around this tree! The top photo is above the hill, the photo below is below taken from below the hill.

Then, there is this shot (below, left) of someone off-trail, in the woods, in the mud. Not only does the machine leave behind chemical and pollution, they are destroying the natural habitat and waterways. The run-off goes directly into the bog nearby.

You can see how bad the trails are, with melt water on the path. 

The critters are active, with mouse tracks and lots of predators seeking food. The mice and moles of summer have the perfect shelter: tunneling under the snow!

I stuck my snowshoe in the photo to be ale to compare the size!



This is Ollie last year, he caught a mouse.

See the tracks? I daren't identify them. Who knows...fox, wolf, dog? I did identify one track, obviously a boot with some yellow snow right where I was walking. No photo...even dogs go off the tracks to find a tree!

This track was cool, as the animals take advantage of the snowmobile track in the deep snow. Lots of tracks on the cold, frozen lake. The wind was really whipping across. In the woods, it was a delightful walk. The sun beamed down.Snow punctuates the forest floor, amplifying the scene with light and shadows.

Walking in the forest - Hardy Lake Park

On a Sunday afternoon...What to do? Can't walk into town, since the sledders have taken over the sidewalk.

Instead, we drove to a lovely local trail: Hardy Lake.

 

The trail is fabulous, with many choices around the lake itself, depending upon your endurance and equipment levels! 

The bonus was: no dogs off leash, and NO sledders. Not that the family with the screaming 3-year old, grumpy preteen, and the dog running about loose payed attention! (No photos out of respect for the guilty.) The first part of the trail, just before the 'you are here' on the map, is a bower of pine needles, with sun warming your bones.

We spotted lots of wee tracks: mice and such. Some snowshoe tracks, although you didn't need them on OUR path, with the foot & dog traffic the path was tamped down.

The path to the SW on the map was quite mushy, you really needed snowshoes or X-country skis for that one. We were not sure how long we could last, there was a chill in the afternoon, with the sun low on its axis, and took a short route. It was delightful.

The trail has a wide range of topgraphy. From open marshes with frozen bulrushes standing like sentinels to a productive summer-

to heavily wooded mixed forests that keep down snow levels and allowed for middle-aged folks to plod around trees, up hills and down through the creeks that drain the land into the lake water.

You can see from my photos how thick our forests. No wonder we've had the incidents that we have had on the trails across the region.

Just a spectacular walk about. We were tired at the end of it!

There was more evidence of the hurricane that ravaged our region last summer. You can see snowshoers across the lake. 

And evidence of large 4-legged creatures that ignore the human tracks, hunting desperately for a meal.

Wonderful tribute to Andy J. Potts

We made it back to the beginning. The memorial to one of our fallen OPP officers sits by the road. Andy J. Potts (1975 - 2005), who died in a collision while on duty, going to a domestic call down highway #169. He and his fellow officer hit a moose in the wee hours of the morning. Such a tragedy. It was a day my mom was to travel to the city for radiation. They took a long detour around since the road was closed.

 To sooth my weary muscles (remember my big walk in the forest on Saturday?), hubby took me out to dinner, with wine and dessert. While this might defeat the purpose of the big 1 1/2 hour walk...well, my hips will never be those of my youth! It was a lovely decadent end to the day and my wine eased my pain! And, yes, the wine is in focus, and the cake is not. What can I say?

Death in scary places

From the OPP news release:

  BELLEVILLE, ON, Feb. 8 /CNW/ - On Sunday, February 7, 2010, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Belleville Police arrested 46-year-old Russell Williams, of Tweed, Ontario for the disappearance and death of 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd who was last seen on January 28, 2010.

As a result of information sharing, bless them all who put these pieces together, the Belleville Police Service and the OPP began reviewing other serious incidents in the vicinity of the City of Belleville. Due to similarities in those incidents, the police investigative team linked this case to other crimes.

The body of Jessica Lloyd (left) was located this morning off Carry Road, The Globe and Mail reports, in the Municipality of Tweed.  [View Belleville/CFB Trenton murders in a larger, interactive map.] 
 
In a horrible tragedy, that mimics some of the mystery novels I read, we hear that the top dog at Trenton's base, Col. Russell Williams, one step away from being a general, has been arrested for several violent acts upon women. I have written previously about the War on Women.

I am so very shocked.
On a family trip between Muskoka and Ottawa, we took a detour along the hughway south from Tweed. A leisurely trip, my camera at hand. I presumed the men and women working were part of a training procedure, as there were many places where we saw SUVs belonging to, as I recall, police.

We drove past several groups of police searching in the ditches as we drove south on highway #37, looking for a lunch spot. It was on Oct. 1st, 2009. The first murder occurred September, 2009.
Marie France Comeau was found murdered in her Brighton residence on November 25, 2009. Comeau was a Corporal with 437 Squadron at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario. Brighton is the southern most pin on the above map. My heart bled for those looking for evidence, as well as the families of who will now be forever identified as victims of violence.

In September of 2009 there were two separate home invasions in the Tweed area, in which two women were the victims of sexual assault.

Williams came to the attention of the police as a result of information gathered during a road side canvass on Highway 37 on the night of February 4,  2010. On Sunday, February 7, 2010 Williams was arrested in Ottawa.  As a result of the intense joint police investigation, Williams is
charged with:
 1. 1st degree murder of Jessica Lloyd,
2. 1st degree murder of Marie Comeau
3. 2 counts of forcible confinement and
4. 2 counts of Break and enter and sexual assault
My sympathies and condolences to the families. My deepest appreciation to those who were instrumental in recovering the victims' bodies, and giving families closure.

At a crossroads

 

We went for a drive on a busy Saturday afternoon.


The drive was lovely, except for concerns about sledders. They are everywhere!
On the bridges... on the roads, popping up over snow drifts.


Happily, we were not in a hurry.

Did you know that they have signals, just like bikers?

We spotted one sled hidden by a snowbank, they were moving carefully across the bridge.


We haven't been up to Rosseau for awhile. Former Bala residents, chefs Richard and Julie, took over one of our favourite restaurants: Crossroads.

Savour Muskoka - Culinary Experiences

Crossroads Pub and Grill. Richard Lalonde has become owner and executive chef. We've been before: We're at the Crossroads

The sledders filled the place this visit, having a grand time, boosting the economy by purchasing gas, too.

They all line up in the parking lot!

Apparently the trail was 'brutal', they told us.
It must be hard on your body.

Safe Riders Program:

The OFSC wants you to Take It Easy

 what you should know (the law), safety tips. and Code of Ethics. and to return home safely. Please take the time to review

Sad news from PEI...

Action taken to restrict speed of snowmobiles: Dog’s death prompts plan to have signs put up


KENSINGTON – Snowmobilers travelling through Kensington along the Confederation Trail will soon have a visual reminder to take things slower.

The P.E.I. Snowmobile Association says it will post 50-km/h speed limit signs along a portion of the trail after a family dog, a golden retriever, was struck and killed by a snowmobiler Wednesday evening (Feb. 3, 2010).