A Cool Morning in April

There is hope and a kind of beauty in it somewhere, if you look for it. - H.R. Ginger

Here is my world today...

 

The End!

Melting Snow

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.- Vivian Greene

I have not posted many photos from this winter.  I think I could not bear to be optimistic about snow. And ice. And cold. I tried...but I could not do it, I hope you understand.
But as the sun began to make it's appearance this week, I decided to photograph the last clutches of winter.  So, down to the lake I went.
My son was very eager to see the melting ice up close...and yes of course he fell in (and that is why his shoes and socks are off for most of the photos). How is it where you live?  Do you have any signs of winter still?

 Here is our world today...

 

 

 

The End!

Spring Break! (or A Day at the Lake)

So fair, so cold; like a morning of pale spring still clinging to winter's chill. - J.R.R. Tolkien

It is that time of year again. Springtime...oh yes...the smell of the sweet green grass beginning to sprout through the thawing ground...the freshly budding trees...

Just not here in Ontario...

In honour of spring break, my children were excited to host their cousins for a few days.  Their  first determination was to go skating (a very good spring idea, naturally). To the lake they went to clear the foot and half of snow off a small patch of ice on the lake behind our house. The cold did not bother them...the wind did not bother them (however, I came back with frozen, swollen toes, go figure.)
With an afternoon of clearing and clearing....and clearing.  The faithful crew were able to finally  skate...on our frozen lake...in the middle of March.

Here's to our spring afternoon (in Ontario)...

Clearing the snow for our ice rink

no small feat...

my son Ethan

 

Suntanning...

My daughter and her cousins...

My littlest son resting from all the work....

lakeside view...

My nephew...

My daughter...

my niece with her snow umbrella (to block the bright sunshine)...

my niece...

Three hours later...

And finally skating...

Trying to make it back home...over the river, and through the woods...and up the hill...

The end!

Simple things

We were invited over to a friend's house last week.  Her family of 7 lives on a small country farm. They have dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, ducks and goats.  Near their house is a small pond with an island. There is a makeshift bridge joining the tiny island to the mainland.  There is mud and lots of it.
There are paths...
homemade rafts...
and forest fortresses...

There are buckets, pots, shovels, slides, sticks, and visions of childhood everywhere I looked.
In our fast paced lives, sometimes we miss the simple things that make life beautiful. 
I enjoyed our day on the small country farm....
Here is our world today...

The End!