Apple Picking

We enjoyed a gorgeous sunny afternoon with Grammy apple picking. The farm, one my sister and I both worked at during many of our high school years, has become very commercial and pricey. Despite that, we had a great afternoon gathering 30 lbs of yummy eating and baking apples, riding the wagon and checking out the animals they have on site. Tucked in our bag for a treat at home is a kit for caramel apples - thanks Grammy!

Beaches

Ah beach days.

A friend (thanks Angee) let us in on a beautiful beach. You walk in off a dirt road and come out at a gorgeous sandy beach with clear clear water. The red pine tower over you. It turns out a portion of it was made into a conservation area in memory of some nature loving folks. We have plans to return lots in the next few weeks.

Cause we are fun-guys

The day of the wolf howl we also attended a guided walk on mushrooms and fungus. A topic that we really don't know a lot about, even though we have lots on tables, a wooded area full of it and I am constantly emptying pockets with it in during laundry. It was a fabulous hike in a truly beautiful lush part of the forest, with lots of great information shared.

As I write the post though , I am aware of how little my brain retains these days. I did remember this, which I think my fellow nature loving mama's could make use of . It is alright to pick mushrooms. The important part is not the part above ground that we see, but the part growing below the surface that we can't see that should stay undisturbed by us. That wasn't it though. You know the large hard fungus that grows off the tree like a fan. We have numerous pieces as part of our nature table. Apparently it harbours beetle larva, when it comes inside they can hatch and eat away at your wood furniture thinking it is a tree. So if you collect some, bring it home but FIRST but it in a ziploc and then in the deep freeze for a few days. Then take it out of the bag and put it in the oven on low heat for awhile. This will kill any friends hanging out.

Those same flat fungus (the guide is holding up one) are perennial. Each year they grow another layer. Like tree rings you can count the layers seen on the spot where it attaches to the tree, a layer for each year. Cool.

We learnt lots of different names of different fungus, many of which I can't remember. We did pick up the park's guide on mushrooms which looks good. He did recommend two field guides, he does suggest always using two guides to cross reference because fungus can change so much as it grows. The first was the Lone Pine guide which apparently has fabulous photos but the descriptions are lacking. The second was the Audubon Society Guide which has excellent descriptions but the photos are in a different section requiring you to flip back and forth.

We came aware even more inspired to learn more, perhaps remembering a few more names. Our counter is currently set up to capture the spores of mushrooms for prints. We will let you know how it goes.

Gulp

All that summer growing happening has meant we needed to go shoe shopping. My eldest now takes a size 10. Men's 10.

Big Gulp.

Thank you September

Days stretched with glorious sunshine. Cool nights, a slight breeze coming through the open window at night for a beautiful sleep. Empty beaches, parks and trails. Yellows, oranges, reds and greens all around.

This is why you are my favorite.

Books and Dolls: some of the things my little girl is made of

Trying to think of a gift you are excited to make, give and will be received with enthusiasm can sometimes be tricky. Not for our little girl. It was so much fun to be busy sewing all week (lots of late nights) for her two special dolls. Two very different dollies, a Waldorf doll with purple hair and a Canadian Girl with very fine and defined features. But for sewing needs, their bodies are very similar, making my task even easier.

I made each of them a skirt to match one I made Aria earlier in the summer. They needed a birthday crown for their own birthdays and for attending the birthday festivities. For each of them a set of pj's, a fancy party dress, two skirts, a top, a jacket and a sundress.

Dadda made a whole stack of books for her to fill. Classic books, tiny ones, accordion style, flip books, scrolls, with a new set of markers for creating.

She loved them all. She cherishes that we made them for her.

Magic Happening

Aria awoke on this, her seventh birthday to find a trail of glass jewels to follow. They lead to a scroll inviting her to the woods for a magical surprise. In the woods there was a rope winding around and through the trees for a quite a way. At the end there was a fairy house with a fairy and a sweet dream pillow especially for her.

Birthdays are magical things.

Howling...but not at the Moon

The chances of seeing a wolf in the wild is an extremely difficult thing to do, even if you are a researcher. The closest people usually get is finding some tracks or scat left behind. We got one step closer the other night, attending the Algonquin Park wolf howl. What an incredible event to be a part of. This was technically the second wolf howl we attended, we made an attempt to hear them at the park's first gathering in August but it was rained out. It was on our 'list' to do before they ended and we managed to get there for their last one of the year.

The evening begins with an introduction to wolves, discussing the park's relationship with this animal, what research at the park has taught us and the logistics of the actual howling event.

This event happens in August only for very specific reasons. This is the time that the pups have grown so much that they no longer physically fit into the dens that were keeping them safe from danger. The parents are still feeding them (by regurgitating food) and need to hunt while the pups are in a relatively safe place. This place of safetly is the rendezvous place; a field or dry spruce bog, which provides the pups with cover of low lying full plants and bushes. The wolf pack (which consists of mama, papa and their cubs, sometimes a few litters from different years) stays in this meeting place for a few days. The organizers head out to a few areas matching this description and howl hoping to elicite a response. Once they have had a pack howl back, there is a good chance this pack will be in the same place for the next few days making it highly possible to hold a 'successful' wolf howl at the same place.

A few of the other interesting things we learned during the intro portion of the evening:

*the main three foods wolves eat in this area are deer, moose and beaver

*in the early 1900's Algonquin Park considered wolves a nuisance because they were eating the deer, the same deer that Algonquin had become famous for being hand fed. The parks conservation duty was to protect animals, all except the wolf which they paid a bounty to be killed.

*wolves behaviour has nothing to do with the moon (although the wolf howl was on a full moon which we thought was pretty cool)

*lone wolves will howl to connect with their mate, packs howl to send territorial messages

*a pack will push out sick or injured young, abandoning them. up to 50% of the pups can die in their first year of life

*a healthy deer can easily out run a wolf, however a wolf can out run a sick or old deer which naturally takes care of the deer population

*2-6 pups are born in a litter every year

*a wolf's sense of smell is 100x's greater than a human

*a wolf mates for life, only when the mate dies do they look for another mate

After the talk the guides coordinate everyone to a new location (which of course is always different depending on where the wolves are) by car. This really is incredible on it's own. The first night we went there was 500 cars and 2000 people. This second time there were 200 cars. They drive everyone out in convoy, close down the highway or road down and when everyone is outside of their car (in the pitch black) quietly waiting the howling begins. There are two men who are the expert callers. The routine is the first caller gives a lone wolf howl, three consecutive times with a pause in between until a wolf or pack responds. If there is no response then the two men together mimic a wolf pack howl, again three times until there is a response.

This particular evening they did a single call and the wolf pack responded in full choir like glory!

It was incredible, you could hear the high piercing sound of the adult wolves and the barks of the pups. It was so clear and loud. It sounded like they were just behind the trees. We all stood there with our jaws dropped in awe of how incredible it was we were listening to wolves.

So my visiting friends, next year in August plan on coming for a Thursday night because it is soooo worth it.

cool resource

Another Adventure Bag Addition

We have chatted up a homemade fishing rod to a few friends. This is fishing rod the boys learned how to make at Boy Scouts, made from recycled material and can be put together in about 20 mins. The kids have full fishing rods, tackle boxes, and bait galore, but this little fishing rod is the perfect addition to their adventure bags. It is small, easy to use, perfect for off the side of the dock or along the water's edge.

First you need a plastic bottle. One with a wider mouth such as Gatorade. (not something we normally have around- but the kids were delighted to share a drink)

Take the lid off. Saw the bottle in half, about four-six inches down from the top. It is very easy to saw and it's something my guys love to do. You could also cut the plastic if that is preferred.

You are going to use the top of the bottle for your rod. The edges of the plastic are quite sharp and jagged. Use a piece of sandpaper to rub the edges until they are smooth. This takes a few minutes but it does a great job.

In between the mouth part of the bottle and where the bottle begins to widen is the neck. It is here that you will drill two holes about an inch apart. I was skeptical, imagining the plastic to buckle under the pressure of the drill. But it worked just great. Next you will thread a piece of fishing line through the two holes and tie a knot. This will keep the line attached.

Measure and cut off five arm lengths (that is what I am told) of fishing line. Thread it through the two holes and wrap it around the neck of the bottle. On the end of the line you are going to attach a link. It has a loop on both ends. Tie the line to one end, on the other you will attach a clip. Then the hook attaches to this clip. The last thing to attach is a weight. This small ball has a slit into which you slip the line into and pinch closed. Sometimes they tie a bobber on. Sometimes they don't. These are all things you can get at a fishing store or the fishing section of Canadian Tire for less than a few dollars.

I made little drawstring bags for them to put their rods in so that they don't unravel in their bags. To date they have caught rock bass, sunfish, and perch. They use corn if we are prepared or bits of snack if we aren't and sometimes nothing at all.

Happy Fishing

The Secret Ingredient

Perhaps it is the abundance of fresh fruit and veg we gorge on. Maybe it is all the glorious fresh air and sunshine. Those sun kissed cheeks and the lighter hair?

It is the same every year, September comes and I look at their sweet faces and realize they have grown so much.

Family Shots....take 10!

My family have been saying for years now that we should get a family photo taken. Plans get made and postponed. It dawned on me when they were visiting that I could use the self timer on my camera and take that elusive photo. Without getting anyone changed, faces unwashed, hair untidy, I got everyone to agree to a spur of the moment photo shoot.

It was a hilarious process. The smoke from the fire kept getting in the way, the kids kept moving, people were shuffling. In the end we got some nice photos (the bottom one is my favorite). Definitely not studio quality, but it definitely shows ''us". And the memory was worth it.

A Fair Trade

Before we headed to the science centre I noticed on their web site that you can bring nature treasures to trade. You are awarded points for the treasures you bring based on how unique it is and how much you know about it. We took with us a chestnut, two shells, some quartz and a river rock. The kids took them up to the interpreter, shared what they knew about their items (with gusto!) and were award 900 points in total. They opted to split it evenly into three, giving them 300 points each. They could then go into the nature section which is part of the centre, and pick items that were worth or totalled their point value. There were items that ranged from 5 points (pine cones, pebbles, broken shells) to 5000 points (whole snake skin, dead and dried millipedes, huge shells, rare minerals). The kids were in a tizzy, bouncing from one drawer to another. It was a really tough choice to narrow it down. They came home with new items for their collections that they treasured; a piece of garnet, three different types of shells, a piece of ocean crayfish, fossilized leaf, horn fossil, a large insect fossil (cant remember its name) fossilized comb coral, dried coral, and a new piece of quartz.

"Wow Mama, that was way better than any gift shop!"

Science North

With rain in the forecast we decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Science North in Sudbury. We had been years ago, with everyone remembering very little other than we had enjoyed it. That didn't change. We had a fabulous time, often running in different directions, following what caught our eye and our interests.

The top floor was every one's favorite. A room filled with Duplo Lego blocks of all styles, on tables, the wall, a pit, bins. In another section was K'nex, you could choose to free build a pulley/battery operating car and then race it on the track. The three older kids attended a Lego Mindstorm robotics workshop (needless to say this is now an even more highly desired item!). There were workshops, information sessions and demonstrations throughout the day. We were really impressed with the interpreters, they were knowledgeable and very friendly. We noticed that most of them were volunteers in their teens or early twenties. What a great opportunity that would be.

The other highlights was the butterfly room (where Shai let a Blue Morpho out accidentally oops), the nature display, the porcupine, the human body tests, an erosion table, a deep sea exhibit and a 3 d movie about Jurassic sea giants.