Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts

Friday, May 20, 2022

Sisters

I am completely enamored of our most recent additions to the family. They definitely keep me on my toes, especially Kiki, who comes to me chirping and squeaking (these are not meow-ing cats) like she needs something but she does not want anything. Not food, water, a litterbox cleaning, playing nor petting. Just wants my attention.

They came to us very skittish, to be expected. Especially Ficker, who spent her first week with us in the wall. She did come out to eat and use the litterbox, after everyone had gone to bed. As they become more comfortable some real personalities are starting to shine through.  I don't know how much is becoming more comfortable with our family and how much is that they are now the only two cats in the house - they were fostered from earliest kitten-hood by a family that already had three adult cats.

Kiki is much slimmer than Flicker, and she's always on the move. I think she actually eats more. Flicker definitely prefers to "preserve her energy."

Today's cute-ness: they were intermixed on the office chair we have been meaning to trash, grooming each other, and then on a dime started fighting. One cat got pushed off the chair. Just like human siblings!

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Catching up

 Since the last post, way back in January ... 

  • We've skied. Literally every weekend since January 8 at least one member of the family skied for at least one day. Terry ended up going for the 10 weeks of lessons, and when that ended I started the 4 week spring ski lesson course. Sadly, tomorrow is my last lesson and given how melt-y everything is getting, likely our last time on the slopes until next season. I know most slopes have been closed a month already, but it is a little sad to us. I guess we go back to hiking.
  • We have two new additions to the household: Nikita and Flicker (née Harlow, but nobody liked that name and Flicker suits her). We had been talking about getting cats since before we went to Germany and it was beyond time.
  • Alex is prepping for high school. In Canada high school starts in 10th grade. She applied to, and was accepted at, a charter school that we expect will give her the support and challenge that has been missing in middle school.
  • Terry's been prepping for gardening season. We have a bunch of little baby plants under lights waiting for the right time. Which, in Canada, is way past Mother's Day (normal planting time in PA).
  • I had a short work trip to Dushanbe, Tajikistan!  For three days! 

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Gratitude 21-24

 #21.  In a very generalistic, vague picture of reality, I'll explain that most of my days are spent trying to teach, coach and convince colleagues that disability rights is an important topic in foreign policy, and that physical and communications accessibility is worth the effort and possible inconvenience.  That often takes form as reviewing and editing speeches that senior diplomats will make to large crowds and to intimate gatherings.  I am grateful and even joyous every time I open a document to review and either the points I would have added are already in the original remarks, or that some other ally has already added them.  Over the last two years I have seen tangible progress and I am so grateful to be in this position, doing this work.

#22.  I am thankful that we were able to score the last, frozen, free range turkey from the butcher we frequent; local Thanksgiving was 6 weeks ago and Christmas turkeys aren't full size yet.

#23.  I am so grateful that Zoltan fits so well into his new school. He's thriving. And even more grateful he gets to stay.

#24. I am grateful to Terry for building me two bird feeders during the first COVID summer, one I can see from my desk and one in the back yard. It is such a delight to lift my eyes from the computer screen and watch the chickadees grab a bunch of seed and move through the pine tree bough, caching it (for the magpies later to steal. Circle of life.The feeder is too small for them to perch so that is also entertainment when they try.)

Friday, July 16, 2021

The birdfeeder

Amazing Terry made a bird feeder from old pallet wood scraps and the plastic siding of Costco cashews.  It hangs from a tree in the front yard and my view of it sits perfectly between the two monitors on my desk.  This morning, a poor squirrel - beautifully acrobatic but sadly unknowing that the feeder is empty - has been trying to get to it.  The first attempt I only caught out of the corner of my eye as the creature went flinging back to the earth. For the she second attempt I watched it ready itself from the steps, spring into action, and cling for a few pregnant seconds onto the wooden roof/top before falling back.

I desperately wish I had caught that on video.  It seems to  have moved on now.

I take that back.  Squirrel just tried again. And apparently managed to knock a few grains off, as it has been nibbling in the ground under the feeder these last few minutes. Wandered off again. Will it return?

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Prairie Mountain

 


As said before, the family vetoes hikes with an incline. So, a little nervous about the possibility of bears, I clutched by bear spray tightly and embarked on one of the most popular hikes in the area: Prairie Mountain. I can see why folks love it - it is only an hour outside of Calgary and 7km round trip. It also covers 700m of elevation, or nearly 2300 feet, of elevation in that time. It is not for the faint of heart.

I tried my best to take many beautiful photos and they all look fake. They also don't nearly capture the view. This happens when all you have is a crappy phone camera because your husband, who wields the fancy (and heavy!) camera, decides not to join.

The summit has a perfect 360 view of mountains and the valley. For some reason my cell phone battery was dying quickly today so I didn't linger at the top past eating lunch. The parking lot for the hike is at the Elbow River so I did pop over there to dip my feet before driving home. Just a bit down the road, I saw a ton of cars pulled over on both sides and assumed there was some hiking trail with an insufficient parking lot. The camper in front of me was trying to maneuver because some of the cars hadn't pulled over all the way. Then I looked to my left and saw this handsome fellow. I pulled over (all the way) and took a couple of quick shots before heading on my merry way home.

Moose and mountains, is there a better way to spend a day?

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Last camping trip 2020: Jasper (part 3)

 

On our last morning I woke earlier than anyone else and couldn't sleep. But it was of course in the 40s and that doesn't work for me. So I did something for the very first time - built the campfire! I don't care that the kids learned how to build a fire during their survival camp and the oldest is 12. I had never built the fire myself before and I am super proud of how it turned out. Another fancy thing we tried this time was making pancakes. We had the wets mixed in a jar in the cooler, and the dries in a larger jar with the other nonperishables. We figured we could just pour the one into the other, shake it up, and voila! It actually did turn out pretty much like that. Our homemade blueberry syrup on top and hot beverages for everyone ... it was a great start to the day.

For our return trip we planned to take a number of short stops - essentially just stepping away from the car park, snap some photos and get back in the car.

Stop 1: Athabasca Falls. There is a relatively short hike into a canyon and by "potholes" created by the rushing water. We did not take the hike. We mostly wandered from viewpoint to viewpoint, and were rewarded with a rainbow produced from the mist of the falls. The falls are reported to freeze in the winter, so I see a second visit in our future!

Stop 2: Sunwapta Falls. I can't remember what made these falls seem particularly spectacular in my research. They were nice but when you're made checking out all the local waterfalls a priority, you start to get a bit jaded. I believe these were the falls where people made their way to the rocky edge just by the waterfalls for their photo ops, and I did mutter to Terry "And this is when we get to see someone go over the falls. I can't watch."

Stop 3: Athabasca Glacier. There was a lot of uncertainty, given the information we could find online, about whether we could actually get anywhere near the glacier without buying the Columbia Icefields package where they bus you over and you walk on the glacier. (when driving away, we saw the private drive for the tour). It was a bit of a hike to get to the point where the path to the glacier is roped off - and between the rope and the glacier was a summertime river so really we were never getting anywhere near the thing. We could still photograph it of course, and make plans to allow time for the tour next trip. The other interesting although disheartening thing is that starting from where you'd turn off the road (2.2 km from the parking lot) and the entire drive-then-walk to the general glacier vicinity, are signs proclaiming where the glacier was in the past. It would have met the turnoff in 1935, and the ropes are where it was in 2014. That's a lot of melt for one (admittedly long) lifetime!


 

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Last camping trip 2020: Jasper (part 2)

 

The next morning was not as chilly as I'd expected, or perhaps I am getting used to nearly-freezing sleeping temps.  We had decided on a lazy morning, and Terry put the new dual-burner camp stove to good use with eggs and bacon sandwiches on bagels, as well as coffee, tea and hot cocoa. We prepped sandwiches, apples and granola bars (homemade - Zoltan got the recipe from the kayak guide featured in our last vacation) for the bike ride. Wapiti campground has a bike path leading directly out of the site and up to town or to a series of lakes. As none of us are particularly energetic or skilled bicyclists we really had no particular idea of how far we would get. It also turned out my new bike has a different valve than the other bikes so Terry was not able to add air to my tires. I really felt it on the ride. 

The path winds through woods and spends part of its time just off the road. Alex noticed an elk in the woods down a bit of a ravine from the bike path, so we stopped to gawk at that. Right around the time we needed to stop for lunch we stumbled onto a rocky riverfront, so we took a break and broke our bread. Terry and I also had a discussion about whether to head toward the lakes - the original, optimistic plan - or just go to town. Town won out.

This is where I sing the praises of Vicious Cycle in downtown Jasper. They loaned me their bike pump and showed me what I was doing wrong with my valve and pumping.  What a difference a tire full of air makes!

I then met up at Terry and the kids hanging out under a tree by the information center. Very cozy. We hit the candy store and the grocery store before starting the ride back to the campsite. Other than lagging way behind because I don't like to go fast on the downhill, there were no incidents or mishaps (yay!). 

Dinner was baked potato, steak, and some raw veggies. My brilliant move of the day: the apples we'd brought for snacks were mealy and not tasty. So we cut them up, I sacrificed some of the sugar I brought for my tea, and we threw them over the fire when we pulled dinner off. Just in time for dessert we had yummy baked apples.

 


Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Last camping trip 2020: Jasper (part 1)

Every experience is an opportunity to learn new things. On this last trip we made sure to have extra blankets, our camp chairs, a proper spatula and a whole list of things we have learned we do actually need. We also realized some things we didn't need and could leave at home (if we brush teeth and wash our hands it is a good day, no need for shampoo, lotion, or a host of other toiletries!)

We missed our first chance at Jasper last winter when the year's only massive storm that closed the Icefields came on the day we were to drive it, which was also the day after Terry nearly cut his finger off and needed semi-emergency surgery.

Needless to say, we were super excited for this trip. Not even trying to fit all our gear in just the back of the car, we hoisted the car carrier onto the roof and filled it to brimming. Then largely filled the back of the car. Then got the chance to take our new-to-us bike rack out for a spin. The last minute re-reading of our camping permit information educated us that we were in fact not permitted to bring our own wood for the fire and instead would have to purchase a fire permit for a price way lower than the normal price for buying wood. That did cut down on some of the load (three bags of firewood we planned to take!)  But honestly, having to bring so much extra keep-us-warm gear means we'll never truly go bare bones.

Friday our plan was for one big stop on our way to the campground, and a big stop it was. Bow Glacier Falls was another spectacular Rocky Mountain experience. We finally broke our 8km barrier on hikes (10km round trip!), and got to spend some time goofing off around the waterfall. Apparently, the Bow River  - the very same one running through Calgary - begins here. The first part of the hike skirts the shore of Bow Lake, more glacial surreal turquoise water. It then cuts away through rock and a more seeping water, so those of us without waterproof shoes had to pay a bit more attention where we stepped. The waterfall itself isn't particularly roaring, so we were able to climb right up. And play a bit of peekaboo with ground squirrels.

By the time we reached Wapiti campground it was very close to dinner. We got the tents set up, shed the bikes, and headed into town for dinner.  On our way back into the campground we stopped by the firewood heap and picked out a bunch of wood then got right to work on the fire.

Not long after the campfire was started, we heard some really weird loud sounds that Terry identified as a bull elk bugling to the lady (cow) elk. Love was certainly in the air, and in the woods about 10 meters from our campsite. We saw the cow walk by, then the bull a short while later. When we had entered the park we were told by the staff it was rut season for the elk and to be cautious and give them space.  It is very important not to get between a bull and a cow.  Happily, they continued on their way and did not linger by us. It was hard to get a good view because of all the trees, but these are large animals so we were at least very certain what they were.  We are also happy to report no bear sightings. The longer I hike and camp the more I realize I don't feel any need to view a bear up close and personal.



Friday, September 4, 2020

Frank Slide, Lundbreck Falls, and Beauvais Lake

We had an adventurous weekend planned, and it ended up being almost idyllic.

First up: packing the car. We realized packing for just an overnight camping is a whole lot like packing for 2-3 nights, perhaps even more. Tents, sleeping bags, a cooler for food, etc etc are all necessary no matter how long you're gone. We did avoid using the roof rack, largely because the roof was already in use with our new (to us) canoe!

First stop: Frank Slide. Back in 1903 Turtle Mountain basically broke off a huge chunk and in 90 seconds it slid down, burying everything and everyone in its path. Luckily it was on the outskirts of town, so fewer than 100 people were killed vice closer to a thousand if it had been through the center. There is still debate today on the role the mining operation going on under Turtle Mountain played in creating the elements that led to the Slide. Hm, sounds familiar.

These days there is a very informative interpretive center with lots of information about the town, the geology, and the event. There is also a vast expanse of rocks to climb. It is as close to the Felsenmeer I think we will ever get without going back to Germany.

From the Slide we ventured to Lundbreck Falls. What started as wading around no farther than the knees became full-on dunkings by the kids. The whole waterway around, under, and by the falls is relatively shallow, with varying heights that include some rocks sticking entirely out of the water and with a current that can be some work but not dangerous. In sum, a great time was had by all, although it would have been better if the kids were in their bathing suits. Alex actually got within a couple of feet of being right under the falls.

Knowing that setting up camp takes time and that Terry wanted to try some fishing in the afternoon, we aimed to get to our site as close to checkin time as possible. Thus, my drenched and dripping children, and I, walked the 7 minutes to the campground while Terry drove the car.  When we saw our site we were delighted. Our spot was just steps away from the Crowsnest River, and the back end of the site opened onto a riverbank path. We watched a hawk across the river. In the getting settled stage, we had ample opportunity to try out our new, stronger tent stakes that supposedly work well even with gravel pads. And they did, superbly. 

The campground isn't even in a particularly "dark sky" area, but as the sun now sets at a reasonably hour we watched stars appearing, and then flooding, the sky. We could see the Milky Way with our naked eyes. Terry tried a second round of night photography by the water and then from a field in the campground.

As we fell asleep, I thought to myself "This was practically perfect. We need to come here for a longer stretch next year." 

Then the first nighttime train came whistling and roaring through at 11-something-ish. I thought "we are never coming back here." The next train was what felt like 3am, but I didn't open my eyes so who really knows. At the 5:30am train I got up to use the bathroom and also to curse my life. Probably fell asleep a bit before 8am, to get about half an hour of sleep.

Sleep deprived tempers were not on best behavior that morning. We changed plans and instead of a lazy morning we headed out to take our inaugural canoe paddle.  We had been deciding between two places, and ended up settling on Beauvais Lake - which has horsepower restrictions and I don't think any motorized vehicles was there while we were.  The kids were very disappointed when we told them they could not jump from the boat and swim around, but we promised to find a spot where we could dock the canoe and get out. We found a peninsula (weren't actually sure at the time, could have been an island) and Alex hopped up and ran into the woods. Because, of course, hiking is the worst torture on earth but exploring is fun! I did not share with the children the fact that the very fresh looking pile of dung on the path looked exactly what bear scat is supposed to look like, but I did make sure to chatter nonstop as we followed the route. Happily we never saw the source of the scat.

While paddling around, in addition to the ubiquitous Canadian geese, we also saw and heard a loon with a couple babies, sea gulls, and enormous bright blue dragonflies. The kids swam until they got cold or tired. Terry and I enjoyed the paddling. Had the trains not run through the night, we would have called it a most perfect weekend.

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Summer Vacation Part 2: The road to Lake Louise

 

We had lots of plans for the road between Revelstoke and Lake Louise. First stop, the Giant Cedars Boardwalk. It is technically an easy Revelstoke adventure, but it is also half an hour away and on the road we needed to take anyway. I'm glad we went, and the age of the massive cedars was impressive, but on the whole i think it could have been cut if we were short on time.

Then to the Northern Lights Wolf Sanctuary. They take in wolves that were previously in performances, or zoos that closed, and generally have not been in the wild and wouldn't survive in the wild. We took the "tour", which is really a staff member talking about wolves generally and these wolves in particular. All the wolves were napping, although a few were at least doing so within our eyesight.  We had seen from recent reviews that a wolf puppy had arrived and we could see vague, tiny patches of brown way in the back. The talk was OK and I didn't mind giving the place our admission fees, but the real magic happened afterwards. It was feeding time. So we stuck around.

They fed the wolves in the back cage first, so the ones in the front cage were totally going bonkers - they could hear and smell what was going on. The two adult wolves had been moved to an adjoining enclosure to the one where the puppy, now up and active, was running back and forth alongside the adults across the fence.  The puppy was very new to eating proper food, and the sanctuary wanted to give her a bit of time with the lunch before letting the adults back in. It was comedic when the owner threw the rib cage int the pen.  The puppy was clearly frightened of it, darting towards then backwards. She finally grabbed a tiny bite and ran off with it. This occurred a number of additional times, until she finally understood the thing was dead and would not hurt her. After she had a bit of a snack, the adults were let in. 

When we had our fill of wolves, we had lunch at one of the facility's picnic tables and continued our eastern journey. An hour later was our last stop before the final destination- Emerald Lake in Yoho.  We had heard the rave reviews of the stunningly beautiful lake. And yes, its colors were so dramatic Alex insisted the water was dyed. But it was so incredibly packed with other human beings. Let's just say that social distancing was not possible. We started walking around the lake and after about 5 minutes turned around. It was just too crowded. 

We had an inkling that we might not be interested in summertime hiking in the most popular spots and this confirmed it for us. We did capture a few breathtaking photos of the lake, and then got back in the car for the last leg.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Summer vacation part 2: B.C. - Kelowna

That's British Columbia. See, the week before our vacation Terry was supposed to TDY to Vancouver. This of course means we were all supposed to be in Vancouver for a week. Then we planned to spend a week meandering around B.C. on our way home. Vancouver is allegedly 11 or so driving hours away.

Before it was even officially canned (only a few weeks ago, because of course) we decided to revamp. So on Monday we hauled ourselves to Kelowna, the beach-y area in Okanagan that was also about as far as we were comfortable driving in one day. Funny story, we stopped at this random rest area for lunch and it turns out to be right where the very last spike of the Canadian railroad was laid and there's a whole  monument. It was cool. We would not have made a special stop for it, but stumbling on things like this are what make epic road trips so epic.

We got to Kelowna right in time to check in, then went to check out the town. At the City Park we let the kids play in the water up to their knees, as we hadn't brought bathing suits or towels. And we were heading straight to dinner afterward. After dinner we tried Moo Lix, the ice creamery recommended by the waitress at the restaurant where we had dinner. My lavender honey ice cream was unique and really tasty, but the homemade waffle cone was too thick and bland.

First stop next day was the kangaroo farm. Folks at work had recommended that and we thought it looked cool but were totally unprepared for how much we would actually enjoy it. In one pen were animals that did not like to be touched, and another pen had the animals that could be pet.  We also got to watch the antics of the parrots, parakeets and cockatoos and learned that if Zoltan were reincarnated as an animal he'd choose to be a macaw. There was a capybara and her baby that we were not allowed to pet, with a farm employee hanging around to make sure nobody got too close. She was holding a joey who looked to  be too big for the pouch anymore, but apparently wasn't, so we all got to get close to other cuteness. She said she was giving the mom a break.

We promised the kids we could spend the afternoon at the beach. There is a playground right by the shoreline at Boyce-Gyro Beach and a zipline that drops you into the water. We were shocked that the kids never tried the zipline, but they said the line was always too long so I guess they do take after their parents a bit. There were also rentals of various watercraft, and Terry and the kids each got on a solo kayak. The kids loved that part, which was good as we had booked a kayak trip on our next stop.

In Alberta, we all know the best produce comes from B.C. and especially Okanagan county. So the next morning we got up and went to the farmers market for local fruit. They also had linden honey, which we had eaten tons of in Russia but always creamed, and this was liquid, and I was fascinated. It is indeed very delicious. Then it was time for the kids to play at the hotel pool. Pool time could have been longer, but we got the call that we were able to get a reservation at the Red Fox Club, restaurant to the Indigenous World Winery. Lunch was sublime, the view was lovely (outdoor seating always prime in the COVID era) and we left feeling very stuffed and happy. We (well, I, because Terry was driving and doesn't really care much for wine anyway) ended up trying only one winery - Rollingdale. It is super small, and the gentleman who handled the tasting was super knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. I don't know what they do to their wined but it was the most unique experience I have ever had, and I bought wines made from grapes I've never liked before. I absolutely want to go back again.

Our hotel was across the street from a German deli/butcher that got great reviews. Knowing that we'd need to have some meals on the go and not wanting them all to come from A&W, we had brought some sandwich fixings, Terry's homemade sourdough bread, and a cooler on our trip. We decided this was a great opportunity to restock. And it was.

Next day was pretty much get up, pack up, and head to the next stop.


Thursday, April 19, 2018

One Sentence Book Review: Journey

(full title) Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West by Emma Bland Smith (Author),‎ Robin James (Illustrator)

This almost non-fiction book charmingly tracks the adventures of OR-7, the first wolf to cross into California in almost a century, and the campaign to protect him from aggressive farmers and other humans.

Buy, borrow, or don't bother:  Buy.  This would delight your favorite five-, six-, or seven-year-old paired with a stuffed animal wolf!