Two Interesting Happenings

On our trip to the cottage over March break two exciting things happened. 

1.  It was the first time any of us had seen a moose at the cottage.   We have seen them occasionally along the highway driving to the cottage but never at the lake itself.  Unfortunately I got there a bit too late to see this one, but my parents, who were already there, saw it and took a photo of it.  The moose walked across the ice on the lake in front of the cottage about 30 feet off-shore. 

2.  I found a cliff along the road to the cottage that I had never seen before.  This was no ordinary cliff - it was covered in the hugest lichen I have ever seen.  The lichen covered the cliff so from a distance it looked like ivy.  You can see that some of the lichen is bigger than my hand. 

Some lichen facts -

Did you know that lichens are a composite organism composed of a symbiotic association of fungus and alga. 

Did you know that lichen do not have roots and are able to survive prolonged periods without water so they are able to grow in conditions impossible for most plants, like bare rock.

Did you know that lichen growth is used to determine the age of exposed rock surfaces (a technique called lichenometry).

Lichens are very slow growing, so I'm guessing these ones are very old. 

Now that is record-breaking excitement for a trip to the cottage - a moose sighting and finding a cliff covered in over-sized lichen.
 

Early Spring in an Ontario forest

Kate, William and I just returned from a 3-day trip to the cottage with my parents over March break.  It always feels good to get out of the city and into the country.  I love how it awakens the senses.

There were wonderful signs of spring to be seen everywhere - melting snow, full creeks, and moist moss.

When you paused you could hear trickling water, rustling dry leaves, wind in the treetops, and birds chirping.

There was the smell of damp earth and fir trees.

(did you know that little plant with the red berry is wintergreen)

I always thought early spring was a bit dull, but once I got looking, listening, and smelling there were a lot of things to awaken the senses!
 

March Break at the Cottage

We went to the cottage for a few days over the March Break with my parents.
 

We had to hike in to the cottage as the road was soft and still had snow in places.

We had to get water from a hole in the ice on the lake.

and warm ourselves with the heat from the woodstove.

We spent our time:

going for walks,

 admiring the hardy early spring flowers in my Mother's garden,

watching chickadees at the birdfeeder,

playing games,

 doing some serious eating,
 

 walking around barefoot, even though there was still plenty of snow on the ground
(oh, wait that was just William - no accounting for teenage boys),

and chasing squirrels up trees (oh, wait that was just the dog).

 

Good times were had by all (well maybe not the squirrel)!

Friday Photo - A Room with a View

I love taking photos looking out windows - I love the way the view is framed, and even enhanced, by the window frame.  I took these photos at Fort St. James in central British Columbia last summer.   Fort St. James was founded by Simon Fraser in 1806 and is one of B.C's oldest permanent European settlements .  It was an important fur trading post right into the twentieth century.  
 

I've selected two photos taken there, because I really couldn't decide between them and I'm not likely to post something so similar again.  I think I like the first one best, but then again, I like the old glass jars in the window of the second with the view of the hill across Stuart Lake.

Which photo do you prefer?

p.s. Don't forget to enter my giveaway (it ends on Sunday, March 21st).

Bathroom Reveal

We have been working on our bathroom over the past few weeks - well actually just one wall in the bathroom - and I'm very excited to say that it is finally done!

Sprucing up the bathroom involved adding:

• some beaded panelling to the lower part of the wall
• some trim along the top of the panelling
• some photos of the cottage
• and a new towel rack.

In all honesty the towels won't be like that unless we have guests.  I chose the double towel rack so we could each hang our towels out flat and they would dry easily - I just put the hand towels there for show.  Speaking of towels, though, what colour would you suggest for our bathroom?  We could still use white, but I'm not against adding some colour or pattern.

And because everyone loves a good before-and-after, here's a few comparison shots:

 BEFORE

 AFTER

 

BEFORE

 AFTER

 

AFTER

This last photo also gives you a sneak peek as to what still needs to be done in the bathroom - new counters, faucet, lights, and possibly a mirror frame. 

Linked to:
Strut your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interior
Metamorphasis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Make it for Monday at Cottage Instincts
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design
Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville 
Show and Share at Just a Girl 
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home 
Inspired Week at The Inspired Room 
We Can do it Cheaper at The Virginia House 
Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick
Bathroom Makeover at Centsational Girl