The "Plant Walk for A Pie" Day

Hi Everyone,

Well, today was my second annual "Plant Walk
for A Pie" day, and it was a great success!

The morning was quite damp and overcast, but
by the time we left on the outing, near noon, the
sun had come out, making for splendid hiking
weather.



This first photo shows most of us sitting by the
shore of Leipsigaek Lake, where we had lunch
and relaxed before hiking back to where our cars
were parked.



The second photo is back at my place, where
we relaxed by a large oak tree, and enjoyed our
pie! :) I must say that the pies were delicious!
Thank you everyone! I still have lots of pie in my
fridge waiting to be eaten in the next few days.

My gawd, I love pie! :))

All the best,
Laurie

p.s. You can click on the photos for a larger
image.

Moonlight Over Minamkeak Lake

Hi Everyone,

I went walking tonight under the light of the waxing
September moon. It was a beautiful walk, although
the evening is quite chilly.

On the way home, I walked down to Minamkeak Lake.
The scene was remarkable. I wish you could have
witnessed how the bright moonlight glimmered from
the dark waters of the lake. Such beauty!

When I got home, I made myself a cup of black tea.
I sat sipping it, and contemplating that lake scene.
I think only one thing could have added to its
enchantment, and that would have been the call of
a loon from somewhere over the water. That would
have been possible, since, apparently, Minamkeak
Lake has five pairs of loons on it this summer.

I've heard two pairs of loons calling, and, possibly,
a third pair.

I'll be back, soon. See you then!

All the best,
Laurie

Kayaking in Mahone Bay

Hi Everyone,

Well, it's showering tonight, which is fine by me,
as I love the sound of rain during the night hours.
But, then, if you've been following my blog for a
while, you already know how I feel about the rain;)

I've gone kayaking, recently, on several occasions,
in Mahone Bay. It's a wonderful place to kayak or
canoe. There are usually a variety of interesting
birds in the area, and, several evenings back, my
friend Marie and I had the pleasure of watching a
seal surface a number of times.

Marie took the photo of me, as I was playing around
with my kayak.

I'll be back again, soon!

All the best,
Laurie

Walking and Kayaking -- Wind, Waves, Darkness and Light

Hi,

I took my kayak to a Mahone Bay beach area
today, and had a great time out in the high waves.
I managed to kayak into the wind, across to the
other side of the bay. At one point, I met a terrific
cross wind that almost brought me to a standstill.
On another occasion, I entered a wave on the
wrong note, and took a good splashing!

I love getting into the flow, where you can pick
your way through the waves -- it's exhilarating
and the flow is akin to a zen-like experience.

Tonight, I went walking. It was quite dark, as the
waning moon hadn't risen over the horizon. So, I
simply walked into the darkness. At first, it was
even difficult to distinguish the road from the
surrounding landscape. Yet, as I walked, things
became clearer -- my eyes used what little light
was available so that I could easily see the outline
of the road in front of me.

Altogether, it was a very good day. Now, I look
forward to a pleasant sleep.

Sweet dreams to everyone!
Laurie

Hiking With Friends to Sperry Lake

Hi Everyone,

Well, today, I went for a hike to Sperry Lake with a
couple of old friends. This lake is located about three
kilometres west of Petite Riviere, in Lunenburg County,
Nova Scotia. It's a small body of water, located a
considerable distance from the main highway leading
from Petite Riviere to Vogler's Cove.

We followed old roads until we arrived at the shore. It
was nice to stand there and feel the refreshing breeze
coming down over the lake. The breeze was strong
enough to form white caps over the water.

It's obvious that the area was logged or cut over, and
within the past twenty to thirty years, I'd estimate. The
new ground cover is mostly spruce, fir, and pine, with
large amounts of blackberry and raspberry bushes.
In fact, we enjoyed eating our share of the berries while
we hiked!

There is also a lot of dead trees, both standing and on
the ground, creating a good environment for birds and
small animals. There is also a high area, that affords a
good view of the surrounding landscape.

Altogether, we had an interesting afternoon hike. It
was nice to do it with friends who will be off to Ontario
on Monday. I'll miss them. I wish they lived closer to
me. Oh well, at least the hike will offer fond memories
until they return next summer.

I must go. All the best to everyone!
Laurie

This August Moon . . . .

Hi,

I went walking these past two evenings, and must
remark on the beauty of the August moon. On both
occasions, the moon was fairly high in the sky
toward the southeast, and, so, lay directly in front
of me as I made my way back home.

At several points along the way, I stopped to look
around, and to examine the landscape. I couldn't
help but notice the clarity of the land in the moonlight.
I could look along the road in both directions, and
notice things almost as clearly as I might have during
the day.

There is one place where the old mines road runs
past a field lined with large sugar maple trees. If you
go there in the late afternoon of a summer day, and
if the sky is clear, you will notice that the trees cast
large shadows over the road and beyond. As you
approach this place, it gives you the impression
that you are walking into a tunnel, so well do the
trees and shadows cover the road.

Tonight, I got the same impression, while walking
there in the moonlight. It felt as if I was approaching
a dark tunnel, although the maple leaves allowed
hints of moonlight to trickle through and dance on
the shadow covered road. Beautiful, indeed!

When I got home, I was in such a wonderful state,
that I felt like remaining outside to soak in the moon's
light. The moon does tend to promote an exalted state
of consciousness -- no wonder it offers so much to
lovers and those of us who are romantics at heart! ;)

Well, I must go now. I still have to post to another
blog tonight.

All the best!
Laurie