Winter stretches out
Breath in the promise of spring
As sun warms our skin
These pictures were taken on a solo snowshoe last weekend. The snow leading to the trails being too deep for the dogs.
Thanks to Aunty-Yam for hosting FFF and Rosy and Sunny for hosting Nature Friday.
Reminder to click HERE to join our when will the snow be gone contest!
Dear pals,
I had a very stressful four days last week because my arch nemesis, Charlotte, was staying next door. Unfortunately, the snow barrier kept me from running over and trying to fight with her. However, she and I exchanged a lot of words.
If I was inside and heard her bark, I barked. If we were both outside, we barked a lot. Sometimes Callie joined in. There were a lot of rude words exchanged.
Until we can meet in person Charlotte . . . .
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Reminder to click HERE to join our when will the snow be gone contest!
Our third port was Bonaire, the B in the ABC islands. Like the others, tourism is essential for the economy and it is one of the most popular diving spots in the Caribbean. All around the island are yellow stones, marking diving spots. I was sure we had a picture of one, but I can't find it. Bonaire is special municipality of the Netherlands, and it uses the US dollar as currency. About 20 000 people live on the island. It is famous for it's flamingos and while we saw a lot, we didn't get a good picture.
Our tour, driven by a local guide, started on the north of the island where the first European settlers arrived. For the first few years, slaves were required to walk the 3 hours one way daily, to the salt fields.
Our first stop was a church that slaves had carved out of a cave. After nearly 100 years, it is still in use.
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| The church |
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| As there is no spot of stained glass, stories from the Bible are presented around the church like this. |
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| View from the top of the church |
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| It had very low doors. |
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| I wish I remembered the name of this plant |
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| On the drive we say many donkeys |
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| We also passed a place where they were land sailing. |
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| The ponds are pink because of a microorganism that makes them that colour |
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| I didn't like posing by them, as I felt it made it an 'attraction' and I wanted to capture how small the house was, so I used me as a marker. |
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| inside |
I took some time standing in a stunningly beautiful spot on the planet to sit with slavery and all of the misuse of humans, historical and present. I didn't want to get lost in the misery that can come from such thoughts. I held it, and resolved to remember and do what I can to make the world a better place.
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| The horror and the beauty. Accepting two things can be true at the same time. This felt like a heavy post, and as a historian at heart, I think it is important for us to all acknowledge our shared histories - the good, the bad and the ugly. Next week's post, a visit to St. Lucia, will be back to looking at nature. |
It is that time of year again, time to play "when will the snow be gone? "
Incase you have forgotten, here are the rules:
-Post your guess, in the comments on this post, on which day the snow will be gone in our yard (any area covered by grass, not including the bush), before Saturday March 25, at 11:59pm ET
- The first person by time to pick a date, gets that date, so read the others comments.
-The person who comes closest without going past the date, wins.
-Prize to be determined. For those who may want to play but don't want a prize, a donation can be made to charity in your honour instead.
-Updates will be provided at least weekly during the contest.
To help you pick your date, here are some pictures from the front yard yesterday:
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| I will miss making snow angles when the snow is gone. |
Wishing everyone luck, but we know we will be the biggest winners because the snow will be gone and spring will finally be here!
Here is our attempt at some imperfect limericks:
There once was a dog from the States,
Who was black and hated to wait,
She was pretty and fun,
Always on the run,
She really was very great!
There was a pup who loved the snow,
He liked to be buried in it, head to toe,
He would roll all day,
Just wanting to play,
Inside he never wanted to go.
Dear pals,
Mark it on your calendars that Monday, the first day of spring, is when we will be opening up our when will the snow be gone contest! Next week, you will be able to leave a comment on Monday's post guessing when we will be done with the white stuff.
To help you start planning your start to prepare your guess, here is a picture from the weekend of our front yard.
Hope you stop by Monday and join the fun as we count down to the true end of winter here!
