Labour Day Saturday

Spent a good part of the day today in the little car.  What a gorgeous end-of-summer day!

Drove east on the Lakeshore Road.

We visited the Nawautin Sanctuary, a wetlands area right next to the lake near Grafton.  The wildlife we encountered most was mosquitoes!  Should have taken bug repellant.

Some turtles skedaddled into the pond when they saw us.

Lovely water lilies.

There were a few Monarchs around, like this one that settled on an old bullrush.

I have never seen so much golden rod as there is this year.  Sure glad I'm not allergic to it! 

We stopped in to the Big Apple for "lunch".  It has been improved a lot since last we were there.  They've even planted an orchard of dwarf trees.

"Lunch" - an apple dumpling and coffee.  :-)

Besides the train, there is Mini Putt, kid-sized ping-pong, bocce, shuffleboard, and a few animals, such as llamas, sheep, goats, ducks, geese, chickens, and rabbits.

Back in town, a drive by the beach - it was packed on such a nice day!

By tonight, the weather was a little iffy, with much cloud, but we went walking down by the lake anyway, and didn't get wet.

Peterborough Zoo

Today was a gorgeous day, and we took advantage of it by going to the Peterborough Zoo with Megan.

 
We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the zoo.

Considering it is a free zoo, there are a surprising number of animals, including 4 yaks.

Not sure if this is Dasher or Dancer.

I'm the king of the castle!

We got such a charge out of this poor ugly beast with the saggy humps, who just kept yawning and yawning!

Megan and I went for a train ride, just for old times sake.  :-)

This plane was used in the Korean War.

I love watching the monkeys!

This is a black and white ruffed lemur - so pretty!

Slender-tailed Meerkat.  There were 3 little ones born in June - so cute!

There were quite a few of these Red-necked Wallabies.

This wallaby was so tiny, he couldn't have been very old.

Emu

It's hard to believe those cute little pot-bellied pigs end up like this!  Wouldn't you love one of these running around in your house?

This Sulawesi Forest Turtle from Asia is really enjoying his meal!

Megan making friends with a tortoise.

I find iguanas fascinating!

The River Otter was not co-operating.  Just kept sitting around.

This little cutie is a Bob Cat.

Boat Trip 2014 - Aug 22

Well, it's happened, we've just completed our last day on the water for the summer, except possibly for some day trips.  It's kind of sad, but also nice to get home to our nice big house - well, it seems big, compared to the boat!  We left Peterborough Marina, after breakfast at Tim Horton's, through lock 19, and down the Otonabee River to Rice Lake - about an hour.

The OPP are still searching today for the drowning victim, but this time there are divers involved. Sure hope they were successful.

A cool sculpture Megan and I found near the marina, but this time, she didn't pose for me.

We had fun watching some ducks eating crab apples, until one of them nearly choked to death, toppling over on its side.  Megan tried to help, but the duck got up and carried on.

I was VERY tempted to pick a big bagful of these crab apples to bring home and make apple jelly.  We used to have a crab tree at our house in the country, with slightly bigger apples, and I made jelly every year.  I miss it.

Just so colourful!

Megan spied this heron on the way down the river.

O-o-o-o, I love turtles!

Megan rode the bow (on a cushion) all the way from Lock 19 to Harris Boat Works in Rice Lake.  She loved it!

Megan and I went for a nice long walk down at the Cobourg Waterfront tonight - until we got rained out.  Saw some butterflies.....

.....and lots of bees!

Boat Trip 2014 - Aug 21

Came through 7 locks from Lakefield to Peterborough in record time this morning!  Late getting away from the first one, but every one after that was ready and waiting for us.  We are treating ourselves on our last night out by staying at the Peterborough Marina, where we arrived shortly after noon.  It has been a strange day, looking like rain all morning, but not raining.  Since then we have been caught in downpours 3 times! 

At the top of the world-famous Peterborough Liftlock - the highest one in the world, and over 100 years old.

There were lots of police around the marina today.  Someone drowned last night in the river, and the police spent all day using sonar to try to locate the body in the muddy water (from all the rain).  They don't know how far the current may have taken the body, so it's a big area to search.  No luck by nightfall.

Another lovely heron standing on some rocks, preening.

There were cedar waxwings in this tree eating berries, but I was unable to get a shot of one.  This cute little chippy was much more co-operative!

As was this young robin.

Megan was VERY co-operative posing with statues like this cute bear......

......and these cute little kids sharing their boat.....

.......and this Mom and baby dog.......

......and these tuggers of war.

I couldn't get her stand by this one though.  It was on a little island in the river.  :-)

I'm forever chasing bees.....isn't there a song something like that?