Blueberry Lake, Temagami: Campsite

Continued from previous post...

We perched our tent on the most level spot of the campsite. (In Temagami, "level" is a relative term that means you probably won't actually slide into the lake.) Then we paddled across the lake to a place where there were several standing small dead trees. We needed the trees for firewood. After loading the canoe with wood, we paddled back to the campsite and I started a fire in the firepit.

I'm grilling steaks and a baked potato for dinner. These were accompanied by a nice Chilean Malbec. There's nothing like a glass of wine to go with your sizzling T-bone steak after a day of paddling!

This 120 year old Red Pine ridge was my view from the campfire. These trees grew here after a forest fire that blazed through in the 1880's.

This little garter snake was evicted from it's home in the firepit while the campfire was going. He curled up on the sunny rock until the fire was put out later that evening.

This is a tiny, gnarly white cedar growing from a crack in the bedrock at the end of our campsite. I can't even imagine how old it is.

And here is our Lily, plum tuckered out after a day of hiking and chasing chipmunks.

The next post will feature our hike on the Old Growth Trail.

Blueberry Lake, Temagami, Ontario

Sid and I just returned from a 3 day canoe and hiking trip to beautiful Blueberry Lake, near Temagami, Ontario. Blueberry Lake is an ecological wonder with old growth forests and pristine water, not to mention millions of blueberry bushes!

We printed the information from the Ancient Forest.org website, and headed off in our canoe with Sasha and Lily, our Golden Retrievers. We parked at the Cassels Lake landing and canoed for about 1 1/2 hours to the portage to Blueberry Lake. The portage is an easy 450 metres.

Wolf scat on the portage.

Bread Loaf Rock

This rock is located beside one of the campsites. The rock is splitting off in slices - doesn't it look like a huge loaf of bread?

Lichen patches above the high water mark. I love the patterns. This may become a stitchery some day!

Water Lily in the wetlands area

We had the lake to ourselves, so we chose a campsite and settled in. Tomorrow I'll show some photos from the campsite.

Quick Fire Hydrangea

This is my new favorite Hydrangea paniculata. The blossoms open a creamy white, and quickly turn a luscious rosy pink. This is the only blossom on the shrub, as I just planted it last month.

'Quick Fire' is a much improved variety of the Pee Gee Hydrangea, and I'm in love!

Bear Hollow Revisited

Ann Seely designed a quilt called Bear Hollow that was published in Quilter's Newsletter Magazine as a series from October 1994 to April 1995. I saved those issues for years, and sewed the quilt top together in 2002.

The quilt borders were a lovely applique design, however I decided to create my own to personalize my quilt. I used a combination of shapes from McKenna Ryan's patterns as well as my own. My designs are inspired by our canoeing trips.

I've been avoiding sewing the satin stitching around each shape because it takes soooo long! This summer I finally got around to some of the stitching, although I suspect it will take months to do it all. The corners are done, and I am stitching the long borders now. This quilt has been calling to me from my UFO stash, and it's time to get it done!

Our tent, our Golden Retriever Sasha with a stick, our glasses of wine and our campfire.

An Inukshuk that Sid built for me while I was taking a nap.

Myself in the bow, Sid in the stern, and Sasha behind me in Sid's dream canoe: a red Prospector.

A cabin on one of our favorite lakes.

Blue moose, of course.

One of several red bears and a flock of Canada geese.

When I get the borders done and sewn on to the main body of the quilt, I'll take a photo for you.

Luna Moth

My previous post has photos of 2 mystery caterpillars. On a hunch I Googled images of Luna Moth caterpillars, and there they were! I cut the little branches that the caterpillars were attached to, and moved them to trees at the edge of the property. My Serviceberries were losing too many leaves.

Huge Caterpillar!

Can anyone tell me what kind of caterpillar this is? It's about the size of my thumb, and is munching away on my newly planted Serviceberry. There are 2 of them, and I'm leaving them alone to see what they turn into :o)