May 7, 2008

Finally I took my camera with me on my morning run and now I have pix of the beaver damage.

You might want to click on this one to see it larger. As well, it has notes on it to point out where the hole in the bank of the island is, which may possibly be the beaver's home. The downed trees look like they were a clump of three trunks together before the beavers chewed them through.

A wildlife photographer I am not. However, this bird sat there prettily enough for me, with his red wing patches shining in the sun. Past him is the other end of the island in the pond and it's possible beavers have their home there too. Or maybe the island is honeycombed with tunnels! Except, I don't think beavers make tunnels.

Pretty blossoms in the Spring. Let's hope someone traps and relocates the beaver before he chews all of the trees down.

This is what the construction looks like from the other side of the park

May 5, 2008

This little pansy popped up in the garden, even after I cleared all the plants out last Fall. It must have self-seeded and I do see them all summer long, here and there. Despite the fact that I didn't deliberately plant it, I let it stay because pansies are so cheerful.

On the other hand, despite the fact that this is also a cheerful yellow volunteer, I am afraid it has to go with all its brethren.

My mixed bag of tulip and other bulbs that I planted last Fall has done its work. The crocuses were first but they are long gone.

They open right up when the sun's out and close up when it's not.

Finally, the cardinal again, this time set against the fresh new green of the maple tree. All this new growth makes for pollen everywhere and so I am glad I do not suffer from allergies.

May 2, 2008

On my way to the grocery store this morning, a route that takes me behind the bus station, I passed a young man picking up garbage. He had a large green garbage bag and a large paper yard waste bag. I didn't stop because I was on a mission but I noted that he was not wearing an orange safety vest. That, coupled with it being a Saturday, made me think he was not being paid to do this. On the way home (only 30 minutes later), I saw that he had been joined by two women, also each with a green garbage bag and paper bag. The plastic bags were those fancy types that don't puncture. They were wearing gloves and had long handled grabbing devices.

[An aside: I thought there was a major brand called "Grabbit" but when I Googled it, I only got software with that name.]

As I biked toward the first woman, I stopped and asked if she was a volunteer and she said that they were volunteers and had decided to walk around Centrepointe and pick up garbage where it needed it. I thanked them and said we all appreciated their efforts. Me especially.

I think it sets an example when people do good works. And I think there is validity to the broken windows theory of urban living and prevention of vandalism. If you see a lot of trash strewn about, maybe you won't hesitate to throw your empty Horton's cup into the mix. But if you are looking at a garbage-free space that looks nice, maybe you will hesitate before dumping your own trash on the ground. So kudos to those volunteers and maybe more will be inspired to do good works.

April 30, 2008

Today, I went through the park to look at the back of the construction site.

I haven't been biking through the park since I saw that they had cut a swath across the path and replaced it with loose gravel. Even with the grocery bike, it's difficult to negotiate loose gravel. And I don't really know what this trench was in aid of. I would think the sewer and other connexions would go out to the road in front.

Standing at the gravel, I took this shot. I don't know why the fences are always down and why they are so bent and beat up.

I took the above (dark) picture and am putting it up here so you can see the difference between my amateur shots and a shot made from the same place by someone who knows what he is doing with a camera.

Quite the difference, eh?

Finally, here is what I was writing about when I said the backs of the houses will be smack up against the bike path. Where the path bends, it comes within about 10 feet of the foundation wall of that building. Maybe they will move the path?