sad news :(

The little red squirrel who has kept us entertained all year has suddenly disappeared. Today his digs are being pillaged by large grey squirrels -- there are at least four of them digging nuts out of all kinds of nooks and crannies in the fallen stumps and stick piles behind the barn where the industrious little red guy had hidden them. I appreciate that the stored food won't get wasted, but it's still not a pleasant activity to watch. In many situations red squirrels are not desirable neighbors - however in our setting, he was not a nuisance but rather an inspiring presence. I know nothing about the social habits of squirrels - I wonder if any other little critters out there are missing him today.

5 things that made me happy this week:

1. no matter how bleak the day, this little guy is out there gettin' it done (he lives out back behind the barn)


2. the gall of him to smile at me!
(could be an elf's jack-o-lantern?)


3. being reminded of Grandma's artwork


4. squash car holiday decoration
(look where you're going Mr. Pilgrim, you're running into a wall!)


5. discovering this part of my mom's legacy intact: this "Friday Free Lunch" program was one of the last things she initiated at her church in Waterloo before she retired 3 years ago

pretty soon...

this squirrel will run out of nuts,


these trees will be completely bare,


and this mess will be gone!
(to be fair, the camera could point in any direction and find a mess here...but that's all gonna change!)

another day, another nut to crack:

views from the bridge over the West River at the fishing access on Sunnyside Drive:

bunnies at Bristol's Garden Center live in a funny little doll-house, spilling out of windows & doorways just like Alice in Wonderland in the rabbit's house

Lorraine's son and his pet gecco "Squirmy"


she does better with flowers than I:

Paul & Deb near marina at south end of Keuka:




saw something new this outing: American coot bird (looks like a small black duck with a white beak)

earlier that evening: ducklings getting bigger...





(near Woodville boat launch on Canandaigua Lake)

morning paddle on Canadice

discovered this little cove at the north end of the lake

two families of geese out for a swim crossed our path:


making a bee-line for the shore after they noticed us


***updated 7-13-10 to include 2 photos by my friend Paul:

this is the Scarlet Tanager we saw!!! such a bright red, it looked florescent!