2016 Up North

For New Years we went up north for a long weekend.  It was a beautiful weekend so we spent a lot of time outside by the campfire and watching the river close up.  If you look close you'll see my bloody mary keeping cool in the snow.  

The river is still open but not for long.  Gayle and I wanted to go kayaking in the worst way and we probably would have if our husbands weren't so level headed and refused to let us.  Oh we pouted really bad and tried to talk them into living on the edge....... (Then when we get home John tells me a story of how a couple people went canoeing, they flipped and drowned over the weekend)...... okay thank you level headed husbands, good thing us daredevil sisters have you to keep us safe.

My favorite little nest.

The river was higher when it first started to freeze so when you walk down the path it breaks under your feet and drops you about a foot.  Kinda fun since I knew the water was all gone under it and I wasn't going to get wet feet.  

Sunday morning we are having hot chocolate and coffee as I spy something out the patio door.... It's an eagle over there.  John thinks I'm seeing snow on a branch and I know it's an eagle so I get out the long lens and take his picture so I could zoom him in so John would believe me.  I can't see as far as I used to but even with blurry far vision I was right.  Can you see him?  This is with my long lens all the way zoomed out so he was really far away.

Then he flew so I tried to track him but shooting that far away and through a child smeared glass door it wasn't very clear.

He landed again long enough for us to watch him.  At one point there were 4 eagles out there flying up and down the river.  

Of course then we got this visitor who was a bit hungry.

Then I seen the eagle land in a tree closer to us.  I went out side to see if I could sneak up and get his picture.  I told John there were two out there and once again he didn't believe me.  Here is the one closest to the cottage.

Then the other one took off and I got a glimpse of him through the trees.

And then the other one took off and I tried to get him but thought I failed until I uploaded the pictures on my computer.  Getting them in flight is nearly impossible with all the trees that your camera focus point hits when you don't want it to.  So let's just call this one LUCK.

I showed this picture to John on the computer and he couldn't even see this eagle.  I have to admit I almost missed him myself on my first look through.

Great weekend and hated to come home, winter is so peaceful up there.  It snowed a few times and as the big snowflakes fall outside all the windows it's like you're sitting in the middle of a snow globe as you're all cozy warm sipping on a drink relaxing on the couch.  Okay so John relaxes on the couch I take boxes of stuff and quarts of paint to keep me busy.