Went to the big event of Women in Nature over the weekend. Long trip but it was good. Made a new friend from Wilmington--she works at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake & her husband is at the Nature Conservancy in Keene Valley so she knows a lot of people that I know. Which always makes you feel connected and part of the neighborhood.
We left Friday early afternoon, got to Skeneateles by 6 or so, checked into our cool little bungalows, then walked around the downtown area until dinner, which was at a nice, lakefront restaurant with good food but a noisy bar. Long time since I've been in a noisy bar. Anyway, off to bed, then up early for breakfast at a fantastic bakery there. On with the day. First classes for Julie and me were fly fishing--a double session. I absolutely cannot learn how to cast a fly line. All I know how to do is to throw the line out, as in regular old casting. I fling the line, waving the rod madly. "No, Elizabeth, you don't throw it, you let the rod do the work." Well that never took. Julie had better luck but I sure couldn't get the fly out a decent bit from shore. Flail and fling is all I could muster.
Lunch was lots of game--moose meatballs, pickled pickeral, smoked wild turkey, etc. And plenty of venison. It was tasty. Long time spent with demonstrations after lunch, which I didn't participate in. On to afternoon class, which for me was Nature Journaling. I discovered I'm not very good at that, either, being unable to draw a simple pine cone. But I can write, so that's what I did.
Trip home was uneventful & we got to Hawkeye around 10 p.m. House was extremely quiet (and peaceful) with no dogs. Did I miss them? Not really, I enjoyed the solitude and lack of energy being expended around me. I picked them up Sunday night. They were fine, don't mind being boarded, though I think Treasure may have wondered if I were ever going to pick her up. Tess is up for anything and had a great time. They got rave reviews--sweet and friendly dogs, are invited back any time. That was nice.
Sunday was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. Sat on my deck and read, which I love to do, especially in the spring. Lots of bird noises--I have purple (or house, I don't know which) finches, nuthatches, lots of juncoes, and some white-throated sparrows, which is a sure sign of changing seasons. My daffodils are blooming and the soft maples are in bloom. That just means I'll have sinus headaches for the next couple of weeks. But then leaves will appear.
This week is pretty quiet--lots of weeding the fiction collection because the stacks are too full. That's a very peaceful activity.
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