The weekend is slowly drawing to a close. It's been a great weekend here in FMMA. The weather was great all weekend hitting temperatures of 15C (59F). Which for the time of year and my location is pretty darn good. The two furry purries spent most of today out on the deck enjoying the sunshine and watching the action down below.

I went for a walk down by the river this afternoon and took a few pictures. I saw some Canada Geese, a couple of mallards and a number of gulls. The walk through the woods was nice but there was no green to be seen. The pussy willows are out and were a pleasant surprise to see while I walked along. The walk was for a few reasons...fresh air, photos, etc and I wanted to collect some dead wood. No, not for a craft project but for the upcoming camping/bbq season. When camping in provincial or national parks you are not to collect dead wood from around your camp site. When camping anywhere else--good luck finding dead wood anywhere close to your site. Most people collect anything close by to help start their camp fires. I figured a bag or two of dry sticks would go a long way. And yes, I might just be a bit anxious for my first camping trip of the season.

I received a brochure in the mail a couple of weeks ago for River Break Up 2012. Apparently the river occasionally over flows the banks and floods the lower parts of town. There is an emergency plan and routes to take. The photography club is also watching for river break up. That is supposed to be our photo challenge for this month. I haven't seen break up yet. I did see a lot of open water today but still lots of very frozen spots. I don't think there will be a dramatic break up. The river ice keeps getting thinner but that's it. What it is doing though is making lots of great ice noises. The ice is turning into large groups of icicles and as they fall apart they make tinkling noises. While I made my way through brush along side the river I was accompanied by the sound of the ice falling apart, gulls flying over head and the crunch of my boots on the dead grasses. It was nice. 

The decision has been made for the June camping trip....the Yukon. I haven't been and it is the only province/territory I haven't been to in Canada so that would make it a complete set. I haven't made any official plans and I'm going to need to get a couple of extra days off--which I have but hadn't previously asked for. Then I can start making my plans. Exciting times.

Here's some photos from today....

Canada Geese. Too far away for a good shot.

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Ice close to the shore. This is what was making the tinkling sound I was enjoying.

Fresh fire and evidence of a tarp that once sheltered the area. I suspect they will be back. A couple of people entered the area shortly after I left.

My building is the one in the middle. I live on the other side.

My batch of twigs for the upcoming camping season. I'm hoping to gather more before the trip as this will not last more than a couple weekends.

Pussy willows.

Another spot that someone must have stayed at last year. Likely abandoned during the cold winter months and likely for good.