November Woods

On Saturday morning I put one coat of paint on the dining room walls while Tim puttered in the kitchen, fixing some cabinets, then laying a few rows of hardwood. After lunch we decided to take a break.

Just 15 minutes from our home is the Little Qualicum River Fish Hatchery. The salmon have spawned and the river is full of dead fish. Dead salmon are a treat for bald eagles. They must not have very sensitive noses because the smell was quite potent. We saw about 25 bald eagles, sitting in trees and soaring over the river.

In the woods remnants of last week's snow lingered in shadowed hollows, the white a stark contrast to emerald moss and vivid ferns. A few leaves still cling to dark wet branches, their colour fading but still beautiful.

Signs of wild life abounded. Salmon skeletons lay in the woods, dropped there by eagles who gorged on the flesh. Deer tracks and droppings and a woodpecker. We spoke with another walker who said he'd seen cougar tracks. Signs warned of bears in the vicinity but we didn't see any.

An hour or two in the fresh air and the woods did us much good. Back home to put the second coat of paint on the walls and lay some more hardwood. 

For more Mosaic Mondays visit Mary at the Little Red House. There's sure to be some Christmas inspiration in the links you'll find there.