Sunday Morning - Mission Flats

A subdued morning,
weather and activity,
so I took my time.

~carliewired

I was awake and up before 4 AM. I waited until 5 to brew my coffee. At 5:30 I took my first photo of the day on my deck. No real colour this morning. I was disappointed. 

I backed the car out at 6:30, dropping off two parcels at my daughter's before heading over the bridge to Mission Flats. I drove right to the end of the road to find a doe in the turnaround I usually access. I parked beside the road instead, leaving her undisturbed. I got out of my car quietly and stood behind my car hoping to be less obvious to this little lady. I could have followed her with my camera all day. 

The doe seemed very itchy. She scratched and licked her fur most of the time. Patches on her face and her underside seemed dark. I don't know enough about deer to understand what she is suffering. 

While I was focused on the doe as she browsed the area, a little flock of Canada geese arrived in the turnaround. Surprisingly, they were very quiet. That is so unlike them! 

At the same time, a pair of osprey were leap-frogging from one high pole to another and calling to each other. I was assuming this pair was off the nest nearby that I've observed before. Was this some kind of domestic dispute? 

The river remains high and the mosquitoes are plentiful. I have to keep moving when I'm near the river. 

I spied a houseboat anchored on the shore of Rabbit Island. I've never seen a houseboat on the river before. It really caught my attention.

On my way back to the bridge I stopped to have a look at the train derailment clean up. Last Wednesday, 18 grain cars derailed very close to our downtown. Some of the grain went into the river. Crews are still working today to clear up the wreckage. I can see heaps of shredded metal and grain on the ground. The metal is being gathered and parts of the cars, such as the wheels, are being put aside. We have been given no understanding about the cause of this derailment from Canadian Pacific Railway. Our mayor has commented that it was fortunate these were grain cars and not something else. I thought of that again as I passed a long line of potash cars there this morning. 

I was home again by 7:30 and will be looking for more sleep. I'm in for the day. 

We have a day with mixed sun and cloud, a high of 29 C with a possibility of showers and a risk of a thunderstorm. 

*** The flower is Showy Milkweed (a roadside weed)