Giving Thanks...

..to Autumn..for all of its colour and bounty...

In Canada, this is Thanksgiving weekend and I am celebrating in my own way...here at home. Whereas families tend to get together this weekend, I stay home whilst the younger and stronger members of our family go north to close the cottage for the season...Whilst I write, they are taking out the docks, shutting down the water system, storing the canoe, sailboat, paddle boards, and outdoor furniture..emptying the pantry and fridge of all foodstuffs, cleaning and packing up anything that has to go home..At the end of the day, all motor boats will be delivered to the marina for winter storage and the season will be officially over. 

As much as I would like to be at the cottage too, there are few beds and they have enough hands to do the job. My Thanksgiving destination was only ten minutes away..the lake. Again, as most folks were at church on a Sunday morning or home putting their Thanksgiving turkeys in the oven, the beach was almost deserted..just the way I like it... 

There was no problem getting a parking spot  - which is usually a problem..and I was greeted at the shore only by Canada Geese.. who also were enjoying some quiet beach time... a welcome respite from tourists and photographers! I was able to meander alone along the beach and venture further than I could usually go as the lower water levels had left enough open sand to walk on in areas that are normally under water. I had the luxury of spending as much time as I wanted to putter undisturbed and snap photos of anything and everything .. from grapevines, berries, flowers, feathers, some-one's lost glove, stones to a "beach hut" someone constructed out of the limbs of dead trees that are always scattered on the beach....

By the time I had meandered all the way to the end of the beach..I realized I still needed some steps that would actually expend some  energy, so I climbed up off the beach and walked the trail non-stop back to the car...  unfortunately just after I began my homeward trek, my iPhone's battery died! Lots of steps, but not counted! Drat!

Still, I had a good time admiring what nature had to offer and felt much refreshed upon returning home..to Thanksgiving treats...which did rather counteract the benefit of all those steps, both recorded and not..