always at sea level: A Mixed Bag

As much as I enjoy all the hoopla that goes along with the holiday season, I'm glad when the last piece of tinsel is plucked from the tree, the colourful wreaths and sparkly balls are carefully wrapped, the last box of xmas stuff is stored in the the attic and the final pine needle is sucked up by vacuum. It's nice to have things back to normal.

Our first week into 2013 got off to a 'shaky' start. We had just crawled under the covers and like always even into our 3^rd season I can never get over how dark it is once you turn the genny off. I still put my hand in front of my own face and marvel how I cannot see it but I'm getting off track. It couldn't have been more than a mere 3 minutes when in unison we said “We're having an earthquake!” It was a different feeling than the last one we experienced. This one the building seemed to sway where as before the whole lodge felt like it was vibrating. Sprinting out of bed we dashed into our bathroom, figured this was the closest safest place to go. Funny how out of habit the first thing I did once in the bathroom was to flip on the light switch...oh yeah no power. I would have to guess that the episode lasted all of 20 seconds but still it does get the heart rate up. Not feeling overly concerned we jumped back into bed. Imagine our surprise when we read the next morning that the quake was a 7.4!

The first day of the new year ended on a rosy note.

Yes I know that I went on before how Mike and I were forgoing all the delectable holiday fare that I would normally whip up but our willpower finally surrendered when I spied a tasty looking pie that had been posted on FB by my brother, part or their holiday feast.....so Audrey I have you to thank for this. Having some apples in the freezer which had been a suggestion from my uncle, I'm really getting the family into this one and not blaming them for our weakening resolve, an apple pie would be on the new years day menu. I wouldn't go as far and say there were cobwebs on the rolling pin but it has been awhile since it got a workout. From years of pumping out dozens of pies each Friday afternoon in the restaurant where I worked (and grew up in) it was a piece of cake to throw together one lone apple pie. When it came time later in the evening to finally indulge, you can bet that my helping was not a 'sliver', more of a wedge.....a big wedge.

We started off the new year with a breakfast of some leftover fruit, as in apples, as in apple pie!

Sammy and Al haven't been around as much these last few days. We notice little things like this, especially since they make a habit of showing up in the morning and peering in windows. The forest is a smorgasbord of sorts for the creatures who call this their home and like any buffet we all have our favourite items. After these trees were fallen we noticed that the deer immediately began nibbling at bits of lichen that had been clinging to the upper branches. That's Sammy in the foreground and if you look hard you'll see another deer in the background. This one is a newcomer and much smaller than Sammy or Al so we're thinking it's the Miss of the group.

Don't know how they know but as soon as I toss out some bones or bits of meat our resident eagle appears.

The time that we spend in Port Hardy during our 'out' time provides us with numerous opportunities to take pictures of eagles. At any given time you can spot half a doz or more soaring overhead, balancing atop a mast or enjoying the bounty provided by the sports fisherman.