More scenes from a Laurentian Lake

This time of year, the blackflies are brutal. Sure, I can put on my trusty bug hat that makes me look like a beekeeper, in the hopes that I can outwit the nasty little devils and prevent them from crawling into my ears and eyes, but they end up all over my lens and ruin the shot anyway. I just have to wait another week or so. Meanwhile, here are a few shots I took last weekend.

This white ball is an odd little plant out in the meadow section of our cottage. I call it a meadow, because that's what a violent ice storm and then wind storm created where there was once a cedar/birch forest. So now I have lupins and Indian Paintbrush and all sorts of wildflowers because of all the extra sunlight. I couldn't tell you what this is, but I popped it into an old glass medicine bottle Doug found in the lake.

Here is a wild strawberry blossom from the hundreds that line the path to the road. I like to wander outside early in the morning, still in my pajamas, and pick some of the berries for my cereal. They're tiny, perfect, juicy little jewels with an intense sweetness that belies their size. I have to beat the chipmunks to them though, and now it seems, our resident bear.

I would have missed this little guy had I not inadvertantly focused on him instead of the dried leaf I was aiming for. I was on my belly in the dirt, and this horsetail popped into view. That's the beauty of the macro world. I have "seen" these plants for years, but not that close. It was only about two inches high and I would have missed it completely without the macro lens. Check out the uber-closeup with the water droplet. I think it looks like a Victorian cakestand. Others have said the close shot resembles an alien. But if you look up horsetail weed or Equisetum, you'll see what I mean.

Wondering what happened to the little yellow birdie?

Kidding....Boris was just yawning.