Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay, Baie-Sainte-Margeurite, year 4

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024

 

 

1

Witness the strange optical illusion of inverted footprints on sand.

 

 

 

2

Cars are an important part of any camping trip.

The orange Toyota 4×4 (right) is a favorite. Most parts of it return every year.

 

 

It is one of Martin’s jobs to play with cars on rocks.

 

 

Playing with cars on rocks is always done early in the morning.

 

 

 

3

Iris takes a photo of me cooking.

 

 

 

4

I take a family portrait.

 

 

 

5

While the tide is out, the kids go climbing on an otherwise inaccessible rock.

Akiva has an easy time going up. Iris has less confidence in her grip.

 

 

Akiva demonstrates that, in addition to jumping, he can climb down the way he went up.

 

 

Iris is open to jumpingβ€” if she can get close enough to the ground first.

 

 

Two people up on top.

 

 

 

6

Iris takes a photo of me resting.

 

 

 

7

Contrary to typical engineering practices, the best sand-home engineers always build where the next high tide will cause great devastation.

 

 

 

Historic photos of the Toyota 4×4.

Johnville Bog, August

Tuesday, August 6th, 2024

We went in the back way, up the hill from the parking lot.

There are four-wheel tracks everywhere excepting on the top of the ridge.

It’s private property.

 

 

 

The trail comes into the park at the back side of the largest pond.

 

 

 

The trail on one side of the lake is raised on planks to keep it out of the bog.

 

 

 

I like the wiggles and the old boards.

 

 

 

I attempt some portraiture of my children.

 

 

 

Either I specialize in silly portraits,

 

 

 

or my family specializes in silly people,

 

 

 

or the world is a silly place,

 

 

 

or nothing is silly,

 

 

 

or we are all just trying to all get along,

 

 

 

or, “seriously.” As Iris would say.

 

 

 

 

A Walk in the Woods

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Iris and I went for a walk in the woods while Dad and Akiva biked up the road.

They say the road was miserable and full of mosquitos.

The woods were lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelburne Falls, LaPlatte Nature Park

Wednesday, July 17th, 2024

We went to visit Neil and Chloe!

We went to the river!

We got wet!

 

Iris poses as a mermaidβ€”

 

 

 

Akiva poses as a merladβ€”

 

 

 

my merkidsβ€”

 

New Dress

Wednesday, July 10th, 2024

Mom has fun buying Iris dresses at the thrift store. There are, at this point, so many of them that it’s a chore to wear them all. I took her out to the woods today to take a few photographs. After processing them, I realize that last time I did this, I also exported in B&W. Apparently, I like it this way.

 

For those of you who notice that Iris has perfected her bored model look, don’t forget to look back at this post to recall how long she’s been working on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we crossed to the islandβ€”

Sunday, June 23rd, 2024

Ganoderma tsugae

Monday, June 17th, 2024

Iris in the Woods

Sunday, June 16th, 2024

I photograph Iris in the woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, May 6th, 2024

Akiva cuts a downed willow branch to add some substance to a bridge-that-ought-to-be.

 

 

 

I photograph the obligatory hug at the grandparent trees.

Compare it to this photo: 12 July 2018

 

 

 

Iris gently bonks noses with Brook.

 

 

 

Then she bonks not so gently!

 

 

 

Akiva throws a rope to climb a tree.

 

 

 

He ascends a bitβ€”

 

 

 

but cannot ascend the biggest tree in the woods very far with a six-foot rope.

 

Massawippi Trail, Midwinter

Sunday, December 24th, 2023

Iris asked, for Solstice, to go on a hike just with me, like we used to

before my foot hurt so much.

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed the hike.

Iris let me know that I am slow.