Winter Lake Break

With a nice break in the weather, The Fuzz thought it might be nice to get out in the boat.  So he checked to see if he could crank the motor…

And was amazed that it started on the 2nd pull!

And a hasty plan was made for the next day.

The trip up to the lake went fine, and the launch was good…

And the motor started again!

(It's a kinda old thing)

There were a lot of "seagulls" out on the lake.

You don't see them around here* in the summer…

But they do hang out this far inland in the winter.

The Fuzz did get to fish a bit, but alas…

Lost the only bite he had!

But regardless, it was a good day.

*The Fuzz has posted on this in the past

Winter Beach

The Fuzz was looking through some of the stuff from last year and came upon this shot of a nearly deserted beach last winter.

So from the archives…

A Winter Beach

More Snowy Morn

Here's another shot

from one of those recent snowy mornings.

But The fuzz is glad to see things warming up a bit now.

Yet…

It is still a long ways till Spring!

Winter Finally Came

Well it looks like winter finally made it here.

And not only with snow, there are these 10° mornings as well.

 It kinda makes one wonder about this Global Warming sometimes.

But winter is winter after all.

Actually, the snow is beautiful to see.  And around here we don't usually have to deal with it for all that long.  Folks mostly just stay home, and let the young'uns enjoy themselves.

The Fuzz and His Sweetie did enjoy a walk along the local riverwalk.  It was a nice little bit of exercise, and they went for some cheesecake and coffee to warm up afterwards.

Might as well enjoy the snow while it's here.

Surprise Early Beach Trip

It may be remembered that back at Christmas The Fuzz and His Sweetie made an unscheduled trip out to the coast.
And in that Post, The Fuzz mentioned a certain "Wild Hair".

Well, now the time has come for an explanation.

Whilst having a beer at the Quarter Moon there in Topsail Beach, they noticed a sign advertizing a month's stay at the Main Street Inn, at a reduced rate!

And so, after a bit of thought- but not too much- they made the reservation.

So now they are Here!

They got the room on the top floor...

With a nice view of the "City" of Topsail Beach.

While it is the off season-

which is why they could actually afford it- apparently there is still a bit of nightlife going on.

The Fuzz figures he'll have to slip down there for a "Pint" sometime.

After a walk on the windy beach, The Fuzz and His Sweetie holed up for the night.

When they woke it was still dark and there was a bit of rain going on.

It was a wet morning.

But after a while the sun came out...

...and so did the Police!

Guess there isn't much to do this time of year.

Well, that's all for now.

The Fuzz says it's time to get back to the serious business of Kicking Back.

Post Season Repairs

Winter can be a bit rough on some of our outdoor spaces.

The Fuzz and His Sweetie have a sort of patio out here with a fire pit.  It's usually covered with a tarp to keep the sun and rain off when they sit out here in the summer.  It's a nice place to enjoy dinner or maybe a glass of wine.

But with the wind, ice and snow, these tarps can take a beating.

Last summer they were gone so much that The Fuzz never bothered to maintain them.  And after all, they had their new pond to enjoy!

But there is still a place for this nice little area.

He had rigged a more modest system that would be easier to maintain, but it had gotten pretty battered by the weather.

While at the local "Discount store" they picked up a $5 tarp and voila!

But there was a downside to the affair.

You might notice the bench under the tarp.

Well that sucker is pretty heavy, and that Ambitious Fuzz foolishly tried to move it by himself.

Here we go again!

Ice? What Ice?

They had us going for a bit.

They were giving us 2 days of snow, sleet and freezing rain!

The sleet & snow we could deal with.  But that ice can cause us some trouble here in the woods.  It has a tendency to knock out the power.

And no power means no water!

So The Fuzz was taking no chances.

Back at the old place he could just lift the cover on the well and drop in a bucket.

But out here things had to conform to the latest codes and the well is essentially sealed.

So water was stashed in the bathtub.

But it turned out not to amount to much-

At least not here.

Just a bit of ice here and there.

But it was pretty.

Going to the Tree Bank

Not long ago The Fuzz went into the woods for some firewood.

It's not all gone yet... But with all this winter we've been having lately, it was going up in smoke fast.

So it was time for another round of woodcutting.

While The Fuzz is kinda susceptible to that P-Factor, he was ready for this one.

With all the snow & ice the ground would be much too soggy to take his vehicle into the woods.  So it was time to make a withdrawal from the Tree Bank.

The Tree Bank is when The Fuzz finds a dead or dying tree and marks it for later.

The ones closest to the trailer are saved for when he needs wood in a hurry and close to home.

This seemed  like the right time for this one.

It came down pretty easily- no hangups in the other trees, which is not only a pain in the ass, but a bit dangerous.

Now all that was left was to cut the sucker up.

The Fuzz started at the top since those pieces wouldn't have to be split.  Then he worked his way down from there until he ran out of gas.  That was when he realized there was no more chain oil.

Oh well.

Well, he and His Sweetie had been cooped up since the snow had started, so they were ready for a ride into town anyway.  It was a chance to take care of some errands and a tasty Thai dinner.

The next day The Fuzz got back on the job.

What was left was the main trunk.  In this area it was straddling this depression.

The Fuzz was hoping to be able to cut this thing up without having to roll it around.*  So he drove a couple of smaller pieces up under it so that  when he cut it in half, it would still be off the ground-

And it worked!

Now it was time to fire up the old log splitter.

This guy can be a bit unhappy about getting going in cold weather.  I suppose that is a hint that one should cut one's wood ahead of time!

But Our Fuzz has a few tricks up his sleeve.  It this case his trusty can of ether.**

The splitting was a lot of work, but went okay.

He switched to vertical mode for the last few-and largest- pieces. 

So now there is once again, a respectable woodpile.  The Fuzz is hoping it'll last through the rest of the winter.

*In these situations one does not want to let one's chain cut into the ground.  It kinda messes things up.

**He used this stuff for years to get his old truck crunk in the morning to get in to work.

Snowmageddon ?

Snowmageddon?

That's what the BBC was calling it.

Looks like those Yankees were catching it.

It wasn't so bad here in the Woods.

But The Fuzz didn't feel much like riding anywhere.

In fact, neither The Fuzz or His Sweetie have gone anywhere-

other than a walk-

Since Thursday.

There was a bit of winter happening here in the Woods.

And hungry birdies in the morning.

Won't be sitting out here today.

Hope them fishies are okay down there!

The Fuzz did get out in the woods for a bit and here's a few pix.

The Fuzz does like to see at least one snow in a winter.  It reminds him of the Old Country*.  Around here we can enjoy the novelty of a good snow.  It gives us an excuse to stay home- the stores have been cleaned out anyway.

We were lucky here and the power never went out.

The Fuzz hopes those folks up north make out okay, it looks pretty rough up there.

*The shameful truth is that The Fuzz actually has a bit of a yankee background himself.

Pre-Storm Snow

Winter hasn't been too bad yet out here in the woods.  But they claim we'll have a better taste of it this weekend-

Well actually, tonight.

But The first installment seems to have kinda passed us by.

When The Fuzz went out this morning

This was about it.

Pretty, but not that impressive.

Of course it hasn't been all that warm lately.

(It is January remember)

So the woodpile isn't looking all that impressive.

Especially with the Weather Service predicting this!

Of course they have been wrong at times.

But then....

The Old Fuzz's back has been acting up a bit the last couple of days, but it looks like he'll need to get the old chainsaw out for a little bit.

And he is doing a bit better today.

He has been saving this guy for just this sort of situation.

It was just about dead last year.

So The Fuzz gave it the "Green Spot" which is kinda like the "Kiss of Death".

And it is nice and close, so hauling it out of the woods is no problem.

Well...

It looks like it's time to get to work!

Leaves

This time of year the woods are pretty bare.  But the bare branches and dried leaves have an attraction of their own.

The other day while The Fuzz was out looking at something or other, (he seems to have forgotten* exactly what!) these hangers on caught his eye.  And since by a strange coincidence he happened to have a camera with him, he got a quick shot of them.

Sometimes the imagination can see things that...

Well, aren't there.

Like this little guy.

He's kinda spooky in a way.

And then who's to say what's really there-

Or what ain't?

*An increasingly common occurrence these days!

Sunrise In The Woods

These Winter mornings make it easy to be up in time to greet the sun-

Assuming the sky is clear!

One can tell when the sun is about to pop into sight by watching the treetops.

Then it's time to watch the east.

Of course the clear skies also bring cold mornings!

But that's what they make warm clothes for.

And if one is already up anyway-

Why not grab a camera.

It is possible to view these things through a window-

But that makes for a lousy pix.

So The Intrepid Fuzz pulled on his hoodie and stepped out into this bracing morning air.

A New Year Is Here

So...

Boy, the years a flying by.  But The Fuzz remembers reading somewhere that-

"When you're over the hill, you pick up speed."

Well that seems to be true.  And The Fuzz speaks from experience in this case.

But be that as it may, it has been quite a year.

As The Fuzz looks back at the beginning of last year, he finds that it had a wet start as well...

And then turned rather cold.

Well perhaps the cold is on the way, but for now it feels a bit like spring.

The Daffidills are already up...

And working up some blooms!

Perhaps this is not so strange since we have had rather warm weather lately.

At our Christmas gathering, everyone hung out in the yard in T-shirts.

But what got The Fuzz, was when he was out in the yard today, he found...

Violets!

Yikes

Violets blooming on

New Years Day!

But they are calling for some cooler weather.  It is supposed to make it down to freezing tonight.

But of course it is January.

The Fuzz says-

"Let it come."

A Christmas Surprise

Every year the family (those who can meets up for a "Family Christmas" gathering.

This year was no exception.

It was an overnighter for most as it was a bit of a drive for most-

And of course who wants to drive after a celebration.

There were presents exchanged, and eggnog & cookies that night.

And breakfast in the morning-

Pancakes and eggs.

And the guys made sure there was plenty of bacon and liver mush.

It was time to part ways once more.

Then came the surprise.

When a family member with the farthest to drive found herself with a vision issue*, The Fuzz and His Sweetie volunteered to drive her home.

So they took off for the Port City-

the opposite direction from their home in the woods!

That trip went OK but as evening came they found themselves a long way from home-

and no desire for the drive back.

But that is one of the perks of retirement- right?

And so they got a hotel for the night.

And why not take advantage of being at the beach?

So with a quick call to a much appreciated friend back home, they decided to add an extra day and just enjoy being there.

They drove up to Topsail Island where the family has been spending a little time in the summers now for several years.

It was pretty quiet out there this time of year-

Very few people out on the beach.

The Fuzz and His Sweetie went out there for a little bit.

It was quite windy so they didn't stay long.

The Fuzz did have to put his toes in just a little.

But there was time for a snack and a beer at the Quarter Moon before heading back down to the city.

And while they were there, The Fuzz and His Sweetie got one of those "Wild Hairs".

But That bit will have to wait for now.

*The Fuzz is happy to report that she is doing much better now and things are back to normal- for what that's worth!