Ghost Signs in Montreal

Overloaded . . .

I've been traveling a lot the last month.  We traveled to Vermont and back twice.  I've been on business travel to Huntsville, Phoenix, and Montreal.  This week we are staying put.  It gives me a little time to sort through photos.

Last weekend we were in Montreal.  So many things I could blog about - great food, architecture, the old city, friendly people.  Where to start . . .

I know - the Ghost Signs!

While walking around the old city, I saw three large Ghost Signs.

One was for a company known as Mercantile Printing.  I couldn't find much about it.

The second was for La Sauvegarde D'Assurance (Safeguard Insurance).  From what I can tell, it was started around 1915 and continued in business into the 1960's.

It took me a while to figure out the last sign.  It was for Dupuy & Ferguson.  They were a seed distributor in the first half of the 20th century.

Keep looking up!

The Approaching Autumn

It was a beautiful, fall-like morning.  The morning temperatures were around 45 degF.  The winds were light and from the north-east.

I set out from Kingsland Bay and was planning to cross the lake and head to the Palisades.  Once on the broad lake, I decided to head back to the Vermont side and paddle into Porter Bay.  I had never paddled Porter Bay - I was hoping to see some wildlife.

Autumn is coming fast.  Much of the bird life is disappearing.  Canada geese are still about . . .

. . . as are the cormorants.

The swamp maples are really starting to change.

Off in the distance, I saw a large bird on the shoreline.  It was a young bald eagle.  I was lucky to snap one photo.

I wanted to follow the eagle as is flew off to the east deep into the bay.  Porter Bay is weedy.  Though the lake is a little higher after all the rains we have had over the last few weeks, I could not follow.

The osprey are now gone.  It will be 6 months before the nests will be occupied.

There were a few open passages into the bay.  You never know what you'll find in the weeds.

Peaceful . . .

Off in the distance, I saw great blue heron flying about.  They will stay around for a while, but will fly away as the cold weather closes in.

At this time of year, the boat traffic decreases.

The camps and large lakefront homes will soon be quiet . . .

As I paddled back, I saw Mount Mansfield off in the distance.  In a few months the ski resorts will be in full operation all about the Green Mountains.

One of the first to appear, and one of the last to leave, the mergansers are still about.

Autumn is on its way.

Flooding

We weathered the remnants of Hurricane Irene.  The creek came up a little, but there was no flooding.  The ground is now soaked, and our grass hasn't been mowed in weeks.

We decided to do some remodeling this weekend.  It was hot and muggy.  I painted the master bedroom and living room ceiling and ripped out the old carpeting in the master bedroom.  We picked up some new laminate flooring which I'll install in a few weeks.  By Sunday evening we were tired.  We went out to dinner.  On the way home the temperature started to drop.  A few rain showers came through.  Mists swirled around the mountains.

We painted the master bedroom on Monday.  It had rained all night and all through the day.  By Tuesday the rain eased up.  I got a little yard work in (turned the compost piles, weeded, trimmed brush), and we hauled the old carpet to the dump.

The remnants of tropical storm Lee came in late Tuesday evening.  It has dumped inches of rain.  The creek overflowed its bank and flooded the eastern part of the yard.  The house is okay, but we expect to have a little water in the garage and the barn.  Luckily we have most of our stuff on pallets and only shovels and garden tools in the first level of the barn.  At most we got an inch of water in a few places.

The water level is already dropping, but we still expect a few more inches of rain overnight.  Looks like we will have more cleanup to do next weekend.  A few of our neighbors have many inches of water in their basements.  Given the fact we have a stone foundation and a dirt floor in our basement, we'll have to run the dehumidifier to keep the dampness down.

We are lucky.  This is minor flooding.  I think about the people affected by Katrina, or the recent flooding caused by Irene.  Nature is dispassionate.