Lake Saint Catherine

A new destination for us last Tuesday: Lake Saint Catherine’s in Vermont.

On the way we found places where the leaves were still attached and green.

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Though not at the Lake where the carpet of leaves was deepening by the moment.

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A perfect Fall day!

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Lake Saint Catherine State Park comprises 117 acres which offer 50 tent/RV sites and 11 lean-to sites as well as a snack bar and boat rentals, which at this time of year were closed.

Access for the day was $5 each. We tend not to carry cash these days so Grant proffered a card but the reader was down. The ranger said we could pay on the way out. Was she being nice or did she just not want to bother arguing? It really wasn’t going to make a difference if two people spent an hour in an empty park, but she was smiling and cheerful and when he re-checked his wallet, Grant found that he had a $10 bill.

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We wandered down to the lake where a man sat in a deckchair with his feet in the water. He was one of only a handful of people in the park which was very peaceful on this most gorgeous day.

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Despite bright sunlight and a warm temperature, there was a healthy breeze, so I wondered if that man’s feet weren’t a bit cold! I suppose by the shore the water was warm enough.

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Now that our government is shut down, I wonder if access to the park is even possible.

The drive was very pleasant and it is not far, so we may go that way again but not necessarily to the park.

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Although we thought if we did go back we might try making a call on this strange device! I don’t know why we didn’t think of it at the time. Neither of us could remember the last time we saw a public telephone.

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Amusing as that was, I preferred to enjoy the trees.

They looked so lovely, shimmering in bright sunlight.

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In a pine tree, Grant caught sight of this tiny creature.

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One supposes it’s the same as our own Little Red but the snub nose is very different.

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We bade the squirrel goodbye and started for home, past this oddly-shaped hill.

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The road wound through a series of valleys.

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And past a whole succession of farms.

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All very scenic.

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We eventually found ourselves back on the road that follows a river through the woods. It was getting late, so I didn’t walk this time.

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Here too, many trees had already dropped their leaves and the colours were very subdued.

But we did have a very nice surprise as we neared home. Grant noticed a large bird beside the road and as we passed he exclaimed: “It’s a pheasant!”

Seven years ago, when we were first here, we’d seen one in the driveway but never since.

Pheasants have always brought me good luck. I’m very fond of them. Regrettably, we were past it before I was able to focus my eyes, never mind the camera.

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But as we turned off, not five minutes later, Grant laughed: “I don’t believe it!”

Another pheasant was making its way through a ploughed field.

It is not a good photo but you can see what a brilliant bird a pheasant is.

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In the few short days since we had heavy rain, the swamp had dried up again.

Today we are expecting a high temperature of 80F/26C which is unusual here in October.

50% chance of rain on Tuesday and 85% on Wednesday.

One can only hope.