a peek inside the fishbowl

Re: pretty places in Ottawa to experience the fall season.

I think word is getting out. When I first wrote about Lime Kiln Trail in Stony Swamp it was almost always totally deserted. This past weekend we could hardly squeeze past the crowds.

Still, it is beautiful. I’m happy to share this lovely little spot.

There are actual ruins here, which is pretty cool. The area was originally comprised of five outbuildings. What remains is a circular kiln pot (where the crushed limestone was fed and burned), part of the limehouse (where finished lime was stored), and the powder magazine. The lime produced here was used for agricultural purposes, and was also used by local industries for mortar and whitewash.

You will definitely want to bring black sunflower seeds and a camera, because the birds here are extra smart and will eat right out of your hand…

… that is, when they’re not flying away. :)

The trail is super easy and the ruins are not far from the parking lot. In short, if you haven’t gone, you must.

 You can check out a small set of photos over on Flickr.

I have so much to write about and so little time to spend here right now.

I’m writing, and editing a script, and editing photos, and Piper is sitting here on my lap, and I have a small mountain of laundry to do, and I haven’t even told you about THE COOKIES, and I have been drinking way too much coffee.

First, WIGGLES. It’s not too late to enter my giveaway for Wiggles tickets.

Second, The 10Photos Project. I have only looked at half of what you guys posted so far. WOW. I didn’t realize this little idea would get picked up by so many of you! I have really enjoyed peeking into your lives. Thank you to those who took the time to participate… !

Third, THANKSGIVING. It was awesome. We had a great weekend. I will write more about it later – we did so much – but for now I wanted to show you the nest we pulled out of our (now vacated) backyard bird house:

Isn’t it amazing? I wish you could reach out and touch it. The bottom is made out of soft dry moss, and the rest is made out of fur (dog fur?) and other soft things. I think there might be some dryer fluff in there too. Maybe some fuzzy insulation? Here’s a larger image.

If you’re interested in this kind of thing, here’s what Mark emailed me about it (he’s the larger bird nerd around here):

Black-capped Chickadees often nest in cavities they excavate themselves. They also nest in natural cavities, abandoned woodpecker holes, and nest boxes. Excavation of the nest cavity can take 7 to 10 days. Females usually build the nest in 3 to 5 days; however, this may take as long as two weeks. The nest cup is made of moss and lined with rabbit fur, plant down, hair, feathers, and spider webs. Nests are located at various heights but are most commonly found one-and-a-half to seven meters off the ground.

Black-capped Chickadees have one brood per season. Double broods are rare. Females, however, will attempt a replacement brood if the first nest attempt fails. They do not reuse old nest sites.

But that’s enough about me. How are you?

Happy Thanksgiving! And happy 10/10/10!

This is my placeholder post for The 10photos Project. This space will start filling up every hour on the hour, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST on October 10, 2010. So check back to see how my day progresses! Earliest photos will be at the bottom. (ETA: I’m also uploading to the 10Photos Project Flickr Group. If you’re playing along you should too!)

Yippee!

For explanations of what’s in the photo please click through to read the captions on their Flickr page.

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