Lake Poway

 Lake Poway is not a large lake (as you can see).  I haven't been here in years and I stopped by this week in the hopes of seeing some migratory birds.  I was shocked that there actually were very few waterfowl here.  i can only assume since it's not that big and A LOT of fishing and boating occur here, the birds must chose another lake?  Either way, it was a good hike.  Most hikes at lakes in San Diego are flat, some are a decent distance (lake murray for example is 7 miles) but it's usually all flat and most often paved the whole way.

Lake Poway is different:

This is the fire road/trail that goes through the mountains and usually stays on the rim of the lake.  You can look down at the lake:

 but there is a also a secondary trail like the one below.  This trail pretty much runs all along the shore and this is the route i took back.  Unfortunately like many lakes in San Diego, you cannot go all the way around.  the trail(s) dead end once you hit the dam and you have to go back.  That's OK, i went up the fire road on the way and went down to the shore on the way back.

i did notice something odd while i was walking along the shore, the willow trees (seen in the distance of the photo above) still have some of their fall foliage.  that's not the weird thing, the weird thing is below:

This Sycamore seems to have just sprouted it's SPRING foliage.  Odd indeed! Below is also an oddity.  Now i cannot name what this plant is, BUT i will say i see them bloom every SPRING and here they are pink , pink pink...

this was a sandy little shore that i felt compelled to take a rest.  All i could hear, the water, the birds and the wind.  Not a bad place to be.

Female Ring Necked Ducks

Gadwall(?)

And of course the Coots.  Coots sometimes remind me of cattle.  Very small cattle, yes, but i love how they graze like a herd of cattle.

While there were not an abundance of waterfowl, this was a very good hike.  Knowing this, i think i will be going back on a more regular basis.

A Few Projects and Works in Progress

Here's a few little things I've made lately:

This shadowbox was purchased at the Dollar Store. The fact that it had a glass hinged lid, made it a must have (i should have bought more than one)  I painted it brown, let dry and then painted it white, sanded it down to distress it and then started to fill it up...

some feathers, a key, pine cone, acorn, faux butterfly and of course a nest.  Complete.

I got this little jar at the 99 Cent Store.  It was a glass jar with a built in flower frog lid.  I chose to paint it white (several coats).  It dried overnight and then i took a sanding sponge to distress it a little.

I added the Love embellishment and i had dried some pink and white roses.

Voila!  $1.00 project.

easy nest, some eggs, a feather, Spanish moss, some fibers and yarn = Easy 

this was a makeover.  I bought this wood 'boat' about ten years ago.  I used to have a lot of nautical themed items and that is just not my style anymore, so i had to make this over.   I painted several coats of white paint, then distressed it.  added tissue tape, scrapbook paper, few little embellishments and i now have another vessel for my mini apothecary bottles of sand and dirt (from my hiking travels)  While it WAS a boat, it just doesn't scream boat to me anymore, it's more like a shelf/drawer unit.

another re-do.  I made this 'wind chime' over a decade ago. it used to be several shades of dark green.  Well that just doesn't work for me anymore.  So i painted it white and  slate green, distressed the house, the beads and the terra cota pots, did some decoupage, added a few doo dads and this old birdhouse/wind chime has a new life and the total cost?  $0.00

 and yet another project.  This little screen was purchased about 14 years ago, it once had flower engravings on each panel.  i covered each panel with card stock, then gesso, then i painted it and distressed the whole thing.  Like most things i do, this has a bird theme. you cannot go wrong with birds!

last one (for now)  This was a frame that opened up with these little panels.  It was black and i painted it, distressed it then decorated with a variety of Tim Holtz products, Bead Gallery, stickers, and scrapbook paper.  Decorating is always the best part :)

I am in the process of working on a few things:

i got the idea for this clothespin wreath from:

                          http://mamiejanes.blogspot.ca/2013/07/clothespin-starburst-wall-hanging.html

                                                   Still in progress. As are these two bird houses:

i purchased both these bird houses for $2.99.  This one is porcelain and WAS dark teal.  Two coats of gesso and about 5 coats of Vintage white and it's finally covered.  Not sure what i will do next....

This was a shiny honey pine and i sanded it, just to rough up the surface and then painted it dark brown (as a  primer)  not sure what i will come up with, but stay tuned....

Lake Murray

I go to Lake Murray quite often.  I like the views and all the birding opportunities.  However, Lake Murray is a very popular spot for walkers, runners and mountain bikers.  there is a "2 lane" fire road that goes around the lake, but i tell you, it is crowded!  I do not like crowds especially when i am seeking a glimpse at wildlife.  Fortunately there is a secondary trial that is down towards the shore and very few people take this route.  So whenever there is the opportunity, i take the secondary trails

Lake Murray is a good sized lake and i still wonder why there is not more waterfowl.  Maybe because boating is a popular activity here?  Either way, it's good to see the resident and migratory have enough room to stretch out and spread their wings.

this is something you would NEVER see at Lindo Lake, a Canada Goose and a white goose?  An odd pair....

I THINK these are Gadwall

I woke up these Redhead from their nap, i felt bad.  At least they didn't run away...

Greater Scaup

These are the resident nesting Osprey.  This was taken from across the lake, hence the bad picture.  But they appeared to be building up their nest and i know from previous experience, they get VERY upset when you get close, even if they're 100 feet in the air. And far be from be to upset them :)

I think this is a female Blue Gray Gnatcatcher. at first i thought it was a California Gnatcatcher, but she is too light.  Isn't she the sweetest little bird?  And the fact that she stayed still long enough for me to photograph her, was a rare occurrence!

                                         This is a downside of people and nature: GARBAGE!!!

this was just one load i collected along the shore.  I collected so many hand fulls of fishing line.  there are garbage cans all along the main paved trail, i guess it takes too much effort to walk a hundred yards to throw something away. While i did collect quite a bit of trash, in the grand scheme of things, it could be much worse.  As i stated before, this lake is very busy and crowded, so i think in general, most people actually clean up after themselves and hey, i don't mind picking up trash, anything to keep it going into the water and interfering with the animals.  Besides i won't allow some trash picking to ruin my day in a beautiful place.