76 F/ 24 C

Just once around the
Butterfly Garden - and I
was on my way home!

~carliewired

About 9 PM last evening a big gust of wind suddenly hit my house. It felt like a big punch that I felt rather than heard. A storm had very suddenly rolled into our valleys bringing rain and high winds. The rain is always welcome, but the wind was an added danger to our regional wildfires. The storm has reduced the heat for us, giving us a much cooler day today. 

This morning I was not too eager to get on my cranky feet to go in search of a blip. I took some time to leave the house so I arrived at McArthur Island Park just before 6:30.

I turned into the park at the east entrance where I could see tree damage immediately. The park crew will be busy today collecting the mess left behind from last night's storm. 

I caught a young buck browsing near the north entrance as I turned towards the Butterfly Garden. He could not have cared less that I was prowling around him in my car. 

I made a brief stop at the Butterfly Garden to admire the cultivated plants and to leave a quilted heart on a bench. That was about all the walking my old feet could manage this morning. I picked up some breakfast, then headed back home. 

The Ross Moore Lake fire is now just 10 km south of our city limits and has grown to about 2600 hectares. This morning, the smoke from the fire is being directed away from the city, but this can change throughout the day as air flow patterns change. 

I  have a couple of appointments this morning, then it's home and hiding with my feet up again.