MY FINAL FULL DAY IN LAKE COUNTRY

 POST # 585

Who knew?  In all of my travels around the world, I had not realised until now, that Oyama is right up there among the famous cities of the world.  I've now been to three out of the four on the above list, but I suspect that I will never get to Paris at this stage of my life.  But now I can at least check Oyama off of my to-do list. How ironic that with my French ancestry, I will probably never get to France. 

Oyama is just down the road from my current house sit, and when I was there the other day, I took this photo of Woods Lake, looking south. 

When I take Toby out for a walk, we pass by many apple orchards along the way.  Not being an apple farmer, I was somewhat perplexed as to why there were so many apples left rotting on the vine, as can be seen in this photo.

Fortunately for me, the neighbours are knowledgeable about why this is the case, so when I was over at their place for a visit the other day, they filled me in on the variety of reasons that this is so.  They have probably forgotten more than I will ever know about apple farming, so I accept their story without any doubt.  Still, as an avid apple eater, it does make me sad to see so many apples go to waste.  To ease my pain, they provided me with some apples that were picked in time, and I am most grateful to them for doing so.

I managed to take this photo of a rare sunset since I arrived, as most days have been overcast.  This photo is quite the contrast from my last blog post, as the snow has all but disappeared.  That changed this past Monday, and now we have almost as much snow as when I arrived.  Thankfully it's much warmer now, so I don't expect this latest snow cover to hang around much longer.  

And speaking about hanging around much longer, I will be heading out tomorrow to return to Vancouver, as the owners arrive back home later this evening.  It has been a very relaxed and enjoyable stay out here in Lake Country, and I'm glad that the owners gave me the opportunity to care for their home and their wonderful bonehead, Toby.

I think that he knows that something is up, because he certainly has been staying close by lately.  Well Toby, we've got the better part of one more day to spend together, so let's make the best of it.  And thanks for your company during my stay here.  It's been a joy to take care of you.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer