Jo, I promise to get the tripod out and take better pictures of the scapes from all angles. I have difficulty bending the ole back and holding still more than two seconds. That is a boat, it is a pirogue made of fiberglas. A derelict washed up during a hurricane at my brother's place just east of New Orleans in Slidell LA. I had 3 obelisks like 3 masts in the boat, gave one to DH for his squash to climb. Of the remaining two, one is the Eiffel Tower. Not for serious vines. Maybe the mandevilla or allemande, more delicate and controlled a vine. I'm about to spray paint it pink....the boat that is.....hot pink.....a color I used before on a john boat....nobody ever stole it....easy to identify....what young male wants to be the caught riding around in a PINK john boat! Indeed, one day, that will be a planted "boat bed"... I needed some height at that end of the garden. Thus the obelisks, and the umbrellas. Shade. Must have shade.

We live in a suburb of Toronto on a 1/4 acre. This is our first year observing the birds so I can't identify all of them yet, but so far the ones we can identify are cardinals, mourning doves, robins, chickadees, sparrows, woodpeckers, finches, grackles, starlings, plus one tiny owl last Halloween. More exciting for me has been the family of raccoons who nest in our silver maple. The tree is right beside the patio where I sit on warm nights. Last summer, Mama raccoon was so used to me sitting there that she didn't mind my observing her leading her four babies down the tree, one at a time, about five feet away from me! One of her daughters stayed with her this year and they spent some time wintering in my garage (I made a bed for them). Here's a pic of last year's baby... There seems to be a wildlife freeway through our yard. In addition to the raccoons, we get visits from opossum and skunk who walk by the patio on a regular basis. Can't wait to see them again this year!

Sounds and looks like a neat place. I have never been birding outside the United States but that looks neat. Thanks for the tip. I wonder if there are starlings there?? Probably darn it grin..suckers have spread all over the globe now it seems except like maybe Antarctica or the far north. I wish they would all go there from the United States anyway and maybe freeze solid before they realized they went too far south. My trap had another one in it this very morning and it was great to see him behind bars as I sipped my morning coffee while watching my now 20 martins all over the gourds smile...Mike

I've been having lots of fun watching the starlings who have a nest in the tree right off my deck. They are wonderful mimics. One sits there and does a perfect robin. I thought I WAS hearing a robin till I really started watching him closely. He has such a wide range of sounds! Also went to the post office today and there is a nest with big fat baby robins outside the front door. They are so darn cute.