My boys look like this too after playing the snow but they shed their snowsuits and leave them to dry by the wood stove. Kitty however has to thaw in his own. If you like this type of cat I recommend following Nate's "Floppy" at @natebrees17.bsky.social #cat #cats #catsky #caturday #catsofbluesky

Just realized I've been an Otter here for a month but hadn't yet shared a picture of any of our backyard pond otters. We usually see them in the summer but also sometimes during winter when the ice isn't too thick. #otter #wildlife #nature

Goldfinch on a zinnia flower. It may be -40°F outside but in just six short months we'll see these birds and flowers in the garden again. #birds #birding #birdphotography #flowers #gardening #eastcoastkin

Watercolour painting of the boys heading home before an Arctic storm blows in. Up here we're prepared for extreme cold and snow but I hope the people down south will survive the coming winter storm without much trouble. #illustration #watercolor #gouache #painting #artwork #kidlitart #eastcoastkin

Ruffed grouse in the snow. This one visits the backyard regularly. #birds #nature #wildlife #eastcoastkin

Sedum flowers after a rain. #flowers #garden #eastcoastkin

Great blue heron posing for his portrait as the August evening light fell perfectly on him. #birds #birding #heron #nature #eastcoastkin

A convenient thing about raising kids in the far north during winter: When you drop them off to play somewhere you can return 5 minutes later or hours later and find them in exactly the same spot where you dropped them. This does not work at all during summer. #snowplay #winter #snow #eastcoastkin

On the toboggan hill. #bokeh #sledding #winter #snow #eastcoastkin

Today marks 1 month on bsky. Has been fun to try. Little to indicate visibility, other than Likes. Top post got 26 Likes (bird pic). Bottom posts got 1-2 (pics/illustrations of my kids). Being invis is fine though. It removes all pressure to be interesting. Can just post what I want. Might stay.

I nice waterfront "cottage" seen on an autumn fishing outing with the boys. I could see neighbours, which made it way too urban for us, but if situated on a property with land I could imagine a house like that being ideal.

A quick watercolor painting to generate ideas for a landscape and setting for a story illustration. #illustration #sketch #painting #artwork #landscape

Every winter mountains like these grow at our front door. The boys enjoy digging into them to make igloo-style snow forts. I find myself digging snow every day because I have to and the boys dig every day because they like to. All together we make a great snow digging team.

Morning sky. Looks a bit like one of the aurora pictures people were sharing last night. What a show that was! #sunrise

This is a painting of my daughter from 2012, rowing on the Charles River in Boston, Mass. #ColorADay #PinkMon #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCloseUp #ArtYear #Watercolor #ArtistsOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin #Boston #Rowing

For a homeschool activity some of the boys helped make a quick, easy no-yeast "bird bread" using old baking ingredients, wild bird seed and chicken scratch. The baked bread is then cut into sections and placed in suet feeders. #birds #birdfeeder #homeschool #unschool #chickadee #squirrel

Staghorn sumac growing on rock. The dark bird-like tufts at the ends of branches are seed heads. It's amazing how some plants can survive and thrive in conditions that would seem to provide them with almost nothing. #landscape #nature #eastcoastkin

Watercolour/gouache illustration of my son dancing at a powwow, created as a little thank-you piece for a friend who makes regalia and ribbon shirts for the boys. #illustration #painting #art #kidlitart #watercolor #watercolour #gouache #native #nativeamerican #indigenous #firstnations #powwow

It is a land of abundance up here during winter, if you need ice, snow, rock and lichen. #ice #lichen #icicle #rock #geology #landscape

Blue jay trying to keep warm in the snow. #bird #bluejay #birdphotography #nature #eastcoastkin

Our driveway and path after a massive dig-out. Exhausting work but satisfying to make space out there for it to all be filled in again overnight. Winning. #snow #winter #landscape #snowscape #photography #eastcoastkin

Snowmobiler stops to watch and wave at a few deer on our driveway. #deer #nature #wildlife #eastcoastkin

Ruffed grouse, coming right at ya. I've photographed grouse on the property in all sorts of settings and angles but getting one head on like this was a first. Looks like he was aiming for me but he was not aware I was there taking pics. #bird #grouse #birding #nature #wildlife #eastcoastkin 🌿

Boys making a snowman - gouache and watercolor - painted years ago for a fundraiser (helping a local family raise funds for their son's medical expenses). #artwork #painting #gouache #watercolour #watercolor #illustration #eastcoastkin #otterkids

It's a bit rare for us to see goldfinches this far north during the winter but sometimes a few will overwinter here. #bird #birding #birdphotography #nature #eastcoastkin #goldfinch

The crash. This seems to be the main reason my boys go sledding. I hope it wears off by the time they reach driving age. #crash #sledding #tobogganing #otterkids

Autumn walk with some of the boys on one of the trails on the property. On warm fall days the air is filled with the heavy sweet scent of goldenrod and aster, and a constant hum of bees. #nature #wildflowers #trail #outdoorkids #kidsoutdoors #otterkids #eastcoastkin

Deer try to keep out of the deepest snow so when they encounter a plowed driveway or shovelled path they'll often follow it, even if it only leads to our front door. We don't get many visitors out here so it's fun when those randoms show up on the doorstep. #wildlife #deer #nature #eastcoastkin

I hope the #caturday police won't notice the counterfeit I'm trying to pass here but I like to live dangerously so here it is. A church roof that looks like a cat's head from this angle. Same church as in the 1959 Chevy truck post shared on Jan 2. #photography #eastcoastkin

One of my little goalies caught way out of position but managed to make the save. #sportsphotography #sports #hockey #icehockey #goalie #otterkids

Our cat having a comfortable nap in his bed after being out in the snow this morning. #caturday #cat

Fox napping in snow at the edge of our pond. I was a bit concerned as it was extremely cold, sub-zero, and he slept like this for hours, but he was fine. As soon as the sun left that spot he moved on. Still returns regularly to our fields. #wildlife #nature #fox #eastcoastkin #wildlifephotography 🌿

An old watercolour illustration I did, depicting the struggle we imagined in trying to get our sled to the top of a "mountain". Now my boys see their climbing expeditions on the sledding hills the same way. #illustration #painting #art #artwork #watercolor #watercolour #kidlitart #sledding

When the winter sky looks like this we know snow squalls are near. It is interesting when they blow in to give us such sudden heavy snows all while the sun is still shining. #stormysky #landscape #landscapephotography #trees #forest

When my boys aren't playing hockey I can find them on the toboggan hill. They love sledding and will play on the hills as long as they have snow, which usually lasts here into April. #sledding #tobogganing #winter #snow #winterfun #snowplay #kidsoutdoors #outdoorkids #otterkids

Red barn in the snow. Not bad here today, compared to coldest spot in Canada - Little Chicago NT: -47.2 °C/-52.96°F. Not surprisingly its population is 0. Is surprising that temp readings are gathered anyway. #barn #redbarn #winter #snow #rural #farm #farmlife #country #photography #eastcoastkin

When there is this much snow on the driveway only the deer can use it. #wildlife #nature #deer #snow #winter 🌿

All winter the grandmothers and aunties pour their creativity, craftsmanship and attention to detail into making regalia for the boys to use at summer pow wows. Impressive artists they are. #native #nativeamerican #indigenous #firstnations #powwow #saulteaux #cree #Cowessess #otterkids

My cat looking out the window at the final boss mouse, trying to decide if she's levelled up enough to have a go at it. #cat #caturday #deer #whitetaileddeer #nature #wildlife

In the grip of the icy hand of winter. #icicle #icicles #ice #winter #nature #photography #eastcoastkin

Snow on bullrushes growing in our backyard pond. Rows of rushes often remind me of sheet music and if I could ever read it I might know the song the rushes are playing. #nature #snow #winter #pond #eastcoastkin #photography

An alert healthy fox hunting for mice under the snow in our field. #nature #wildlife #fox #eastcoastkin

Soft rime frost on branches. Soft rime forms with extreme cold, high humidity and minimal breeze. Winters here provide those ingredients but rarely all at once for the soft rime recipe to work. When it happens it's a beautiful sight. #photography #winter #nature 🌿 #frost #eastcoastkin

Winter is usually harsh and grey here, angrily overpowering all with its ferocity, but sometimes it surprises by greeting us in the morning with a delicate lacy frost, total calm and a clear blue sky. #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #winter #snowscape #snow #frost #eastcoastkin

Our tabby napping in a box of Christmas decorations. She joined the family years ago as an abandoned kitten the boys found on the property. We are so far from towns and neighbours that we don't expect to see abandoned pets here. A mystery. #cat #cats #catsky #caturday #catsofbluesky #tabbycats

Close-up photo of huge crystals of early morning soft rime ice frost on a tree branch. This delicate frost vanishes as soon as the sun appears or the slightest breeze occurs. #nature #winter #frost🌿 #crystals #photography #macro #closeup #macrophotography #macrophoto #eastcoastkin

Our winter sunrise view in the frozen north. Our sunset view often looks like this but we don't often see this much colour in the early mornings. When it happens it's a nice treat. #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #winter #sunrise #sunset #eastcoastkin

Ruffed grouse roosting in a tree. #birds #grouse #nature 🌿 #photography

High noon during winter in the far north - watercolor #painting #illustration #artwork #kidlitart #landscape #winter #snowscape #watercolor #watercolour 🖌️

Happy New Year! #happynewyear #fireworks #concertphotography #backstage #rockconcert #rockband #drummer #nightphotography #photography