Fall Photos..

 

Our Location:

Summer Spot

near South Baymouth, Ontario 

Fall always offers lots of photo opportunities. I strolled over the rock to about the half way point from Igloo to Sugar Shack. The day is cloudy, coolish, damp and a soft wind high in the tree tops.

There are lots of maples, some oak, some dead/dying spruce thanks to the spruce bud worm, as well as other varieties.  They make a rich carpet, some times crinkling underfoot, other times silent and sodden, cushioning each step. The spruce offer stark contrast, it is usually a ghostly white haze in the distance, upon getting closer the fallen branches and trees present a tripping hazard if one is not paying attention.

On this stroll everything was spongy and the rocks slick with wetness from last night’s rain. I noticed a new growth of poison ivy in a few places along the path. New growth green not yet relinquished to the brilliant red of fall one normally sees this time of year. I did not take any of the short paths to the bluffs edges, too wet and slippery. The colours do not appear as brilliant nor as varied this year but perhaps sunshine would change that situation.

A big cool down in the temperate from yesterday, about 10 degrees. Can you say brrrrrr ? The sun is trying to fight its way out but I’m not hopeful.

The ladder to nowhere…

Jim can you see it?

Brother Rick’s stand.

I often times think I should explain that Brother Rick is my brother not a Religious Brother. Sister Janet (Jan) is my sister, not a Religious Sister. Sister Jan has a partner named Rick. My late sister in law Janet was Richard’s sister. So the added brother/sister is now cleared up, I hope.

Insect tracks in the wood.

One of new cradles built last fall.

The apple holder is a dead spruce that has broken off,
the bush is full of them.

I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse of my morning stroll, I still have more photos but think this is enough for this post.  To the Canadians reading this we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving (coming this weekend). Always be thankful for what you have for someone always has less. You are blessed if your tables are ladened, if your family is near, and if your friends are dear. To our American readers, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, we are grateful to know you, grateful that you take the time to check in, and grateful to call you friend.

Dead spruce everywhere.

A carpet of many colours.

Sunlight on the Maple Leaf.

Not much wind this morning.

Take care, stay safe….

Deb

Almost settled in……

 

Our Location:

Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

It’s been a few weeks since my last post and I thought I should drop a quick note to keep all informed. Life is settling back down to our regular summer routines with just a few more little chores to get us completely settled. The clothes lines still need to be put up, The Cabin needs a final tidy and sweep, the gardens need some attention and I have just two more chores to complete before I consider us all ready for the summer. I’m much slower this year and I believe it has a lot to do with the dampness and the colder than normal temps. 

Growth on a tree

My sister’s flowering cactus

We are back to our little summer spot jobs now, and enjoying them a great deal. It certainly makes our time more structured and we like that. If we could just get some nicer weather we would be all set.

Jim, you will like these. Some old equipment on the farm.

Work is continuing on the preparation for Jason and Leah’s new house. Jason is working hard getting the site ready but a few breakdowns and the amount of rain are putting things a bit behind his schedule. Life is never easy, is it?

Squishy green moss.

Moss is everywhere.

Our good friend Anita is here at their cottage and we managed to have a quick visit with her, although we didn’t see her hubby Mike. They are doing well, and we hope to see her a few times over the summer. 

This tree in various stages of leafing out.

Birthday wishes to Grandson Lincoln, who turns 2 today. He is a happy little guy, and is excited about the ‘secret’ big brother Auston won’t share about Linc’s birthday surprise. 

Lake Huron is still very cold.

Happy Mothers Day to all of the beautiful mothers out there. I hope you have a fantastic day. My day was brightened considerably when both of my other daughters called me to give their best wishes today. Thanks Ladies, the calls were very much appreciated.

It looks as if this will be an official residence soon.

The pics are just things I captured while out and about. I am going to tour a bit of the Island at some point with my sister and I will find some interesting views for you to see. However, today is NOT that day!

Until next time…..

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

Our last day in Southern Ontario….

 

Our Location:

Valens Lake Conservation Area, Flamborough, Ontario

I would like to say the weather has been delightful, however my mother always told me never to lie. It has been cold, damp, overcast, windy and yes, damp, or did I mention that already? I know, I know, it’s typical spring weather, the lack of snow fall in the winter must be compensated by rain in the spring. Blah, blah, blah.

We are comfortable in our site and will be reserving this one in the future. We’ve learned that we can reserve 11 months in advance, that is a good thing to know! No water connections this early and I would guess none later in the fall either, but you can pull to Hilltop Shower Building and use the outdoor spigot to add water. There are no sewers at any site, but 5 dump stations are available. The above shower house is also the location for laundry, 2 top load only, 2 dryers, $3.00 is the magic number for all machines. The price for a night in the park is approximately $55 CAD per night. 

Courtney and Riley.

We have had a couple more visits with Bradey and the boys but today was unavailable as they are heading into Hamilton to see the Monster Trucks!  The boys, big and small, are all very excited. Yesterday, Friday, we motored into Hamilton to The West End Diner to visit with oldest daughter Courtney, she commuted from Toronto. We enjoyed the short visit, it is always exciting to visit with her. She is such a positive person and was totally thrilled with the little bag of goodies we brought her! The food was excellent too! We would definitely go there again if in the neighbourhood.

I’ve been chatting hit and miss with dad in the evenings, things are going well there and we are hoping to be there in a few days. The weather here is like the weather there, just a couple of degrees cooler. 

Tomorrow we start the near to last leg of our journey homeward. We roll out for points north, our destination will be just a couple of hundred miles north at a very nice spot for overnight. Not nice as in views but nice as in it is very, very large, ( semis park far away) pretty flat and just a half hour from one of our stock up on groceries stops. Sudbury. From there we have a couple of ideas, one which will have us arriving at home dirt around 3 ish on Monday or another one arriving around noon on Tuesday. We will figure it out as we go. So if all goes well we will be putting feet down for a few months by Monday or Tuesday in time for a dip in the temperature and moisture from the skies. Ah, springtime in Northern Ontario. 

Until next time…..

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

We are 10 days from leaving our summer spot.....

 

 

Our Location: 

Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

 

Fall is definitely in the air. Rain, cold, damp and a carpet of leaves rustling and falling in the north/ northwest winds that blows most days now. From time to time we do manage a west wind but it too is cold. I do believe fall has arrived and will likely be here until Old Man Winter settles in. 

 

Two original cabins...

are now one.

 

Leaves carpeting the yard at Dad's. The metal wood shed in the back is now full awaiting winter.

We have been busy getting things cleaned up, gardens, yards, etc. Work is slowing down a great deal this past week or so. We will be attending an end of the busy season staff party tomorrow at the little inn which keeps us busy during our time here. Looking back in time I determined that we have started our 5th year at the little inn this past August. Our first year was only about 6 or 7 weeks before we left. It has been educational, annoying, enriching, and extremely entertaining. I can honestly say that most days I enjoy going to work, the hours are great, the pay is wonderful (our winter groceries), the people are fantastic, and of course, we manage a few laughs, a few sighs, a little blood, a lot of sweat and yes maybe even a few tears on occasion (from laughter most likely). It is a good place to work, and gives us some structure to our time here. 

 

Dixie the Lab is having a bath in the early morning sunshine.

I never tire of this ever changing view.

The morning sun will pop out soon.

 

My personal cleaning jobs are also winding down, one more visit to each before we leave. SIL Barb will take over those two little jobs for me while I'm away for the winter. Thanks Barb, we all appreciate that very much. The two couples I work for are amazing. I always enjoy my time there, they brighten my day and I hope I brighten theirs just a little too. I will miss them all! These two jobs are providing our Mexico spending money this year. Thank you folks!! 

 

 

How can one tire of this?

It's close to the freezing mark on this morning, and the water is much warmer than the air.

Even the deeper water out in the bay is warmer than the air.

 

We are firming our plans a bit more each day. We will be bypassing the farm this year and spending less than our usual 2 weeks in southern Ontario. We are looking at approx 1 week instead. A change in our route has us being able to leave earlier than expected. The quick change in the weather here also has us looking to let the Big Dog run south quicker. The Big Dog has had his check up and all things are good to go! We will be airing up the tires on the Igloo this coming week and putting the last of our things away in the cabin for winter. I will admit I've been wearing my heavy mittens and winter hat, along with a scarf on my early morning treks to Dad's for coffee at the now dark hour of 6:15 am.  Jeans, fleece jacket and my sploggers (due to the early morning wetness) round off the fall clothing necessary not to be shivering by the time I reach the house.  Coming home the sun is up and the flashlight stays in my pocket.  Fall has arrived. 

 

 

The old dock is white with frost this morning.

The frost is starting to melt as the sun comes up.

A very cold bath for any birds brave enough to break the ice.

 

On that note I'm signing off. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the visit. 

 

These logs are covered in frost.

The tree pile in the pit has grown steadily all summer and fall.

The white is frost on the ground at Jason's lake front property.

Until next time....

 

The Ferry Dock is the shiny buildings on the left, the others are just cottages along the shore.

I love the sun on the trees over there.

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb