A touch of summer returns......

 

Our Location: 

Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

 

 

A few pics to share with you. Enjoy.

 

Early morning patch of fog as I stand in one of my favourite spots. 

 

Lots of mushrooms around the area.

Our weather has taken a nice turn and we are back in the summer time temperatures with a bit of humidity. Thunderstorms roll along the line of the lake's shore and lightning is evident out over the bay. Rain drops pelt down, fine mist hovers in the air, and all the activity in between the two extremes. It's very much like the desert, coolish to cold in the mornings and a warm up during the day, with quick cool downs as the sun starts sinking. Hopefully it lasts for many weeks, it will make our stay here so much nicer. 

 

An abundance of apples, the view from above the Igloo, The Cabin, and a colour mushroom.

A small hint of colour, seeds ready to drop, and the view of the old orchard.

 

A few views around the farm.

A hint of the colours that will be coming soon!!

Until next time....

 

Take care, stay safe....

 

Deb

 

 

We are nearing our last full month in our summer spot.

 

 

 Our Location: 

Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

The temperature this morning was in the single digits on the Celsius scale, a mere 7C/ 43F. It warmed up as the day went on, just like the desert, although not nearly as quickly nor as high. It turned out to be a nice day and just like the desert, started cooling off quickly as the sun started it's descent. 

Sunrise, August 21.

 

I thought I'd share a few pictures today, as I have very few words to share. 

On a ride to the Sugar Shack I stopped to take the bottom three photos in the above collage. We call it 'going over the rock'. There is a trail that wanders around through the trees, it runs past all of the favoured maple trees for spring tapping. There is also another one that runs along the fence line to keep an eye on anything that might fall across the wire. The top left picture was taken upward toward the Igloo from the bottom of the pit, within a few weeks the leaves will be turning and the colours will look amazing. The top right picture was taken about half way up the side of the hill on a very steep roadway. As kids we used to toboggan down that hill, we banked the corners and enjoyed a fast ride down. The walk up was always difficult.  

    

                

A bit of colour in the greenery.  Some seeds getting ready to drop and get set for new growth in the spring.  There is much beauty here and I some times fail to see it, kind of like not being able to see the forest for the trees kind of thing. I guess writing an odd post now and then helped me realize what I've been missing. Thanks to my good friends Deb & Tom for giving me a little push to drop a post now and then.

 

 

 

 

Jason has been busy over the summer working on the lake property. So I thought I'd post a few pictures to remind me of the progress between old and new.  The top left picture is how the old cabins currently sit in construction to becoming one cabin which they will use while building their new home and possibly be turned into an Air BnB at some point. The middle right picture is the inside of the right cabin.  The outhouse, bottom left, is the only thing that hasn't been touched in any way. The two water pictures were just nice pictures. 

 

 

 A note of congratulations to our friends Linda and Randy, and their son Micheal and bride to be, on the birth of a son Weston on July 29. All are doing well and the proud grandparents are extremely tickled!

 

 

 Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the few pictures!!

Until next time...

Take care, stay safe, 

Deb

It feels like fall is in the air....

 

 Our Location: 

Our Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

It's been a while since I've posted and I thought it was time. The weather has changed a great deal, it went from being dry and hot to being wet and coolish. A touch of fall is in the air. The mornings are cooler, and darker than a few weeks ago. Heavy moisture in the mornings in the form of dew, quite literally drips off of all things. Some of the maple trees are starting to turn and we have barely passed the middle of August. The winds feel and sound like fall winds. Some gardens are producing greatly and others are barely producing at all. Apple trees are hanging heavy, chokecherries are dripping from sagging branches, raspberries are finished and the waters of Lake Huron are changing colour. 

A few signs around home. We live near the corner of Lakeshore Rd N and Lakeshore Rd.

We've been working a lot over the past while. Our private cleaning jobs are going well too. Our most senior gentleman, Ron is now in the hospital and is doing very poorly. He is a wonderful man, very pleasant, extremely gentle and a true gentleman. He is in his mid 90's and has lived a very long, good life. His bride Justine is also a very wonderful lady, a sweet gentle soul, with a soft voice and an engaging smile. She misses him greatly and visits him every few days.

 

Heavy dew, farm implements in the morning dampness, a few land mark rocks that have been around for years.

 

Daughter Bradey, husband David and their two young sons, Auston and Lincoln came to visit for a few days. We enjoyed the visit, the boys are growing fast. We will visit them again before we head south for the winter.  

Growth on the birch trees.

August has been a difficult month for me for many years. My parents and my grandmother all have/had birthdays in August. My mother and grandmother both died in August, as did my husband, who died on my dad's birthday.  On July 20th my father's youngest brother passed away three and half years after having a motorcycle accident that left him in a wheel chair. It has been a bit of a rough time. 

A few photos of interest, changing leaves, chokecherries, morning mist, abundance of apples.

On a good note, Jason and Leah welcomed a daughter on July 30, Laney James, a beautiful little sister for Hudson. One day after their 5th wedding anniversary. Daughter Bradey celebrated a birthday on July 24. Bradey is a beautiful lady that keeps life interesting and seems to have found her way on life's path! She is doing well! Dad turned 86 on August 10 and is doing well. 

One of my favourite places. Jason has moved the cabins.

We are starting to make travel plans, or at least we are figuring out our route. We have a couple of different ideas about dates to cross the border but for now we are happy to be here and are looking forward to at least another 6-8 weeks.

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

 

Until next time....

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

 

Not a typical summer here.....

 

Our Location: Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario

 

It's nice to read all of you are doing well. Some of you working hard, some of you hardly working, and others just having a great time doing old things, new things and other things. 

 

Webs and fog caught in the dewy morning views.

Wild fruit, chokecherries, billberries, apples and raspberries. (not in that order)

Not a typical summer here weather wise, it's been cool, cold at times, dry from the sky but humid, hot and breezy. Lots of smoke, plenty of clouds, some foggy mornings, and a bit of pure blue sky! We more often than not, have lots of clear blue skies for the summer months with some hot, humid days, and dripping, dewy, mornings.  The cool to cold waters of Lake Huron are fantastic for cooling off on those days. Some days the water is warmer than the air and other days it's the opposite. It depends on the wind direction. 

 

 

Some greenery and some blossoms!

 The summer is slipping past so quickly. We've been back in Ontario for over 90 days and in about 100 days we will be leaving our summer spot for this season.  Not crossing into the USA at that time but leaving here for southern Ontario. How does time pass so quickly?

 

You have to love the views!!

 

We've had some visitors here around the Igloo in the form of the cattle pasturing here on the farm. They are foraging for green grass and with the lack of rain for so long there is little to be found. They found a few things to chew on that were green, now we will have less tomatoes than we planned and The Cabin is half a flower short. We have cow deposits around but other than that our visitors were here and left quickly. 

 

A different drive home with just the Dogsled after we park the Igloo.

 

The promise of rain appears every few days but it never really comes, a drop or two here and there, 5 more the day after tomorrow and mist the day after.  We truly need some water from the sky for a few days and nights. The fields are crunchy, the leaves are starting to show lack of water, and the water levels in the ponds and rivers are getting lower.  It has rained all around us for weeks, fire bans have lifted around us but not here on the Rock. Although we wonder if we can get it turned off when we've had enough. 

 

The Igloo up there in the trees,(top left, bottom right) a water view (top right, bottom middle), with and without fog, low pond levels.

 

Spoke with my SIL Janet, she's doing well, things are moving in the right direction. She and Dennis will be moving to Portland for the rest of the summer months, taking a cruise  to Hawaii and then returning to Indian Wells for the winter. They hope to get a round or two of golf in at Pebble Beach before they return to IW.  

 

A beautiful field of Canola!

 

Today's photos are of various things that caught my eye. I hope you enjoy them. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you all stay well. 

 

Until next time...

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

 

Happy Canada Day, Happy 4th of July....

 

 

Our Location: 

Near South Baymouth, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

 

Hello, I hope all of our fellow Canadians had a joyous Canada Day and the our US friends all have a grand 4th of July tomorrow. 

 

We call these Devil's Paint Brush.

The road sides are brilliant with colours!

Tiger Lily.

There is beauty here!

 

Things have been pretty hot and humid here on our Rock. We have a fire ban for the entire Sudbury, North Shore, Manitoulin Island region. It has been in place for about a month now and it doesn't look like it will end any time soon. No rain in the forecast! 

 

From a distance this looks just white. Queen Anne's Lace!

Wild Strawberries.

Wild Roses.

A large patch of wild roses.

We've been busy working (our little summer jobs), doing some work around a summer spot, getting caught up with family, and appointments, etc. I have been trying hard to keep up with your blogs but I will admit I don't read them everyday but I do comment from time to time. It's nice to see most of you home and keeping busy! I have enjoyed the views of the travelers that have ventured out during the summer season. Thanks for sharing them with all of us. 

 

Morning dew is often very heavy.

A small patch of wild strawberries.

I love the vibrant colour.

It's not in bloom yet but it's promising.

 

Birthday wishes to sister Jan (June 25). A great sister and wonderful friend. We chat often and visit back and forth on a regular basis. The winters are spent catching up on the phone and visits tend to be long! Birthday wishes also to co-worker Amanda (June 22). A nice young lady that loves cats and dogs. She is foster mom to more than a few cats! Happy Birthday to Uncle Percy (June 24). He is actually my great uncle, half brother to my grandfather! Happy Anniversary to brother Rick and his beautiful bride Barb (June 23). We spend many mornings with coffee cups in hand and it's something I miss over the winter months! A special note of kindness from my Uncle Don, he and his lovely wife Joan granted us use of their Suzuki Quad runner for our stay here. Very kind and we appreciate it very much.

 

Today's photos are of various flowers along the roadside! I hope you enjoy them. 

 

Until next time...

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

 

A few pics .........

 

 

Our Location: 

Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario

 

The weather has been up and down, hot, cold and in between. The garden is starting to grow, the mosquitoes, black flies and deer flies are plentiful and very annoying. We've been working both at our pay jobs and our own 'around the Igloo' jobs. It's keeping us busy and out of trouble! 

 

Brother Rick's wood piles.

Morel Mushrooms!

 

On June 3rd, we, Riley, SIL Barb, myself, and eight other ladies all attended the Espanola Little Theatre  to see 3 one act plays. Barb's daughter Nicole was an actress in the final play. It was a very enjoyable evening. 

 

The new walking bridge at High Falls.

The views at 10 Mile Point.

 

The rest of our time has been spent working at the Motel, doing a couple of private homes, and a few things around here. The Cabin has now been stained, the garden is planted and starting to grow, I've been helping Dad doing a few things, and spending a little time doing some visiting. 

 

The morning sun, and two foxes playing just outside our door.

 

Birthday wishes to my Aunt Shirley, she celebrated on the 3rd. She is the oldest of my father's two sisters. 

 

The photos are of a few things we've seen over the past few weeks on the Rock. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Until next time...

 

Take care, stay safe,

 

Deb

 

 

A quick post with a few pics....

  

Our Location: 

Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

Nothing new and exciting here on the Rock. We are back to work and back to our regular weekly schedule. Some visits, some catching up and a few more to get to before long, or at least we hope. A graveside celebration of life for Marion (dad's lady friend) last week was the only real thing of note in the past few weeks.  A few pics to share, random of course, but hopefully they are of some interest to someone.

I mentioned my dad was split wood, here are a few of the wood piles/stacks around his storage space.

Before photos of Jason & Leah's property...

After photos of the property, or should I say middle? Construction is always bad before it's good.

 

The mud has dried up and the dust is here, black flies have arrived, as have the mosquitoes which are abundant. On a happy note, the hummers are also back, we have 3 that fight over the feeders! I haven't planted any type of garden as yet, we have only been having warm days for the last 3 in a row now!! Yah.... We need rain but my rain dance didn't work, hopefully someone with more experience will do the fancy foot work! 

Smoke from forest fires turns the morning sun red.

Yeah, it has been frosty a number of mornings....

But spring sprung and the heat is now turned on.

We are happy to report all of our friends made it home, although some are heading back out on the next adventure! Happy travels Jim and Barb. 

Apple blossoms are out at the old orchard.

And below the old orchard too.

A birthday wish to Aunt Shirley, who celebrates in the up coming days. She is my dad's sister. Happy Birthday Auntie!! 

Across the road from brother Rick's house.

Across the road from Dad's house, the morning sun is just getting above the trees.

A beautiful sign of spring, The Lady Slipper!

So there you have it, all caught up! I am hoping to get a few more scenic photos in the weeks to come, we will be travelling to other towns within a two hour drive and I hope to showcase some of the beauty we are fortunate enough to see on our travels. 

The Honeysuckles are also showing their colours.

The sign we had made in Mexico.

A quick glimpse after all the winter stuff was removed. Shelves and a clean up have been accomplish since the pic. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are having a fantastic summer folks!!

Until next time....

Take care, stay safe, 

Deb