Kawartha Cottage

The last week of sailing was very windy and included, a collision (no damage done), us lodging a protest and being protested in return (we defended our maneuvers and were deemed in the right). Rick and I left the next day for his daughters cottage, north of Peterborough.

Dueling GPS systems, a stop for alcohol and another for groceries and we reached the cottage around 4pm. Greeted by a Heron

who was fishing in the marshy area next to the cottage.

Rick trying to figure out which way to point his camera for the best star pictures.

As cooking is not a favorite activity for either of us we are trying to keep it simple. First time I had ever cooked a "flattened chicken". We had it with roasted potatoes, there is enough for a chicken stir fry another night and the carcass for chicken soup.

Lovely view to wake up to. A little cool for coffee on the deck but before breakfast

We took a 2km walk up the cottage road and back.

Named because it is curvy and a bit rough.

A tiny red squirrel was so fast all I got was his tail.

After lunch we pulled the canoe off the rack and set off. I haven't canoed for about 12 years, Rick, over 20.

Through the gap and across some more water is Wolf Island which is a Provincial Park without road access.

with a small dam on one side and

another dam and Lock 30 on the Trent Severn Water System on the other side.

We were a little wobbly to start, both of us with worse balance than when we last canoed but the "dismount" left us both rolling on the ground and laughing. Not very elegant but we didn't get wet!

The rest of the afternoon was spent reading and/or napping on the deck

and playing with some camera settings.

It had been cloudy off and on all day, but warm. Just before supper the clouds moved off and we had a clear sunset.

Rick just sent me this photo that he took at 6am this morning. He is hoping to get star photos tonight, as it is clear, but the moon may interfere.

Victoria Harbour break

 Heather, Pam, Sue and I spent 3 nights at a rented cottage in Victoria Harbour, near Midland, on Georgian Bay.

It looked like an ordinary house but had a quirky layout. I suspect it is an old cottage that has been messed with many times and the renovations did not always flow together well. But we each had a bedroom, there were 2 bathrooms, outside areas in the shade or the sun

with a view of the water. Two kayaks and paddleboards came with the cottage but the water level was too low to get them in the water.

We took a trip in to Midland for the traditional day of shopping - thrift store, yarn shop, shoe store and lunch by the waterfront. Photo by Pam.

Photo by Pam.

The thrift store visit was to upgrade the coffee mugs at the cottage. We wanted larger ones and each found our signature mugs.

Heather and I walked in the neighbourhood and found some lovely homes,

a restaurant that we ate dinner at later and

a beach with a view across the Bay

Bird watching was good..... Kingfisher, Osprey, Bald Eagle,

Heron,

Mergansers and a variety of ducks.

Lots of different boats and a float plane.

We ate, drank and caught up with each other while Pam and Sue knitted

and Heather and I hooked.

September update - Sketch the Junction and Bare Naked Ladies

September was already a busy month and now there a various things to be done regarding Dad's passing: apartment, car, bank etc etc. But I still have lots of enjoyable thing on my plate as well.

On the day that Dad died, I was in Toronto with Christine, participating in "Sketch the Junction". She had invited me to do this with her and it sounded like fun and a bit out of my comfort zone.

Christine had been Executive Director of the Junction BIA so already knew what corner she wanted to position herself at. Many of the sketchers (there were 38 of us) where part of the "Urban Sketchers Toronto" and they would just plonk down on a curb or a bench but we had camp chairs, a folding table and a rolling bag to carry our stuff.

I didn't know what I would feel like doing so I took pencils, charcoal, pen and watercolours.

Chris started with this building

and opted for magic markers.

She then moved on to a pencil sketch of the Heintzman  Place, a condo building built where the Heintzman Piano factory was.

I liked the contrast of it with the old building on the opposite corner to us.

I went with pen and watercolour Only the second time I had used that medium.

 It was a lot of fun with people stopping to chat and seeing other artists at work. My piece took me over 4 hours (I couldn't believe the time when I finally stood up but my hips believed it). Aside from posting progress on social media (Chris took care of that) we had to deliver the sketches to Articulations, the art store and organizer, by 5 pm, where they would be adjudicated. Looking at the others as we all hurried to the store, there were some amazing paintings and sketches. They will be on display, at the store until early October, when we can pick them up.

We got the phone call about Dad as we were dropping them off and immediately drove down to Fort Erie.

The following week, Rick and I had tickets to see the Bare Naked Ladies at the Burning Kiln Winery. A concert that had been rescheduled from last November.

We parked, for free, in the vineyard and then stood in line for about 20 minutes to get our bags etc checked (for food and beverages)

Lots of people already there but as we made our way in front of the stage to get to the other side we spotted enough room for 2 chairs, in the 3rd row!

Doesn't get much better than that.

It was a lovely evening but cooled down as the sun went down.

The warm up band was High Flyer, lead singer the son of the headliners lead singer.

I didn't see, but could still hear, most of their set as I was in line up for a hot dog and battered mushrooms.

 Unfortunately none of the videos that I took worked but needless to say, it was a great concert. Lots of energy, interaction with the crowd, old songs and some that were just about to be released on a new album. They played for about an hour and a half and then came back for an encore. It didn't take long to get out of the parking and we headed home. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look to see who is playing there next year, it was such a great venue.

Derek Antony Joynes 1932 - 2023

I went looking for a photo of my Dad and found this one (I had used it on the blog when my Mum died). In the last 9 months Mum, Dad and Aimee have all died.

 My Dad passed away on September 9, 2023 peacefully, in his arm chair. He had just turned 91.

Trying to reflect on what to say about him, I realized he was always looking forward; the next job, the next house, the next renovation, the next retirement plan, the next trip. He didn't let anything stand in his way, not even mobility difficulties. He had just returned from a wedding in the U.K. where, with help, he managed the transatlantic flights and the corresponding airports. He was talking about taking a cruise.

He was very social, at cast parties (and family Christmases) he could always be found, leaning on a bar or counter, drink in hand chatting about sports or theatre. He and Mum were always involved with amateur theatre; acting, producing, directing, organizing, hosting parties and working on committees. That and travel filled their lives both before and after retirement. He was currently involved in producing the Garrison Little Theatre's upcoming production.

He prided himself on his adoption and comfort with technology, always happy to buy the next computer or device and only frustrated when his large (and broken too many times) fingers were not sensitive enough or when he had to get help setting something up (though that did give him social time with the people on the tech support line). He prided himself on his memory, happy to tell me that his password was the license plate of his fathers first car or the address of his first house.

He enjoyed watching, and talking about, rugby, base ball, hockey, tennis, old movies, and old jazz. He enjoyed his scotch and his gin and tonic. He continued to drive, a standard transmission Civic.

He had a varied life that I believe he enjoyed, for the most part, not withstanding the covid isolation and the last few years taking care of Mum as she experienced cognitive degeneration.