My new home.

After an absolutely exhausting few days of moving, Nicola and Dave (and briefly Simon) helped with some hook ups, organization and unpacking

but first coffee and the view (Tim Hortons is only 5 minutes away - civilization!)

This Red Winged Blackbird also enjoys the view, sitting on top of that pine tree most of the day.

Beyond the deck there is a steep bank down to the water

that is currently covered

in flowers

and a surprising amount of naturalized garlic, all going to seed right now so there will be even more next year. I will harvest the scapes next year.

During the day the bank is full of bees and butterflies and

humming birds. At night its full of fireflies.

From the deck at the bottom of the bank I can see Port Dover marina

and with a bit of a scramble, can go swimming.

It's a steep climb back up to the top deck.

The top deck is perfect for morning coffee and late afternoon wine while watching the fishing boats from Dover,

paddle boards,

sail boats and

the view.

I have been here for a week and a half now and have seen squirrels, rabbits and a mink in the garden while herons, bald eagles and the Hamilton Aviation Museum's Lancaster bomber have flown overhead.

Rasta had a difficult first day, hiding under a bathroom cabinet

but is quickly finding his favorite places.

A late launch

After much thought, personal debate and public discussion, Mark decided to launch Caleidoscope this summer even though there is no official race season.

She was waiting for us, on her winter cradle, in front of the marina office, when the launch crew arrived. The official, paid, launchers and those of us who had volunteered to help; Brian, Dieter and myself.

A trailer picked up the cradle and moved it to the ramp using a "tractor",

while Mark attached the wind instruments and antennae to the top of the mast.

This is the scariest part, as far as I am concerned,when she is lifted up of her cradle and hangs there, suspended,

before being maneuvered over and gentle deposited in the water.

The motor started up straight away (sigh of relief) and the next stop was the fuel dock

to get the mast put on. Mark had to connect all the wiring for the instrumentation at the base of the mast before it was settled into place and then the forestay, backstay and shrouds all had to be connected and tightened to hold it there.

So nice to see her in her element

and in her slip. We toasted this sailing season with a beer (I had a water).

Whenever we bring Caleidoscope in to her slip we say "Don't hit the blue boat", its part of the ritual. The "blue boat", Sugar Bay, Deiter and Maryanne's Bayfield, has been in the next slip over for many years, but this year they have sold her. Sad to see her go, down the Welland canal to her new home in Whitby. Deiter says he will continue to sail but now in a dinghy, closer to home. Another new chapter.

No racing this year but hopefully some "physical distance" sailing. I would be happy to hang out at the bow, 30ft away from the skipper.

Driving home I took this shot. I really like wind turbines and enjoy that I can see them when approaching my new home. I will be able to see them from my front porch in the winter.

The move

The moving company was concerned about loading a 5 bedroom house, moving it and unloading it, all in one day. Made more difficult by the limited number of men they could send due to Covid 19 restrictions.

So they loaded 2 trucks the day before the closing day. No food in the house so Nicola and I ate on the Erie Beach patio. Felt so strange to choose from a menu, eat something I hadn't cooked, be served. Good strange!

This gave Nic and I an empty house to clean on the morning of closing.

Mixed emotions about the move;

George and I had talked about this house, planned and designed for the 8 years that we used the cottage as a cottage, we visited the build frequently (with George always bringing a dozen donuts for the building crew),

we had wanted room for family and friends to visit, room to entertain,

be energy efficient and to take advantage of the view.

Simon and Daniele helped us finish the basement. In fact Si did all the trim in the whole house and built the wall between the upstairs bedrooms. A lot of him in the house too.

Amazing to see this room without all the wool and yarn.

Yes, mixed emotions. As Christine identified, it was the last place that George lived. The last physical connection to a house that he was so part of and which was designed to accommodate his social nature. But he has been gone for 7 years now and I feel ready to have my own place. The time feels right and the new house feels right.

There are no pictures of the actual move in. In spite of starting a day early it was still constant work until 10:30 at night. No time for pictures (assuming I could find the camera).

1 Beach Ave - Sold

After staging the house there was a week of peace while photos and video were taken

and it was advertised. I could enjoy "The Point" again.

Usually the people return to the beach gradually; first the dog walkers, then the occasional family or teen group and then the invasion. This year, when the beach was finally opened, the invasion was a bit of a shock as I had got very used to the quiet and lack of crowds.

The kit boarders were back too.

The house was shown twice in the first weekend and, after some back and forth, it sold. The new buyers wanted to move in June 30, a very tight closing date, so it was back to a frantic pace again.

What a mess, boxes and tubs and paper and plastic.

Chris came down to help and Nicola was a fabulous task master. I could not have done it without her.

Rasta would rather lie in a box than pack it.

"The stash" ready to roll.

The vegetable garden was looking great and I took a couple of lettuce, couple of kale and all the potted herbs.

It was the first time that I had been able to successfully grow zucchini 

so they had to come too.

Rick picked them up along with the composters and all the containers the day before the movers came.

There would be no furniture to sleep on so Rasta left for a few days at Si and Dan's.

Iris and miscellaneous rug hooking

Now the rush on the house is finished I can go back to keeping the gardens under control (or approximately under control). This time of year I love the variety of Iris that are in bloom.

Most are cream topped with pale purple lower petals. I don't know if they started that way or if the lack of nutrition in the sand has made them gradually more anemic.

These have darker purple lower petals.

This group are almost a brown purple and

may favorite, so dark that it is almost black. Only one flower stem  this year.

Cindy, a rug hooking friend, sent me a birthday present of natural wool, a couple of pieces of silk scarf and dyeing instructions.

You soak the wool for an hour. Jelly roll the silk and wool and tie it up with string. Put it in a mason jar covered with water and microwave (at 30%, otherwise it boils over) for about half an hour. Put white vinegar in it for the last 5 minutes. Carefully take it out, its hot, and drain it. Rinse the wool and dry it.

Hanging on the line to dry. On the right is the silk scarf (still some dye in it so I may be able to bleed it again). In the middle is the wool from the jelly roll and on the left a piece of natural wool I threw in at the end because there was still some dye in the water.

Different scarf (which bled out more than the previous one), same order as above.

This was dead easy and gave beautiful results. I can't wait to find a project to use these in. I have never done microwave dyeing before and as I was a bit nervous of the chemical dyes in something I use for food, I gave the microwave a thorough cleaning after.

Cheryl took my "Sheep Tricks" class last September at Apps Ridge and sent me an email and pictures. When she had finished the button sheep she found it was a bit concave and a friend told her that I had mentioned stuffing it. (Photos by Cheryl)

So she deconstructed him,

stuffed him

and now he is the star of her table runner. It is so exciting to see finished projects from a class I have taught.