Pakenham visit and build view.

Nicola, Dave, Rick and I went to Pakenham for a weekend to visit Mark and Emma and view the progress of their new build. 

 

We arrived Friday evening, when it was already dark

so had to wait until the next day

to appreciate the beauty of

 

White Lake, where they are cottaging until they can move into the new house (hopefully by March)

The new build is enclosed, windows and doors in, well and septic completed, in floor radiant heating, electrical and plumbing in.

The porch will be screened with a view of the septic area and their bush.

 

Cathedral ceilinged front entrance with stairs to the second floor.

The second floor has the master bedroom with ensuite, coffee and sitting area

and a deck.

 

Epic rocks scattered around the property.

 

Mark, with the help of friends, will be building the workshop but for now it is storing various vehicles and 

windows.

Enough work, time for a nap

 

 

and then a walk

around the roaring metropolis of White Lake.

Not sure why but it has a John Deere sign on the door (pic taken for Heather)

 

Evening on White Lake.

 

A fabulous local artisan pizza and games of cards rounded off the day.

Port Dover Senior Centre - watercolour class

I joined the Senior Centre in Port Dover this spring, primarily for the fitness classes. In the spring I was doing 2 or 3 classes a week and then stopped as sailing, gardening etc was taking my time and keeping me active. I have started up again with the end of the summer activities. A bonus was that a watercolour class was offered this fall. $25 to cover the materials provided and 6 weeks of Friday morning classes. All the paint, paper, brushes and other incidentals (ie sponges, salt..) were provided.

It was wonderful, each week we explored a different brush or technique and did some practicing 

 

Then we had a picture to copy. For the first few weeks, our instructor, Lee would walk us through how to approach the assignment.

Blogspot is being rather strange right now and not letting me layout the photos the way I normally would. Hopefully this is a "one off" and it will revert to normal for my next post.

Visit from Mike and family

Mike, Aimee, Avery, Maya and River were in Ontario for a wedding so spent a few days with me. The house was full - full of noise, full of motion, full of toys, full of activity!

The weather wasn't kind, 4 ships hunkered down in the bay, fierce clouds and wind.

 

Mike still challenged them to a swim. Maya's face says it all.

Mike was in first.

There was a lot of screeching from the top of the steps but eventually

first Avery and

and then Maya, braved the frigid water. (Warmer than Waterton Lake in Alberta)

River waited patiently

but insisted she had to go in too.

Declaring "Its not cold"

until she took a wave in the face.

Crazy "westerners". Tradition dictated perch from Knechtels and breakfast at the DDB. On the last day, Maya and I headed to Rock Point (the others were still recovering from fast visits with Aimee's brother, sister and Chris, as well as the wedding)

I do love the abandoned lighthouse.

 

I don't remember seeing scaffolding on it before.

Maya and I did the usual "oohing and aahing" 

at the fossils

embedded 

in the rocks.

She searched for fossils in the loose stones on the beach but they had all been rounded by the wave action.

Then

back to my place and packing up for the flight home.

And suddenly, its quiet, and a lot of laundry.

The sun is lower in the sky

making the lake really glisten.

Duck rafts are forming on the lake, preparing to fly south.

Zoomed in, I think this flock are Mergansers.