Month: June 2017

Yesterday, MY Jane and I went down to Minetts Point here in Barrie to watch the Barrie Airshow featuring Canada’s famous precision flying team, the Snowbirds.

We had our folding lawn chairs and some cold drinks with us and were quite comfortable. It was warm and from time to time there was light summer breeze wafting along the shore. The crowd was friendly and we enjoyed chit chatting with the folks around us while we waited.

After watching four bi planes fly past and then a F15 fighter jet make several passes, the Snowbirds finally arrived and they were spectacular.

Here’s a video:

A good time.

We have not yet been camping this year. The weather has not been co-operative at all. And we have taken only two trips out on Georgian Bay with our dinghy, Shenanigans.

Furthermore, the weather for the upcoming week doesn’t look promising either. Oh well, I guess we will just have to suffer in our back garden with BBQ’s and bonfires until Mother Nature decides to improve the weather…….maybe the week following.

Last week our grind and brew coffee maker quit grinding. We have been using it for the past two years and have been very happy with it. So MY Jane ordered a new Cuisinart coffee maker through Amazon and it was delivered yesterday.

This one has a twelve cup capacity and also has a topside hopper so you can load it up with half a pound of coffee beans at a time. 

I rarely remember my dreams from the night before. This morning, though, I do remember a snippet of one I had last night.

Yesterday morning began with coffee and beignets on the deck with MY Jane, Steven and Sara. Steven had brought the beignet mix back from a recent business trip to New Orleans.

After breakfast, we drove up to Brandy’s Marrina near Honey Harbour, about an hours drive from the house. We took our dinghy, Shenanigans, out to Tonch East on Beausoleil Island for a picnic.

It was a bit breezy but sunny and bright. We had a great afternoon there just sitting on shore, watching the boat traffic and doing a little exploring. I even had a chance to string up my hammock and have a little nap.

Of course, Jane couldn’t resist getting her toes in the water and, although she had her bathing suit on, the water was still a bit too cold for swimming, even for her.

After dinner, we had a great time just talking and kibitzing in the sitting room. Another wonderful visit with Steven and Sara.

Yesterday afternoon, Steven and Sara arrived from Toronto. MY Jane and I were delighted to see them. It was a bit of a damp day so we remained inside talking and catching up.

Sara and Jane tried it out too.

Then, we played a few rounds of ladderball.

After dinner, we got a bonfire going in the firepit and sat around chit chatting into the night until it was time for bed.

Good times!

Four years ago today, MY Jane and I got married at Tonch East, one of our favourite spots on Georgian Bay and the first place I took Jane to on our boat back in 2012.

June 22, 2013 was the happiest day of my life and I still cannot believe how lucky I am.

The past five  years have just flown by and the two of us have packed a lot of fun into that time. Jane would say we rode off into the sunset.

It’s an Internet love story that keeps on going.

Happy Anniversary, MY Jane. I love you for who you are. Don’t ever change.

Yesterday, MY Jane and I left Steve’s place and went to help our friends, Jim and Annemarie, at a charity golf tournament held at Eagle Ridge Golf course near Georgetown. This was a Knights of Columbus event and Jim was the organizer for the fifth year in a row.

We had a pretty good set up because, where we were, we could watch the golfers drive and then see where their ball landed. It was a par 3 hole.

Afterward there was a dinner which we did not stay for but looked pretty good.

The most fun for me was getting to drive a golf cart all over the course, something I had never done before. We got home about 7:30, tired but happy!

Yesterday afternoon, MY Jane and I drove down from Barrie, arriving around 5PM. Sara’s parents, Mustafa and Arasteh had graciously invited us for dinner along with Steven and Sara.

 

Later today, MY Jane and I are heading for Toronto to meet Sara’s parents and have dinner at their place. We are looking forward to this as it has been in the works for awhile.

From time to time MY Jane and I like to have the buffet dinner at the Mandarin.

 

 

 

 

We attended the Scenic Cruise information session yesterday, along with about two hundred other people. 

MY Jane and I were quite surprised at just how many folks showed up. We did pick up a few tidbits of information that we think will prove useful. Like the fact that there are about 25 e-bikes on board which we will take advantage of. We also learned that, because of the no tipping policy, 96% of the people on board have a zero departure bill at the end of the trip.

Later, at home, we had dinner on our deck, the second of this season.

We then had a bonfire in our back yard. It was a perfect night for it; there were no bugs and it was calm. We even sang Koombya…. Badly, I might add. Fun nonetheless.

Later today, MY Jane and I will attend a presentation by Scenic Cruises that promotes their European River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. We have already booked our trip for May of next year.

Last night, when I checked the garden lights outside, I wanted to try taking a picture with my I phone, but because it was dark, none of the photos turned out. They were way too dark. What to do? Well, Google is amazing. An app called Night Camera was suggested, so I downloaded it and gave it a try.

While it doesn’t result in a perfect depiction, it does give an idea of what the garden lights look like.

Last year, MY Jane and I planted some Honeysuckle and Clematis on the arbour that I made, the hope being that, after a few years, those plants would climb up on either side and eventually meet at the top. We were not expecting any flowers for a couple of years.

At the time we planted them, they were just a foot above deck level, so you can see how much higher they have advanced this year.

And this morning, to my surprise, I noticed two clematis blooms had appeared overnight.

They look very colourful amid the plentiful red honeysuckle flowers.

And the Peony bush has another four blooms today as well.

If someone had told me when I was a young lad, growing up Temiscaming, that I would get so much enjoyment out of gardening, I would have laughed like crazy. 

After seeing how nice the four garden lights look at night, MY Jane and searched Lowes, Walmart and Home Hardware for more of them, with no success.

 

 

This morning we finished planting more flowers and decided we should go back to Bradford Greenhouses to get one more solar powered garden light like the ones pictured below.

When we got there, I suggested to MY Jane that it would be quicker if I went in by myself because of the air cast on her foot. (Cheaper too, I might add). Turns out that they were all sold out, so instead, we went to Thornton to the Flag Store and bought a couple of Canada 150 flags.

I even bought a Canada 150 hat at Walmart on the way home.

This year, MY Jane and I had planted Vincas instead of Impatiens in the back garden with the thought that they would grow in both sun and shade. Unfortunately, they are not doing well, so we took a spin out to Bradford Green Houses to get some replacements….just a few.

 

 

Well, after stripping and cleaning one half the deck yesterday, MY Jane and I have almost come to the conclusion that we will not re-seal the wood. 

 

The part on the right is done and the left side shows the deck with the stripper having just been applied.

Once we got both sides stripped of sealant, we applied a brightener/cleaner and then scrubbed it with a bristle brush. After that, one more power wash and it came out looking pretty good.

Weather wise, today is shaping up to be a pretty good day. MY Jane and I are going to tackle a job we have had in mind for awhile.

You can see how splotchy it is where sections of sealer have come away from the deck. When we put it on the newly constructed deck, our hope was that it would not require much maintenance. And that it would continue to look good.

 

We will power wash the whole thing and see how it looks afterward. Then we will decide whether to re-seal it.

Today is another of those dull dreary ones – the kind where you don’t feel like doing anything. There’s a light misty rain and it’s cloudy.

I spent most of today on the Desktop computer trying to decide what app I should get that will allow us to use Microsoft Office on my Mac Desktop.

Office 365 seems to be the one that will suit our needs the best.

All of our previous documents are on Microsoft Products so it makes sense to continue that way.

Yesterday, after a leisurely breakfast at the Bed and Breakfast, we headed over to the Corrections Canada Museum close to the now closed Kingston Penetentiary. Coincidentally, during breakfast I had mentioned that I was going there and Holly, who owns and operates the Rosemont Inn B & B, showed me the key to the North Gate of the Kingston Penetentiary though I don’t know how she came about having it. By the way, this was my first time staying at a B and B and I have to say that I would come back to this one in a heartbeat. Holly was a great hostess, the food was wonderful and the place was spotless.

Before we left, though, MY Jane decided to sit on the veranda for a bit just to experience what it might be like to actually live there.

We took off for the museum and had a self guided tour that took about an hour. One area of the museum that was somewhat disturbing for Jane was a room that displayed the various punishment methods used in Canadian prisons in the past.  Here’s a couple:

The above is a form of water boarding.

This coffin like box was initially used to punish female offenders, then a law was passed allowing it to be used for male offenders too. They were locked in this thing from 10  minutes at a time to 9 hours. Thankfully, they got rid of these inhumane devices.

From there, we headed back toward Barrie on a different route, turning off the 401 at Belleville and going through Stirling, Ontario, the hometown of a Correctional friend of mine, Firth Bateman, who now lives in BC. He told me to have a look for a covered bridge, a Rotary Club construction project that was organized by his Dad, Elwood Bateman. 

We had a FaceTime call with Firth while we were there and he told us where he used to live so we went to see his place and talked to the current owner, Jack Patterson, who is a retired teacher. Jack said that just after he bought the place, when people would ask where he lived and he gave the address and described it, people would respond by saying, “Oh, you mean the old Bateman place.” Jack said after that happened a few times, he just started telling people, “I bought the old Bateman place.” He laughed and told me it was just easier than giving the address and description.

We left Stirling and, at Peterborough stopped for lunch at a local restaurant after taking a look at the Peterborough Lift Lock, the highest lock of its kind in the world.

Another great time with MY Jane.

Yesterday MY Jane and I headed off to Kingston for a little get away trip

 

 

 

A few days ago I wrote about MY Jane and I driving to Chris’ place to surprise him and have a look at his newly installed patio. While we were there admiring the great job that he and his friend did, the idea came up to make a table to cover his air conditioning unit.

After. we got home, I decided to construct a custom table out of cedar that would fit over that AC unit and cover it up.

I posted this on one of my FB woodworking pages and was flooded with advice not to cover the AC unit with anything because it would cause the unit to overheat and do serious damage.

So this will simply be used as a patio table and not to cover the air conditioner.

Today, MY Jane suggested that we do a little weekend trip somewhere. After some discussion, we decided that a trip to the Picton/Kingston area would be nice. 

We will look around Kingston and maybe take a tour of the Corrections Canada Museum located there.