Month: September 2017

Today, on the way back from our Agawa Canyon train trip, we received a Face Time call from Steven and Sara who suggested we pull over to the side of the road as they had something to share with us. We knew they were in the Niagara On the Lake area.

As soon as we could, I pulled over and immediately, Sara flashed her ring finger and it was quite obvious that Steven had proposed!

Well, we were overjoyed with the news and MY Jane was overcome with happiness. The tears flowed and excited conversation ensued. And then Chris and Tonya came into view. They were there too and been in on the whole thing helping Steven plan it all.

Traditionalist that he is, Steve got down on one knee and popped the question in a nearby gazebo. And Sara said YES! Strangers nearby broke into applause! What excitement!

They even arranged for Chris Matheson, a close friend and photographer to be there to video record the whole thing.

We were sworn to secrecy until everyone else could be told the great news. They are coming up to visit us this Thanksgiving weekend and we will get to see the video and get all the details.

Jane and I are thrilled beyond measure at the New Beginning upon which these two remarkable young  people have embarked!

Yesterday, MY Jane and I took the Agawa Canyon Tour Train at 8AM. The trip was 4 hours each way and the scenery along the way was beautiful. Unfortunately, because of the hotter than usual summer, the Fall leaves are not at their peak for colour. There were a few patches of colour along the way, but not at all what is usual.

Some of the waterfalls were quite impressive, though.

Jane had packed a cooler bag with sandwich fixings and cold drinks, so when we were stopped in Agawa Canyon Park for about an hour, we had lunch at one of the many picnic tables before the return trip.

One interesting feature of the Tour train was a front view of the track from an engine mounted camera which was displayed on many monitors throughout the car.

Were were told there were about 850 people on board, so it’s quite a money maker for Algoma Central.

Jane and I marvelled at the engineering accomplishment of the construction of this winding railroad and the many bridges and trestles along the way. How did they ever manage to even choose the route before beginning construction? After all, they did this a century ago without the benefit of GPS or sophisticated survey equipment that we now have.

We were glad to have taken this trip despite the fact that the main attraction – Fall colours – was absent.

Yesterday, we left Barrie around 8am headed for Sault Ste Marie. We stopped at Chutes Provincial Park near Massey Ontario and had lunch.

We then continued on and, at the suggestion of my niece-in-law, Ruth,  we stopped at the bridge to St. Joseph’s Island where she was raised. Beautiful spot.

We checked into the Delta Waterfront Hotel and got settled, then went to dinner. A satisfying day!

This morning, MY Jane and I are headed to Sault Ste Marie. We will take turns driving and expect to be there sometime after three.

Today, MY Jane and I are preparing for our trip tomorrow to Sault Ste Marie where we will stay overnight before taking the Algona Central train to the Agawa Canyon.

We will take our little portable plug in cooler that we used on our recent Quebec Road trip. That way, we can stop on the way for a lunch break. Looking at the map, there doesn’t seem to be much after Sudbury.

Yesterday, MY Jane and I decided to take a last dinghy ride for the season, so we put together a picnic lunch and threw our bathing suits and towels into a beach bag and headed for Honey Harbour.

I had the Navionics app running on my I Phone, so you can have a peek at our actual route on the video link below.

https://youtu.be/W-bDrZOAzGE

We spent a few hours there with the dinghy beached, had a swim and our picnic then continued up the West shoreline of Beausoleil Island.

We went past the Brebeuf Lighthouse and continued on over toward Muskoka Landing Channel, passing by Whalens Island where Jane’s family cottage was situated. 

It brought back a lot of memories for her, but there have been a lot of changes too. More cottages built and somewhat more crowded.

It was a great way to end our Georgian Bay fixes. I’m happy!

Yesterday, my across the street neighbour, Allan, had just finished installing a new power steering mechanism on his Saab convertible and was going to take it for a test drive. He agreed to take me with him and we ended up going to Fiday Harbour, a huge multi million dollar development situated on the shore of Lake Simcoe where Big Bay Point Marina used to be.

Construction is still underway but, already, some condos are occupied and the pool is being used.

MY Jane finalized the cottage booking yesterday for next July. It is located on an island near Point au Baril and has everything we were looking for including space for Steve & Sara and Chris & Tonya to stay with us.

There is even another deck on the West side to allow for a good view of the sunset.

I have been exploring the idea of buying a trailer to tow our dinghy, Shenanigans, up there instead of renting a boat and, when I mentioned that to Shayne (Manager at Brandy’s Marina), he kindly offered me the use of his trailer.

So all I have to do now is get a trailer hitch installed on our vehicle and we’re set.

We As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, MY Jane and I headed up to Honey Harbour to take our dinghy, Shenanigans, out for a spin. We had no particular destination in mind. We just started going. 

https://youtu.be/yxULG_CsDCE

At the end of Little Dog Channel, a half kilometre ride, we came into Beausoleil Bay and I suggested we check out the former Little Dog dock site. Parks Canada removed the docks this year and closed this location down.

We slowly approached the shore and found a tiny beach area where we decided to spend the afternoon. It was perfect with sandy bottom, trees to string up my hammock and quite secluded.

In very short order, we had our chairs unfolded, the cooler unloaded and, before you could say the water’s warm, Jane was in swimming.

After a picnic lunch, I strung up my hammock (took a few tries to get it right) and had a peaceful nap in the fresh Georgian Bay air.

https://youtu.be/2z3QtSJDdzI

It was a glorious day and, once again, we got another Georgian Bay fix.

It’s a day shaping up to be more like mid summer, so MY Jane and I are going to take full advantage of it by taking our dinghy, Shenanigans out on the Bay.

Jane has made egg salad sandwiches and we’ll take along some cold drinks and salad and find some nice beach somewhere up there to have a picnic.

Yesterday, MY Jane picked her cousin, Helen, up in North Barrie and brought her back to our place for lunch. Immediately upon arrival, Helen gave Jane a package containing some beautiful pottery.

We already had a couple of pieces with the same pattern that Ted, Jane’s Mom, had previously given Jane. Last year, when Jane and Ted visited Helen in Penetang, Jane had seen the pieces in Helen’s home and remarked on them.

Turns out that originally they were owned by Jane’s Great Grandmother who was also Helen’s Grandmother.

Needless to say, Jane was thrilled to receive them and Helen said she was happy to have all the pieces re-united as a set. They were made in the UK in the late 1800’s by F & S and Co with a pattern called Ripon.

After lunch, we sat on the deck and Jane and Helen reminisced about cottage life on Whalens Island where Jane’s family used to have their place. In fact, Helen still has a cottage up there and goes every summer.

 

Yesterday, MY Jane went to Toronto to help Steven and afterward, he and Sara took her to dinner. Later, Steve took her to an exhibition game between the Leafs and Senators. They had a wonderful time even though the Leafs lost.

Well, yesterday, I was invited by my across the street neighbour, Allan, to accompany him on a round of golf at a nearby course. I agreed to go and drive the golf cart, so off we went.

He even talked me into taking a few shots and putts. 

All in all, it was a fun afternoon and afterward, MY Jane and I were invited to their place where Jenny served a delicious dinner (as usual) and we completed the evening with great conversation and many laughs.

MY Jane and I did our cottage scouting yesterday and we are almost ready to book two weeks for next July. It is a cottage on an island near Point au Baril and it has everything we were looking for.

We stopped there at a roadside hot dog stand and had lunch before continuing on to our appointment for an afternoon cottage viewing.

We had to take several winding roads and, on the way in, we spotted two young deer beside the road. They didn’t seem too afraid when I stopped the car and Jane managed to take a few pictures and video of them.

We were met by one of the cottage owners who took us by boat out to the island cottage, a short distance from the marina. When they are not renting it, they use it themselves so everything is in good working order.

We were impressed by the well kept appearance and the amenities included. Looks like we found the place.

This morning, MY Jane and I are going up to Healey Lake near MacTier to check out a potential cottage rental for next summer. The pictures look pretty good but nothing tells it like it is like a site visit.

Today MY Jane, who volunteers with the Barrie Women and Children’s Shelter, will be helping out at their annual fundraiser called Walk A Mile In Her Shoes.

It’s a very worthwhile cause and is one of their biggest fundraising efforts throughout the year.

If you want to help, you can donate by clicking on this link.

I am going to have to get back onto my portion control lifestyle again. I have been putting all the weight I previously lost back on again. Every Friday for me is weigh day and I have noticed that each week I have been going up in weight a little bit at a time.

It’s another glorious September day here in Barrie. The sun is shining brightly and the temperature is more like a mid summer afternoon, right now at an enjoyable 25C.

It’s hard to imagine the devastation in the Southern States and Caribbean when we have this to look at.

We’re pretty lucky!

Today, after breakfast, I had a couple of little jobs to do around the house. The first was to take some unused paint to the hazardous waste depot at the Barrie Landfill site. That was an easy one.

Dinghy day on Georgian Bay. Left this morning and spent most of the day near Honeymoon Bay on Beausoleil Island.

While there, got a Face Time call from Chris and Tonya who are on their honeymoon in Italy.

Today I took the car in for an oil change, one that is somewhat overdue.

We had a very interesting morning on the back yard deck. First, we had three blue jays vying for the peanuts we were providing them and then a very friendly chipmunk showed up. 

MY Jane, Steven, Sara and I had a great day today. We did some shopping up at Toys R Us for a baby shower that Sara is going to and right after that, we went a nearby Halloween store called The Spirit of Hallowen where Steve got a Storm Trooper costume and I tried on a few masks.

Minnie is not happy. She checked the temperature this morning (9C) and was reluctant to go out right away.

Instead, she insisted that I scratch her head which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy based on the very loud purring that I heard.

And if that’s not bad enough, Hurricane Jose is not far behind.

Thoughts and prayers out to the people in the paths of these monster storms.

MY Jane and I are looking forward to a weekend visit with Steven and Sara who will be driving up later today.

Sometimes I complain about the weather here in Canada. But when I watch the news and see the hurricanes descending on the Caribbean and the Southern USA, I realize just how fortunate we are in comparison.

I hope that people heed the warnings of public officials and get the heck out of there.

Yesterday, our trip to nowhere ended up taking us to the quaint small town of Dorset and Lake of Bays. Originally, it was supposed to be the hamlet of Cooper, but our GPS couldn’t find that place,  it was that small.

We had a look around the General Store before heading up to the Tower.

We drove up to the base of the tower. Jane had been there years ago and was surprised that they now charge for parking and have a gift shop there as well. It was my first time there.

We began climbing the 118 steps to the observation deck and that’s when Jane suddenly began to experience vertigo. She made it to the halfway deck and decided not to go higher.

I continued to the top and was rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view of the landscape below. 

Coming down was even more difficult for Jane because the steps were made of open steel grating. I wasn’t much help with my giggling and chortling as she came down one step at a time sitting on her bum. 

We left Dorset and headed for home on a circuitous route that took us through Minden where we stopped for a bite to eat at the Dominion Hotel.

We got back home about 6PM, tired but happy! And pleased about another great day.

Today, MY Jane and I decided to do one of “Trip to Nowhere” days. The way it works is we each pick a point on the Ontario map with our eyes closed and make a town somewhere in the middle as our destination.

So today we are heading for the village of Dorset, not far from Huntsville.

Who knows what we’ll see. Stay tuned.

First thing this morning, after breakfast and our daily Yahtzee competition on our I Pads, MY Jane and I continued working on our Fireplace surround.

MY Jane and I did some more work on the latest home project, namely adding trim and more painting.

By tomorrow, we should have the final coat on and I will have completed the ceramic tile on the hearth section.

It can then be assembled in place and final pieces of trim put on. 

On another note, we had a Face nice Time call with Chris who is in Rome right now on a honeymoon trip with his wife, Tonya. He gave us a video tour of the Air B n B apartment they have for five days and told us about the sights he and Tonya have been taking in. They are enjoying themselves immensely. Nice of him to take time to call.

And just a short time later, Steven and Sara called to talk to us too! They have been busy sorting things out at the condo and were preparing to go to one of Steve’s work related galas. As Operations Manager at Stolport, located at Billy Bishop Airport, Steve has been working this weekend in conjunction with the Air Show ensuring that things go smoothly.

What a great way to start the day. A brief visit with my favourite sister, Terry, who was returning home after spending a week at her daughter, Stephanie, at her new place in Milton. She went there to help because Steph and her husband, Ross, just got transferred back from Edmonton.