on the other hand, there's such a thing as too much togetherness

So earlier, I posted about our visitor in the tree.  He's cute, he was entertaining, he's interesting. 

Tonight, 11:00 p.m. I heard rustling outside, and so down to the kitchen I trundled just to see who was checking out the yard.  This time there was not one, but two raccoons, who often walked side by side as though their tails were glued together  (they were not).   However, when they got ready to push over our Weber grill, I decided to open the door and yell at them. 

The only problem is that they thought that was an invitation for food.  They BOTH came right up to the door.  As in, there are nose prints on the window.  There wasn't an ounce of hesitation or fear in them, not a smidgeon or a pinch,  and even my banging on the window took a bit before convincing them to move to the other side of the patio.  

My husband on the other hand was downstairs in a record 3.7 seconds because of the noise I made.  

Is it just me, or is something a little bit backwards here?  

sometimes you don't have to leave home

Last evening I was watching tv when something outside caught my eye.  There was clearly something in the tree in the back of our yard.  Watching for a few minutes, I wondered if it was a cat--but I thought it was awfully big for that.  So, in the spirit of adventure, I left the bedroom and peeked out all the other windows facing the yard.  And that's when I discovered this guy.   It was a bit early for him to be out, but it seems that there was a squirrel nest that had captured his attention.  We went outside to take pictures and to watch him for about a half hour.  After that, he climbed back down the tree, gingerly going butt first. 

This has been a fascinating backyard year.  We have had skunks saunter along the fence, two different robin's nests, a couple of bunnies, some resident chipmunks, a ground hog who was easily convinced to move his intended condo elsewhere, and a few raccoons too.  And of course, we have red squirrels, black squirrels, grey squirrels and yes, even a few patchwork squirrels. Our trees have brought in cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, waxwings, nuthatches, blue jays, tons of sparrows, wrens, robins and goldfinches. 

Who needs to leave home to see the sights? 

Long weekend trekking

We decided to take day trips during the August long weekend.  First, we went to Montreal, fully intending to go here.  It's a lovely spot, and we enjoy it very much.  So much in fact, that one year we had a season's pass, but now we just make sure to go once or twice (particularly when the azaleas bloom--it's an awesome sight).  But, apparently, 'partly cloudy' means "rain so hard and heavy that you can't see your husband beside you".  So instead, we went shopping.  It was okay, particularly since I got this fantabulous bird feeder that should have cost me $60 and instead only cost me $12.  Yup, that was sweet.   And there was a lovely rainbow on the way home. 

The next day, we went to Smiths Falls.  This is an interesting little town, established in 1854. It had three lockstations on the Rideau Canal, and thus has an important place in Canada's history.  At one point, the river dropped 11 metres and this caused some significant engineering challenges, which the good people at Smiths Falls solved. 

It's known to most people around here as the place where you buy chocolate.  This is because Hershey's chocolate factory used to be here and Smiths Falls was known as the chocolate factory of Canada.  

What happened?  Greed, I suppose--the plant has been closed so

 that the Hershey's company can relocate it to Mexico.  In a little town like Smiths Falls, that is a huge economic blow since they relied on the chocolate store as the base of a tourist trade, as well as all the people that were employed there. 

I wish that I could say that I have enough mettle to boycott Hershey's altogether, but let's face it--I'm a chocolaholic.  So instead, we spent a pretty penny on stuff that isn't good for us.   We did spend some time in the town looking at the other shops and things, and

 it was a nice day for it.  But, there wasn't anything else that we found.   That being said, we loved each other's

 company and it was such a treat to not be working for a change. 

Turns out that my guy had Perth in mind when he said that we should go to Smiths Falls.  Perth isn't that much further, but it is a gem of a town.  For one, it is historically interesting.   Again, it is important because of the canal, but it is a town with an 1800s heritage.  This is reflected in some of the

 buildings--including Canada's oldest drugstore.  But it also has cute little shops, and interesting restaurants on the canal.  Unfortunately, for the second time in a row, we wanted to try Maximillians because it boasts European sausage flair, and for the second time, it was closed.   Oh well.  THEY weren't by the canal, and it was indeed the perfect day to have a waterside meal. 

All in all, the weekend was delightful! 

 

Old Friends New Friends

The purpose of this visit to Winnipeg is to meet new babies, make new friends and reconnect with some old ones, and I've been able to do all of that. Earlier in the week I visited with two long-time friends, and oh it was lovely to realize that though it has been several years since I have seen either one, it felt like thirty minutes ago.

Today we went to Lower Fort Garry...me and the 7000 members of my friend's family. Okay, not really, but there were a lot of cousins and siblings and inlaws! It was all great. I appreciated getting to know them all a bit more, for I have certainly heard some of the stories. While I enjoyed the historical parts that I saw (and got a bit frustrated by all the flash photography) I have to say that I enjoyed the innocent antics of children much more. It was a good photographic exercise, but there is just so much joy in kids--and as my new friend said "when it is honest, it is so amazing". The weather was frustrating in some respects; it seemed that every time I pulled out the camera, the rain would come. Put the camera away and the rain would go too. Oh well--it didn't really interrupt our day.

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears

Time it was and what a time it was,
A time of innocence,
A time of confidences,
Long ago it must be,
I have a photograph,
Preserve your memories,
Then all thats left you...is old friends.

(Paul Simon)

Here's to you, old friends. You've truly impacted my life.

And here's to you, new friends. I'm looking forward to what will be!

Looking back is looking forward

This weekend I had the pleasure to drive across the prairies again--for me a rather rare treat. Even more special was that my friend and her kids allowed me to go visit the place where my grandfather, two aunts, my great grandparents and my great-great grandparents are buried. It is a little tiny prairie cemetary where the tumbleweeds tumble and the swallows sing.
For reasons that I cannot express exactly, it is to me one of the most special places on earth and I was honored that the kids in particular seemed interested in what I had to tell them. After that, we went to the house where my great grandfather, as well as my grandfather, were born. To our great surprise, there was a man mowing the lawn and so we took advantage of this opportunity to talk with him for a few minutes. He allowed me to go see Grandpa's Cathedral--a grove of birch trees where we had church during summertime family reunions. How wonderful that he is interested in caring for the house, and restoring it somewhat. It was a lovely lovely visit.

And now, we are exploring my friends hometown. It is a weekend of discovery!

Camping!

We went to Tremblant for our annual camping trip with Dave last week, and it was wonderful, as usual.  We have certain traditions when we camp.  For example: 

• We hike every day.  We don't go fast, we go to take pictures, and to try and find the elusive moose.  We try to find it for Martin, and we fail miserably almost every time! 
• It rains every time we try to set up camp.  Don't know why that is, but this year was one of the best storms ever--if you like that sort of thing.  Personally, I can do without it! 
• We have ice cream, most days.  This is for me--the guys don't care, but they indulge me, and I love them for it.  
• We play Kuuduk, which is a deceptively complicated game.  We play it, and cribbage for hours
• Someone always brings a sudoku puzzle. This year, I brought a samurai sudoku which turned out to be a good thing.  
• Dave cooks.  It isn't that I can't cook, or that Martin can't.  It's that Dave likes it, and he's good at it, and he is always the first person up.  Who am I to mess with tradition? 

I don't actually like storms, ever since the tornado in Edmonton.  They kind of freak me out, and I get teased a lot.  This is where the samurai sudoku was a good thing--I concentrated on the puzzle, and only the puzzle, and in fact finished it.  Did I notice that the food tent was being flooded?  Or that everything in there, including us, was soaked, almost as if there was no awning over our heads.  No, of course not!  

As usual, we saw a lot of deer this year.  They are such gentle and quiet creatures.  However this year, I had a wonderful treat, all to myself.  I was folding clothes by the car, and was

 startled to see a deer running through the empty campsite opposite ours.  He was being chased by a wolf!  It was a magical fifteen seconds, because it was beautiful and terrible at the same time.  How I wish I were a skilled enough photographer to capture that moment.  

Later, I reported this finding to the park warden.  She was a lovely lady but she was French, and so I put my recently acquired skills to use.  It wasn't a perfect conversation but I was proud of myself.  She was able to understand me, she was surprised that the wolf was running through the tenting area, but she did not doubt my report, particularly when we showed her the print left behind. There are actually five wolf packs in the Tremblant area, each with a territory of approximately 200 km.  

When she left, she told me that my French was pretty good. It was a great moment for me! 

Next year?  We find the moose!! 

Dear Dad

I know you won't remember if I tell you at this moment, while you are watching the game, so this is just for you.

Start at the bottom. That's right, scroll all the way down, and start reading the posts at the bottom first. That way you'll get to read about the trip in the same order we wrote it.

love you!

your daughter