A Short Trip South...
Time to catch-up on the Blog — we’re on another Road Trip. This time we’re searching for Ted’s Wedding to the lovely Lily Krasa on Saturday.
It’s been a long and busy spring — In the wilds of northern Renfrew County it’s just reaching the point we left in central Kentucky 6 weeks ago. This is the latest I can ever recall spring arriving. The Forsythia in our backyard bloomed fully and beautifully this year for only the second time in the ten years that we’ve owned the property. I can say that when the flooding hits the Ottawa Valley the Forsythia bloom fully. We’re really at the far end of the Forsythia and fortunate it survives let alone blooms so I appreciate it all the more when it does. The real trick isn’t the flooding but the heavy snow cover. In this part of the world we had snow in the first week of November providing a beautiful slick blanket for Johnny to drag the Deer I shot in the Hills above Rose’s Creek down to the truck. The snow stayed and stayed and stayed and was still thick on the ground in the bush when arrived back from our spring sojourn in the south. So the heavy snow just built up on top of the forsythia bush in the yard and stayed all winter protecting the little yellow flower buds. I guess this might be yet another example of the effects of climate change on plant life as just a subtle shift in weather is all that it has taken to allow us to see the blooms here. I’m happy of this little bit at least as forsythia have long been my favourite early spring plant — so sunny in their disposition.
We’ve also been terribly busy finishing the hardwood floors in our living room and dining room. This is terribly hard work physically for someone unaccustomed to it — 4000 swings of that heavy nailing hammer and positioning of the heavy flooring nailer, 1000 manual flooring nails on the wall margins each pre-drilled and counter sunk. A lot of heavy geometric work trying to keep the whole thing square inside a non-square space....
It’s also been an amazing spring for birds at the feeders — we’ve had all the usuals but then a bunch of rarities. We’ve got a large flock of Goldfinches — these are a favourite of Lorraine. But we’ve also had Evening and Rosebreasted Grossbeaks, a catbird pair, a large flock of purple finches,white-crowned sparrows, a rare Baltimore Oriole, and a couple of Indigo Buntings. I think everyone is clustering at the feeders as the flowers and buds are terribly late opening. When we left home on Thursday the Pin Cherries were just about to bloom and should be a lovely white screen along the side of the house by the time we return on Monday afternoon or evening.
We left about 11am on Thursday in no particular hurry and meandered across Algonquin Park and down the 400. Total drive was 5 hours for 400k plus 40 minutes for lunch at the Swiss Chalet in Huntsville. We we came through the park in April on our way home there had still been 3 feet of snow and more on the shoulders of the highway and a heavy blanket of snow in the bush but now it was just bud-break and immediate pre-spring and even pre-bud break at the top of the massif. Even the blackflies haven’t managed to get out. Our camp last week still had ice and snow heaped in front of the door from big pile that slides off the steel roof on the north side. Neighbours tell us that we’ve escaped the winter there without damage but there is a very large tree down across our driveway that I’ll need to pull out when we get in on Tuesday or Wednesday.
We’re camped at the Indian Line Campground right on the border between Brampton and Toronto just North-East of the airport. Camping in Toronto is a first for us and we’ll remember the camp. It’s only been open a week and the grass campspots have taken a heavy beating from RV’s on the wet grass so far — it took a bit to get the camper in and level (we’re out of practice already). But it’s a nice spot, as always right next to the train-tracks. If you don’t like the sound of trains don’t take up RV camping...
Friday we hit Georgetown, cut my hair, Lorraine and I both had eye-doctor appointments and then off to the City for dinner with Ted and Lily and Lily’s Mom and Dad — John and Laurie ( easy to remember the names!) — at a Queen’s Pasta in Bloor West Village just down the street from where Ted and Lily live near High Park. It’s a classic Toronto Italian place and a favourite haunt of Ted and Lily in a nice part of Toronto. I think if Lorraine and I had to return to the city we’d find an apartment to rent in the area — far more economical than trying to buy. There’s a lot of nice gourmet grocery shops in the area.
Lily’s parents are very nice, not surprising given how lovely and nice Lily is. John is in IT, mostly retired, and has travelled extensively. Laurie is a paperback writer and lives in Georgetown although not someone we knew at all in our time there. We had a lovely dinner of Caesar Salad, Pasta and Cheesecake and stepped of the wagon we’ve been on since we returned with the trailer ( well maybe not completely on the wagon but Lorraine and I have averaged a drink a week since returning... ).
Saturday morning we’ll hit the St. Lawrence Market, and then off to Milton to the specialist Curly Hair Salon to get Lorraine fancied up for the wedding and her semi-annual haircut and then back to Johnny’s for the wedding at 6:30.
It’s been a long and busy spring — In the wilds of northern Renfrew County it’s just reaching the point we left in central Kentucky 6 weeks ago. This is the latest I can ever recall spring arriving. The Forsythia in our backyard bloomed fully and beautifully this year for only the second time in the ten years that we’ve owned the property. I can say that when the flooding hits the Ottawa Valley the Forsythia bloom fully. We’re really at the far end of the Forsythia and fortunate it survives let alone blooms so I appreciate it all the more when it does. The real trick isn’t the flooding but the heavy snow cover. In this part of the world we had snow in the first week of November providing a beautiful slick blanket for Johnny to drag the Deer I shot in the Hills above Rose’s Creek down to the truck. The snow stayed and stayed and stayed and was still thick on the ground in the bush when arrived back from our spring sojourn in the south. So the heavy snow just built up on top of the forsythia bush in the yard and stayed all winter protecting the little yellow flower buds. I guess this might be yet another example of the effects of climate change on plant life as just a subtle shift in weather is all that it has taken to allow us to see the blooms here. I’m happy of this little bit at least as forsythia have long been my favourite early spring plant — so sunny in their disposition.
We’ve also been terribly busy finishing the hardwood floors in our living room and dining room. This is terribly hard work physically for someone unaccustomed to it — 4000 swings of that heavy nailing hammer and positioning of the heavy flooring nailer, 1000 manual flooring nails on the wall margins each pre-drilled and counter sunk. A lot of heavy geometric work trying to keep the whole thing square inside a non-square space....
It’s also been an amazing spring for birds at the feeders — we’ve had all the usuals but then a bunch of rarities. We’ve got a large flock of Goldfinches — these are a favourite of Lorraine. But we’ve also had Evening and Rosebreasted Grossbeaks, a catbird pair, a large flock of purple finches,white-crowned sparrows, a rare Baltimore Oriole, and a couple of Indigo Buntings. I think everyone is clustering at the feeders as the flowers and buds are terribly late opening. When we left home on Thursday the Pin Cherries were just about to bloom and should be a lovely white screen along the side of the house by the time we return on Monday afternoon or evening.
We left about 11am on Thursday in no particular hurry and meandered across Algonquin Park and down the 400. Total drive was 5 hours for 400k plus 40 minutes for lunch at the Swiss Chalet in Huntsville. We we came through the park in April on our way home there had still been 3 feet of snow and more on the shoulders of the highway and a heavy blanket of snow in the bush but now it was just bud-break and immediate pre-spring and even pre-bud break at the top of the massif. Even the blackflies haven’t managed to get out. Our camp last week still had ice and snow heaped in front of the door from big pile that slides off the steel roof on the north side. Neighbours tell us that we’ve escaped the winter there without damage but there is a very large tree down across our driveway that I’ll need to pull out when we get in on Tuesday or Wednesday.
We’re camped at the Indian Line Campground right on the border between Brampton and Toronto just North-East of the airport. Camping in Toronto is a first for us and we’ll remember the camp. It’s only been open a week and the grass campspots have taken a heavy beating from RV’s on the wet grass so far — it took a bit to get the camper in and level (we’re out of practice already). But it’s a nice spot, as always right next to the train-tracks. If you don’t like the sound of trains don’t take up RV camping...
Friday we hit Georgetown, cut my hair, Lorraine and I both had eye-doctor appointments and then off to the City for dinner with Ted and Lily and Lily’s Mom and Dad — John and Laurie ( easy to remember the names!) — at a Queen’s Pasta in Bloor West Village just down the street from where Ted and Lily live near High Park. It’s a classic Toronto Italian place and a favourite haunt of Ted and Lily in a nice part of Toronto. I think if Lorraine and I had to return to the city we’d find an apartment to rent in the area — far more economical than trying to buy. There’s a lot of nice gourmet grocery shops in the area.
Lily’s parents are very nice, not surprising given how lovely and nice Lily is. John is in IT, mostly retired, and has travelled extensively. Laurie is a paperback writer and lives in Georgetown although not someone we knew at all in our time there. We had a lovely dinner of Caesar Salad, Pasta and Cheesecake and stepped of the wagon we’ve been on since we returned with the trailer ( well maybe not completely on the wagon but Lorraine and I have averaged a drink a week since returning... ).
Saturday morning we’ll hit the St. Lawrence Market, and then off to Milton to the specialist Curly Hair Salon to get Lorraine fancied up for the wedding and her semi-annual haircut and then back to Johnny’s for the wedding at 6:30.
Lovely to have you back and even nicer to play with you and Lorraine, et al, in our old stomping grounds. Xo
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