Smoking in the rain

Labour Day weekend has arrived and this means that Huntsville will slowly return to its normalcy.....less traffic, less people on our streets, stores will soon post their Winter hours.  Thanksgiving will bring some cottagers but many will not be returning until next year.  It is bittersweet.  We like it when our little town gets busy during the Summer but we also like it when things return to normal. 

The weather this weekend wasn't as bad as predicted.  Friday was beautiful and warm and yesterday was quite nice until about 5 pm.  Then the rain and thunderstorms came.  It rained at a rate of 5 inches per hour according to our weather station.  That is a lot of rain.  We had some pretty big thunder boomers also, one in particular could be heard right above our house...when this happens, we always are grateful that we decided to install a lightening protection system on our house.  As is our tradition during the long weekends in the Summer, we smoked some ribs. Russell kept going back and forth between the screened porch and the smoker during the rain storm.  Cooper got lucky...he got to lick the barbecue tongs....yummy!  As a special treat for the weekend, I made a dutch apple cake, with 7 apples in it.  Super moist, not too sweet and very delicious.

Our private road is now very busy.  Two more lots started excavating last week, new neighbours moved in yesterday and the house next to ours is almost done.  They will be moving in at the end of September.  For almost one full year, we were alone on Forest Hill Lane, now we have neighbours.  Kind of nice.

All is well with us.  Russell continues to workout with his trainer.  As for me, I go for my power walk almost every day.  I will switch up my workout in one week.  More on that in next week's blog.  Cooper is doing well and also gets to go for his daily walk.  

Today is overcast but the sun wants to come out.  Tomorrow should be a nice warm day.  Gotta to make the most of those while we have them so a boat ride is on the agenda for tomorrow. We go to Toronto on Tuesday for our haircuts and overnight stay.  It will be busy as the Film Festival starts this week. Cooper will be at Camp Talemaker during that time, having a ball!

That's it for this week's blog.  I hope you are all enjoying this long weekend. Have a great week ahead!

Cooper thinks he smells something tasty....

A little closer inspection.....

So good, think I'll give it a licking.

Big Green Egg smoking the baby-back ribs in a downpour.

The new umbrella sure came in handy...

Frank's visit and stuff

Well, here I am writing my blog on this beautiful Sunday morning, in the comfort of our home, with a good internet connection, unlike last week.  Our internet came back during the night last Sunday.  Not sure what happened...but when we woke up on Monday morning, we had an early Christmas present.  The internet elves worked their magic through the night.  We did get a service call on Tuesday and Bell was kind enough to change our modem for a better and faster one.  Bonus!

These past few weeks have been busy and the weather has not been Summer like.  We had our first fire in the fireplace on a very cool Thursday two weeks ago.  It was +9 Celsius that day and rainy.  That week, we had 4 cool and rainy days in a row. During one of those days, Russell filled out his CPP application form online.  He will turn 60 in February and he doesn't want to miss out on collecting this well earned government pension.  As for me, that same day, I booked our Winter trip to Barbados.  Looking forward to it!

Coop had his annual physical and he is in top shape.  Dr Jason was impressed with his weight, teeth and coat.  We are done with agility for the season but we practice the weave poles every other day. He is getting better at it.

We have the pleasure of having my brother Francois with us this weekend.  He arrived late Friday afternoon after getting lost in downtown Huntsville for a little while......that's OK, he got to see the weekend traffic that we get on Main Street.  He goes back home to Montreal tomorrow morning.  The weather is cooperating although yesterday was overcast until late afternoon.  We were able to go on the boat and it was nice.  Last night, we sat around the fire pit until 10 pm.  It was a beautiful evening with lots of stars.  Today, we will enjoy the nice sunny and warm weather and have lunch somewhere.  Tonight, it is S'Mores night!

Frank has had the pleasure of having Coop wake him up every morning.  Nothing like puppy kisses to start your day!  They get along really well.  It's nice to see.

As I am writing this blog, Frank is having coffee on the deck, soaking up the rays.  Coop is playing with his treat ball and Russell is reading the news on the internet. We will call my parents soon.  Today is their 57th wedding anniversary.  Happy anniversary and wishing you many more!

So, we are entering the last week of August, heading up to Labour Day Weekend.  Unbelievable!  I wish you all a great week and a nice upcoming long weekend! As for us, it will be a quiet week, marked with a special event... our wedding anniversary on Thursday.  Thirty two wonderful years!

Francois at the helm of the good ship...The COOP!

Cooper and his first mate.....Francois.

No connection

Our home internet connection will be down for a few days it seems.  Russell spent the morning on the phone with someone far far away trying to fix it.  No success.  Service call maybe Tuesday. Until then, we will have to rely on the radio and TV to find out what's going on in the world......

So, this is it for my blog this week.  Just wanted to drop you all a line and wish you a great week.  All is good with us, looking forward to my brother's visit on Friday.

Oh, I forgot to mention:  I'm at Tim Hortons now having a chai tea with internet connection!

Stay well!

Summer weather finally here!

The past few days have been simply beautiful.  Very warm and lots of sunshine, just like Summer should be.  We are enjoying every minute of it.  Boating, walking, barbecuing, sitting on the deck sipping a Summer cocktail, doing all the great things that Summer brings. It's all good!

This past week was quiet but busy at the same time.  The highlight of our week was to wake up on Tuesday morning to find out that Coop and I made the cover of the Havanese Breed Magazine, published by Nathan Potechin of Talemaker Havanese.  Needless to say that we were tickled pink all day!  I wrote an article for the magazine and sent in some pictures but didn't think that we would make the cover.  Totally awesome and thanks to Russell for taking the pictures, especially the great action shot of Cooper on the A-Frame. The magazine, although devoted to the Havanese breed, can also be of great interest to any dog owner. It is very informative and also fun to read.  I attach the link if you are interested in subscribing: http://www.havanesebreed.com/subscribe/.

Our garden is doing well and the Crocosmia are thriving.  I have been waiting for the deer to eat the flowers but for some reason, they haven't....yet.  Last year, they did.  As for the Yellow Coreopsis, they are also in full bloom.  That is one flower that the deer will not eat. We do have to make a few changes to our planting this Fall but we are still in the thinking process. Gardening seems to always be a work in progress.

Yesterday, we went to the Art in the Heart Festival in Bracebridge.  It is a one day event, where the main street is turned into a pedestrian walkway.  Over 30 artists were displaying their work and we specifically went to support Casey Ball who was showing his work:  carved wood pieces such as bowls and cheese boards all done by hand and using a chainsaw.  He does beautiful work.  Casey was a big part of the crew that built our house.  Yesterday's festival coincided with the annual Havanese Picnic.  It was unfortunate that we had to miss it but I hear that a good time was had by all humans and their better Havs!

That's about it for this week's blog.  I will spend the rest of the day outside, soaking up the rays.  Tonight, Russell will grill some Swordfish and I made a Wild Blueberry Crisp.  Yum! Have a great week everyone!

Crocosmia....sometimes called falling stars in full bloom.

A bright yellow deer proof border of coreopsis.

Anne and the Coop on the cover of the Havanese Breed Magazine.

Memorable Moments

A week ago today, my parents were with us, having a wonderful time.  For them, and for us, their visit was filled with great moments that we will always cherish. We gave them the full Muskoka experience, starting with a tour of our little town, and showing them all the places that are part of our day to day life.

We had lunch at Killarney Lodge, in Algonquin Park.  We could not have asked for a better day to go there, for many reasons.  First, the sun was shinning although it was a bit cool.  On our way to the restaurant, about 5 minutes away, we saw on the side of the road two Moose:  a cow and her calf.  We parked the car and off I went to take a picture.  I was so close to them and they didn't move.  What a sight it was.  Lunch was very nice and cosy.  On our way back, we saw a bear crossing Highway 60, right in front of our car.  Mummy Bear was actually waiting for her cub to cross  the road as well.  I was only able to get a picture of the mother but we did see the cub crossing very quickly right behind its mom.  Needless to say that we couldn't have planned it better.  When we got home, there were a few deer on our road, and later that day we saw the wild turkeys.  So my parents saw it all!

On Monday night, we thought it would be fitting to end their visit with a camp fire and S'Mores, of course. My parents were all bundled up and had a very good time, so did we.  It was the perfect night for a fire.

During their visit, Cooper was a very gracious host.  My parents hadn't seen him since last Summer and they noticed how more mature he has become.  He truly was a delight around them.  Each morning, the Coop went upstairs to their bedroom to give them his version of a Muskoka wake up call.  After my parents left on Tuesday, and to this day still, Coop goes upstairs each morning looking for them.

I am truly happy that we were able to make this visit happen.  A huge thank you goes to Russell who did all the driving:  Huntsville-Montreal-Huntsville-Montreal-Huntsville.  A lot of driving in 6 days but it was worth it.  My parents needed this little getaway and what better place than to come to Huntsville!

The rest of the week went by very quickly.  It is hard to believe that we are in August already.  Summer hasn't been the greatest so far but it's not over yet.  The past few days have been beautiful and warm.  Yesterday, we went for a boat ride and we were surprised at how few people were on their boats, given that this is the long weekend.

On Friday, I went Lupin picking with two of our neighbours.  Dressed with long pants and boots, off we drove to Highway 11, parked on the side of the road, and cut back all the black lupins (flower part only) that grow in the ditch.  I brought home a large garbage bag full of them.  Then, I planted each stick in the ground.  It's as simple as that.  The pods of the plant will soon pop open and the seeds will fall to the ground.  Next year, we will have lupins.  Today, on our walk with Cooper, I got myself more lupins!  The best part, they grow like weeds and the deer hate them.

That's about it for this week's blog.  It is the Civic Holiday weekend for many provinces.  I hope you are enjoying this extra long weekend.  Have a great week everyone!

Denise and Larry...bundled up to enjoy the fire pit.

Denise, Anne and Larry enjoying the after dinner conversations.

Moose cow and her calf in Algonquin Park...roadside!

Lunch at Killarney Lodge, Algonquin Park. BYOW!

Black bear....crossing Highway 60.

Mummy black bear waiting for her cub.

Cooper...the official wake up call of Muskoka!