Bittersweet times

I hope you are all enjoying a nice Sunday. The weather in Huntsville is beautiful and very warm. More of the same is forecasted for the rest of the week.

Well, the past few weeks have been busy for Russell and I.  For all the right reasons, we have decided to sell our home.  The "For Sale" sign went up yesterday.  It is hard to predict how long it will take to sell but we are not in a big rush.  It will be when it will be.  Life is a journey and our next journey will take us to Cobourg when the time comes. It is with mixed emotions that we have come to this decision but we know that this is the right move for us, for the long term.  Bittersweet moments for sure.

This past week was crazy busy as we had to get the ball rolling for the house but also because we went to Toronto and Cobourg.  We had a great time in Toronto and celebrated my birthday in style.  Japanese for lunch at Ki, and dinner at Sassafraz.  Friday morning, we drove to Cobourg and had lunch with old friends of ours.  They have been living in Cobourg for 15 years now so it was good to get the ins and outs of the town.  It was especially nice to see them and reminisce about the good old days. We also met with a realtor just to get a feel for the neighbourhoods.  This gave us a really good sense as to where we will buy when we're ready.

We came home yesterday, after picking up the Coop.  He has no idea that we are selling our home.....I wonder what his next kingdom will look like.

That's about it for this week's blog.  For us, it is "business as usual" until we sell our house. We will continue to enjoy our beautiful home and its surroundings.  On that note, a bear was spotted in John & Terri's backyard last Thursday.  I include a picture that they took of the little creature.

I also include an aerial picture that was taken of our house last week, the view from up above.  I thought it was fitting to include that picture as today would have been Russell's Dad's birthday.  No doubt that he is celebrating with Mom while watching over us from up above.

I wish you all a great week, which for many will lead to the Civic holiday long weekend.  Wow, August is just around the corner.  Unreal!

Duncan home aerial view...looking South to Lake Robinson and Vernon.

150 yearling black bear on Forest Hill Lane...thanks John for the pic!

Nothing better than soft serve ice cream on a hot day in TO.

Havanese Heaven!

Happy Sunday everyone!  Another week has come and gone and that week ended with the Annual Havanese Picnic, held yesterday in Brighton.  I don't know exactly how many Havanese dogs attended the picnic but there were lots of them, of all sizes, ages, colours and personalities.  Cooper was by far the biggest but that didn't stop the others from playing with him. He arrived all clean from his bath on Friday and within minutes his little paws were all mucked up.  That's OK because he had a great time and played his heart out.

It was truly a fun day for the families and their pooches.  It was nice to see the people that we have come to know over the years, some that we already knew and some with whom I have had a relationship only through Darlah's blog.  The weather was perfect, sunny and quite warm.  The pop up tents provided plenty of shade and the dogs had many water bowls to choose from.  It was a potluck picnic so everyone brought something different.  The food was delicious.  I include only a few of the 92 pictures that Russell took.  They were all so good, it was hard to choose some for the blog.  I also include the group picture that was taken.  We are not in it as we had to leave early in order to make the three hour trek back home....but it was worth the drive to Brighton!

Not much else is happening.  The weather has been pretty decent lately so we are enjoying it.  We have been watching the Pan Am Games and are very proud of how well our Canadians are doing.

This week is shaping up to be busy.  For starters, I start training with a personal trainer this week, twice a week.  I thought it was time to step it up a notch so I decided to sign up for two private sessions per week.  I met with my trainer last Friday to discuss my goals, etc.  His name is AJ and I think he will really push me.  One goal that I have is to be able to do a chin up at some point....when I'm able to do one, I will let you all know!

We are off to Toronto on Thursday for our hair appointments, then dinner at Sassafraz on Thursday night.  Friday, we will be going to Cobourg to meet with an old acquaintance, one of my former bosses.  We will stay overnight and come back to Huntsville Saturday.  This, of course, means that the Coop will be spending a few days at Camp Talemaker.  Lucky boy!

That's it for this week's blog.  I wish you all a great week!

The official Annual Havanese Picnic welcoming committee!

Cooper loves Nathan and he thinks he smells treats.

A little break in the action on Anne's lap...lucky boy!

Cooper says......lets run some more!

Who has treats?

BBFs...Spice and Cooper keep an eye on new arrivals.

Looks someone new is arriving...1, 2, 3 BARK!

Cooper says....I'll inspect that tray of food if you like.

The Havanese and their owners...for the last shot.

Full bloom season!

Happy Sunday everyone!  What a glorious Summer day we have today.  It is a repeat of yesterday, and more of it on the way this week.  Our plants and pots are now in full bloom.  Time to enjoy the colours that Summer flowers bring.

This past week was a pretty good one but busy.  I started the week by having my annual physical. All is good on that front.  I am still dealing with some issues with my right thigh but it seems to be improving slightly. I have been careful when working out and have been stretching a lot.  I suppose one could say that the best way to heal is to give my leg a rest....easier said than done.  On that note, on Friday, my Bootcamp class was outside, in the sand, bare feet.  Now, that was a tough class and I sweated a whole lot but I truly enjoyed it.

We went for a number of walks with the Coop, including one yesterday.  We didn't realize that the sidewalks would be that hot and only noticed it when I gave Cooper some water.   He was lifting his paws due to the heat of the ashphalt.  Poor little thing.  We turned around and made a beeline for the car.  It is as hot outside today so we decided to stay put and just relax.  After I write my blog, I will be heading for the deck to catch some rays.

Oh, and on Friday, while Cooper was being groomed,  Russell and I had an ice cream.....first one this season. I had "Death by Chocolate" and Russell had "Irish Cream". It was yummy!

Not much else to report.  We are having a nice Summer so far but it seems to be going way too fast.  Next Saturday, weather permitting, we will be going to the annual Havanese picnic, organized by Nathan, Darlah and two of their friends.  It will be held in Brighton.  A long drive but it will be so much fun.  We are really hoping for nice weather.

I hope you are all having a nice Summer.  Have a great week everyone!   Terri and I are having a girl's lunch on Tuesday, and Russell and John are having a guys breakfast on Wednesday!

Front door flower pots with Dahlias in full bloom.

Close up of a Dahlia.

One of 3 front porch hanging baskets from the Diva.

Astilbes on display.

Mr Cooper in his best deck lounge mode.

Huntsville is hopping!

Huntsville truly comes alive in the Summer, and more so once Canada Day is here.  Our little town is full of tourists and cottagers.  On Canada Day, Main Street was closed for the festivities.  We went with Cooper and took it all in.  There was some music, the usual face painting for the kids, a fire truck parked in the middle of the road for the kids to hop on, etc.  And there were lots and lots of dogs, big and small.  Everyone who has a dog was out that day.  It was great socialization for Cooper.

Yesterday, it was the annual Bath Tub Race.  It was fun to watch people maneuvering their bath tub on the water.  Our dental team had one tub and did well. We found a place to sit by the water and watch it all, with the Coop.  Again, there were lots of doggies out and about.

Today, is the Ironman race.  We will watch some of it when we go for our walk after lunch.  Lots of road closures as a result.  The weather couldn't be better.  Finally, we have Summer!

So, it's been a good week, with a holiday right in the middle of it.  Our gym was closed for Canada Day. It gave us a "forced" break, which I needed.  I have some issues with the muscles in my right thigh and it's causing me some discomfort.  I have been getting deep tissue massages to help relieve the pain and to loosen up the muscles.  On Thursday, my massage therapist even used Cupping therapy on me....what is that you might ask?  Well, to put it simply, Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin. The suction cups mobilize blood flow in order to promote healing.  It is not terribly painful but feels kind of weird.  The worst part of the treatment is that it leaves bruises on the skin, in the shape of the cup.  So I have five perfectly round bruises on my upper thigh.  Now wouldn't be a good time for me to wear short shorts.....

Not much else is going on.  We had our first camp fire last night.  It was nice to spend the evening outside. We even saw some fireworks across the lake, for the July 4 celebration.

That's about it for this week's blog.  We'll have lunch soon, then go for a walk and watch the race, then enjoy the warm sunshine on the deck.  I hope Summer is here to stay.

Have a great week everyone!

Anne toasty and warm with the fire blazing and the wine flowing.

Cooper found his spot near the fire pit and took a nap.

The Bath Tub racers!

Anne and Cooper watching the Tub racing.

The fire pit...helped keep the bugs away.

Russell relaxing fireside and that wine was delicious.

Sunsetting on the wine.