Goodbye August

Happy Sunday to all!  I often write about how quickly time goes....it's because it's true.  The old saying about "the older we get the faster time goes" is suddenly becoming a reality.  I just can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of August.  This Summer, although not over yet, has gone by very quickly.  Kids are getting ready to go back to school, parents will return to a somewhat normal life, cottagers will soon be a thing of the past for us in Huntsville and our little town will become normal again....as in very quiet and no traffic. Oh, and the Halloween candies are out!

On the topic of time just flying by, we celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary last Thursday.  Oh, that just makes me want to stop the clock, for a while at least.  We had a wonderful time in Quebec City.  The last time we were there was 6 years ago and we had forgotten how beautiful it is.  The weather was perfect, the food was excellent and the ambiance was as to be expected:  exceptional.  The town was especially busy as AC/DC were giving a concert at Les Plaines D'Abraham on Friday night. As we walked back from the restaurant, we could hear the band sing.  It was kind of cool actually, not that I like their music but it was fun to watch the concert goers having fun.

Russell was in his element, capturing the beautiful scenes that Quebec City has to offer.  I'm including a few of the many photos that he took.

Enough about us.  While we were away, Coop was at Camp Talemaker and he told us that he had a grand time.  What's not to like about being there.  It is a dog's paradise, truly!

So, here we are back home.  This might be the end of August but this week promises to be a beauty, at least weather wise.  Nothing but sunshine and warm weather.  Gotta love it!

That's it for this week's blog.  We will have lunch soon then go for a walk at Fairy Vista.  Today is the Ironman Muskoka so we will get to see the many athletes that are participating in this event.  It started at 7 am this morning and is due to end around 11 pm tonight.  Good luck to all participating!

I wish you all a great week ahead!

View of Le Chateau Frontenac from the boardwalk.

On our anniversary, we enjoyed a romantic caleche ride in style.

Andrew Le Coachman who guided our tour of the Old City.

Lower Quebec City at the base of Le Funiculaire!

Beautiful flowers outside Bello resto.

Typical pub facade.

Water fountain outside the Town Hall, across from our hotel

Interesting signage for a restaurant.

Almost but not quite....

Happy Sunday everyone!  I truly hope you are enjoying this fine weather.  Although we had some much needed rain one day last week, the weather was truly glorious for the most part.  As much as I hate to say it though, Summer is slowly winding down.  The sun, although still very hot, is not as high in the sky.....I can tell just by where I have to sit on the deck in order to get some sun.  I find myself moving my chair from place to place just to get the full sun on me.

So, this past Friday, I tried to do a full chin up on my own...almost but not quite. I really thought that I was strong enough to do one on my own but now I know, having tried it for the first time,  that it is not as easy as it may seem.  So, with the help of my personal trainer, I will continue to work on getting stronger.  We will try it once a week as each time I attempt to do one, I work on those key muscles that will get me there.  Ce n'est que partie remise, as we say in French.....

We finally had the video done on our house last Friday.  It was very cool to watch the drone fly all around the exterior of the house.  The video will be embedded in the MLS listing in a week or so.  That will complete the listing. It has been quiet on that front but it is to be expected.  We fully expect to spend another Winter in Muskoka and that is fine with us.  What's not to like about having four feet of snow on our roof!

Russell is getting ready to go to his photography workshop in Algonquin Park in a few weeks.  More on that as we get closer but it will be an amazing experience for him.

Not much else is happening although we (some of the road owners), decided that it was time to put a speed sign on our private road.  Many people go up and down the road at such a speed that it damages the gravel road and it makes for an incredible amount of dust for some of the home owners.  Thanks goes to John and Jay for getting the sign and putting it up. Now, we wait and see if it will be enforced.....

This coming week is a busy one for us.  Russell and I will be going to Quebec City on Thursday for a couple of days of R&R, to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  Cooper will be going to Camp Talemaker also for a couple of days of R&R to celebrate his good life.

That's about it for this week's blog. It is almost 4 pm and Cooper is looking at me, patiently waiting for his weekend treat.  In a few minutes Coop!  I leave you with a couple of pictures that we took of the Coop this weekend and one of the hummingbird who seems to be loving that Agapanthus plant.  I end this blog by wishing my parents a Happy 58th Wedding Anniversary, which is tomorrow.  They will also be celebrating in Quebec City, same place as we will be later this week.  Have a great week everyone!

Hummingbird on the wing....back deck!

Cooper on the front porch...watching that darn Chippie!

Cooper surveying his kingdom on the front porch.

Cooper says, you BBQing Dad and can I get a lick/taste?!

A sign of the times....who can speed on gravel anyway?!

Sara and Jake's visit to Huntsville

Happy Sunday everyone!  I don't know if it's as hot in your neck of the woods as it is in Huntsville, but it's a steamer here. Bring it on!  There are many days left in Summer, let's enjoy it while it lasts.

Today, we had the pleasure of having our niece Sara and her boyfriend Jake over for lunch.  It was their first trip to Huntsville.  They couldn't have picked a better day.  We spent hours on the deck talking about all kinds of stuff.  They both live in Peterborough and they go to Trent University.  Sara  is Darlene and Dave's daughter, Darlene is Russell's sister. It was nice to see her again and to finally meet Jake.  They are so cute together, and so young....the tender age of 21.  The last time we saw Sara was in 2013, when Russell's mom passed away. We hope to see her again at her convocation in June next year. Cooper was a good boy, although at times, he wanted some of our attention.....or maybe what he really wanted was a tiny piece of someone's hot dog.....instead he got a kangaroo tendon. Just as good and much healthier. Thanks Sara and Jake for coming.  It was truly wonderful to see both of you!

While we were on the deck this afternoon, we heard a beeping sound.  We didn't think anything of it until we heard the sound again about 1 hour later.  That's when we realized that it must have come from the smoke detector.  After Sara and Jake left, the beeping sound became much more frequent, as in every minute, and it was emitting a strident sound, so loud that Cooper was visibly perturbed by it.  Sure enough, the battery had to be changed.  It may sound like it's not a big deal, but believe me, those smoke detectors are not people friendly, so changing the battery is not a simple thing.  Until it's done, the sound keeps beeping. Cooper doesn't get frightened easily but that piercing sound does it every time. I took him to the front deck and acted as if everything was fine.  He saw a chipmunk and he forgot all about the sound. Now, we have a new battery and tomorrow, Russell will change the battery in the other two smoke detectors...thanks honey!

Other than that, it's all good.  This past week went by too quickly, as always.  We had a lovely lunch with our friend Patricia at Windermere House.  It was nice to catch up.  I am that much closer to being able to do a chin up....my trainer says maybe in a few weeks.  I'm not sure about that but we will see.  The last thing I want to do is hurt myself so I'm not rushing it....but I can't wait :-)

That's it for this week's blog.  It's almost time for the Coop's dinner.  I leave you with a few pictures that we took today, as well as a few photos that Russell took this week.  Have a great week everyone!

The deck selfie shot...featuring Cooper, Anne, Russell, Sara and Jake!

A thorn between two roses...thanks Anne and Sara.

Bright red crocosmia and a yellow coreopsis boarder, full bloom.

Hummer in the wing!

A misty sunset after intense thunderstorms.

It was a wonderful visit!

I hope you are all enjoying a nice Sunday.  Our weather is spectacular, truly a beautiful Summer day.  I am actually writing my blog out on the deck, while enjoying the beautiful sunshine, warm weather....and a glass of wine.

Well, my parents came and went and their stay with us went by much too quickly.  We had a great time and it was truly a wonderful visit.  The weather cooperated although a bit cool. We spent some good quality time just chatting away, reminiscing about the past and looking at some old pictures.....all the way back to when my parents got engaged.  We had some nice lunches out and some nice dinners that I prepared, with my sous-chef Russell who did the barbecuing with his sous-sous-chef Cooper who got to do some tasting....Cooper was his usual self, a very welcoming host.  Every morning, he couldn't wait to go upstairs to wake my parents up.  He literally ran up the stairs to the loft, his tail happily whipping the bedroom door with excitement.   My parents' visit was somewhat saddened on Wednesday afternoon when we learned that my cousin Randy passed away from cancer that very afternoon.  He was only 53.  He was my dad's brother's son.  Very sad but he is in a much better place now.  It was actually comforting to be together when we learned of the news, and it made us all realize, once again, that life is short.

So, we're back to our normal routine.  We've had some good walks with the Coop this weekend and I went back to the gym.  It's all good.

This coming week is shaping up to be a bit busy.  Coop has his annual "wellness" exam tomorrow with Dr. Jason, our wonderful vet.  I have a bone density test on Wednesday and I'm actually looking forward to the results.  I suspect that they will be good given my workouts.  We are planning to have lunch with our good friend Patricia on Thursday.  It will be nice to see her again. Oh, and our car is in the shop...the air conditioning broke down so we have a rental for a week.

That's it for this week's blog.  I leave you with a few pictures that I took of my parents's visit.  I will cherish those memories forever. I'm also adding a little video that my brother took when my parents got off the train in Dorval.  It's good to go away but it's also good to come home! I wish you all a great week!

Mom and Dad enjoying some time on the deck.

Mom and Dad with Russell with refreshing drinks in hand.

Nothing better than Muskoka style deck time.

Lunch at the Cafe Wilgress in Huntsville.

Cooper doing what he does best...napping!

It was a hot one!

Summer sure was present this past week in a big way.  Very hot and very sunny.  Dare I say a tad too hot perhaps but I am not complaining.  In a few months from now, I will wish for those temperatures.

It was a quiet week and the heat kind of gave us an excuse for not doing much.  We both made our normal trips to the gym but that's about it.  Coop didn't have any walks until Thursday.  It was way too hot for his little paws.

I am thoroughly enjoying my personal training sessions with AJ.  He is a great trainer and very conscientious.  He pays attention to my form and makes sure that I do not hurt myself.  Having said this, I could barely walk this morning when I got out of bed.  The leg presses from Friday were really kicking in.  I did go to my Bootcamp class just the same and it actually felt good to loosen up those leg muscles.  I am a little closer to achieving my goal of doing a couple of chin ups all by myself.  Maybe by Christmas?

So, this is the beginning of August already.  We saw our first back to school commercials on TV one night last week.  Russell also informed me, with glee,  that the NFL pre-season starts on August 9 with the Hall of Fame game.  Week 1 with all teams on August 13.  I know a few people who are excited about this.... me, not so much.  Today, I went to the grocery store.  I was shocked to see pots of Fall Mums already for sale.  Really???

Today is a bit busy for me.  I am getting ready for my parents' visit this week.  They will come down by train on Tuesday, from Dorval to Oshawa, where we will pick them up.  It will be a nice relaxing trip for them, no stress from driving.  Cooper is super excited to see them, especially to wake them up in the morning as he did when they came last year.  It will be really nice to see them again and to spend some quality time together.

That's it for this week's blog. The rest of the day will be spent relaxing after I water our flowers.  We haven't had any rain for quite some time and some of our pots already look like they've  had it with Summer.....maybe I should buy some Fall Mums after all!

I leave you with three pictures.  One that I took last Wednesday of four deer eating our clover in the back.  When Summer  started, we had a thick, rich green carpet of clover.  No more. I also took a pic of the Coop one night last week.  He was out cold, on his favourite chair.  Finally, someone took a picture of that Bootcamp class that I went too a few weeks ago, which took place in the "sandbox" and posted it on Facebook.  All you can see of me is the lower half of my right leg....behind the person with the yellow T-shirt.  I was doing push ups on a tire......

The resident deer lunching on our clover patch.

Cooper snug in his favorite chair after a long hot day.

FITT Gym Bootcamp in the sand....flip those tires!

Have a great week everyone!