Saturday, August 21, 2010

Beaver River

Kevin likes paddling on lakes so he can go swimming. I prefer rivers because there is less wind and there are surprises around each bend. Since we moved here I have wanted to paddle the Beaver River. Kevin thought it was too shallow except early in the spring and we could never fit it into our schedules then so we never made it. This year he found it was navigable all year so we finally made it last Saturday! Here are the "kid's canoes" as seen from the bridge at the launch. In the boy's canoe are Connor and his shadow Marcus. In the girl's canoe are Tori and Toni, my right hand "man" for the last 3 years.Tori cutting it close under the bridge.
This canoe was given to us by a neighbour a few years ago. He is too old to use it and his kids don't want it. He is very happy it is valued again. It is a cedar strip he got when he was working at Sears many, many years ago. It was mispriced and he scooped it up. It needed a lot of work when we got it and has spent months in a local paddle maker's shop being restored by the two of them. Kevin was itching to get his heritage canoe in the water. This is it's inaugural trip. He was so excited to get it he forfeited the downpayment for the new vehicle he wants to pay for the repairs.

And here we go!
About halfway through our paddle we hit a submerged rock going through a swift and heard a crunch. So it has been christened. Then it got dinged being put back on the canoe trailer. Kevin spent several hours Sunday repairing it.

In case anybody is interested this brings our watercraft fleet to 7 (not counting the loaners and the unusable). We have the 3 red canoes shown here, 1 white tripping canoe, Kevin's bluish whitewater canoe, Connor's red whitewater kayak (and sometimes Dalton's whitewater kayak), an extra kayak and 2 kayaks and a canoe on sawhorses waiting for repairs. We also have one he picked up to find a home for from someone who doesn't want it and a mold to make your own.

Can you guess what we tell people who are coming to visit?
After the paddle we headed to nearby Walter's Falls. Here is the happy group on the bridge overlooking the falls. From left to right - Marcus, Connor, Tori, Toni and Kevin.And this is what they got to see!



Friday, August 20, 2010

Mystery solved

The yellow mystery item is indeed a yellow zucchini. Everyone else grows the green zucchini. At this time of year people you don't even know offer you tough green zucchini big enough to bathe a baby in. I prefer yellow. They are not as tough, a vibrant colour and tastes the same to me.The other item is a tomato. Myt first Speckled Roma tomato to be precise. I thought it so beautiful I had to share.
It didn't taste as good as it looked. But I ate it raw so I will have to try it again in a sauce.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

The answer and another puzzles

For those of you that noticed I had mismatched sandals - you win. Keep watching your mail box for the great prize I will be sending your way. We were in a hurry to go so I just grabbed the back straps and did them up without looking. I was glad to hear that I wasn't the only one who has done this!

You know that as we age, we must keep our brains active, so here is another challenge for you. What is this?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

What I promised you

In my weather rant I promised a cheery post next so here it is.

A week or so ago Kevin and I went for a bike ride. It was a beautiful evening, dusk approaching. See the picture below for proof. Kevin asked if I wanted to go to a friend's ice cream parlour. I declined. Can you figure out why? Click on picture to enlarge if you need help.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Enough Already (A Rant)

I work outside. Rain, shine, cloudy, sunny - sort of like the postman getting the mail delivered - we get the gardens done. This is by far the most miserable summer in the years I have gardened. I love the moderate temperatures in the spring and fall. I am not a summer person. I head for the shady gardens (thank goodness my helpers like the sun). The last several days I feel absolutely drained. And we don't have air conditioning. Most years there are only 3 or 4 days where we wish we had a/c and we are not putting it in for various reasons. Remember how much I love my truck? I really love it now because it is the only cool I get.

Now onto the real rant part. I am beginning to detest weathermen. Every day last week rain was in the forecast for the next day when I went to bed. I would go to sleep dreaming of a rain day, sleeping in and cool temperatures. I would wake up in the morning disappointed. The rain had been moved to the next day and the temperature was back into the 30's. The only day we got a 10 minute downpour there was zero rain in the forecast. Today's forecast was nice (by my definition). It was to be 21 to 23 degrees and chance of rain. Depending on which station I use it is now 30 or 31 degrees. Close don't you think? Only off by a few degrees. And no rain yet! How come weathermen are getting less accurate as they get more access to technology? I have noticed that a lot of days now they are forecasting "sunny with cloudy breaks" or "cloudy with a chance of showers". Trying to cover all bases. Maybe I will stop looking at the forecasts and go back to methods used by our forefathers. "Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in morning, sailors take warning". I think the accuracy would be as good as the weather man. Or perhaps I could offer the dog a choice of two biscuits. If she picks the right hand, I will dress for rain, the left - it will be a good day. Can't be any worse.

Now I know most of you aren't as affected by the weather, so if you made it all the way to the end of this post, thanks for sticking with me. I promise something cheery next.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Special Visitors

Last week we had some very welcome guests. It has been 4 years since I have seen Stephanie and Susan and the first time I have met Ireland and Kaden. What beautiful kids! It still sounds so funny to hear them call Susan granny! We hung around the house for a while then went to a nearby park for a picnic.Susan challenged herself on the rock wall.

And Oliver proved to be quite agile. He jumped up on this beam all by himself several times and walked along it. Our dogs have been to agility and they wouldn't do this! They will go through tunnels, up ramps and teeter totters but this beam is much narrower. I was impressed.

Then we walked to the candy store where Tori works so she could see them. Then we headed home. I pulled out the Duplo and Mr. Potato Head (I have held on to a few of our favorite toys). Mr. Potato Head was a big hit with everyone.

It was a great day. I hope 4 more years don't pass before we get together again.