I totally forgot that the guys went canoeing and kayaking on the bay Saturday morning before the other guests arrived.  There were 5 that went but I only have pictures of two.  Kevin took the pictures and I guess Connor and David were so fast that no pics were taken.  Below is my brother in law Mike and Alec.  We were fortunate that Alec was on a course nearby and could make it for his grandfather's birthday celebration.  Alec didn't make it to the funeral so he hadn't seen most of the family for a while.

And a shot of just Alec.  He hates it when I post pictures of him but I just had to.  He is usually fairly somber.  He doesn't smile often and you can see his pearly whites in both shots so I couldn't resist.

May 26th

Saturday would have been my Dad's 80th birthday.  I invited the family up for a get together.

The weather was very co-operative.  We played (mostly) barefoot volleyball for hours.  Everyone played at one point or another - some for a few minutes, some for hours. Here it is the girls against the boys.  Shortly afterward the volleyball exploded so we had to switch to badminton.

Since we were remembering my dad we had to have ice cream.  We had lots of store bought but we made our own too.  Lynda brought her ice cream ball.  You fill the outer ball with rock salt and lots and lots of ice and fill the inner cylinder with ice cream ingredients.  We used cream, sugar and my dad's homemade strawberry banana jam.  It was excellent!  Jenna is just about to roll the ball .

Lynda and her family stayed for 3 days since Monday is an American holiday. Us girls went horseback riding to ensure that the pain in our arms from hitting the volleyball was offset by pain in our lower bodies.

Lynda and I and the 4 "kids" went to Nancy Island.  We had all been here before but the new visitor centre opened the day before so we went in for a quick look.  If you are looking for something to do this summer come up while the reenactors are here.  This summer is the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and Wasaga Beach played a vital part in the victory.

Overview

Day 1 - 575 km.  We stopped early so we didn't have to go through Montreal at rush hour or in the dark.
Day 2 - 832 km.  An enjoyable day with a few scenic detours.
Day 3 - 327 km.  The picture below is a New Brunswick highway at rush hour.

Trip total - 1734 km.

Tori lives off residence in an older house with 3 others.  Two friends are in the middle of moving into the basement.  And all the students in town are moving out because they are leaving for the summer, finished school for good or moving onto new digs.  The streets are lined with garbage (treasure as Tori terms it).  They have scored 5 or 6 tvs, a foosball table, a mattress and miscellaneous little items.  Their quest for a working bbq was not productive.  Their living room is packed with belongings from a friend moving across the road today.  It was a little too crowded for my comfort.  And people wandering out all the time.  I am glad to be home and glad she is enjoying herself.

Below a picture of Tori and Bonnie Blue.  She has always called the vehicle that.  I hope they have many safe adventures together.

In less than 2 weeks I have had 5 houseguests on 4 different occasions.  I am so tired of making beds.  I have driven a lot more than normal - twice to the airport and to the east coast.  When I wake up in the morning my first thoughts are more jumbled than normal.  Usually it starts with "Who slept over last night? Do I need to put on my housecoat before leaving the bedroom?  Do I need to make breakfast for a crowd?"  Then it progresses to "Am I in my own bed or at a hotel?"  I am hoping for a "normal" week at work and home.  Because next weekend both of our mothers are coming!

Cornwall, ON to Woodstock, NB

We have driven this highway many times because we lived near Fredericton. However, most of our trips were high speed, single day drives.  We would get up at 4, get the kids in the car and drive 16 hours to our hometown, stopping only for gas, meals and bathroom breaks.  We rarely stopped and did touristy things.  Today we detoured to Grand Falls.  It is the biggest waterfalls east of Niagara Falls.  The water certainly did rage and roll but it is not much of a drop.

Next we took a side trip to Perth/Andover.  Much of the low lying parts of the town flooded a month ago.  We didn't see much damage to homes and businesses, just occasional piles of debris, but look at what the ice jam did to the guard rails!

You may remember that I have mixed feelings about GPSs.  They are occasionally very useful but definitely don't replace a map and a sense of direction.  Below you can see that I am capable of driving on water.  I am thinking of giving classes and teaching this useful skill to others.

We're on a Road Trip!

We just bought my Dad's Santa Fe and that left us with an extra vehicle.  The Escape is a 2003 with about 260,000 km but hopefully has a little life left in her.  If we kept it in our driveway when Connor gets his licence in a few months he would be considered the driver.  There is no way I am paying for a new almost 17 year old driver so we offered the vehicle to Tori.  She jumped at the chance after 3 years of being without a car at university.  And I was in the best position to accompany her back to Mount Alison where she will be working for the summer.  In October I drove from the West Coast to home with Caitlin, now I get to go to the east coast with Tori.  In 6 months and 2 days I will have seen both coasts of our incredible country.  That's a lot of miles for someone who rarely leaves town.

Observations from day one of our eastern adventure.
1.  I am very glad I do not live in Toronto.  I am very glad that my parents moved from there 43 years ago.
2.  I am very glad I do not live in Kingston.  We met friends there for lunch today.  There are way too many stop lights in Kingston.  They are not co-ordinated.  We had to stop at 9 out of 10.  That is not right.  And to make matters even worse, almost all of the traffic lights are at the top of hills.  The Escape is standard.  I hate stopping on a hill in heavy traffic.

We are in a motel in Cornwall which is virtually empty.  We went to the fitness room (has anyone ever been to a fitness room with operational equipment?) and the pool.  We ate supper in our room from our cooler.  Tori is a vegan so we had tuna and chickpea salad and granola bars.

On to Montreal.  I can hardly wait.

Tori wanted a picture of herself with as many of our pets as she could.  Pets are not very co operative models so this is the best we could do.  In the aquarium is Connor's biggest goldfish and under that is a weather loach (it looks like an eel).  On her right shoulder you can see the noses of two of Caitlin's rats.  On her other shoulder you can just see the tail of the last rat under her hair.  On her lap is the cat and the rabbit.  In addition to those, remember we have two dogs and another smaller aquarium.

And don't forget to keep guessing about what Tori and I are up to while the rest of the family are canoe camping in the cold and wet.

Hint: I just did one with Caitlin too.

Been Busy

But nothing really worth blogging about.  Until now.
My house is like Grand Central Station some weeks.
Cousin D came to hang out with Connor last weekend and spent Friday and Saturday nights.  They had a quick paddle on frigid Georgian Bay.  D lay spreadeagled against the side of my sunwarmed truck afterwards to warm himself up.  I wish I had brought my camera.  Lady in adjoining car glared at him.
Monday evening we picked Tori up at the airport and two of her friends spent the night.
Wednesday night my sister and her youngest spent the night so they could be closer to a dance competition today.  As my 3 and one of Connor's friends wandered in and out from various activities I asked her if she wished she had more than 2 kids.  She said no.  She likes it quiet.
Cousin D just arrived for another night because tomorrow Kevin, Caitlin, Connor and D are going canoe camping.
That leaves Tori and I.  Guess what we are doing?