Presquile Recap with Photos

We are home… we pulled up stakes (literally and figuratively) yesterday (Thursday) and were on the way home by 12:30. Aside from a slowdown on the 401 (what else is new) it was smooth sailing.

It was a wonderful trip, but way too short. We aren’t sure what we’ll do next year as we are thinking about taking a road trip to out West, but it seems hard to believe we’d miss a year at Presquile.

Our weather was pretty much excellent, although the wind was certainly a factor. There were several afternoons that we stayed inside, and many suppers that we ate inside too – we couldn’t keep the plates on the table! A family in a tent set up a few sites down from us the day before we left – I hope they have good luck, cause with some of the wind we had I sure as heck wouldn’t want to be in a tent – especially with young kids. I suspect they’ve never camped on the water before…

We did drive around a bit, but not as much as we had planned. We drove past a few places that were for sale in the area, but didn’t go to any open houses. Carm doesn’t want to leave this area while his mom is alive, so hopefully we’ll be here for many, many years to come. But it would be nice to have a summer place there!

The bad thing about the trip is that I gained a few pounds. I have to learn a little more moderation… we don’t really need butter tarts EVERY night! Nor do we need to have fish & chips 3 times in 18 days – we never have them at home so why so much when we are camping… And the marshmallows – their pillowy softness and sweetness… I don’t even need a campfire to enjoy those! And hotdogs for lunch nearly every day? Seriously? What happened to the planned whole wheat pita with hummus and baby spinach that was planned? Not every meal was plagued with naughtyness though – we had lots of green beans, zucchini, red peppers, snap peas, tomatoes, etc. The “pesto” (basil, garlic, olive oil – no cheese or pinenuts) that I made just before we left was used on lots of things.

 

We used the grill Mom and Dad got us to cook up many pounds of vegetables.

Early Morning Walks with the Dogs

As soon as I was up I’d take the dogs out for their morning constitutional. We always made it to the overflow parking area, but some mornings we would go for a few kilometers more so that I could look out over this vantage point. It was so pretty and peaceful.

Even if we didn’t make the lookout we would at least get this far. What a peaceful morning!

On many mornings Gull Island was still in a rosy glow.

 

Visit with Jo Ellen and Don

Stuck inside for a short time while it rained. Thankfully the rain was short lived.

Digesting our lunch the next afternoon. The weather was sunny and wonderful. They treated us to Captain George’s fish and chips. This was our second time eating it…

 

Around About

Morning on our site.

Morning on our site. The water was so still we could see the bottom way out. See the sailboat way out on the horizon. They were often gracing the skyline.

Drinks with Brenda and Bill from Brighton. They had the site across the road from us. Carm helped Bill install a satellite connection into his trailer, and we all shared many visits.

Along the “Lighthouse Walk”. Every morning we drove to the day use area, parked the truck and did a 5 or 6 km walk. It was such a lovely walk I think I could do it every day! Walking in the park is one of our attractions to the area.

This was a wavy, windy day from our site. I love the colours. We had great fun swimming in those waves. The water is only up to our shins for the first 50 feet, and then it goes up to our hips for another 20 or 30 feet, until finally it is up to our shoulders. We didn’t go out far enough for it to be over our heads. When the water was really wavy it got a bit green from all the algae stirred up, but when it was still we could easily see the bottom, even when it was up past our shoulders. The bottom is smooth rock, no yucky muddy bits to walk through. The last few days the water got much colder, but no matter the weather or the temperature of the water we had at least one swim a day

Inside Our Camper

Grace’s new cage worked out really well! She loved it and was never unhappy to come back inside. In fact some days I think she preferred it. The cage has doors for the food, so Carm could feed her without fear for his fingers. The tray is deep which keeps some of the thrown food inside, and newspapers fit inside neatly, making it easy to keep clean. It fits perfectly in the space. The new fridge is fantastic! An $88 Walmart deal, it kept one tray of dog food blocks frozen until time to use it – I just set the fridge to its highest setting. There was room for lots of water – mason jars with lemon and limes. Once the dog food was gone, there was lots of room for some “adult” beverages. And it kept everything ICY cold – ummmmm.

I treated myself to this cute little painting of the lighthouse – the destination of our morning walks.

Doesn’t the painting look great hung on the wall? It is just above eye level when I’m sitting on the sofa, so will be a constant reminder of our wonderful trip. The little picture of the bird hanging about the light is from my trip to Upper Canada Village with Kirsten and the girls. It is another nice reminder. In my advancing age I need these little memory joggers!

The space where Grace’s cage used to be makes a great computer desk area.

I LOVE this camper, and with those two changes (cage & desk) this unit really worked well for us. I don’t think we need a bigger space! Especially if we end up purchasing the slightly smaller coffee table that Camping World has. It is the same pop up configuration, but at 1” lower and with 4” less width it would work just that much better. Four inches counts for a lot in this small space!

Visit with Deirdre and Chris

The weather turned perfect as they pulled into our site. The wind even died down! I’m sure they didn’t believe us when we mentioned how many afternoons we spent inside hiding out from the wind! I seem to recall that we were enjoying a margarita that afternoon

Starting the campfire – look at the colour of the water and the sky.

Yes, this is back at Captain George’s. Chris and Deirdre treated us to this greasy, but yummy feast. Missing from the photo are the two big bowls of coleslaw.

Oh my… how did we finish all that… burp. After this, back to the site for a glass of bubbly and … a butter tart. OMG I need to lay down.

Enjoying that glass of bubbles that I talked about in the last photo. I think there is a bottle of water on the table – what the heck is that doing there!

This was the sky. I had to take a picture just to convince myself that it wasn’t my slightly tipsy, fish & fry distorted eyes. It was taken from our campsite. Can I just move here permanently?

Pink clouds with the first sliver of moon. If I had a painting of this I would think that it was done by someone on LSD and not by Nature herself.

 

We had supper twice with my Uncle Ken who lives in Trenton. We had a lovely visit each time. We had wanted to have him over to the camp for a day, but with the weather being so unpredictable we just never got it set up.

 

Dogs Travelling

Spike liked to have his head out of the window as we drove through the park. We were going slowly so I wasn’t too worried about him getting something in his eyes.

Kabira enjoyed the trip as well. Some times on the way back to the camp after our walk she’d be fast asleep, but sometimes she enjoyed the view and the feeling of the breeze.

Many a trip continues long after movement in time and space have ceased.
John Steinbeck

Earning Their Wings

I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and after taking the dogs out for a few minutes I knew I couldn't return to bed. It was just that beautiful. Instead I grabbed a coffee and headed outside to the swing. It was so peaceful and still, there was a faint mist on the horizon (my favourite vista on our property), the birds were chirping and flitting around looking for their breakfasts, the breeze occasionally stirred the tallest trees, and thankfully there wasn't much traffic on the road.

As I sat there enjoying the moment, the chatter of birds over by the barn caught my attention. Then I saw some swooping swallows. I realized that there were some newly fledged chicks learning to fly. The parents flew around them encouraging each one. It was amazing to watch them increase their prowess. At first each try was awkward with many stops, but soon they were taking slightly larger swoops away from the barn. They practiced for a while and then all at once plopped down on the barn to rest. A minute or two later they were up and away, this time with much more skill. The parents took them farther afield this time, such that I lost sight of them for a bit. Soon they were back for another short rest before trying again. It was obvious it wouldn't be long before they would be flying with the same skill as their parents.

In fact several minutes later I could see the four of them swooping (with joy?) high in the sky. I wondered if they feel exhilarated with their new found skill? Nature is amazing. How could birds, that were just learning to fly, suddenly have the athletic prowess and muscle development to take on such a feat?

As I sat there on the swing looking at the barn and the overgrown sand ring I thought of the horses. On a morning such as this I would have stuck my feet into muck boots and walked down to join the horses in their pasture. I would have stood close to them stroking their silky hides, and breathing in their sweet horsey smell. Is there any better smell in the world? I think not. I would have been enveloped by their peace. Horses are like that you know, they have a spirit that extends beyond their being.

In all the years that I had them, they helped me through the rough patches of depression. There was something about being with them that lifted my spirits to a better place, if only temporarily. When I was home on extended sick leave the daily routine of caring for them brought structure and purpose to my days. If I hadn't gone back to work, with the pressures of having a full time job on top of everything else, I'm quite certain that we would still have a few (but maybe not 11!).

However, life being what it is, I sat there and enjoyed the memories, although in all honesty I did feel a pricking of tears in my eyes.

Last night we had Trudie & Leo over for a quick supper to thank them for all the produce. The pesto pasta was fabulous. I could have sat there stuffing forkfuls of the pasta into my mouth. Carm said later that he wanted to stick his face in the bowl - it was so good. And the salad with peaches, tomatoes, cucumber, basil and a bit of baby romaine was fresh and light. The grilled zucchini was a wonderful side, and they also brought a beautiful head of broccoli. Summer produce! And with the exception of the bit of peccorino romano cheese it was vegan too.

The big job on the agenda today was clipping and bathing the poodles. I had to get them all shortened up for our next camping trip! After that was done I wandered down the laneway to open the gate for the delivery we were expecting (see post about fantastic fan). A faint smell of apples ripening perfumed the air. So sweet. I lingered...

We often have a pita something or other for lunch - today I made a spread with a can of mashed black beans, a dollop of pesto mixed in (yum), sliced green onion, cubed avocado, and cubed tomato, gently stirred together. Spread onto a 1/2 pita with a handful of spinach packed in and it was a quick, easy and yummy lunch. Not exactly our usual fat-free lunch but boy was it tasty!

For the mind disturbed, the still beauty of dawn is nature's finest balm.
Edwin Way Teale

Let the Love Flow to the Top

This morning I was powering along on the treadmill this morning, looking out the window and daydreaming, lost in my own internal world. A flicker of motion in the tree outside the window caught my attention. I looked closely and saw, in the crook of two branches, a robin building her nest. She paused, looking around carefully, before she darted off for the next bit of mud and grass. Back and forth she went, the nest getting bigger with each trip. Every now and again a resplendent looking male robin perched on a lower branch. His chest was so deep orange, the top of his head so dark, his beak so bright, he was just so full of life. He seemed to be patrolling the area, making sure it was safe from intruders.

Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree,
Up went pussy cat, and down went he!
Down came pussy, and away Robin ran;
Says little Robin Redbreast, "Catch me if you can!"

Little Robin Redbreast flew upon a wall,
Pussy cat jumped after him, and almost got a fall!
Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did pussy say?
Pussy cat said, "Mew," and Robin flew away.

Watching all this take place drew my attention outside. I started noticing the greenness of the grass, the strength of the tree branches with its green leaves bursting forth, the birds (oh so many birds) - I was struck with the life force of Nature. I let my imagination go and could feel the energy flow through my limbs, like I was connected with Nature in a visceral way. I was energized and upped the speed a notch. One of the songs that I have gotten a mantra from was playing... "let the love flow to the top" - suddenly it got more meaning - Nature is the love and her love rises up through me - the mantra has even more meaning for me now, and I've paired the words with the incredible feeling of peace and energy that I experienced today.

There is so much life in the land this time of year, it's hard not to get caught up in its energy - let the love flow to the top.

I am Blessed

This morning as soon as I walked out the door for our little walk I was blessed with the fragrant spring scent of apple blossoms. Walking down the tree lined lane way I couldn't help but realize how lucky I am. The grass was a brilliant green, the trees were covered with white and pink blossoms, the birds were singing in the trees. Don't people write poetry about times like these? I wanted to emblazon the feeling onto my soul so that I can conjure it up during darker times.

We walked both  loops this morning - the hay field, with its green grass and Norway Spruce border, it has a good view of the river as well. Then (after walking past the apple trees again) we walked the lower pond paddock. It has trees and shrubs growing in it. The chocolate trees with their rich dark bark were awash in delicate white flowers, the hawthorns were likewise adorned. Some other trees, that I don't know the names of also had some buds. Everywhere I walked I breathed in the scent of sweet flowers and growing green things. There must have been hundreds of birds, all singing their songs. The contrast from the stark days of winter makes my head reel. Oh my gosh I could go on and on.

Later in the morning we drove to the local health food store. I hadn't been there for years so wanted to see what they had. I saw lots of interesting things but only picked up a package of Kamut, a grain that is called for in some of the recipes in the new book I have. To get there we had to drive down a country lane that we don't travel very frequently. Everything looks so green and lush.

Our "big" job of the day was to put down a rubber mat underneath the washer and dryer. After emptying all the stuff out of the room, except the heavy washer (why do we have so many shoes?) we got the mat down. Carm grunted and groaned to get the washer back in place. It's a good thing he still has his young muscles :-)  We had to do a test right away to see how much the mat will help with the shake, rattle &  roll of the washer. It worked! I was surprised just how much it was quieted down.

Then we were back outside for some planting and just enjoying our property. Of course I had to wax poetic the whole time we were outside. Mother Nature breathes life back into the earth, and I think some of it was also blown back into me.

Flowers grow out of dark moments.
Corita Kent

Squeak

Excuse me for being repetitive here, but yesterday and today were more summer like days in March. Yesterday, high 27C, today high 24C. Yesterday we took a drive for ice cream and cheese curds. It felt strange to be leaving the house without a coat, let alone in shorts, t-shirt and sandals. We have 1 more day of this in the forecast then it is back to normal highs of 4C.  But we've had a taste of summer and that's a good thing.

But back to the ice cream and curds. You know that feeling you get when everything is right with the world? I had that yesterday afternoon while eating our treats, outside, in the shade. Life seemed especially good at that moment. I always get that same feeling when we have finished setting up our camp and are sitting down with a snack and cold beer. It is in those moments when I remember why we go camping, with all the hassle of getting ready. It is so worth it for those few moments of almost euphoria. Maybe they are more precious to me now that I'm all medicated up. I used to get them all the time, especially in the summer, but now they are few and far between. That's one of the trade offs I guess.

Today hasn't been such a great day. I had a horrible headache last night that kept me awake, so today I've been groggy and exhausted. After moping around the house doing not much of anything I finally just headed back to bed - it's what I should have done right off as that extra 2 hours have left me in a better place. Sometimes I just have to give in to my body...

Pleasures:

1. the feeling of heat on your skin when stepping out of a cold grocery store into the heat
2. squeaky cheese curds, salty and chewy
3. tulips already starting to poke their noses out of the soil
4. tiny green buds on the trees
5. perfectly ripe, juicy, fragrant pear

Patio Lanterns

It was another record breaking day today - 24C. I was watching the birds flying around establishing their territories, finding mates and other spring time behaviours – I wonder if they know this weather is an aberration?

To celebrate the first day of spring and the unseasonably warm weather we headed into town and met friends Bruce & Tina for lunch in the market. On a PATIO. Outside! We started off at a table in the shade - it was comfortable but we wanted to be in the sun so we asked to move. Once we were in the sunny location it wasn't long before we were wishing we had stayed in the shade. Who would have thunk it? Too hot in March? As soon as we were finished our meal we snuck back over to the shade to order our dessert. Tina and I had our hearts set on sharing a chocolate peanut butter cup pie (it sounded soooo good), unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) they were all out - drat.

On our way home we stopped at a little Asian grocery store for a few things. I never tire of poking around the shelves looking at all the strange ingredients. They had big meaty pork neck  bones for $0.88lb so we picked up some of those for the dogs. We also got them some dried anchovies (no salt) that they love as treats - and probably healthier for them than hotdogs!

As we were at the cash a bunch of African looking men came up behind us -  they had tripe, some other gross white stuff, heart, and some ugly chunk of meat and bone, as well as a bottle of hot sauce and soy sauce. I'm guessing that it was their turn to make supper but I gotta tell you - yuck. Years ago, BC (before Carm) I dated a Trinidadian man. At the first hint of hot weather he would go to the grocery store and bring home all kinds of meat to bbq. Thankfully nothing gross, just chicken parts, steak, and pork. We'd have these big feasts of meat - I guess there might have been vegetables, but I don't remember any. More likely oranges, mangos and other such fruit. He had this hot sauce that was out of this world HOT! I couldn't eat it, it was just that hot, but he would have it with the oranges. We had a lot of fun - oh to be 21 again!

Whoosh - back to today from that long trek down memory lane - how did I even get there? Oh yeah, the men in the grocery store... Well, anyway, as soon as we got home and into our home clothes we headed out for a walk with the dogs. They were so happy to get outside and run around. I think they felt good with their hair cuts and baths. Even Kabira was panting and happy looking. She's not happy unless she's about to ignite from the heat.

 

Pleasures:
1. waking up to another sunny day
2. strawberry smoothies with just a touch of ice cream
3. eating lunch with friends on a patio
4. getting home to the country after being in the busy, stinky city
5. hearing Grace whistle through the open windows

Dear Lord, I'm so grateful I'm still loved.
Vivien Leigh

Ticks Already

Last night just before I went to bed I found a little tick on the bathroom floor. Kabira had just run in from outside so I guess it fell off her. We caught it on a piece of damp tissue and trapped it in a ziplock bag. It is still running around inside looking for a way out. I wanted to keep it for a bit so that I could get a good ident on the web today. I gave the dogs a quick check over, but the tick was so small I would be lucky (or is that unlucky) to find one on them. Fast forward to today - after our walk this morning I found something small crawling around on Spike but squished it too much to identify it.

doesn’t it give you the heebie-jeebies just to look at these photos!

Needless to say I spent a good part of my night awake with my skin crawling. And when I did fall asleep I was quickly awakened by nightmares of ticks on me. At one point my shouting to turn on the lights woke me up! So now here we are... do I get the drops for the dogs, which will kill the tick once they bite. But since they can walk around their host for up to 4 hours before biting (and in that time may fall off onto me) what good is that? One website mentioned tick collars. Do they work? Are they dangerous for the dogs? Or perhaps the risk of Lyme disease offsets any risk? Or maybe my peace of mind (and not having my sleep patterns disrupted) make it well worth the risk? Or do we do both?

Did everyone celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a pint of Guinness? We didn't... but the bubbles we had came out of a green bottle - does that count?

Pleasures:
1. being "here" back from the grey abyss - there are pleasures to be had again
2. bouquet of yellow tulips brought over by a friend. They are like yellow sunshine in my house
3. bare tree branches against a moonlit sky
4. being outside early in the morning and listening to the cacophony of sound - all the bird song was almost deafening
5. sharing a bottle of bubbles with Carm, along with a little piece of steak and some perfectly grilled zucchini
6. windows open – it’s 24C (75F) in March!!!!
7. sitting outside in the sun with Grace. She was smiling in that special way that parrots have

“My dog is usually pleased with what I do, because she is not infected with the concept of what I “should” be doing.” — Lonzo Idolswine

Stop Already

That crazy "Freak Out" song that I posted about yesterday is on an endless loop in my brain. Talk about an ear worm. And I really have to stop reading Time magazine before bed. Last night I read a terrible article about Kim Jong Il and some of the heinous things he did. One particular event stuck in my head - the images are still refusing to leave. I won't repeat what it was here for a few reasons) - 1) writing it down will stick it even more in my mind; and 2) I don't want to pollute your mind either.  Often when I hear or see terrible things my mind fixates on them, I imagine what it would have been like, what if it had been me, how terrifying it would have been, would they have died quickly... well, you get the picture. This is why I avoid violent movies too. Too much brain fodder. It likes to ruminate...

Disney is more my speed so today I was singing Lavender Blue, Dilly Dilly trying to erase the images in my head. It was a strange juxtaposition.

version 1:

 

version 2:

 

I've been surfing around the net looking for interesting blogs about bipolar. Much of what I've found doesn’t interest me, but there are a few that catch me. Yesterday I found one that seemed really interesting - I liked the writing style and enjoyed reading posts from the past - and then I realised that there have been no posts since last September. What happened to the guy? Did he get bored and just stop or did something happen to him. It is sort of upsetting, I just got to know him and then he disappeared. People with blogs should be forced to let people know if they are just going to stop blogging. Two years ago when I was first starting to read the blog world I started reading one by a couple that were full-timers. They seemed interesting and so I read some of the archived posts. Then the next day there was a post from their daughter to say that both Bill & Margie had been killed while out on a walk. It was upsetting. I didn't know them but yet from reading their blog I sort of did. At least we knew what had happened, they hadn't just disappeared.

Pleasures? really orange oranges ; hot buttery popcorn ; bubbles with leftovers ; having the house to myself for a few hours ; Carm coming home again late in the afternoon, in time for a walk outside to enjoy the spring like day.

Freak Out

I’ve had this “Freak Out” song going through my head all day – talk about a brain worm! You’ll see how it got there later in the post…

The other day Trudie & Leo called to see if we wanted to go to the Bierstube restaurant (Rudy's) for supper on Friday night. It is a good 45 minute drive and after the last time with all the ice on the road we were hesitant about going. But the forecast was good so we agreed. The four of us drove down in Leo's car, it was still light and was a nice drive. We saw tons of deer. The food was good as always (schnitzel) and of course the company was congenial. Then it was time to go. OH NO! As soon as we could see outside we saw that there was a BLIZZARD. Those of you who know me know that I am somewhat, well, how can I say this...Freaked Out by driving in the snow. And there was snow. It was coming down sideways and thick. The roads were completely obliterated and impossible to see. I was in the backseat, and if I chewed my nails I would have been doing so. Thankfully, Leo is not a racing car driver -  I don't think he got over 60km - it was a long, long drive home (almost 1 1/2 hours). It was a "Phew, we made it" kind of night. No more trips to Rudy's till snow season is over!

Today we are all snow covered again, but I don't think it will last past a day. We'll get some melting today - it is just around 0C and very sunny - but the rest will take its absence in the following days. In fact, when I checked the forecast I was surprised to see a forecast we would be happy with if we were fall camping. Temps will be in the low to mid teens all week.
It was nice enough to tempt me into taking my tea out to the front deck this afternoon. With the sun shining so strongly it was almost pleasant, but there was a bit of breeze that made sitting out in a tshirt just a tad cold. But I sat there for a few minutes and enjoyed the symphony of melting water.I love our property but I've got to say there is a certain amount of anxiety that comes with having a river and a creek on the land. Especially one that surges with powerful currents when the season is right. I don't know what I would have done if we had children - the creek would be such a temptation, especially this time of year, but it is a temptation with lots of danger attached. I live in fear that one of the dogs will be swept away and freak out at them if they venture near the shore. In fact this afternoon I had Spike on a leash to make sure he stayed away - and I still managed to worry and awfulize about it.

Pleasures: 1. getting home after a long, snowy drive - we made it ; 2. tender crisp schnitzel ; 3. sun shining so brightly off the snow that I got tears in my eyes ; 4. listening to the snow melt - the tinkling sounds of water down the drain spouts and off the roof created a symphony of sounds; 5. getting a good nights sleep

---

Aaahh Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic
Freak out!
Aaahh Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic
Freak out!
Aaahh Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic
Freak out!
Aaahh Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic
Freak out!

Have you heard about the new dance craze?
Listen to us, I'm sure you'll be amazed
Big fun to be had by everyone
It's up to you, It surely can be done
Young and old are doing it, I'm told
Just one try, and you too will be sold
It's called Le Freak! They're doing it night and day
Allow us, we'll show you the way

…