![]() A Northern Retreat Wednesday Aug 28th We left Windsor (Ontario, Canada) for Brampton, stopping first for some of the last of the season "Lafferty’s" corn. The trip though uneventful, seems to get longer as I grow older - perhaps due to significantly increasing truck traffic which often exceeds the number of cars. (Truck driving is the most common profession for men in Canada followed by retail. Retail is the most common for women.) There is also continuing road construction around Chatham which pushes you into a narrow corridor - more attention needed, thus the strain. On our right we could see miles of newly poured concrete about a foot thick - impressive. Arrived at my sister Holly’s and her husband Kim’s for an overnight. We enjoyed a bottle of wine (with dinner) the Upper French River Cottage Association had given me as thanks for doing the newsletters for the past 5 years. Holly decided to give Mum and Dad the master bedroom thinking the ensuite bathroom would be more convenient. During the night, Dad used the toilet but it kept running so he removed the tank top accidentally knocking the inflow tube off and spraying water all over the room. After some quick repair they were back to bed, when the cat escaped from the laundry and decided to join them - thinking they were Holly and Kim. All parties were surprised and Dad tried to chase the cat from the room, but it hid under the bed and cried for some time. Early in the morning I heard screaming thinking it was Erica (Holly’s 24 year-old daughter) having a nightmare. Turned out it was Dad - he thought someone was trying to chop him up. Thursday Aug 29th Up and out by 10, making Parry Sound by noon where we stopped for lunch and did some last minute shopping. We made our way north, to the “Hungry Bear” for some fudge and then on to the Dokis Indian Reserve where we keep the boat. I loaded the food and old folk and we headed up river to Crowes Rest - the island my maternal grandfather - Loren Crowe, had purchased in the early 1950’s. My x-wife Anthea, was waiting as she had been "in camp" for a few days with our son John and his partner Laurel. The boat was unloaded and all supplies hauled up the rocks and put away - some in the new fridge! We had an early evening. ![]() Friday Aug 30 I spent the morning diagnosing and ultimately fixing the solar charger. After checking and cleaning all connections, it turned out to be the battery - it would not hold a charge. Fortunately, John had left his boat and his trolling motor battery was perfect for solar storage (deep cycle). The solar charger is important as we have no electricity - everything (fridges, freezer, hot water tank, stove and lights) works off propane. The solar charger keeps cell phones, computers, fans and leaf blowers operating. Around 3:00 my sister Mary and her husband Pat called for a pickup at the reserve. The wind had come up so I took the “back channels” - a little longer but a softer ride. We loaded the boat and filled up our 5 gallon fresh water bottles and headed back for a delicious steak, corn-on-the-cob and veggie dinner. Saturday Aug 31 Anthea is always first up and makes coffee around 7:00. She brings one to my room and I get our second cups. After breakfast we prepare the two fishing boats, with Pat and me in one and Mary and AJ in the other - game on! Fishing is slow but the weather is glorious - clear and hot. After an hour the score is 2 to 1 for the guys and we head in. Later that afternoon, neighbour David Kennedy stops in for a chat. Seems some 60 years ago, his Uncle John accidentally build a cottage on crown land. David wanted an affidavit from Mum who had memories of the cottage those many years ago. Sunday Sept 1 A lazy morning before resuming the derby. Fishing continues slow and the girls tie us at 2 each. We spent the afternoon visiting and puzzling (jigsaw). David had invited us to his 70th birthday cocktail party but we were not up for it. Hurricane Dorian became a category 5 with wind speeds of 320 kms as it reached the Bahamas. I swam for the fourth day in a row. We made a meager attempt to catch some pickerel but no luck. ![]() Monday Sept 2 The good weather left as we continued the derby, but nothing was caught. Mary and Pat departed around 3.00. I drove them downriver, gassed up the boat, got some mixed gas for our small boat, more drinking water and propane for the bbq. We finished the “wool” puzzle. I was reading “Across the River of Death” - about the Amazon basin (as the fires burned) and a brief history of the region. Tuesday Sept 3 We woke to overcast skies and rain was expected. The bad news continued with temperatures expected to be below normal for the next week. It rained most of the day with significant lightning strikes close by. Wednesday Sept 4 A sunny day greeted us with lots to do. I bailed 3 boats, fixed the water pump cover, pumped water to the holding tank, cleared the path to the pump (had become a little overgrown) washed a set of sheets and hung them to dry, changed propane tanks, charged batteries, worked on the puzzle, finished my book and AJ made lamb shanks for dinner. Mum and Dad sat outside for a few hours. The new fridge is great with four in camp and there is no need to run the back fridge and freezer - this will save on propane. I would still like to see the hot water tank on a separate line. Thursday Sept 5 A cool morning but sunny. I worked in the water up to my waist till 1:00 repairing and shoring up the small dock. I didn't quite finish, but what I did will last for years. Cleaned the cottage, started a new book, puzzled, and got Dad into the sun on the deck. Enjoyed CBC 2 - they played the “Warsaw Concerto”. ![]() Friday Sept 6 A cold day and we managed to get Dad to wear a ski jacket. AJ had a business conference call and I cleaned and burned the brush on pump island. We had a fire in the fireplace all day. I cleaned the water filter under the cottage trying to improve water pressure in the shower, but no luck. Rachel Leigh Klass (daughter to nephew Jack and Jessie) born this day. Jack Klass is my sister Cathy’s only son and Rachel is Cathy’s 12th grandchild! Saturday Sept 7 The woodpile was replenished in the morning with much thanks to our neighbour Wendy, then AJ and I were off to town - Noelville. Many stops for various items plus more fresh drinking water from the well on the Dokis reserve. We were back at the cottage by 1:00. Sunny skies which faded to clouds which brought more rain thunder and lightning. Bianca Andreescu wins the U.S. Open, becoming the 1st Canadian to claim a Grand Slam title. Sunday Sept 8 A sunny day, cold in the morning but reached 20C by afternoon. I spent a few hours building a musky rod rack for the boathouse. I added a bumper to the channel marker as I thought it was dangerous and a new floater to the water intake hose to keep it off the bottom of the channel. (sucks in too much junk when that happens) Monday Sept 9 Another beautiful day. Began to clean the boathouse making good progress. We fished for a little over an hour but only 1 bass (a good one though). I went for more wood and took some old wood to gull rock. It’s been a a nice two weeks but the cold mornings are tiring. ![]() Tuesday Sept 10 Another cold morning and a fire in the fireplace. It drizzled most of the day. We began our cleanup and I spent another few hours organizing boathouse. Wednesday Sept 11 We continued to clean and get the cottage in shape as John and 6 friends were arriving on the weekend. We did another fish and they hit - four large pike at four different stops (AJ got them all, I had one small pike) Thursday Sept 12 We said so long to the cottage for another season and made our way down river, loaded up the car, said our goodbyes to Val and her crew (Note: Tommy got married on Friday Sept 13 - hope it works out) and made our way to Brampton. James, my older son, came up to Holly’s to pick up his Mum - always great to see him. (more photos here) Friday Sept 13! We left the next day for Stratford and checked into the Traveller Motel. For some reason I always end up with a better room. We had a nap and then over to Romeo’s - our usual stop - for dinner. The owner remembered me and we had a heartwarming chat, it was our fourth time there. Then off to the Festival Theatre to see Billy Elliot. We thought it was just ok. I get Mum and Dad front row seats (they call it the Globe Circle) and with that you get an autographed program. Mum got Bythe Wilson’s - who played the ballet teacher - what luck! ![]() Saturday Sept 14 The next day we woke and after checking out, headed over to the Stratford Art Gallery. I had a quick look at the show and said that Mum and Dad should go in and see it - abstracts. The man on duty, who happened to be the gallery CEO’s husband, opened the back door so I could drive right up - it was too long a walk for Mum and Dad from the parking lot. Then back to the Festival Theatre where we park right at the door - if you have a handicapped sticker for your car and $10, and if you book far in advance, you can make use of this option. We saw “The Merry Wives of Windsor”, which again was ok. Then the drive back to Windsor were we arrived just after 8pm. I continued my theatre trifecta by attending ACT’s "Footloose" at the Capitol Theatre on Sunday afternoon. A week goes by........and I am back building the set for Matilda Sunday, Sept 22nd, we attended the 90th Anniversary of Riverside United Church, followed by a celebratory dinner that evening. Dad was honoured at both events as one of the 5 living persons who attended the opening of the Church those 90 years ago. He didn’t remember too much of the first time he attended as he was only 5, but he did remember driving with his Dad past the church when it burned down the very first year. Obviously it was rebuilt. Monday, Sept 23rd, we attended a funeral for John “Jack” Boots, who was the father of our next door neighbor Phil. Moses There is no evidence that the historical Moses existed. Accept if you will, that as fact, then Passover never happened, the Red Sea was never parted, the Israeli people were never enslaved by the Egyptians and Moses and his followers did not spend 40 years in the desert. The Jewish faith might be based on a campaign to consolidate market share. The Christian movement was a disagreement of leadership and minority shareholders left to form a new corporation. Religion is a business - financial concerns always outweigh doctrine. ![]() Read Two Against Cape Horn Hal Roth, 1985 ftw: “While the setting is a bit dated, 1970's, this true story is very engaging and a fast read. For anyone who has contemplated offshore cruising, this is a must. It covers a cruising couple's - Hal and Margaret Roth - adventure sailing the west coast of Chile, their shipwreck, repair and eventual successful rounding the horn” - it's accompanied by several dozen photographs. Margaret died early this year - her obituary is linked Across the River of Death, True Adventure in the Green Hell of the Amazon Jorgen Bisch, 1958 An account of the author’s two expeditions into the Amazon basin. “Another time, another world” So many interesting tidbits, I was especially surprised that a scientific work would mention the giant skeletons (12-16 foot humans) found in the area. Many were shipped to the Smithsonian only to disappear. They are now considered tin hat, however they fit quite well with Zecharia Sitchin’s interpretation of Mesopotamian cuneiform writings - giants! (the Bible called them Nephilim approx 9 feet tall). 3/5 ![]() Attended Billy Elliot, Stratford Festival Theatre Young boy in a dying British coal mining community discovers ballet. His teacher sees great potential and fights to get him into trials for the national ballet school. His spinster father and brother are against it, but Billy wins out. I thought this was just ok. The accents were a bit thick. The lighting was very good and so was Blythe Wilson - as the dance teacher. (is there anything she is not good in?) ![]() The Merry Wives of Windsor, Stratford Festival Theatre From wikipedia “A comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a reference to the town of Windsor, also the location of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. Though nominally set in the reign of Henry IV, the play makes no pretence to exist outside contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life. It features the character Sir John Falstaff, the fat knight who had previously been featured in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. It has been adapted for the opera on several occasions. The play is one of Shakespeare's lesser-regarded works among literary critics. Geraint Wyn Davies as Falstaff was super. Othello University of Windsor Players The full script was used, the first act was 2 hours, the second 1.5 hours - a tour de force. Having not seen Othello before, I soon realize the set has to be multifunctional - or you would be changing it constantly. They did an ok job (with the set) - mostly lighting poles and white curtains. The costumes for most parts were acceptable but two or three (the men worn business suits with capes over top) - were terrible, and this took much from the look. UP rarely does Shakespeare - I'm glad I saw it, but only once in awhile is just fine. ![]() Footloose ACT, Capitol Theatre, Windsor Produced by ACT - which is (primarily) Chris Rabideau, Moya McAlister, Leslie McCurdy and Robin Swainson. ACT is a valuable asset to the community, offering young actors a chance to gain experience on a (reasonably) professional stage. This was not as good as previous shows, but it might just be the show itself. A good crowd and seats apparently sold well. ![]() Watched Homeland, Season 7, 2018 This 12 part series is the second to last season. It starts slow (just like season 6) but by episode 3 things get interesting. Fun to see the appearance of Costa Ronin, who was excellent as the Russian agent in “The Americans”. Again he plays a Russian agent. He is probably typecast now and it would be cool to see him as a Bond villain. Spoiler alert - the very last scene sees Carrie (Clare Danes) being released by the Russians after 7 months incarceration without her medication - she appears to be “crazy”. I think she will meet Costa (Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Gromov) again. There was clearly a lot being said about Trump and the role of the President and the cabinet - a demonstration of how a White House should act.. Trailer
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AuthorI believe we are what we think. What we think depends on what we feed our brains. This is a partial record of what my brain has been eating. Archives
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