Festive Travails, er, Travels

Some random pics of our recent holiday travels, including some good old fashioned winter-type stuff in parts North. Brought back many a memory of childhood in the snowy hills. Very hectic schedule but great to see friends and family for the holidays!

This year, Santa also brought UFC 168 for Coxmas, streamed direct from the Norht Pole to John and Julie's 106" big screen. Maybe Anderson Silva will get a new leg next year if he's good, and Miesha Tate will likely once again ask for a Defence Against Dark Armbars textbook.

Arrived home after ten days away to mild temperatures, green-ish grass, and most importantly, eleven furry people accounted for.

UP NORTH

COXMAS

DOWN SOUTH

Winter Comes to Wheatley

Got home yesterday from Guelph, where I had spent several days in the grip of Winter. Luckily the drive home was merciful, and arrived to relatively spring-like conditions of no snow and temperatures just below zero. Today however, winter arrived here in earnest, as it did in most of Ontario.

Not a ton of accumulation, but certainly lots of drifting given the usual Winds of Wheatley. Had to shovel out Pennywise in his outdoor cage, and actually heaped the snow around him to insulate and also to cut the wind and drifting....a little trick I learned in my many years Up North. Also hooked him up with a new heated water bowl (thanks Cindy!), which will hopefully keep his water in liquid form throughout the winter.

Also parked the Juke out at the road so that we can leave tomorrow without shovelling out a LONG driveway.

Heaping snow for insulation

Mmmmmm, heated water bowl!

Pennywise the Content

One happy boy

Out with the old....

...and in with the NEW!

Hot water heater started leaking recently. More concerning than usual when it's in your UPSTAIRS bedroom closet.

Thought of going with tankless in-line replacement, then realized the considerable cost and poor timing of having to shut off and upgrade hydro in mid-December to install. Maybe later. For now, just replaced with smaller and newer version.

Thousand Islands, sans Dressing

Took the "scenic route" recently on a drive back from Ottawa, very slight detour off the 401 to instead follow the parallel Thousand Islands Parkway along the St. Lawrence River for about a half hour between Brockville and Gananoque. Of course, the middle of the river is also the border between Canada and the USA in this part of the world.

In hindsight......good choice. One of these days we must allay our haste in the mad scramble to the east coast, and stop and spend a day or two amidst these craggy nooks. Lots of nice quaint little towns like Rockport, Ivy Lea and of course Gananoque itself. Still remember going with my sister to see Great Big Sea play there over a decade ago in an outdoor venue, in a heavy fog right on the banks of the river. Apparently some really good boat tours as well among the islands.

Singer Castle on Dark Island, just across U.S. side

Canadian freighter bound down for the Great Lakes

Coolest cottage I have ever seen

Thousand Islands International Bridge to New York State

Down on the The Farm

Recently spent some of the few final fleeting days of fall at The Farm, enjoying my uncle's company and the usual nostalgia and general atmosphere of the Cole family homestead. Alliteration notwithstanding, it was a much-needed break from reality and a long overdue sojourn to ancestral lands.

Spectacular autumnal weather led to some long and cathartic hours back in the woods and roaming the property. It's a shame I don't get there more, but it's a long ways away. Even had a splendid "boil up" at the back corner of the property, basically started a fire in a bucket, made some tea, then grilled some homemade patties. Roughing it, to be sure, but darned tasty.

Never the same without my grandmother there, but still good for the soul.

The "hill field" halfway back the lane

The woods at the back of the farm

BBQ in a bucket - safety first!

Tea for Two

The long shadows of late afternoon

Perception

It's all about the perception and perspective, how you see the world, how the world sees you. Self as seen by Self. Self as seen by Others. And so on.

Here is how one young woman and future world leader, coincidentally my youngest niece, sees her Uncle Mike.   :)

A Day to Remember

Lest We Forget.

The Bird is the Word

Once again, it's the time of year to talk turkey....Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears....

OH My!

Ventured across the border last weekend with a buddy to see my beloved Chicago Bears visit their division rival Detroit Lions, at Ford Field in downtown Motown. Where do the Tigers come in, you may ask? Well, the Detroit Tigers play major league baseball across the street (literally) at Comerica Park.

We took the tunnel bus, a nice option to avoid driving in Detroit, parking, general mayhem, etc. Pretty slick setup actually, you catch the bus in Windsor, take the tunnel under the river, quick stop at US Customs, and they drop you a few blocks in, a short walk from the stadium. Reverse, rinse (it WAS raining), and repeat coming home. Works for all three major sports (Joe Louis Arena is also right on the river bank) and other significant events in downtown Detroit. Unlike Comerica, Ford Field is an indoor stadium, so the rain was not a factor in the game.

Good game, though the evil hometown Lions took the match 40-32, hardly numbers the vaunted Bears defence should even be associated with.  It wasn't even as close as that seems, most of the Bears points came late, when the game was out of reach and the Lions playing prevent. Cool experience though, first NFL game but hopefully not the last. Looking forward to attending the open air re-match in Chicago sometime at Soldier Field!

And the Bears take the field!

National anthem at Ford Field

Backfield in motion

Roary, the Lions' mascot makes the rounds in the 300-section

The Bears offence threatens

Fans spill out into the street postgame - Ford Field on left and Comerica Park on right

Riding the tunnel bus back to Canada!

Entering the tunnel on the US side

Crossing the border under the middle of the Detroit River

Juke Swap Hero

Clearly, Jane's got stars in her eyes.....witness!

Swapped the "old" 2011 Juke for a brand new one, right on the heels of our trip to Newfoundland. Nothing wrong with the old one, other than a relatively high km count for her age, but Nissan was clearing out the 2013's and made us an offer we couldn't refuse....

East Coast 2013 - Day 17

....and this is what we awoke to our first morning home, a beautiful way to end a memorable road trip.

East Coast 2013 - Day 16

September 14/13 - New York State and CANADA!

Our last day on the road was ironically the nicest for travel, and we enjoyed sunny skies and warm temperatures as we sped west across the I-90 to Buffalo. We crossed back into Canada without incident at the Buffalo/Fort Erie Peace Bridge, having already decided NOT to finish our vacation on the 401.

Instead we took Highway 3 and followed the Lake Erie shoreline all the way from Fort Erie to Wheatley. We noted how many motorcycles were passing us in the opposite direction, and then we remembered that the previous day had been Friday the 13th and Port Dover would have been crawling with bikers. The wisdom of our decision became apparent as we enjoyed a nice relaxing drive home, including stops at fruit stands as we drew closer to home.

Pulled in the driveway by late afternoon, all buildings still standing and all felines accounted for relatively quickly.

Buffalo

...where the Buffalo roam....

Has anyone seen the bridge?

Peace Bridge

Brief glimpse of the Niagara River

Oh CANADA!