Bayside Brewing

A beautiful January Sunday seemed like a good excuse for a drive along the Lake Erie shore, to check out the new Bayside Brewing Company in the port of Erieau. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story....

Lake Erie on a sunny January morning

Cool enough to make ice on the pilings!

Fresh cut fries to die for

Long Pond Lager - Nickelbrook IPA - Bolshevik Bastard Imperial Stout

A Tale of Two Wood-Fired Pizzas (Pizzae?)

Long Pond Lager "to go" in all it's local glory - I suppose Perch Piss was taken?

Legends of the Fall

Jane came out to check out the outcome of the feeling of Ash Tree #1, and as usual, somehow managed to trip and fall. Poor Brad the Tree Guy was speechless, and not quite sure how to react. Luckily I was there to make sure he didn't actually ask her if she was alright.

More luckily, she only hurt her knee....when in reality she could have impaled her eye, neck, hands, etc. on the many twigs and branches sticking up. Proof positive that in spite of it's demise, the ash tree enjoys the last laugh.

It was later that we realized that Jane had somehow managed to fall down the stairs on the back deck the LAST time Brad the Tree Guy had been here....leaving him similarly speechless.

Here is the re-enactment of the classic wipeout:

A Nice Piece of Ash

So we knew when we moved here five and a half years ago that our two massive ash trees were already dying, afflicted with the fatal scourge that is the Emerald Ash Borer. This tiny green invasive pest (thanks, Michigan!) bores S-shaped galleries just under the bark, and gradually, nay, inexorably, disrupts and deprives even the mightiest ash of the ability to transport food and water vertically to sustain itself.

Science lesson aside, I'm sure there's also a Karate Kid lesson in there somewhere about sweeping the leg. Anyhoo....we knew that someday we would have to cut them down before they FELL down...most likely atop a barn, hydro line, Juke, or Gods forbid the Man-Garage.

Today was Tree Day. They weren't exactly falling down yet by any means, but the stars aligned and Brad the Tree Guy had some free time given the unseasonably warm weather (note the preponderance of green in mid-January) and offered us a ridiculous price for professional removal, before one of us rounded up friends and family to attempt some rather unprofessional removal involving beer, our home and property insurance policy, and a trip to the hospital.

It went a little something like this:

Start with one large dead ash tree

Sprinkle lovingly with safety ropes

Add one whole chainsaw

and a dash of gasoline

Simmer for about 40 feet

Baste periodically

Season liberally

and Serve with gravity!

Serves 6 and heats 4 homes, leaving new Stump Bar(TM) feature

Drive those January Blues away....

....with Green!

January thaw

Sunday January 13th - Green Day!

The one drawback - confused flocks of migrating birds!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year all and welcome to 2013!

Got to spend some quality time with friends and family over the festive season, far less rushed than the usual Christmas blur. Found a little more snow than at home, but all in all, we got pretty lucky with the holiday travel with mostly good roads and weather.

Even squeezed in a visit to the SS Keewatin, a former CP Rail passenger ship that cruised the Great Lakes  between Port McNicoll and Thunder Bay since 1907. Decomissioned in the 70's, the ship was recently brought to the former CP rail terminal in Port McNicoll as a floating museum and restaurant. A certain impressionable young ginger actually spent the summers of 1994 and 1995 working on an Environmental Youth Corps site assessment project of this 800-acre waterfront property. Nice to see them doing something with the place.

Also managed to FINALLY make one of Kevin's World Famous UFC Parties(TM), basking in the glow of friendship and takedowns all at the same time. Well, not at the SAME time. We were not disappointed.

Finally moved the bed downstairs for winter, such as it is. We had been sleeping in our lazy boys chairs for about a month before our holiday road trip. Of course, it's supposed to be double digits by this weekend....

SS Keewatin in Port McNicoll harbour

Winter Wonderland south of Barrie

Juke in foreign northern lands, under siege by powdery white substance

Let us in, it's cold!

Think the cats are enjoying having the bed downstairs?