Thousand Islands National Park

To culminate the trip, we checked in for two days of camping along the shores of the St. Lawrence River, at Ivy Lea Campground just east of Gananoque along the stunning Thousand Islands Parkway.

Given our Sunday/Monday visit prior to the end of the school year, we had our choice of scenic waterfront sites. In a few weeks.....this place will be a madhouse. Lots of great sites though, just nicer without neighbours.

We did leave the campsite long enough to drive the Parkway up to Brockville for breakfast, before taking a more leisurely drive back along the riverside. Recent flooding meant that many docks and cottages had water where they should not.

We also stopped at the Thousand Islands National Park visitor centre, though most of the Park is actually out on several islands in the river. Next time we plan to camp out there, just not enough time this trip. Call it a scouting mission.....a very successful scouting mission.

We travelled back as far as Gananoque for a great lunch at The Socialist Pig, right beside the Gananoque Brewing Company. A short grocery (and ice) run later, we were back at the campground for some serious R&R. I read two and a half books over two days - the autobiography of Alan Doyle from Great Big Sea, Gordon Downie's poetry in Coke Machine Glow, and part of a Robert Ludlum spy thriller. Cold beer, river breezes and the babbling brook rounded out perfection.

Definitely a place we will have to return for a longer visit!

Down by the River

Campsite 117

Our little offshoot of the St. Lawrence - a short brook into a cove

Now to put the Cole in Coleman....

Thousand Islands Bridge to NY State - view from the campground!

Greetings to the Natural World at the National Park

Red Chairs with a view!

Free admission to National Parks for Canada 150

Great brewery in quaint downtown Gananoque

A bountiful bevy of brews for riverside sipping

Beerfest and Dance!

The tour of Kingston area continued with a craft Beerfest at historic Fort Henry in the harbour. Tumbling down the lawn and into Lake Ontario were tents with about twenty craft brewers, a number of stellar food trucks, and some quality live music courtesy of local band Ambush.

A little more shade might have been good, but otherwise an absolutely gorgeous day to be out and surrounded by stunning scenery. I tried a number of new breweries, as well as a few new selections from some more established operations. Plus...Fort Henry!

We got in early, met up with some friends, and got out just before it started getting rather busy and the lines rather long. I did enjoy a rather tasty curry sausage pita from a local eatery.

We also visited downtown Kingston, including a trip to the Grand Theatre where two of my nieces were dancing in their annual gala. The Canada 150 themed event featured great Canadian music and dance numbers with children from 4 to 18, including a wicked tap solo by my eldest niece to "Voodoo Thing" by Colin James. Great show!

Cannons to the left of me....

Downtown Kingston across the harbour

Food and beer....and port-a-potties

We Love Kingston too!

One of the tents of local Craft Brewers

Before the crowds descended

The sign says it all

Ambush takes the stage

We also visited Stone City Ales downtown

Canada 150 theme - all dance numbers featured music by Canadian artists

A Grand Opening

Waving Flag takes us into Intermission

Kingston Pen

We took a five-day weekend getaway to eastern Ontario, starting with a tour of the legendary Kingston Penitentiary, a Maximum Security federal prison closed since 2013 but formerly home to Canada's most dangerous criminals. My sister actually worked there briefly, nursing in the prison hospital.

Tours were led by Queen's University students who had studied the history of the institution, but at points throughout the tour we were met by retired guards, telling great stories without revealing any specific details which would violate the Privacy Act. But you got the idea.

Cool place. Too bad they don't do night tours.

Main Entrance

Conjugal visits!

The North Gate

The Hub

The newer (larger) cells - no shared cells in Maximum Security

Cell Block G - tales from a retired guard

Same cell block, after the 1971 riot

Segregation Cells

Built in 1833

Workshop

The Yard

Art in the Park

Jane's first foray into Art in the Park in Windsor was a huge success. Her biggest show of the summer happened to also be the first show of the summer, which was likely for the best. Months of preparation and hard work went into creating enough inventory to - hopefully - not run out in the middle of the frenzy.

The show also unfortunately fell right on the heels of a 70-hour week involving a court case and stressful days on the witness stand.

There were some dicey moments, with many trips to the van to replenish the booth. Several styles of work did sell out completely, and mercifully we sold a ton (possibly quite literally) and had far less to drag back home than we brought.

The grounds at Willistead Park were fabulous, and the weather was amazing. The recent van purchase made the whole thing possible, at least without making many many trips in the Juke. The new tent upgrade was also worth the investment.

Craft brews from Walkerville and the fattoush salad from Eastern Flavour were particular standouts, along with some of the live music. We also had some nice neighbours, including an experienced couple from Stoney Point who shared many useful tips with us newbies. Several folks also stopped by the booth to say hello.

It was so busy, Jane only had time to visit ONE booth - right beside ours - and she still managed to buy a new purse!

Including Friday night setup, the show lasted three long and hot days - but in the end, we were dog tired and extremely happy with the results!

Booth 219 - The Open Door!

All set up and ready for the crowds

Stately Willistead Manor

Lined up to get in!

Bring on the shoppers!

Behind the scenes - pay no attention to The Man Behind The Curtain!

Sold pieces awaiting pickup so patrons don't have to carry them around!

Yummy Walkerville Irish Red