Farewell to 2021

December came in a blur, in spite of the return of restrictions amidst the sudden rise of the Omicron variant. A third COVID booster shot became an urgent priority, and we got ours just before Christmas.

Christmas itself was a quiet affair yet again, with a few phone calls and video chats rather than travel and a multitude of visits. We did manage to get together for a brief Coxmas, after being extremely careful and with everyone taking rapid tests prior to leaving home. The first such gathering without Anne brought perhaps a new tradition, with takeout Chinese food for dinner rather than the usual turkey feast.   

We spent the lead up to New Year's enjoying mild weather and a quiet week at home whilst powering through seasons of Game of Thrones. We made a nice pot if mulled wine and also enjoyed a fine Spanish riserva as well from the Douro Valley, a place we hope to travel to when the pandemic ends.

A decidedly crappy 2021 was finally drawing to a close, bringing high hopes for a better 2022.

Went for a drive and surprised the Schitt out of Jane

Happy 21-12!

TimBiebs!

Just another Christmas in the South

Game of Thrones marathon for New Year's

Some delicious wine for New Year's Eve

Good to go!

Jane chats with Dave from afar

The Saga Continues....

Four months after an explosion rocked our village, destroyed buildings and displaced a lot of people....sadly not a lot has changed.  People are still displaced, businesses and roads are still closed, and the powers-that-be seem no closer to figuring out the source or a solution.

Some "lucky" people have been allowed back in their homes and businesses for a brief visit, escorted by security, insurance reps and trained crews to winterize things before that too becomes another problem. They have very recently demolished a few buildings right at the site of the blast, allowing them to further explore what happened and what is happening underneath.

Let us hope the New Year brings some answers and some relief for these folks.

Demolition begins

What's left of MJ's Pizza

An intersection forever changed

The basement under the former Pogue

Test wells under the former new hotel

Wheatley Winter Sale

With COVID persisting and another year of no art shows, we relied again on visitors to the studio store. Luckily, before Omicron reared its ugly head, our village organized a Winter Sale for a number of vendors in the general area, where people could travel to various artists in a local circuit on one particular day for a physically distanced shopping experience.

Overall the day went well, and the weather was mercifully pleasant for early December. We also let another vendor use our garage, in a win-win for vendors and customers, who could then patronize two vendors in one stop. A bit muddy perhaps, but otherwise a good day!

We also continued to travel to Tillsonburg as often as possible, to work on the empty house and help John get the place ready to sell. On one particular early morning departure, we were even favoured with a glorious sunrise over Lake Erie to escort us eastward.

Dave was gradually adjusting to life in assisted living, and celebrated his 84th birthday in his new surroundings. We hadn't been able to visit as often as we would have liked, as we were forced to choose between visits or working on the house.....but the holidays were approaching and we had high hopes for a festive get-together.

The Big Day is finally here

The Open....Doors?

Open Air Christmas Shopping

Seaside Jewels set up in the Man-Garage

December sunrise over Lake Erie

Happy 84th Birthday, Dave!