Thanksgiving in Kincardine

Having made two runs to eastern Ontario in recent weeks, we eschewed Thanksgiving there for something new yet a little closer to home. After dropping Vincent at the kennel, we headed north in search of friends and fall colours. 

Fate took a hand early in the voyage. Having intended (but failing) to move the snacks bag closer after dropping the cat, I pulled over in Thamesville to rectify things....right in front of a delicious smelling bakery. Some $45 later, we left Bent Tin with another bag of snacks - this one full of bread and baked goods for the weekend to come.

Our first planned stop was Bayfield, where we deviated from the Bluewater Highway and ventured into the rustic "downtown" to enjoy the shops and restaurants. After a great lunch at 1851 Bayfield Landing, we continued to walk around the town. Jane bought some bamboo leggings and a driftwood whale.

Moving on, we stopped in Goderich to kill time and briefly walk the Circle in the Square, before getting a message that we could check in early to our accommodations. We drove further north and left the highway again just before Kincardine, taking the 10th Concession down to the lake and our home for the weekend - an old schoolhouse on the waterfront.

We were meeting Keith, Ashley and Kristen there, to make up for the planned visit to The Cabin that was derailed by feline diabetes. After checking in and setting up, we headed into town for some dinner and drinks at Hawgs Breath while awaiting the arrival of our companions. 

We met a nice couple of dudes at the bar (Pat and Wayne) who had plenty of great stories about the area - Pat in particular knew the area well as a local MacPherson and as someone who spent his career on the Great Lakes. He and Jane exchanged memories of Owen Sound and Georgian College.

On Saturday, the five of us explored Kincardine properly on foot, walking the downtown and harbour area, including Victoria Park and a vendor event. It was a gorgeous but windy day, and a dozen or so people were even surfing in the crashing waves just off the pier.

After lunch at the Erie Belle, we headed out to the beach to find the remains of the wreck of the Erie Belle, an old boiler on the shore. The boiler had exploded and killed several people while destroying the vessel.

We took a break back at the schoolhouse, before heading back out for a fiercely competitive 27 holes of Mini-Golf at nearby Family Funland. Grabbing dinner to go, we enjoyed our last evening at the schoolhouse. We even rang the bell!  :)

On Sunday morning, we parted ways, and we stopped in Goderich again on the way back south to walk to square and check out a weekend market, while also looking for the remnants of the British Exchange Hotel once owned by Jane's great-great-grandfather.

We detoured to Strathroy to take Dave out for a Thanksgiving dinner, opting for the Swiss Chalet equivalent among limited options - chicken not turkey but complete with stuffing, cranberries and pie.

Great weekend away with great company and mostly perfect fall weather - Happy Thanksgiving all!

Bayfield

Lunch at 1851 Bayfield Landing

Lake Huron awaits!

The Old Schoolhouse

The Original Lakeview School - SS No 7 Huron

Beautiful renovation

Great dinner at Hawgs Breath in Kincardine

Got lucky to get a spot at the bar on a Friday night!

Hike out to the boiler from the Erie Belle

Beautiful beach

The Pier in town

A windy day and windsurfers!

Mini-Golf at Family Funland!

Glorious sunset back at the Schoolhouse

Thanksgiving Dinner with Dave!

Seven Drunken Nights!

When we saw that Seven Drunken Nights was coming to the Chatham Capitol Theatre, we couldn't pass up the opportunity for a rousing night of Irish music. The "play" is more of a live telling of the story of legendary Irish folk band The Dubliners, and their lengthy career that began in the early 1960's.

After attempting to eat at The Satellite downtown, we left after waiting an inordinate amount of time for someone to come and serve us - even though we had been greeted on arrival. We went next door to the Elephant's Nest and were delighted to see the same menu - which we only recognized from looking online because we never did see one at The Satellite! Turns out the same owner runs both establishments with a shared kitchen - so we enjoyed great food, good music and much better service on the bar side!

The stage was set at the Capitol Theatre - literally - as the interior of an Irish pub. Most of the band members were fairly young in comparison with the real band - all of whom have now passed away. They did feature one elder statesman in his 70's who was the main storyteller. They even had a bartender that kept refilling their drinks....which were mainly Guinness!

While the tales were great, including details of the the band's successes and tragedies, it was really the music weaving all the stories together that made the evening. Guitars, banjos, fiddle and pennywhistle rounded out the rich harmony of vocals served up by the troupe.

We recognized more songs that we might have thought, traditional songs that a host of other bands have also covered over the years, including "Finnegan's Wake", "The Black Velvet Band", "The Wild Rover" (Great Big Sea), "Whiskey in the Jar" (Metallica and many others) and "Dirty Old Town" (The Pogues).

After much hand-clapping and foot-stomping, we headed for home with a smile on our faces and a song in our hearts.

Chatham Capitol Theatre

Seven Drunken Nights

The Boys down at the Pub

The bartender brings another round!

Colourful Wedding

Autumn arrived early, with late August into early September featuring warm days with cool nights that persisted throughout most of the month - our favourite time of year! Birds and butterflies were everywhere as tomato wagon continued to roll.

We managed to make a Sunday night concert at Two Creeks, to see The Mudmen for the first time in forever - unfortunately, one of the Campbell brothers had broken his ankle, so it was The Mudman! They were still really good, though the new singer's country background definitely added a bit of a twang to their Celtic sound.

With Vincent still requiring management for his diabetes, we cancelled plans to spend an autumn week back at the cabin with Keith and Ashley. Luckily, Keith was able to come and visit instead, and spent the week with us relaxing and hanging out on the back deck amid some great fall weather.

We did board Vincent at Noah's Ark to make a quick overnight trip to Barrie to visit our friends and plan another joint vacation for the spring.  :)

Since he did so well, we boarded him again for a few nights later in the month, so that we could head to eastern Ontario and attend my niece's wedding. What a perfect day for an outdoor wedding, on a beautiful horse farm owned by my sister's friend. We got to visit and catch up with a bunch of folks, enjoy the fall colours, and witness the marriage of two very special young people. 

We mainly took full advantage of the stunning seasonal conditions to get a lot of work done around the yard, including an overdue round of tree trimming resulting in a van-load of brush to the yard waste depot.

The Mudmen rock Two Creeks

Beautiful fall colours in eastern Ontario...

...and a little fall colour back at home!

The wedding of my eldest niece 

The Happy Couple

Tender moments

A hungry visitor to the back deck

Some tree work and a load of brush

Bird seed leads to random sunflower!

August Archive

August went by in a blur. Every weekend was occupied with an art show, or an opportunity to visit family some distance away. Work was busy. The ongoing tariff wars with our neighbours continued.

We endured a few heat waves, which we combated with frequent dips in Lake Erie in the evening hours. So much of Canada was hot and dry and crispy and brown, but in our area we got enough rain and moisture that everything stayed green and yes, the grass kept on growing.

We received some great news - after four months of living in the hospital, a bed opened up at a long-term care home for Jane's dad. We took a two-day trip to get all his stuff moved in an set up, and then welcomed him the next day to his new home. He is already doing noticeably better after only a short time in the new home, surrounded by his own belongings and exceptional staff.

We also received some bad news - after noting how much he was drinking, we had Vincent tested and it turns out he is diabetic. This has quickly turned our life upside-down with twice per day blood tests and insulin injections. Moreover, with controlled feedings and six other cats who can no longer graze, it does make travel more of a challenge. He's taking it like a champ, and we're exploring local options to board him so that the others can carry on as normal if/while we are away.

Tomato season is also upon us, with tandem wagons everywhere. I have been harvesting our own bounty every few days, to freeze for whenever Jane has the chance to do a big batch of sauce and salsa.

John also got us hooked on Prado - a step-based app adventure game. It definitely got us walking more, even if only around the property. The three of us formed a party and along with Vincent has quickly re-defined our daily routine!

Evening sun casts a warming glow

A few scenic storms but at least we got some rain!

Jane swimming in Lake Erie to beat the heat

Dave in his new digs at the long-term care home

Vincent adjusting to the new routine - literally climbing the drawers for food (and insulin!)

Sugar cat chillaxing

He's back to his old jerk self!

Monarch caterpillars enjoying our milkweeds

Our Tower of Fallen Fruit is as tall as a windmill!

Movie time on the back deck

Experiencing tomato season from the Renny's patio