Art at the Marina

Art at the Marina in Leamington kicked off as it usually does - brutal heat and humidity, coupled with the annual invasion of the fish flies. Friday night setup was a sweaty one, followed by beers and burgers with Dan and Heather at nearby Chuck's Roadhouse.

Saturday was equally sweltering, with Jane bringing her trusty 4 L frozen water bottle to hug as the need arose to keep her core temperature within reason. After helping with setup, I returned home to cut grass and address other housework and yardwork, before returning to pick Jane up.

Sunday was a beautiful day, and lacking the humidity of the previous two days. After a late breakfast of gourmet grilled cheese (or toasted meat sandwich for Jane), we opened again for business. The crowds returned and sales were brisk!

After waiting patiently to get the van close enough to load up, we found ourselves as usual at Renny's. Unfortunately, the patio was already full.....but given that we had several several folding tables in the van, owner Erika allowed us to add a table to the patio, right in front of the band!

We caused quite the commotion, walking into the patio and slapping up a table in front of a throng of strangers.....hey, the owner said we could! Dan and Heather joined us again for some cold Purity Pilsners and some delicious hot smoked brisket and perch po'boys.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

BYOT!

Ryan Bradley and Chris St. Pierre rock the Renny's patio!

Erie Treasures across from our tent

Late breakfast from Total Meltdown!

Art at RM!

Jane got an invite to set up for Art at RM - a local classic car dealer with worldwide influence and reach. They sell cars to stars, like Jay Leno and Nicolas Cage. To celebrate their 40th anniversary, they decided to put on a big car show....complete with art vendors!

What it meant for ME was that unlike normal art shows, I also had classic cars to check out! Bayside Brewing also had a booth and some excellent food vendors were also invited. People were shuttled in from Chatham on buses, and SOMEONE helicoptered in to the show. There were rumours, especially given the three private jets parked at the Chatham Airport....Jay Leno? John Travolta? Kid Rock?

All in all, a gorgeous day.....Kid Rock did attend affiliated Retrofest in downtown Chatham, and rode in the classic car parade with Mr. RM himself, Rob Myers. He even stayed at the Retro Suites.

Not ONCE did anyone try to buy our "classic" 1992 van. Not even once.

Me, I just drank beer and drooled over cars. Then we tore down the tent and cruised the scenic stretch of Highway 3 along Lake Erie for a nice dinner on the patio at Renny's!

And now....on with the cars!

My choice, if I get one.....

Bin There, Done That

After several years of "thinking about it", we finally went ahead and rented a bin to purge a bunch of the junk from the house, garage, shed and barn. In fairness, we inherited a lot of this stuff when we moved here....but we've certainly collected our own fair share in the meantime!

We donated what we could to the local Friendship Centre for their yard sale, gave away some other stuff, and burned what we could in the burn barrel. Anything that didn't fit into one of those categories went into the bin!

We spent a very long Saturday filling the bin - I say "we" because one of us is about to have knee replacement surgery and was of limited assistance.....though she maintains a mean burn barrel if kept fed with paper, cardboard and wood!

Luckily the weather was perfect - overcast, not too hot, and even light mist from time to time.

A raccoon with distemper on the property meant we kept the cats locked in the house....which thankfully also meant they weren't underfoot or carried away in the bin!

It's "bin" far too long!

A long day begins....

Nearing the end

Burning old cardboard and paperwork

Even typos must go!

R.I.P. Jebus

We lost another member of the furry family today - poor old Jebus reached the end of his decade-long run with us. He had been aging of late, but went missing on Saturday, came back Sunday night acting strange (even for him) and refusing to eat, and by Monday morning had gone downhill quickly and was clearly suffering. We made the always difficult decision to be by his side and ease his passing.

Officially "Holstein", this black and white sweetheart showed up all skin and bones in early 2009, and became the first stray to wander onto the property and stick around - look what he started! He was starving, and we left an old blanket and a bowl of food on the back deck and found him there every morning until he eventually wormed his way inside as an indoor/outdoor resident. We have no idea how old he was (3-5?) when he showed up, but he stayed for ten more years.

A few short years later, he became "Uncle Daddy", taking the mantle of fatherhood and helping single mom Pooka to raise the three Nugs (Gronk, Bonk and Pita) and show those tabby boys the ropes. Jebus was ultimately the name that stuck, though at times he was also Jabby Hayes, Jeebers, Jeebs, Jib Jab and Gnarls Jabathan.

Never the most genetically advantaged feline, he took the reins of "dominant male" around the property for several years, from the passing of Bickey, until handing off to a younger and now very fully-grown Gronk. He lost teeth, and developed cloudy eyes and was partially deaf and blind.....but managed to navigate the familiar environs and enjoy his life around the property.

In his retired years, he enjoyed wandering the yard, field and ditches; befriending raccoons and possums; and cuddling with us and the other cats - he was one of the few cats that everyone got along with and/or tolerated, as if they could sense his gentle soul and simple outlook.

He and his distinctive inquisitive meow will be sorely missed. His passing reduces our feline head count back to single digits, with nine furry lives remaining to honour his nine lives well-lived.

Holstein arrives in 2009

Cuddling with Bickey

Uncle Daddy to three new Nugs!

Spooning with Miss

Straight chillin'

Watching over The Nug Pile!

Oh...good morning!

Cuddle time with the boys

Pfui!

The bottom bun in a Pennywise sandwich

A sweet old boy

Farewell Friend

East Coast 2019 - Part IV

We bid farewell to Kay, Geoff, Jay and Wilson, and The Island. After a quick goodbye coffee, we headed south to catch the morning ferry at Wood Islands, to take us across the Northumberland Strait to Nova Scotia. The crossing was pleasant, and after a quick stop in New Glasgow for a new cooler and hoodie sale too good to pass up, we carried on.

We took a quiet back road, following a scenic and circuitous drive (289/336/357) through the interior, hitting Upper Musquodoboit, Middle Musquodoboit, and finally Musquodoboit Harbour, all en route to our camping destination at Porters Lake Provincial Park.

Site 51 was wonderful - on an island across a causeway, on the point of a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides. After setup, we darted back to the nearby village for groceries and liquor....only to see the sign on the second time entering that it was prohibited to consume or even possess alcohol on the premises!

The camping was good, with fair weather though a fair bit of rain. Unlike last year, when someone forgot the tent fly....this time, we brought the fly, but it leaked at the first sign of rain! As the drizzle began overnight, we ended up pulling a tarp over ourselves INSIDE the tent as the drops continued to fall. At least there was a break the next morning to dry out our bedding.

All in all, a great spot for relaxing, reading, and campfires - though maybe selling people DRY wood would be a good start to the park season.

We scooted into Cole Harbour for some water repellent spray to treat the fly, once it was dry and calm enough to do so.....but to no avail. It leaked again two nights later when the rains returned, though it took a little longer before the drip drip dripping began.

With two more days of straight rain in the forecast, we made the late decision (i.e. when we woke up one morning) to leave early and head for home, to spend the extra time visiting family in eastern Ontario instead. Spelling each other at the wheel, we drove for sixteen straight hours through mostly rain to reach a warm bed by just before midnight, even after gaining an hour to time zones.

We had a great visit with my mother and sister, and friends of ours from Kingston popped out for a few hours too. We also set up the tent again and dried out everything which had been packed up wet.

Only the six-hour trek home remained, to long grass and cooped up cats and a considerable mess, owing partly to a 22-year old feline starting to have some issues. Luckily, we had a team of three people taking rotations to look after things while we were away.....or it could have been much worse! (thank you thank you thank you)

Leaving PEI on the Wood Islands ferry

Great camping spot!

Reading by the fire

Hamburger Helper for lunch!

Great view out the door....

Drying out after the flood

Some good reading material!

An aqueous awakening

Site 51 at Porters Lake Provincial Park

Drying out wet camping gear at Mom's!