Spring into 2017

Spring arrived in earnest whilst I was sojourning in Cuba, which has me playing catch up at this late date. Besides getting the garden ready for planting, the usual spring issues with riding mowers delayed the first cut and afforded the nefarious dandelions a definitive head start. Alas.

We are also quite busy attempting to keep Jane prepared for the upcoming summer of art shows, which means we're cutting, staining and assembling wooden canvasses like a mofo. She can still only hand paint so fast, but at least if the preliminary prep work is done, she can stay ahead of the game.

Tulips abound!

First tilling

Quite a difference between the cut and uncut!

Preparing canvasses to receive their art!

Whoa, Halfway there.....Whoaaaa, livin' on fresh air

Cherry blossom special

Cuba Libre

After taking a Robert Q shuttle to Pearson Airport, I joined a few familiar faces and made my way down to Cuba to participate in the nuptials of Keith and Ashley. Our Sunwing flight took us on an afternoon jaunt over the eastern seaboard en route to Santa Clara, Cuba and its "short runway".

From the airport, a comfy bus stocked with beer and a friendly tour guide whisked the wedding party northward, over the lengthy causeway and out to the giant sand bar known as Cayo Santa Maria. By 10pm we arrived at the resort, and were greeted with mimosa's (mimosae?) and checked into our digs at Grand Memories Paraiso.

What followed for me was a much-needed week of R&R, punctuated of course by the main event, the wedding itself. As Best Man duties go, standing on a sandy Cuban beach for a few minutes while your best bud of 30 years plights his troth is not too hard to take. Wishing them a lifetime of happiness!

I got to meet some new and interesting folks, see some sights, imbibe mass quantities of Cristal and Bucanero cerveza, and even managed to practice my rusty high-school Spanish on numerous occasions. It really is a small world, even a world away when you are still meeting people who used to live blocks away in the same towns in Ontario. Also spent some quality time with Kevin and Grayson and a balcony with a view.

Glad I got to see Cuba and meet her friendly people before the inevitable change that is coming. Hasta Luego!

Departing Toronto on a (Sun)wing and a prayer

Cuban Customs

Above the Clouds

Bird's Eye View of Myrtle Beach

Room 5519 - Home Sweet Home for the next week

The view from my balcony

The nearby market

Cuban parking brake

Donde esta la playa?

The wedding site

Cuban sunset

Azure skies and cerulean waters

Grand Memories Paraiso main entrance

Poolside

Urban Cuban

The tail end of the trip

Back Home to felines and flowers

Canada 150 and Lennie Gallant

We started our Canada 150 tour of national parks in earnest with a visit to nearby Point Pelee NP, for a pleasant stroll around the boardwalk. By late Friday afternoon, the mercury hit 19 C, albeit windy. I'm sure we'll visit a number of times this year now that the weather is cooperating, given the free admission - great place for a walk!

After working up a good hunger, we hit the outdoor patio at Rennie's Village Smokehouse for some ribs and brisket, washed down with a few pints of Bayside Honey Cream Ale.

A very short walk away, we ended the night at the Car Barn for some live music. The organizers of a local folk fest managed to get East Coast legend Lennie Gallant to play the intimate venue in the Car Barn banquet room. With his nephew on the piano, Lennie regaled the audience with two full sets of folk tunes and tall tales from one of our greatest songwriters.

Welcome!

2017 Park Pass to celebrate Canada 150

Windy day on the beach......

.....but calmer on the marsh!

Thumbs up to a great afternoon!

Take a Gander at those Geese!

Lennie and Jeremy Gallant at the Car Barn

Full house in the banquet room

East Coast Royalty!

Lumineering!

We enjoyed a mid-week spring break with an overnight in London, to see three amazing bands play at Budweiser Gardens. The Lumineers were the headliners on their Cleopatra Tour, accompanied by Kaleo and Susto.

We started out with a nice dinner downtown, a short walk from both the car and the venue. We chose Spageddy Eddy's, a small joint downstairs off an artsy alley. Great food, fair prices, and great atmosphere! I did have to make a trip back to the car just to drop off the rest of Jane's spaghetti, before heading to the show.

Bud Gardens is the home of the OHL's London Knights, and a great venue for live music as well. We opted for our usual front-row mezzanine tickets, and took our seats along with some hometown brews.

Susto was up first, the only band unknown to us of the three - and were a pleasant surprise with some "alt-country" rock out of South Carolina. A lot of empty seats meant that a good many people missed out on this gem, in favour of arriving in time for the second band. Kaleo were great as expected, blending their Icelandic folk roots with southern blues reflecting their new home in Austin, Texas.

As good as the opening bands were, The Lumineers were simply fantastic. Their talent and passion shone through in a truly riveting performance. My hands still hurt from all the clap-along songs. They even arranged for a mini-stage at centre ice, and came out through the crowd to play about five songs amidst the sea of fans around them.

Great night of live music!

Good eats!

The menus are classic album covers!

No shortage of food!

Susto plays as the crowd filters into Bud Gardens

Kaleo rocks the house

The Lumineers take the stage

"Making the room smaller" for a few songs

Charlie Boy, don't go to war