SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2013

Wayne got up to drive Sue and Julie to the Gale's cottage on Kenricia Road at 7:40 a.m. He started to back the Escalade out of the garage when we heard a "crunch"!  What was that?  The garage door had begun closing as the SUV was exiting. We were dumbfounded ... how could the garage door close "on its own"???  Wayne jumped out and discovered the manual lift (red rope) caught in the upper rear track of the back passenger door seal. A freak accident!!!  Wayne couldn't get the door up, so Julie called Mark to bring the Dodge to drive them.  Sue and Julie made a hasty exit when Wayne got the crow bar out. Ten minutes later they were off for the annual firehall garage sale. 

Barb, Kristen, Donna, Sue and Julie lounged in "Das Buss" while John Gale drove. It was fun. 

Sue's ready to shop!

Here we are, lined up for the shotgun start!!!  We all bought something we "needed"!

After the garage sale, John drove us to "Nancy's" for more shopping. Barb suggested a stop at an antique barn, but it was locked up when we arrived. Too bad ... it looked interesting!

Meanwhile, Mark and Wayne shoveled gravel until Wayne twisted his knee. Ouch!  It just isn't his day. 

At 3:30 we went to Gauthier's for happy hour in the Windsorcraft. 

Joyce and Jim on their dock 

Mixing cocktails in their boathouse!

Cocktails and yummy snacks in the pergola, dockside. 

Joyce and Jim entertained us with funny stories and we all had a great happy hour, or two. LOL. Then, the thunder began, a few drops of rain, we climbed into the boat and were off for home.  It was a wonderfully fun visit. 

Chippy's Hollow ... the rain began. 

Gale force winds whipped the bay!  It was awesome!!!

Wayne and Mark dried the Windsorcraft while we waited for the hail to pass. 

Tonight, Wayne is cooking chicken (haha, you guessed it Joyce!) and Sue is making  Kraft Dinner. Maybe it's a good night to play "99". 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013

Meanwhile in Canada elicited many emails ... here's one more day of Canadian fun.

Mama Moose takes the kids swimming. 

We use Colgate Optic White toothpaste

No way am I sniffing THOSE pants. LOL

A Canadian pistol fight - water pistol, that is. Apparently the COP was out gunned. Haha. 

Yogi set up Boo Boo and he got caught. LOL

This is the official Kenora dinner jacket!

This family has a human for a pet :-)))

Knock knock. Who's there?

Really!

Aw, now that's cute. 

Cool. No, icy cold. 

Hockey is Canada's national sport. Nice uniform. 

The referees needed backup. 

Hahaha. 

This morning started with a beautiful sunrise over the bay. Two otters were gliding along and diving for crab. 

Mark just left to buy minnows for today's fishing expedition with Wayne on the Tahoe. Julie wonders just how long yesterday's worms will remain in the fridge???  It must be a man-thing!  

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

The sky wears a misty veil this morning, perfect for an artsy day. 

Sue and Wayne have taken the Shih Tzus to the groomer. Mark is watching TV and Julie is making wind chimes. 

Time for some funny Canadian pics, eh? Enjoy!

What was the photographer thinking???

Get back in the car!!!

American airports worry about birds on the runway LOL

No comment. 

Look who's coming to dinner!

Moose caboose. 

I'd rather see the look on the man's face when he glanced over and saw Mr. Bare, er, Mr. Bear. 

Eagle pants!  This pic was taken at Lake of the Woods in January. Brrr

Chocolate Moose, to go. 

Mark, Julie and the Scotties - Maggie and Robbie, went for a long walk in the drizzle. It's a warm rain. Along the way we saw a large brown doe with her spotted fawn. Why didn't I bring my iPhone for pictures. Duh!  Along the boat launch road we saw a big gray doe, then a reddish doe and her yearling stag; and on the walk back, we a small dark brown 2 year old buck. 

Tonight's party was hosted by a Winnipeg band, D2UR at a cottage on Clearwater Bay. The rain ended at 6:30 and we were treated to a beautiful evening. Mike and Diane Isbister entertained us for two hours with their excellent guitar playing and vocals. 

Mike and Diane entertaining us

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013

Four months ago, Sue, Wayne, Linda, Randy, Mark and Julie began an RV adventure. Our start date, April 27th should have been mom's 94th birthday. Somewhere, mom's loving spirit is happy knowing we shared an adventure together.  

Sue, Julie, Diane, Linda ... Tawns girls

Wayne, Mark, Kris, Randy ... Our wonderful husbands 

Diane and Kris own a fish camp, Georgia Boys, in Florida, that keeps them busy.  Diane sent this pic of a 65 year old alligator, 12 feet, 1 inch long, that was killed during the recent Florida gator hunting season near their fish camp. 

Diane with the catch of the day. Although she is smiling, Diane said she felt terribly sad for this old fella.  Life is precious. 

It's said that being sad with the right people is better than being happy with the wrong people. This evening, Rose and Charlie are coming for casual dinner.  Charlie, a good man, has liver cancer. We are honored he will spend precious time with friends.  In our deep sadness of Charlie's diagnoses, we live the moments of joy in his company. There will be time for grief, yes; but still time for making memories. 

Mark and Wayne decided fishing at Crow Rock would be cool on a 91F day!  Sue and Julie chose air conditioned shopping and went to Verti-Shade, The Weekender, Island Girl and finally bought boat shoes at Mark's (Canadian Tire).  

On Kendal Inlet we saw a young buck grazing, roadside, and stopped to take pictures. He was quite a poser. LOL

A yearling?

Handsome, aren't I !!!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

Hot time, summer in the city, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty. I know we're not in "the city" but It's fall cleaning week at Chippy's Hollow hence,  "dirty and gritty", and it rhymes. Mark packed the truck with 6 loads of laundry ... mattress pads, blankets, rugs, dog beds ... and what-not.  Everything on the linen closet shelves gets a wash, whether it was used or not. Mark doesn't understand this ... It's a Mrs. Clean thing. LOL

Sue and Wayne are making lunch for Wayne's sister Terry and their Aunt Jean and Uncle Peter who are visiting from Winnipeg.   Mark and Julie visited for an hour after lunch. 

Mark got the big ladder and cleaned the outside windows and screens. Julie cleaned the inside of the windows. Everything was extra dirty because of road resurfacing this summer. It felt good to see the sun sparkle inside. 

Tonight, Sue and Wayne are going to West Hawk Lake to meet Marlene and Harry for dinner. Mark and Julie are on dog duty ... and fending for themselves. 

Jim visited a few days ago in one of his fleet ... a beautiful woody. His is the pic of the day. 

MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2013

Dewdrops heavy on the grass, the sun waking over the bay, it's a good morning. 

Kendall Inlet at sunrise. 

Wayne called around 10:30 and suggested a boat ride to Kenora for lunch on the Windsorcraft. Marlene, Wayne's sister from Falcon Lake joined us. 

Marlene brought Borscht ... Sue quickly FROZE IT ... and away we went out for lunch!

Welcome Channel. 

A private island cottage, 5 miles outside of Kenora. 

Sue and Mark tying the boat at the Inn's dock.

Best Western, Inn of the Woods, Kenora.

Lunch was excellent; service very good. Julie took a few pics from the restaurant. 

Overlooking the Blue Heron on 1st Street South ... pic taken through a tinted window. 

Downtown docks, Kenora. 

City homes on the lake. 

M.S. Kenora coming through Devil's Gap. 

The devil rock guards the narrow channel. 

First Mate, Marky. 

We arrived home at 3:45 to walk the dogs. Mark fired up the burn barrel and completed the "wood" cleanup. Everyone is still sated from lunch ... dinner is on hold. LOL

MaryBeth and Monty whisked us away for an evening cruise!  It was cooling down nicely.

Tom Flom with Mark on a sunset cruise. 

Monty, Wayne, MaryBeth and Sue at sunset on Clearwater Bay  

It was a beautiful sunset cruise but we were all feeling melancholy about Charlie.