Give peas a chance.

That one got a groan from Travelling Companion. 

See,  I had a hankering for a "hot turkey sandwich",  and I don't know about how you do this,   but I'm pretty sure it comes with peas.   If they're frozen peas,  that's fine.   She couldn't find the peas.   And that's not the way things usually go.  Typically,  I'm the one who can't fine things, but our little chest freezer is a wee bit on the full side lately,  especially with Thanksgiving and all.  Since well,  we didn't exactly eat all the stuff that had been prepared and frozen ahead of time,  "just in case".
Because,  even though just about everyone brought a dish,  we were without question,  going to starve to death.  (That's sarcastic font,  by the way.)

And by the way,  I started this last night,  but got interested in a thing about the Ringling Bros. on Public Television and didn't come back.

Of course,  as it was the first day after Thanksgiving,  there's always going to be turkey left over,  and I'm just about at the end of the line when it comes to turkey sandwiches and such.  I think that the "hot turkey sandwich" will be pretty much the end of it.   I'll try and polish off some tomorrow  today for lunch but then,   I'm out.

This year we decided to forgo the trip up to The Kawarthas for Thanksgiving,  as we were not able to find a decent place to stay (too crowded at my niece and nephew's place)  for a half decent price.  The one place that's not too far away is something like nine hundred bucks for the weekend and well,  the owners really need to do a little sprucing up on that place.  So,  when offered,  we had to decline.

Besides,  for a few years now after coming back from Europe,  we've been doing the Kawarthas thing,  which meant that Daughter Number Two and Hubby wouldn't be there,  as they have two dogs and a cat,  and are unable to be away for any length of time.  I have no opinion about that. I'm sure any one of their pet owning neighbours would be quite happy to look in on the pets/walk the dogs/whatever,  but there's some sort of "separation anxiety"  going on there.  I think.

So this year,  we had seventeen for dinner,  including both daughters and various other relations.  No pictures.  Well,  none for the internet at least.

There hasn't been too much else that's been overly excited since you last heard from me.   The sailing season is winding up.  We have one more "thing" this coming weekend called the "Die Hards",   and if it were to happen today,  for example,   we'd be wearing our shorts and sun block.   We're having a couple days of record setting heat here at The Ponderosa.   It's kinda crazy actually.  I know it can get warm in October,  but this is a wee bit nuts.

I don't mind.   But I refuse to put on the air conditioning.

Speaking of Daughter Number Two,  I pressed her into service to help with some grunt work on Friday,  as I had been wanting to split up all of the firewood that I ended up with after the two remaining ash trees were cut down.

So,  from this:

To this:

And no,  we didn't split by hand,  I rented a gas powered splitter from The Home Despot.  It was about 80 bucks (taxes in) for four hours.  Well worth it.

Similar to this:

I'm not entirely sure I'll live long enough to burn up all the firewood that has been produced,  but I'll give it a good try.   Some cold weather would be helpful.   Not that I'm wishing for winter or anything.  Just saying.

I mentioned Travelling Companion earlier.   Did I also mention she took a trip to Africa?

I'm not kidding.   First to Paris for an overnight,  then on to Nairobi,  where she and her sister went to a wedding.   Then a safari run by the Maasai Tribe
Then back to Paris and down to Lyon,  where the two of them stayed for 10 days with friends of her sister in a little place called Barberaz.
Anyhoo,  she was gone from August 14th until September 6th.   Had a wonderful time.
Glad to be home.  I soon realised that life on my own kinda sucked.  Especially at meal time.  "Cooking" for one is a challenge.  Note the quotation marks.


She was going to take a cab/limo home,  but I chose to pick her up at the airport.   Not for the faint of heart,  as their arrival or trip through the airport was somewhat delayed.   You might get onto the ground on time,  but if there's some other issue with baggage handling,  or customs or whatever,  you're still going to be late.   This time it was baggage.  I think.  I don't quite remember.
My arm was getting tired from holding onto the roses I had brought.

Hey,  some times I take pictures of "stuff",  and I have no idea what to do with them.  So there you go.

Now,  don't be fooled.  I normally don't do this sort of thing,  but it was a long trip,  and she likes flowers.  So what the hell.  A feller has to score a couple bonus points from time to time.
They lasted over a week.   And that whole "lasting" thing is the reason I typically don't buy flowers.  At least not roses.  They're expensive,  and they're gone in no time it seems.

Oh,  and by the way,  "Valentine's Day"?   Never.  Not even a box of chocolates.  We just don't go there.


I'm sure there were a few more things that happened,  but I suspect you're eyes are getting tired from moving back and forth,  so I'll pack it in for now.

Thanks for stopping by.


:)

I'm still here. Honest.

Or maybe it should be "honestly"?   Good grammar is a touchy subject with me most days.

Anyhoo,   sorry for the absence.   They say it makes the heart grow fonder.   Or something.
I think it tends to lose you readers,  to be honest.   But I'm pretty sure there are a few die hards out there.

So,  what's been going on?   Well,  the usual actually.   Some sailing,  both Tuesday nights as well as a couple weekend outings.  I did the "Sail Past"  this year,  which is an annual tradition at the Yacht Club involving the "Blessing of the Fleet",  and then literally a sail past the Commodore.    A little hokey I realise,  but it was a nice day on the water (even though the wind died later)  and for a measly twenty bucks,  the club served what I considered to be an awesome meal of steak,  baked potato and salad.

But,  I'm going to skip ahead.   I mean,  I take pictures of stuff,  but then never get around to doing too much with the pics.   There are a few out there who might have seen the odd thing on the Book of Face,   but really?   Posting to the blog would be a bit boring I think.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

BUT,   this weekend was the annual "Guy's Weekend"  in Grand Bend,   and on one of our forays into town, I was sitting in the truck waiting for my buddy to come back from the coffee shop,  and I see this Dude across the road with a rather large hat on,  and I'm thinking,  "Why does that guy look familiar?"

Well,  it turns out it was a fellow blogger,  none other than George,  from Our Awesome Travels!

Of course,  by the time I remembered the extra camera I had brought along and fetched it from the back seat,  he and Suzie were just heading out.

But I do have proof!

Well,  it's only "proof"  to the person who owns that car,  and who had just come out of "Grandpa Jimmy's Scottish Bakery".  Right?   But maybe George will stop by and confirm my claim.

So,  when my buddy came out of the coffee shop,  I said something like,  "Hey,  I just saw a guy whose blog I follow!"   and he asked if I had run across the road to say "hi",   but I had to admit that,  first of all,  I didn't realise until too late just whom I was looking at and secondly,  I likely would have been run over,  as the traffic in Grand Bend at that point in time was a wee bit on the steady side.

Anyway,  I thought at least *that*  was blog worthy.


Other than that,  here we are this morning outside the Colonial Restaurant,  where our annual tradition also calls for taking our host out to breakfast before we head on back home.

And no,  the guy with his back to the camera isn't camera shy,  I just took a photo without him noticing.     Here he is expertly extricating himself from one of the sand traps at Bayview Golf Club.

Wait,  he's got his back to the camera again.   Here we go...

But then I realised,  I have another pic of the bunch of us,  in the "selfie"  style.

And.....that's all I got.

I'm out.

I'll be back again at some point.   Thanks for stopping by.

Why it's good that some regattas are only two days.

Since that's the maximum number of days I can stay out in the sun.

It's one thing to be "outstanding in your field",  like haying or such,  but being on the water seems to fly me up real good.  No matter how much I slather on sunblock,  and reapply after sweating it off,  I still manage to get ever so slightly toasted.

Anyway,  this past weekend was the "Can-Am Challenge' in Youngstown, N.Y. which,  for us is just across the boarder.   Kind of odd really,  as we go to the States,  and then ended up sailing in Canadian waters both days.

Whatever.   It was a great two days.  A little lumpy on the Saturday morning,  but that was the only glitch.  Well,  and the Race Committee was a bit of a "shit show",  or at least I seem to recall that that was the term we used.  I mean, I've never seen anyone change the course over seven races so much due to the slightest wind shift.   Totally bizarre.   And well,  our skipper signed up (and ponied up a fair amount of cash)  as he was led to believe it was going to be a "pursuit" race,  but instead it ended up being an "around the cans" type of deal.
We were not in the top three,  let's just say.

These two delivered the boat on Friday,  and as it happened,  I decided to go down to the slip before their departure just to see them off.  

Well,   that was well played,  as there was some help needed putting a reef in the main sail and generally helping getting them away.  The wind was a wee bit strong for the rest of Friday,  and I think the skipper said something like "gusting to 29 knots"?  

Neither of them were able to dare leave the cockpit for the entire journey,  which turned out to be almost seven hours!   That's a long time to hold yer bladder.

One of the rare times Brian wore his life vest.

I however,  decided to drive down that afternoon.  Of course,  that means crossing the border in a vehicle which,  once I actually made it to the booth,  went quite quickly,  so I'm not sure what was taking so long for the vehicles in front of me.  The usual questions,  "Citizenship?"  "Where you going?"  "How long?"  and this one I thought interesting,  "Will you be leaving anything behind?",  to which my answer was,  "Oh,  I'm pretty sure we'll be drinking all of the beer."    

Off I went.

I could bore you with boat pictures and such,  but you get the idea.  

Um,  this:

...was my sleeping accommodation.  I set it up (last) Monday afternoon (shown here)  just to make sure I could,  and that it was in good shape. We've had this tent for,  oh I don't know,  15 years?  But it's only been used a couple times.
 I also went out and bought myself one of those "self inflating" mats.  Went with three inches.

The first night (Friday night) it did take me a bit to get to sleep,  as it seems that the house here must be really,  really quiet,  since every little sound was waking me up.  And I was wearing ear plugs!

Saturday night was better.   It's been a long,  long time since I've slept in a tent.  T.C. was mocking me ever so slightly for my foolishness,  but it was actually not bad.   Plus of course,  they have showers at the yacht club,  so being able to get cleaned up at the end of the day (all that sweat and sunblock)  was the best thing ever.   I swear,  the "shower"  has got to be one of mankind's better inventions.

The thing is,  with these types of sailing regattas,  there are those who sleep on the boat (not me,  too claustrophobic)  and then everyone else who pitches a tent where ever there is some free space.   There just happened to be a park  (that's a google map link)  where others had pitched tents,  along with a couple motor homes.  I was kinda missing ours,  to be honest.

But,  I had the truck parked nearby,  which allowed me to bring all the "stuff" I needed to make the stay more comfortable.  The most important of which was of course,  a small camp stove,  water,  a kettle,  and coffee.   Gotta have that coffee in the morning,  or forget it!

We then had breakfast on the boat.   The skipper cooked up awesome breakfasts both mornings.

Meanwhile,  I've fixed up both the table and the dresser that I mentioned last week.

Originally I wasn't going to bother with the table,  until we had to get it out of the way.   When I flipped it over,  I was then able to see why it was starting to split.  So,  couldn't let that alone.

This is my alteration:

See,  wood moves,  and the way it was,  the table top couldn't move at all.  So I made some retainers to allow for wood movement.

OK,  gotta go.

Thanks for stopping by.

It's been a great summer so far.

I always think I'm going to somehow "jinx" things when I make those kinds of statements,  like when you're on the racecourse,  and you think you're doing alright,  and you screw up a gybe.  But let's not go there.

Of course,  we did that trip over to Europe.   Took a whack of pics.  I've saved them.  That's about it.

Once you've seen one old building you've sort of seen them all.

Quick recap:   Flew in to Vienna.   Cabbed it to our hotel on Mariahilfer Straße (that funny looking thing is a double "s" by the way.)




Which is now a pedestrian zone.  Which made it remarkably quiet I found.  Turns out motorised traffic is louder than I realised.

Went to the State Opera to see Swan Lake  "Schwannsee"  if you prefer.

Then cabbed it back to the airport to fetch a rental car and drove down to Slovenia.




A Nissan Qashqai,  which we both quite liked.

Drove back from Slovenia after a few days to meet up with some of  T.C.'s former work associates,  took the car back on the Friday and flew off to Dubrovnik.   Stayed there for the weekend to visit yet another former work associate,  who flew in from Serbia.

Dubrovnik is cool.  A "once in a lifetime",  as there were many,  many tourists.  Of a certain ethnic origin.  And forever underfoot.  That's all I'm sayin'.

Looking back to the harbour/gate.

Flew back to Austria.   Picked up yet another car.  Drove to Slovenia.

Tired yet?

I could go on.   T.C. made a couple fabric shopping stops.  One in Vienna at Komolka,  and another in Slovenia at a rather difficult to find place called Gramatex.  And I can't seem to find their website.  Wouldn't matter anyway,  it would be in Slovenian.   You'll notice (if you're brave) that the Komolka site is in German.


Anyway,  good trip all in all,  and we'll just cut to the chase.
 It was especially nice for Travelling Companion,   as she didn't have that Sunday night dread of having to get back in order to go to work Monday morning.   After all,  "Every day is Saturday"  around these parts.

Oh, and I have to say,  I've never been to the ballet,  but Swan Lake was pretty freakin' awesome.  I mean,  it's the Vienna State Orchestra,  the Vienna State Ballet Company.  It's kind of a "go big or go home situation" right?

No sour notes,  and nobody did any face plants or some such thing.


I think I'm just going to skip on up to today, as we just received a replacement Grill delivered to the door.
I had been getting a little frustrated with our 17 year old  (yes,  seventeen!)  Weber Q,  as part of the cast iron grill has gotten a bit rusty,  and I've had to mess around with the little gas opening/port/thingys.    We had been looking at something more elaborate,  couldn't quite pull the trigger on something in the thousand dollar range, and just figured we'd do a "do over" with the Weber.  So,  got a replacement.

I really like having things delivered to the door!  So much less hassle.

Anyway,  you have to put on the lid and add the igniter a such,  but I think I had it back on the old stand (I did spend a few minutes giving the stand a wash at least)  in maybe 20 minutes or so.

Good to go.

I was really trying to think of why I would possibly need anything more complicated (you know,  "infrared" whatever?)  and decided that,  even though I Grill all year around,  I never really get past burgers,  chicken  and a few veggies here and there.  

We'll see if this one lasts as long.   One thing,  they've now changed the cooking surface to some sort of porcelain coated cast iron.  That should make a difference I suppose.

That's it for now.  I'm out.

Thanks for stopping by.

Came a knock at the door.

And I immediately think, "Gah,  somebody wanting to sell me something".  And good luck with that,  unless it were say,  Girl Guide cookies?  I'll admit,  I'm a sucker for cookies in general,  and Girl Guide cookies in particular.
You know,  "supporting the cause",  and all?

But NO,  it was my friendly neighbourhood postal delivery Dude,  who leaves the packages next to the front door,  knocks once,  and buggers off.
And that's OK really.  I'd sooner have that happen, than getting a "delivery" from the knobs at Purolator,  who then are obligated to leave a little card,  instructing me to drive half way across town to pick up the package they "couldn't deliver".
Dickheads.
And at that point of course,  I have to prove who I am.
What's the point of shopping on line,  if I then have to drive half way across town?
*grumble*

OK,  got that out of my system.

It never ceases to amaze me at just how quickly some items get delivered.  Well,  some others not quite so quickly,  Travelling Companion is still waiting for a pattern she ordered from the States.  Lord only knows where that thing is.  That whole cross border thing is a crap shoot.
But that's not my deal.

There's a bit of a theme going on here:

One of my sisters-in-law sent me a birthday card that was somewhat timely,  as we had not so long ago been "shoe shopping" in Bobcaygeon.

Well,  not me actually.  I looked.  Prices too high.  I left.

Pretty much spot on.

Mind you,  if there's a place to sit down,  I'm good.  Or,  I can wander outside and check out the boat traffic at the lock.  This last visit was Thanksgiving weekend of course,  so there was scarcely a boat in the water. So that back up plan was kind of a bust.



For a time now,  and by that I mean maybe a couple years?  I've been meaning to replace a pair of ageing sandals that I wear just about every day in the warmer weather.  I don't have a picture of them, as I don't want to upset your sensibilities.   They're just nasty.   They do stay on my feet though,  but are so worn,  that "staying on my feet"  on the fore-deck of the boat was getting to be a challenge.

So this (below) is my answer to "shoe shopping".

Yay!

Amazon.  Forty bucks.

Oh and,  just ignore the nose hair trimmer thing.  That was another thing that wore out and fell apart a few days ago.
In my estimation,  it's an appliance that ranks up there in importance with the coffee maker or the fridge.  No random hairs growing in places where I don't want them for me,  thanks.
That purchase was further precipitated by the sight a couple days ago, of a young man in a bathroom fixtures type of store who was in definite need of a good trim.

Like,  it was all I could look at.

And was the immediate topic of conversation in the car when we left.   The "post visit debriefing",  as I like to call it.

"Did you see that guy's nose hairs?"  

Um. Ya.

Let's move on.


So,  I tried them on.  I mean,  nothing beats trying things on in a sticks and bricks store,  but I'd like to refer you back to photo one.

Because even if it's ME looking for shoes or whatever?  Just not enthusiastic.

And no,  I don't wear sandals with socks.  Oh GAWD no.  
But trust me,  you don't really want to see my toes either.
Not that they're all gnarling or anything,  but men's toes?
No.
Just no.


In other "news",  we're off to Tobermory tomorrow to celebrate the completion of the Bruce Trail by one of our friends.   She and a hiking buddy have by now done most of the 840 kilometre trail,  and are wrapping it up this weekend.
With slightly better weather we hope.  
Just google "Bruce Trail" if you're unsure just what that is.
Now,  this wasn't a thing that they did all at once, (um, we're not kids anymore?)  but has been something they've been doing piecemeal for a couple summers now.
We've all booked rooms to stay for the night,  and will toast their final part of the journey at some point tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon.

I'll take pictures.   I promise.

I think that's all I got in my pea brain for today.  Trying to be a little more "up to date" on the blogging end of things.  Not that there's all that much that's of interest,  but hopefully I can offer a chuckle from time to time.

No more pictures of feet.  And sure as hell no pictures of guys in need of a nose hair trimmer.


Thanks for stopping by.

.

  

It's been a good month.

Just realized how long it's been since I uttered a peep.   Erp.

It happens.

There's been sailing,  which is not that unusual,  along with a couple cottage visits,  which is also not that unusual.
One place on Sturgeon Lake,   the other in Wasaga,  on..... *thinks*  Georgian Bay.  Drew a blank for a second there...

Now,  don't misunderstand,  the place in Wasaga isn't really anywhere near where all the commotion is in the "downtown" area of Wasaga Beach,   We took a little drive down that way on one of the afternoons (it's all a blur)  and we were reminded of just why a fellow could be known as a "Wasaga Head".  There were some "sights",  let me tell ya!  But over on Shore Lane Drive,  it's a much more sedate sort of experience.  And that's quite alright with me.
This place is not on the beach side,  and that also fine,  as it's really only about a 50 meter walk to the beach by way of a right of way...

And I should mention that,  there are quite a few places that are a carry over from the days when a "cottage" was just that,  such as this place,  and then there are what I refer to as the "monstrosities".  One of these times I'll have to take photos to show a few examples.  One doesn't want to offend,  of course,  but there are a number of places that are truly big and hideous.  I'm of the opinion that the town/municipality/whatever allows this to happen,  as a way of extracting higher and higher property taxes from these people who have more money than taste.


My sister-in-law and hubby have made a couple minor changes in the last little while,  but they're not really looking to do anything to dispense with the rustic nature of the place.
Just a little paint.

I never in a million years would have figured that that shade of blue would go with that colour of siding,  but then again,  I have no skill when it comes to picking colours.

They're not going to bother with the frieze boards (up at the roof line there) until such time as they do the roof.  We got some heavy rain one evening when we were there and the roof doesn't leak,  so a new roof might not happen for a time.  There's more pressing talk of building a shed in the back,  which would later be added to in order to have a "bunky".    It's not a terribly big place,  and there were five of us,  which meant putting a mattress on the sectional seating area for two of the nights.  Not a terribly big deal,  but it's always nicer if a person has a place to keep their "stuff", instead of having to shuttle it from place to place, let's just say.

Anyhoodle,  as it always pays to be "handy",  (never short of invites to a cottage!)  we did install a couple extra electrical outlets while I was there.  It's a job that's usually always better done with two bodies,  and especially depending on ones skill set.

 I'm the one with the "skill" it so happens, (not that I have gobs of it or anything) so I elected to be not the one to crawl around under the cottage.   Plus,  I'm older.  And a guest,  and....OK, never mind.

They're planning on having a bit of counter space on the other side of the kitchen,  and also moving the fridge.   We just made sure we tied into the fridge circuit,  so that when they're not there in the summer and want to keep the fridge running,  it'll still be on the same circuit.

Never hurts to use a little bit of common sense.

And I only mention any of this since I remembered to take some pics.  Mostly I forget.



The other cottage that we went to a couple weeks ago is,  if you recall any of our Thanksgiving visits, on Sturgeon Lake.  There is a totally different "feel" to the place,  as I find that Sturgeon Lake can be rather rough at times.

Hence the reason for having a boat lift.

Anyway,  for that particular visit,  I had decided to take along a power planer (I don't have need to use it that often,  as it's rather aggressive)  and take about three eights of an inch off one corner of the bathroom door.   I didn't get a single picture,  but suffice to say,  the door finally closes now after I don't know how many years that it's bugged the hell out of me and everyone else.   One of those things where,  I keep meaning to "sort it out",  but then of course forget to take along the proper tools.
It's all about the "proper tools",  and I'm afraid that neither of the owners of these respective places have quite figured out the "proper tool" situation.

That's fine,  I got it covered.

Oh,  and of course there was a brief trip in to Bobcageon for a visit to Bigley shoes.

T.C. managed to find a couple items.  Like that's a stretch.
I have been passively looking for something to replace an aging pair of sandals,  but wasn't willing to pay over a hundred bucks for something that ultimately is going to get wet and abused on the boat,  among other places.   I'll eventually find something I would imagine.


Meh.  What else?

It's been bloody dry around here,  that's one thing.  We've had snippets of rain,  but we really need about a solid week at this point to get everything green again.
I mean,  we water the gardens and such,   but there are sections of the lawn that are parched.
No biggie.  It'll come back.  It always does.

I think that's about it.  I see you starting to glaze over.  I'll stop now.

Keep those sticks on the ice.

Thanks for stopping by.

The week that was.

Are they going faster?  The days and weeks,  that is.  Used to be it took what seemed like forever for Christmas to arrive.  Then a few decades passed,  and now everything has sped up. 

I don’t think I’m alone in this.

 

The last of the roses.  And yes,  I cut them off and brought them in the house.  Normally I leave them,  but I figured I’d snip these two off.  Mind you, the stems are not very finger friendly.

 

Mostly all I remember from this week is going to Toronto for the afternoon on Wednesday.  Travelling Companion thought she’d see if her brain was still functioning and decided to take a tax course.  Most of which was accomplished online,  but the tale end of the course was a “case study” that took place in a building right downtown.   Not really one of my favourite places to be,  but I was pressed into service to drive. 

Story of my life.

She promised that that would be the last time I’d be pressed into service to drop her off someplace and then have to hang around for a few hours.  I’ve done this a few times,  trust me.

I mean,  I can rummage around in a few shops for a while,  but after an hour or so,  I’m done.  Thankfully the car was in a nice warm parking garage, so that’s where I ultimately ended up with a copy of the Globe and Mail. 

 

Unfortunately (at least in my opinion) the Toronto Landscape has devolved over the last few decades into a forest of rather nondescript highrises.  Everywhere you look,  there are either huge bank buildings or condos.  Just glad I don’t live there.

So any time I came across a building that was remotely interesting,  I took a picture.

 

 

Wait,  Beer Academy??  Oh, it’s a brewery.

This is pretty much what I came up with within the five block radius of King and York.  I’m sure there are more,  but I had no desire to doggedly go from street to street looking for a bit of character.

Such a contrast from Vienna,  where you’re hard pressed to find a building that’s NOT interesting.

 

In keeping with what is expected of a big city,  I did encounter a smattering of bums.  First ones I’ve seen since we moved home from Vienna.   Mind you,  we do have our own suburban version in our neighbourhood.

Had to go back to March to find that photo.

Lives a couple blocks from here.  In a house.  So I guess he’s a better class of bum?  We call him “Dan two cells”, ‘cause that’s an estimation of the number of functioning brain cells he has working for him. 

Long story.  Kinda sad. 

Don’t sniff glue kids!

 

Which brings me to why I want to replace my camera.

No, not the glue sniffing thing,  the picture thing.

We need to part company.  I think it’s starting to get tired.  Sometimes the lens doesn’t want to talk to the body,  so it won’t fire.  I tried to get a photo of this guy when he was outside the house.  Think the camera would work?  Nope.  I haven’t smashed it on the ground just yet, but I’ve had my moments.  If I unhook the lens and click it back in place, it might work.  I’m starting to get a little tired of that.

So some of my time on Wednesday was spent checking out a new camera.   I’m intrigued with the Canon G15.  (although,  by now there’s a “G16”) 

Whatever.

 

I’ve read good things about this camera.  One of my brothers-in-law has a “14”,  and it takes brilliant photos.

I suppose somewhere in the lengthy list of all the features each of these machines have,  there are some differences.  Not sure what they are at the moment.

Takes pretty awesome movies too,  as can be seen here.

So I went into Blacks.  I was a little taken aback by the price they were asking.  Started with a five.

Anyway, I still haven’t decided.  I’m terrible at that.

I suppose if I had some sort of unlimited budget, I’d simply have a bunch of cameras but then,  I’d still have to decide….like, which camera to take along that day.

 

Hope y’all have a fine weekend.

 

Keep those sticks on the ice.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

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Haven’t stepped on the scale just yet.

Didn’t think that would be prudent.

In the grand scheme of things,  I probably shouldn’t have another beer until some time about mid July.  Considering such things as “quotas”, and the concept of “restraint” or some such thing.  But that wouldn’t be all that much fun I figure. 

And you know,  I don’t *feel* too bad,  since there was a certain amount of moderation that was observed.  But only a certain amount.

Of course you have to understand that,  when a “guys weekend” involves each of the participants being either somewhat or well past the half century mark,  there’s not going to be any stories of closing bars in town or some such thing.  Not that I’d break the “Cone of Silence” either.  Also not prudent.

But no,  other than a trip into Grand Bend on Saturday for Brunch,  a round of golf and a trip to Sobey’s,  we were all content to lounge about and sip various libations.  Or eat.  Note previous mention of the weighing device.  Maybe I’ll need to do another “prep”?   

*thinks*.    Um,  no.

 

So I’ll throw up a couple pics for fun,  and maybe add one or two over the next few days.  I’ll also likely put some on the Book of Face,  so keep an eye out for that.

Not tonight though, I’m starting to fade….

 

So this was our destination, within view of the lake,  but not right on the lake.  Our host,  Henry is there to greet us.  We were just in time for Happy Hour.

After dinner or course,  there’s always at least one Lake Huron sunset.   Missed the sunset altogether Saturday night.  We must have been eating. 

I’ll not bother to name all the participants.  They know who they are,  and for those of you who don’t, well then what does it matter?

Of course,  this was just about our only evening activity. 

There was no “clubbing” in the evenings. Unless of course, you count giving the fire a whack once in a while.

 

I’m just rambling here,  so I’ll not drag this out for too much longer.

After breakfast on Saturday morning,  I had this overwhelming urge to have my picture taken in front of some of the local “art work”.  I guess that’s what they call it.

By the way,  the breakfast at the Colonial was OK.  I do recommend it.  Not overly pricey either.

I suppose I’m not really qualified to comment on prices there,  as I didn’t have to pay for my breakfast.  Something to do with a little contest we had the night before.  I’m not at liberty to give too many details due to the “Cone of Silence” restrictions,  but it was along the lines of the “cuss jar” of days of old.  Only it wasn’t just a quarter.  That’s all I can say.  A couple fellers had to pony up for breakfast,  and I wasn’t one of them!  Giddy up!

 

Oh, and then look what I noticed sitting just off the main drag!

 

 

Anyone recognise this RV? 

Don’t worry,  I didn’t rub my nose on the glass or anything.  Plus,  I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the inside,  so we didn’t take the time to look.

I had to break down and crop that one,  as my wonderful assistant had just a wee bit too much sky in the photo.

 

That’s it for tonight.   Tomorrow there’s something to do with a garden,  bunnies and a fence.  Should be just too much fun.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

I think I can get this.

Although I’m really missing the keypad from the laptop.  But I figured I’d give this a shot.

So, I downloaded “Live Writer” to the new gismo,  and off we go.

Here’s the thing about learning a new operating system:  it all has to do with that blasted short term memory.  Seems I ain’t got much of a one. 

I “learn” something, (loose definition)  and damned if I don’t forget it in about nine tenths of a second.

And truth be told,  I can’t readily say that I completely “learned” the old system,  which was XP,  but at least I could damned well find “programs” when I had to.  Gah!

But hey,  this too shall come to pass.

I don’t think I have a whole lot else to offer.  I’ve just been frittering away my time trying not to get frustrated.  Thankfully I can go out to the net and get answers,  or I’d really be stumped.

Remember when people would actually sign up for a “Computer Course”?  I suppose it still happens,  but I’d just as soon try and muddle along here on me own.  I mean really?  What do they teach you?  How to work a mouse?

There are only a couple little things that need tweaking.  I need some closed cell foam to set the thing on, since it does tend to use to desk as one big amplifier plus,  I could do with something similar for the keyboard.  Too…. “clicky”.

It’s probably the cheapest of the cheap.

Mind you,  I think I have a wireless keyboard lurking about somewhere.  That might be an option.

 

Other than that,  it’s all good.

 

We’ll pick up where we left off when I think I have something worthwhile to offer. Meh, Monday maybe? 

I’ll update on the “Oscar Pool”. 

 

Just for the fun of it,  I’ll throw in a pic I took on the “Road to Hana” on Maui. 

Nice to see some green.

Gotta have at least ONE picture. 

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Welcome to Crazy Town.

Population:  One.

For whatever reason, those words popped into my noggin a few hours ago.  Like an annoying tune,  I can’t seem to get it out of my head.

Wonder why.

I mean, it’s OK.  Really.  I’ll plug away.

And,  I do realise it looks a little extreme to cover just about everything,  but I *know* there’s no flippin’ way I can paint the ceiling without dripping here or there.  And that would be bad.

I don’t even want to talk about it anymore.  Seriously,  I’m doing this, and then I’m taking a nap.

 

Now,  I realise that I tend to limit the scope of ze blogue so as not to inadvertently upset any random individuals whom I might encounter from time to time.  It’s just the way it is.  I’ve found myself “in trouble” in the past when I’ve gone on a little too much about others.  Especially when it comes to relations.  I still contend that I can make fun of my siblings.  If any of them take exception,  they can start their own damned blog.  So there.

In spite of my general reluctance to speak of others, I have to mention an activity that we took part in last night.  It was kinda fun.

First,  a bit of a preamble.   In our circle of friends,  one of the offspring recently went on a little adventure.  Don’t ask me why.  Sometimes a young man’s fancy turns to wild thoughts,  and it turns out he just might have to act on them. 

Nothing salacious,  don’t worry.

 

This is Ben.

 

He’s the son of some friends of ours.  We gathered at their place for a little “show and tell”.  

And, just as an aside,  back in the days before the internet,  I remember going to the community centre close to where I lived as a young man and watching a “Travelogue” put on by some folks who had spent some time in Africa. I think I had to cough up a few bucks too.  This was essentially the same. (Nowadays,  we just click on some blog or other.)

Only the slide projector was a laptop.  Oh, and note the lack of wires!  I realise wireless is pretty run of the mill,  but I’m of “a certain age”,  and still get a little giddy at the technology that’s readily available.

Anyway,  there was plenty to eat, along with a few libations,

 

which helped us keep up our strength,  as he proceeded to tell us of his trip last summer (and on into late fall) when he hiked the Appalachian Trail.

Yes,  you read that right.   He started in July (sometime,  I forget the actual date)  and finished on December 11th.

And as you may recall,  there was that brief period of time when the National Parks were closed as a result of the budget shortfall in the States,  which very well could have scuttled the whole deal.

He went from Maine to Georgia, and that’s North to South, for those of you who think it matters.  Most folks go South to North.  Depends on what type of weather you want to finish up in.

You can read the wiki article I linked to above to try and absorb the scope of the hike.  Let me save you a couple minutes by pointing out that it’s roughly 2,200 miles or 3,500 kilometres. 

 

 

Crazy, huh?   Well,  I don’t know.  He’s a young guy,  and just figured he wanted to do it after graduating from University and before figuring out the next bit.

Somebody should have told him that the type of photo below is NOT the kind of thing you send off to your parents.

 

I could have told him that.  Save that one for later.  Or for never.

The picture was taken at McAfee Knob,  for those of you with score cards.  I could certainly go off on a tangent here about some knob named McAfee who was the first to do this, but I think I just did.

Let me just say this about that.

Both my parents have long since passed away,  but there were things that I NEVER ever shared with them when they were alive.   Wouldn’t have mattered who was on the death bed.  I wouldn’t be muttering “Rosebud” or any such thing.  A feller needs to keep a couple cards close to the chest.  And hey, I realise that some people feel the need to blurt shit out as some sort of “therapy” or some such hokum,  but I was never going to go there.

Nope.

 

That’s all for today.  I’ve put in my laborious three hours of ceiling painting. 

Gotta let it dry to see what I’ve missed anyway,  so that’s that.

 

Keep those sticks on the ice.   Enjoy your weekend.

 

Thanks for lookin’.

 

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