Got the bug.

And by that I mean,  the Emerald Ash Borer.

And we're not alone.

The chap I hired to come today and cut down one of the "three sisters" as we used to call them,  has been way too busy cutting down ash trees as fast as folks can hire him.  Not his favourite thing to do, as he'd much prefer to be trimming trees and other general arboreal upkeep.

This was the beast.

 We estimate at around 75 years old,  which would have meant maybe another lifespan of 25+ years or so?  Needless to say,  no plans to cut it down in the foreseeable future.  Not my future anyway.

There was a certain amount of studying going on even before climbing the tree.  Best to try and plan these things while on the ground I suppose.

I took a mess of pictures,  but you know the drill.   Climb tree.  Tie off.  Cut chunks off.  Lower them to the ground.

Preferably without coming into contact with that expensive roof we had installed a couple years ago.

You can see all the dead branches.

Anyway,  that last pic is early afternoon,  and they're just about done.  Gonna miss the extra shade,  but that particular tree had this one dead branch that extended out precariously over the driveway.  No bueno.

Now,  in case you don't feel like reading that wiki article,  I'll show you first hand what these little buggers do.

More or less self explanatory.  They bore into the "cambium",  and literally choke the tree to death.  Seems to me the cambium sends nutrients down the tree from above, and ultimately makes a new growth ring.

Almost as bad as putting down an ageing pet.  Well, maybe not quite.  But we're seriously running out of trees around here.   Since we moved in over twenty years ago,  we've cut down five mature trees due to disease,  as well as another two as a result of poor location.  (Between the two houses.  Not good.)

So,  that's all I'll be 'sharing' today.   Last week we were in Vancouver.  Maybe I'll go on about that in a day or two.

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.

Happy Canada Day!

And yes I know,  I haven't been around much.   Not much to say,  and anything that pops into my pea brain usually gets dismissed as just more drivel.   There's enough crap on line,  don't you think?

Anyway,  we're getting some much needed rain here today,  in spite of it being "Canada Day" and all. I'm pretty sure rain is not permitted,  but then again, it'll likely clear up by later tonight.
Just in time to scare the bejeepers out of all the dogs that can't quite tolerate loud far off unexplained noises.

Speaking of which,  Daughter Number Two and Son-in-law just so happened to have adopted another dog (yes,  they now have two),   and aptly named him "Pugsly".  
He's a pug/something or other mix, go figure.
It turns out that,  and they knew this going in,   Pugsly is as deaf as a post.   Seriously.  Unless he smells you coming,  a skill he has aptly demonstrated whenever food comes in the door,  chiefly in the form of take-out, he hasn't a clue if you're around or not.
Meanwhile their first dog Kermit has always been terrified of thunder.  To the point that,  they had to get him a "thunder shirt" to try and keep him from virtually shaking himself out of his skin.
Now here's something interesting.   Having endured at least a couple thunder storms since the arrival of Pugsly,  Kermit has now become much more tolerant/immune/whatever to thunder.
Seems that,  if your buddy sitting right next to you has absolutely no reaction whatsoever to all those loud noises outside?  Maybe you just need to quit being such a big ole scaredy-cat?  And calm the hell down!   So,  you can make any assumptions you'd like about "dog psychology",  but I just thought that was interesting.  

Don't you love these little tidbits?

Clearing up by later tonight will be a good thing,  as I'll be on the boat for the next three days.   Emphasis on days.  I don't do overnights on the boat.
Just well,  no desire.
It's an annual thing that's been going on for about eight years now, having to do with something called  GHYRA.
And in case you're reluctant to click on that link,  that stands for "Greater Hamilton Yacht Racing Association".    This event involves basically sailing for the next week to such exotic locals as Oakville and Youngstown, N.Y.   I'm only going to race the first two days,  and then hook up with the boat on Friday again to sail from Newport to Bronte.
Should be fun.  I did a couple days last year.  I find that a couple days out on the water is just about enough for me.  No matter how much sun block I slather on,  between the sun in the sky and the sun off the water,  I'm just a bit pooched after two days.  
Just the same,  I'll head back out on Friday.

Of course,  a lot of the participants simply live on their boats for the week,  which can be said of the skipper and one of the crew.  Like I said before,  I have very little desire. I guess I'm just at that point where,  I'd much prefer to sleep in me own bed.  Thanks.

Even when we had the RV,  I was still "sleeping in my own bed".   There's a lot to be said for that.

Speaking of sailing,  we're well into our Tuesday night outings.  We've pretty much sucked in terms of our performance on the race course,  but as was brought forth after our evening out this past week,  "we're getting a little bit too old for this".
Just the same,  I wear my knee pads and keep the Tylenol handy.  Not about to pack it in just yet.

(Of course,  most every Wednesday I wonder just why my knees are kinda hurtin'...)

I've only included this pic of one of our competitors sailing by before the start of the race to point out the colour of the sky there.
After the first leg I think it was,  we very quickly hauled out our foul weather gear,  since it proceeded to rain like crazy.   Of course,  even though we were relatively dry,  all the sails that we had up got soaked,  which means having to hoist everything up again once at the slip and wait patiently.
You might think that it was raining at the slip as well?   Well no.  Didn't get a drop on land,  where we needed it.

I guess that's all I got.   They're calling for good weather after today,  so that would be a good thing. Sailing in the rain is certainly do-able,  but just as happily avoided.
Hey,  who knows,  I might take some pictures?

Until next time.

Thanks for stopping by.