JACKIE SURVIVES ANOTHER BIRTHDAY

MON 29 AUG 2011 3:30pm  Jackie's birthday! We just had a wonderful meal at Me & Suzie's. Thin crust pizza and the best salad I've ever had. Spinach, nuts, berries, cheese, amazing. Jackie had a cocktail and I a draft. Then if that wasn't enough we traipsed down to the Roxy and had coffee and deep-fried ice cream. Diet be damned! This was birthday fare.

Jackie enjoying her birthday cocktail

 Me & Suzie's, Port Stanley

Patio at Me & Suzie's

I'm writing this by hand because I'm lounging in the tub preparing for an early-to-bed, a long day coming up tomorrow.  I figured if I waited until I got around to it on the computer it may never get done, so here I am scribbling away. It means I'll have to type it later but that's alright. At least it's getting done.

We had a surprise visit from Tara & Mike. Haven't seen them since they got back from out west. Met Tara when she was working at the native plant nursery where I also worked for a while. At the time Mike was studying in Montreal. And when that was done they married. Great couple. It was good to see them. They both are into nature so get what we are doing here.

On Saturday Lori and her daughter Logan came for another rare visit. Logan came armed with her fiddle and amazed us with her playing. She's 13 and already making money busking with her friends. (See Reel Young Fiddlers here). We went to Pt. Bruce for lunch and a walk on the beach.

Saturday night it was back to Duane Rutter presents at Neighbors to see him and Judi Rideout and the X Husbands. It was the last show of the series and they were swingin'!

Also on Sunday we had a long walk on the beach and got a lot of good glass. Found a nice yellow one and a grey one, both quite rare these days. I found an old Castoria bottle in perfect shape.

Much cooler now, feeling like Autumn. We've had a lot of rain this month so everything is growing like crazy. Grass, bushes, trees, vines. If I didn't keep cutting them back we would be trapped in an impenetrable woodland. They would only find us in the late fall when all the leaves depart. Our house (is a very very very fine house) is close to the road, but you can't see it from there (two cats in the yard; life used to be so hard).

I downloaded an e-book on photography. I've only read a bit but it looks good. It's probably much the same info I have in a dozen other places but there's always that urge to hear it in a new way. And the photos, all taken in travels around the world are great. It's a book for travelers, of course, but the techniques work well anywhere. And it's good to be like a tourist in your own area. Even if you're not taking photos or writing stories it's always good to look with fresh eyes on even the most common and mundane things. There really is a beauty in everything when combined with the right light or the right sound. A rusty piece of metal can become a work of art with the right light and shadow interplay. You don't have to be a photographer to see this, just have to want to see it.

31 AUG 2011 4:45pm  Everyone tried to ruin my day yesterday but today I'm risen above it. Went for breakfast, enjoyed every morsel.

EVERYTHING WORKS OUT IN THE END

SAT 06 AUG 2011 11:35am 
I worked 2 days this week. So I'm slightly worn by that. Both long days. It was a shock to get a call for the next day, usually she gives me a week or so to get prepared. It's nice at the first because we're just dropping off and not picking up empty racks.

The Quaker mag has an update on what the off-spring are doing. They all seem to be enjoying good socially-aware careers.

SUN 07 AUG 2011 12:22pm  Muggy again. I'm outside at the table, a pleasant little breeze ruffling my hair. Quiet in the neighbourhood except for the wind-towers and the odd motor vehicle attempting the land speed record. But, mostly it is quiet and I'm enjoying life as it was meant to be. The weather report shows stormy conditions for the whole week. But that can, and usually does, change. Jackie needs the car all week so I'm riding to work no matter what.

The mind isn't very reliable in this weather. It works to rule for the most part. If I think of something that needs doing I have to do it right away or it falls to the back of the line. And, believe me, it's a long line. But, everything gets done eventually. Did I mention my new motto I heard somewhere -Everything works out in the end; and if it hasn't worked out it isn't the end.

Saw the Dharlings last night at Neighbours. Excellent show, great food, generous friendly hosts.  It's really a treat having a place close by to go to on a Saturday night. And the Iron Spike ale is a plus.

WED 10 AUG 2011 6:47pm  Got to sleep through Sunday night because Joe called around midnight and said there wasn't a truck for me. One had a problem. So I got entirely too much sleep that night. Worked the last two days, long ones. In and out of storms a lot. Tomorrow is a short day.
Some shots of Port Bruce.

A BUSY WEEKEND

FRI 29 JULY 2011 5:32pm  Sitting in the Foodbasics' parking lot getting a bit of shade under a young maple. J is gone to meet her nephew Kris.

Earlier we went to Matt & Vanessa's new place. Took the 4th line across from Walker's Line and it's really scenic. A narrow twisting road almost lost among the trees. Their place is off the road a bit and stands out elegantly. An old house, two story, fixed up well. Very nice inside with the new paint job. Lots of wood trim and casement windows. Feels a bit like our place in Millgrove, those many years ago. The painter was there so we got to look around a bit. I'll see a lot more of it on Monday.

On Wednesday I went with Cindy & Mary to TO to see the Railway Children play. It is in a big tent next to the old Roundhouse which has old trains on display.

I'm attracted to trains I guess because they were around more when I grew up, but also because many of my family worked on the railroad. My paternal grandfather was an engineer, my father a fireman, for a time, my mother's father a car inspector, a number of uncles and even cousins worked at various jobs among the cinders. One winter while my Dad was off in the bush my Mother lived with 3 children in a tent beside the railroad in Temiskaming. She had a wood cook stove that used coal from the road-side. There is a picture of the tent, not sure where.

The play is set along a railroad track and the audience is on each side of it. A number of platforms were pushed along the tracks to become the setting for a particular scene. It was quite cleverly done. At a couple of key points in the story a very old engine and wooden club-car comes roaring into the building with smoke pouring from the stack. Very dramatic.  Went for dinner later with Cindy's sister and her 3 boys (young men, really), at JackAstors, the first time I've been there.

Cindy has put up a wood fence around their back yard and put Mary's sculptures and other artwork along it. And under the balcony overhang they have a gazebo. She's planning on a pond beside that. It looks great. She's been a lot busier than me.

SAT 30 JULY 2011 12:21pm  Kris treated us to a bite at William's  down at the waterfront in Hamilton. They sure have done an amazing job of making that area accessible and inviting. As Kris said you hardly know you're in Hamilton. When I lived just up the street there was nothing there but the Yacht Club and a lot of radio-active earth.

Kris had a podcast called Earth & Beyond  that uses a lot of my music. His new blog is here.  http://screamwave.libsyn.com/2011/06
Read it if you dare!
Yesterday morning we went to the Sunshine for breakfast and Jan and Dave came in. Had a good chat.

SUN 31 JULY 2011 4:02pm  And the fun keeps on. Went to Neighbours restaurant in Port Rowan last night with Jan & Dave to see a rare appearance by Jay Linden, another in the Duane Rutter presents series.  See and hear Jay Linden here.  Linda & Luis were down from Hamilton. It was good to see them; it's been a while. Jay sounded as good as ever, a true folkie.  Duane played along with him. This was his 5th gig that day so a bit on the tired side. I could tell because someone so full of stories as him couldn't come up with anything to say between songs. We had dinner this time and enjoyed it. We'll be back next week when the Dharlings take the stage. In all a great local experience.

Today we're feeling like maybe we've had enough holidaying and are ready to get back at whatever it is we do. Get the place cleaned up and re-organized. That's the first step, anyway. We'll see how that goes.
 Here are a few shots of Hamilton Harbour.