SUMMER MONTH #2, 2016

Road Trip- somewhere in Northern Ontario

Another month, another post. I know, long time no write. Lots to write about; but first, flashback to last summer.Taking a course, I spent every single day of the summer holidays glued to my the laptop or desk top computer, working away on a Kindergarten course with very little time to do anything else.

Fast forward to this summer, today is the first day the laptop has been on since my last post on July 12. This summer has been a completely different one. We have travelled to see friends and family, we have hosted friends and family, we have fished (and now I am hooked!) and swum in lakes, hiked on roads and trails, seen parts of North America for the first time, and made memories. And here are a few highlights

Week of July 10-16
We visited three of my husband's siblings at their homes in the area, replaced the transmission in the Jeep, and celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary with a fine Korean dinner prepared my my daughter and her boyfriend.

Week of July 17-23
We spent July 20 on the road to and from Cambridge to partake in a picnic honouring our grandson's fifth birthday. The setting was a beautiful park and the characters included Son #1, Grandson #1, Grand daughter #1, Husband #1, and a few friends. The story included a lovely picnic lunch and an afternoon of hunting for crayfish in the stream. We were up to our knees in water which ended up looking at the creatures through magnifying glasses.

This boy is now five years old! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

We also spent a delightful time at my friend Mary's, where we enjoyed catching up with her and her husband in northern Lanark County. My husband toured the land in a Kubota (which was air conditioned, while I enjoyed several hours with a good friend.

July 24th
July is a month of birthdays in our family and we celebrated our daughter's a couple of days early. Dinner included my husband's butter chicken, naan bread, Sri Lankan vegetables, and my grandmother's chocolate cake.

July 25th-26th
Up bright and early we drove from Maberly to the Best Northern Motel near Wawa, Ontario. It was a gorgeous twelve hour drive up highway 17. We landed in Wawa in time for dinner and a great night's sleep.

The next morning we shopped for our fishing trip (more about that later) visited with our friend Emily and her family and spent some time hanging out at Hawk Air.

Hawk Lake

July 27th-31st
Remote Fly-In Fishing at Mozambik Lake and Trout Lake in Northern Ontario was amazing! Three solid days of sunrise to sunset sunshine, clear blue sky, fantastic fishing, beautiful boating, and a little bit of swimming brought peace to my heart and calm to my spirit. I even caught one BIG one!

Sunrise!

My pike netted by my husband. 

July 30th
After returning to Hawk Air and saying fond farewells to Kelly and his nephews, we headed west toward North Dakota. We stayed overnight in Fort Francis at the Copper River Inn. This border town was within four hours of our destination in Grand Forks, where our daughter is moving for the next two years.

Sunflower field in Minnesota

July 31st
Crossing into the USA was interesting as we had all of our fishing gear, a cooler, our dog, and a packed truck. It must have sounded strange to say we lived in Maberly, but were coming from Wawa and heading to Grand Forks to help our daughter move into her new house. After several questions and consequent answers, we were allowed in to Minnesota. The farmland there was wonderful. At around 2 pm we pulled in to a motel in Grand Forks and met our daughter, who had travelled directly to Grand Forks from Ontario. We shared a meal, and enjoyed swapping stories from the previous week.A few fish tales were told, but we had picture evidence!

These two on a new adventure in ND

August 1st
Our daughter's house purchase closed on this day and we were able to help her move in a few things. The rest of the day was spent decided what work could be done on the house in preparation for the bigger move in a week later.

Chestnut Street

August 2-4 
Our original plan to drive to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore and The Badlands was replaced with helping clean the kitchen, prepare walls for painting, and taking up old carpeting in the above house. We enjoyed helping out, as each day brought new problems to solve and more coffees to drink.
.

Tim's in Grand Forks ND-
 two medium with mild + two extra large ice coffees,
to go!

August 4-5
After saving approximately 20 hours of driving (to South Dakota), we headed12 hours east from Grand Forks and spend the night in Janesville, Wisconsin. Again beautiful farmland countryside. The next morning we were up bright and early and headed to Kalamzooo, Michigan. My Uncle and Aunt moved there nine years ago, and it was the perfect reason to stop in to see them. Because they are not on email of Facebook, the trip was planned through regular old fashioned mail service and telephone calls.It was so exciting to see them after so many years. We also visited with my cousin, his wife, and met his daughter for the first time. 

Me and my hubby and my uncle and aunt

My cousin and some of his family

August 6-13
After a great visit with extended family in Kalamazoo, we drove fourteen hours to Cambridge, ON for a visit with our son and his two darlings. Grandchildren are amazing. lovable, and engaging. We had a superb breakfast at a local diner, after which we continued our trek home! 

Upon arrival at home, we looked at the list of things we had not yet accomplished, and number one on mine was picking up my "bike" from the shop and going for a ride. After remembering the locations of the brakes, clutch and accelerator, I ventured out on the road for the four kilometre ride. The hills and curves on a sunny Sunday morning were exciting, and I made it home in one piece. I am still not totally comfortable on the bike, but the next few days will give me time to practise for next summer's anticipated and more frequent rides. 

My favourite mode of transport- besides swimming!

On Monday after our return home, my younger sister came by for a few days. After two successful battles with cancer and now in need of a hip replacement, my admiration for her courage and resilience grows each day. Her positive attitude in times of trouble is indeed an inspiration. Happily my brother from Ottawa was able to come for dinner and it was a great reunion. By the way, he is camera shy!

My little sister visits

Golds -100 Freestyle- Canadian teenager ties with American!

I was also inspired by the Olympics in Brazil this summer. A huge congratulations to all of Team Canada for your outstanding performances. Such determination and dedication is incredible. Congratulations!

Our friends' daughter- going in to grade 1! 

This past weekend we enjoyed the visit from former neighbours here on the lake. I believe it is about to become an annual tradition (similar to the fly-in fishing experience), where our sweet friends come to spend some well deserved time "back" on the lake. It is an honour to watch their young daughter growing up.

Moving forward, I am down to just four more days of holidays before heading back to the Middle East to continue my teaching. It is with mixed emotions that I write. I am thankful for a calm and restful summer holiday. I am excited to return to a steady job doing exactly what I love to do. However, I am sad that the best summer ever has almost ended, and that once again I will be away from my family for an extended period of time.

But, I have promises to keep, a contract to fulfil, and several health related goals to achieve.

Hoping to write more regularly during the 2016-17 school year, I am visualising a successful first semester and a return trip to Canada in time for Christmas holidays.

Until next time, wishing you well, and as always,

Bee Rich

PS Parting shot and thought...

When we are apart, it is good to remember this....
We all live under this same beautiful sky
with the same Sun shining down upon us.
  -Bee

SUMMER MONTH #1, 2016

Home sweet home in Maberly

It has been exactly one month since writing the last post about mindfulness. I am happy to report that I have had more mindful days than mindless ones, and that they have been thoroughly enjoyable. A typical day includes sleeping in until 6 or 7 am and then dozing until 8 or 9, when my best friend a.k.a. husband brews and brings me a cup of coffee before I finally laze my way out of the bedroom into the kitchen to prepare the second cup. The morning rushes by with either a swim in the lake or a little house cleaning, and the afternoon can include a visit with neighbours, a boat ride, or a fishing adventure.

Edith, next door neighbour who brought fresh strawberries!

You might ask how many actual typical days have we had so far this summer?  The answer would be not too many. This summer I am not taking a course, so I was determined to catch up with people with whom I am out of touch while teaching abroad. The list is long, but over the past four weeks, we have managed to visit with several friends and family members. Unfortunately I did not get picture evidence of each visit; however this is what I recall...

First on the list was my big brother, Richard, in Ottawa- Lunch or dinner out with my him is always a treat and keeps me in stitches, comedian that he is!

My sister-in-law, Penney and her husband, Clifford, from Cardinal cam for the first weekend after I arrived home. We had great fun catching up and fishing.

Later that week my friend, Mary was coming in to town for a Dream Weavers meeting and we met for late afternoon coffee at a restaurant Michael's Table. So much to catch up on that we are going to meet later this summer with our hubbies in tow.

Our next door neighbours and other friends here at the lake- It is true that neighbours become friends when we share drinks, snacks, meals and laughs. We complain that the weather is too wet, too dry, too cool or too warm, but our times are happy ones.

We went down to Brockville to visit with former next door neighbours, Erin, Oak, and their darling daughter Ruby. My oh my children really grow in the space of one year!

My step father, Jim, in Cornwall is working on getting his house back in shape after a few years of neglect. Now THAT was an interesting visit!

Some new and old friends at the pool in Perth- I popped in to the pool in Perth when the weather was too cool for a lake swim. Happily I ran into Rod, the Head Coach of the successful swim club there and a few other aquatic people.

Lindsay and Phil in Lakefield- On the way to Collingwood, I drove Highway 7 and dropped in on Lindsay and Phil, friends since our Egypt days and spent a lovely time with them and their two amazing little girls.

Cheryl in the Town of the Blue Mountains- I had been meaning to see Cheryl, a swimming/coaching friend from Collingwood and fortunately we were able to spend the better half of a day exploring the Village at Blue and catching up with one another's lives.We even happened across a mutual friend having a coffee out on a patio and two former swimmers.

Cheryl's new wheels!

Ron and Cheryl- Masters Swimmers Extraordinaire

Val, a former teaching colleague in Collingwood- Still actively involved at Connaught Public School, Val is now the teacher-librarian. She also organized this year's staff party, and I was able to attend.

Former principal, Betty, and Val

Valerie! Teacher extraordinaire

A pack of Connaught Cougars, including James and Melinda, two retiring teachers, partied in the evening at their annual staff party. The school has a reputation for writing excellent farewell songs, and this year was no different! Thanks Cougars for the delightful time!

Melinda and James- Good bye tension, hello pension!

Delightful singing!

Karen, next door neighbour from Collingwood was one of my long lost friends (how can it possibly be ten years?) from Collingwood days. On a whim I looked up her number and left a message on her answering machine, thinking I might not hear from her; but sure enough, she returned my call and we had a lovely visit before my drive back home. We reminisced about our days on Beech Street, caught up with family news, and enjoyed coffee and conversation.

Karen, neighbour and friend for many years!

Evelyn, a sister-in-law in Barrie, is recovering at home from medical issues, and I enjoyed catching up with her and friends who have been providing wonderful care.

My Aunt Ruth from Seneca Falls NY turned 89 on July 4th. To celebrate her eldest daughter arranged a weekend of fun and family. Dinner out on Saturday night and and afternoon of laughter on Sunday.

The Great Lady- Aunt Ruth!

Cousins Jon, Steve, Dan and Mark from Connecticut were in on the dinner and the Sunday fun. These four camped at Sampson State Park, biked to the nearest brewery spot, and entertained up with lots of stories.

Cousin, Joy, and her husband George- always close to my aunt, these two are amazing people who make my heart sing.

Second cousins Martha, Mitch, and Jane, as well as Martha's children Musika and Vai from Liverpool, New York were also on hand at the dinner and house parties, and as usual, provided free entertainment.

Ten of the sixteen diners at the Crow's Nest in Seneca Falls

My cousins Bob, Kim and Sue, and their families from upstate New York met at Bob's place on Sunday for the Fourth of July weekend on Keuka Lake. Having recently touched based on Facebook, I was honoured to spend an all too short amount of time catching up with them

Our daughter Sara, and her boyfriend, Kristian from Oklahoma are spending much of July at the Lake before beginning their next chapter in Grand Forks North Dakota, where Sara will be studying.

Our son Nathan, and his two children, Mac and Everly from Cambridge arrived this past weekend and spent three whole nights! They discovered moths on the deck, fish in the lake, paddleboating, and reading with Grandma and Grandpa. It was GRAND!

Mac and Ev reading together

Love this through the screen shot !

Ready for s'mores!

My sister-in-law, Audrey, in Chesterville went out for lunch with us yesterday at the best little restaurant in town.

We then went to the "home place" where my husband's eldest brother-in-law George and are both recovering from illnesses. After reading for months about her struggle, it was superb to see Beverley doing so well in Williamsburg.

Not only have we had a great time with many of these people, we are also anticipating even more travel ad relationship renewing during the coming weeks. More about that in SUMMER Month #2, 2016.

The following are a few pictures I took at Harbourview Park in Collingwood. As time passes, the trees have grown, the wetlands are more prolific, and the views are splendid! A huge thanks to the people who envisioned this area so many years ago. Amazing!

The most beautiful area in town!

Collingwood Terminals

The Boardwalk

Wetland Habitat for many creatures!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

PS Anticipating many more visits over the next month!  Hooray for Summer!

Easter Sunday 2014

There is something about the Easter weekend that always fills my heart with hope.  This year's spring time holiday has not been disappointing, especially since we have endured such a long, cold and snowy winter season.

Here it is the twentieth day of April.  There is still snow on the ground and ice on the lake.  The temperature continues to drop below zero degrees Celsius each night and snow tires are still on the vehicles in our driveway.

We went for a walk down the road today.  We heard and then saw a woodpecker high in the trees. We saw black and grey and red squirrels scurrying through the bush.  A chipmunk or two chattered breezily on a neighbour's deck.  We saw some open water on the lake near a neighbour's dock.

Reluctantly, winter is losing its battle with spring.

I have been coughing for almost two months.  Hopefully this virus will also lose its battle with spring.

We are building a small addition on our house.  We decided it was time that we have a place to store coats, boots, hats and mitts.  Once it is completed in about a month I will begin spring cleaning in earnest. Until then we will have to put up with the dust from the saw and other construction debris.

Even at work I am beginning to be more organized. It is definitely a time of year to begin anew.  And that is what I plan to do.

Until next time,

Bee Rich

When Sunday is Saturday

Sometimes I am confused.  Today is actually Sunday, but because I am now working on Saturday, Sunday has become Saturday around home. Monday is now my second day of the weekend.  Today as I was cleaning the house I had a sudden feeling of panic...I am cleaning the house and I should be at work.  I work on Saturdays, don't you remember?  Then it dawned on me, I am just confused.

That reminded me a little of the week that just passed.  Last weekend was Thanksgiving and after work on Saturday we drove to visit our grandchildren and their parents.  The visit was awesome. The children are growing and I am so thankful to be able to spend some time with them on my days off.

On Tuesday I returned to work and taught an aqua fitness class.  It was supposed to be a gentle class, but I got a little carried away. I had planned a new routine that included too much jumping and several participants had sore calves.

Wednesday was the long day.  I arrived for the 7:00 a.m. start and then worked until 8:00 p.m. teaching swimming lessons.  Arriving home on these evenings I am so thankful that my husband is there to meet and greet and feed me!

Thursdays start later and fortunately I finish earlier so I can catch dinner with my husband.

Fridays are early mornings again and this past week I had to cover for a guard who was ill and worked until 8 p.m.

So, by Saturday morning it took a couple of cups of coffee to drag myself to the Jeep and head to work.  I realized I needed gasoline for the so pulled up to the first gas station, which is about 25 minutes from home. I found my debit card, hopped out of the vehicle, pumped the gas and returned to the driver's side to head off to work, only to discover that I had locked my keys inside.

Fortunately, I knew my husband was awake and working in the garage and I had my cell phone in my pocket. Unfortunately, he did not have his cell phone on, so I had to call a neighbour to run over to ask him if he could come and unlock the Jeep.  Fortunately, the neighbour was up and was happy to help out. Within 30 minute I was back on the road, on time to jump in the pool for Aqua fitness and then teach four classes of swim lessons.

Below is a copy of a recent article in the Smiths Falls EMC Record, which pretty well sums up my experience so far at the pool.  I am calling this my retirement job and am thinking that my life has gone full circle.  And for all of this, I am so thankful for the people in my life: family, friends, neighbours, pool patrons and colleagues, both past and present.

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Make New Friends and Keep the Old...

One is silver and the other is gold!

Today is our daughter's last day of her Canadian holiday and I must say that it has been a wonderful treat having her here. 

Our neighbour suggested that we have a "going away" party for her so that was yesterday's event. It was a wonderful day of cooking, baking, socializing and catching up with some friends and family members. 

My brother from Ottawa arrived with organic eggs, fresh corn, and a bottle of port. The eggs and corn were a last minute text request, even though he had asked me earlier, "What can I bring?" and my reply was "Just yourself." My apology was accepted!

The eggs enabled me to finish the coconut macaroons that I had started earlier in the morning. 

An hour later a young lady from our Collingwood days arrived.  She was married on the weekend of our family reunion and now lives just to the south of us.  It had been years since a face-to-face visit and needless to say, it was amazing to see her and catch up. She and our daughter were born just two days apart and have often been mistaken for sisters. 

Reunion of  two beautiful friends!

The next guest to arrive were our next door neighbours, who always add a bit of excitement by bringing their effervescent selves to events.  After hugs all around, we settled down to a lovely meal of Gigantico burgers, fresh lake bass, corn on the cob, scalloped potatoes, barbecued vegetables and coconut cookies for dessert. As I write, I realize that the salad I had prepared earlier in the day was never brought out of the refrigerator. 

And the bottle of port sits on the kitchen counter awaiting our next guests...

I am reminded of the kindness of others, the joy of reuniting with friends of old, the fellowship of sharing a meal together and just how fortunate we are to live in this beautiful country. 

Safe travels, wherever you are going in life!

Until next time, 

Bee Rich

Saturday!

Life at he lake includes neighbours and dogs...

Summer holidays brings a string of "Saturdays." Rain or shine, each day feels like a Saturday, traditionally the last day of the week, preceding the Sabbath. For me and my husband, every day is a new day during the holidays, ripe and ready to be enjoyed.
So, when a real Saturday rolls around it's interesting to take account of the others days of the week that have quickly passed by.

• Sunday- was time to say b-bye to our weekend company- family and friends from the family reunion. 
• Monday- dump day- we gathered up the recycling and other items, loaded up the truck and delivered the waste to our nearest recycling centre. 
• Tuesday-walking day- I took my first big hike (3 or so km) to Hanna Road and back. 
• Wednesday-doctor day- we had our first visit to our new doctor's office
• Thursday-rainy day- we burned brush at the "cottage" (our daughter's new place)
• Friday- I had a good long swim
• Saturday-cleaned up the brush around a parking area and enjoyed a neighbourhood dinner party.

The days fly by and so do the weeks. However, the routines of lake life are never boring:

• I swim, hike, clean and read and my husband goes fishing.
• This morning I witnessed two hummingbirds feeding at our flowers. 
• We have coffee in the morning and happy hour in the afternoon with neighbours who are also our friends. 
• Tomorrow my brother will visit and another week of Saturdays will begin again! 

This has proven to be a summer of contentment.  I am learning to enjoy each moment. I hope you are too!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Gardens attract the birds and the bees just outside the kitchen windows. 

Lilies in the lake

All goes back to the earth,

and so I do not desire

pride of excess or power,

but the contentments made

by men who have had little:

the fisherman's silence

receiving the river's grace,

the gardener's musing on rows....

~Wendell Berry, "The Want of Peace"

I LOVE My Life!

Chocolate Cheesecake, compliments of a neighbour!

          You may think that life on a cottage road in the middle of Winter could be boring.  Well, sir, let me tell you that this past weekend was the best.   Company arrived on Friday and brought a delicious dinner.  Saturday was sunshiny and warm. The men spent most of the day on the ice and both the perch (keepers) and the bass (non-keepers) were hooked.  The neighbour brought over a lovely dessert and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with my hubby's sister and husband and neighbours. 

The Family Day Weekend Gathering on the Lake!

Our Neighbour's Grandson, double ice fishing!

Neighbours and Friends
Relaxing by the Fire after
Skating, Bowling and Fishing!

Then on Sunday the neighbours from across the Lake organized a gathering on the ice.  There was skating around a smooth oval, bowling on the ice, ice fishing, and relaxing and catching up around the fire.  What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Monday was Family Day here in Ontario.  It was a day for me to catch up on my course, tidy the house, do the laundry and prepare for a little more occasional teaching. 

I am so fortunate and happy to have a little balance in my life these days. 



Until next time,


Bee Rich

Our Brother-in-Law Caught a Bass
(and then returned it to the cold water)

The Party Revisited!

My Aunt, me and my Mom at the bonfire

      We thoroughly enjoyed hosting a birthday celebration/family reunion for my mom's #80, made especially special because the following people attended:

• Mom and her husband
• Mom's sister
• Cousins from the USA- New York and Connecticut
• Younger sister
• Older brother
• Son and daughter-in-law and grandson
• Brother-in-law
• Mom's bffs
• Next door neighbours

The food was great, too, including the cake! 

I love my family!

Bee Rich

Carrot cake from The Sunflower Bakeshop - the other fire!