Weeks 3 & 4

The Summer is rolling by quickly.

We have been swimming almost everyday and playing a lot of after dinner badminton which has been fun for us all! We have also been throwing darts this summer - Matt really likes that.

A recent visitor to the tree in front of our deck gets Matt out of bed one night and after grabbing his camera he gets the shot of the midnight Bandit grooming!

An evening paddle alone on the river brought me close to a few beavers and their Kits! I sat quietly in the canoe taking photos and video (a bit shaky) of the busy creatures as they worked on their house and ate the bark off a few twigs - here the beaver is eating bark much like we would corn on a cob!

We spent a nice afternoon with Linda and Bill at their cottage - where we celebrated Matts Grade School Grad with a lovely cake from Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill (even if they can't spell in Minden!) 

Last Monday we spent the day driving Matthew to Cobourg to catch the Via Train to Montreal for the week to visit his grandparents for the week! As the train arrives the Tag he is wearing is to ID him as an "Unaccompanied Minor" supposedly so Via staff can keep an eye on him, it also tells everyone else on the train he is alone which for some younger, less muscular kids might not be such a great idea!

The early morning drive to Cobourg was beautiful as we took a route along the West side of Pigeon Lake South of Bobcaygeon. After Matt's train departed, Deb and I took a stroll along the beach in Cobourg and then stopped for lunch on our drive back to the cottage at a diner in Milbrook, a little town with many huge Victorian homes and a quaint tiny main street.

The week has gone by quickly for Deb and I with many swims, walks, and a short hike in the woods - where we really noticed how incredibly dry the forest is without any rain in July.

Deb harvested her first ever Garlic crop - the buds are a bit small but the aroma is very pungent as they dry in the bunkie.

I also continued work on the cottage - my current project is making baseboard and door frames. Using 10 ft long 1x4 pine and sending them through a router to create a nice milled edge. Once I get about 20 done, I'll be able to get most of the cottage trimmed up!

There have been many great meals - including one the night before Matt left at Lili and Johns down the road. On our way back from Haliburton today we stopped at a local country butcher and bought some huge Scallops. Fried in butter along with onions they were a great treat! We are planning to host a few neighbours next week for dinner when WynneAnne is visiting.



 We are slowly collecting a variety of interesting twigs and things around the deck!


Tomorrow I am planning (weather permitting) to canoe from our dock to Kinmount with Two of our neighbours - Sharron and Lynne. We did the trip last summer with friends, it takes about 4-5 hours and involved two portages - one around the nicest set of Falls in the Haliburton Highlands - Three Brothers Falls!