Third night of updates...

Can you believe it? I have absolutely no time this week yet am getting my blog caught up !!

Ok so where did I end yesterday....Oh yea, the long weekend in August. Ok so I had to return back to work on the Monday (Civic Holiday)and found out that I would only be doing *my* job for one more day and then I would be in training for three weeks. Classes start at 7am. Crap, that means I have to get up at 5am!! *GaSp* Regardless, I have been able to arise on time and have not been late at all.

So the second weekend of August is Poker Run Weekend and we had made plans to slip on down to Ktown just to see the big, loud, gas-guzzling boats. That morning I had promised to help out at a book sale for the radio station I work at. The night before I did my radio show after a one week holiday and man was I tripping over my tongue! Oh well, its not like I'm getting paid for this...And its suppose to be a NO PRESSURE NO STRESS activity. We had a HUGE pile of books and the majority of them were grabbed up by the many customers that stopped by that morning. I didn't do a lot but I tried to help. The woman who was running cash said I was helpful so I am satisfied with that.

Even though I had to hand back my favourite camera at work, I have still been using my poor little damaged Nikon 3200. The battery hatch is broken and I am currently holding them in with a red elastic. It looks tacky but it works. Peter Trueman was doing his Saturday morning show so I took the opportunity to take a few pictures of him and Terry Culbert (Program Director at CJAI) and Peter as they kept us informed.

And here is Terry with the 'outdoor' microphone and Tom the station manager.


After I caught the 11 back home, we got packed up and hit the waterways over to the backbeach of Amherst Island. Billy jumped out and wiped down the boat while I sat in the sun and read. Then we decided to drive slowly around the back side of the island as it was calm and we had yet to travel all the way around yet this season. When we got down to the foot, we found it was still calm so we carried on to Kingston. It was KAZOO as there were boats of all sizes and types EVERYWHERE. I couldn't believe that there was a sailboat regatta happening at the same time as the poker run and they were very close together. There were many other boats just observing, so it made for a very cluttered waterway. We went around the backside of Cedar Island and threw the anchor for the last 30 minutes of the poker run. The finish line was right in front of us so we did managed to see the last 25 or so boats cross it. As we went to leave, it was another traffic jam as we heard the Wolfe Islander honk its horn as it tried to leave the dock. At the same time a dozen poker run boats were traveling right into the path of not only the ferry, but the island star cruise boat. (My brother just happened to be cooking on this particular trip so he can confirm the traffic jam) There were a group of blowboaters (sailboats) trying to come into Confederation Basin at the same time as the very LOUD poker run boats. We just floated for awhile till it was safe to cross. I couldn't believe even the ferry was packed with people that day:

We went over to the cottage afterwards for dinner and then came home to pack up for a long trip to Main Ducks Island the next day. If you know where the Lennox Generating Station is just West of Bath, you just travel 32 miles due South (by water) and you will find these islands that are uninhabited and have been the wreck of many a ship over the last few hundred years. The rum runners used to stay there till 'the coast was clear' when they were transporting their wares from point A to point B. Believe it or not, I have read quite a few books about this place over the years. The lake has always been a main source of interest to me. We followed Roger, Roberta & Jim and tried to get behind them as the waves were beating our little boat quite badly once we were way out in the big lake. That didn't work so well as I was beginning to feel kind of woozy when we got there almost an hour later. But what a treat that place is. Here is a shot as we entered the small bay where the only dock is.

The guys got out for a walk to take some pictures of the ruins of a small shack that a friend of theirs burned down last year in an attempt to send up an SOS as his two other friends were drowning in the high waves in their kayaks. Roberta wanted to go for a swim in that little bay till I spotted a baby water snake. So once the guys got back from their stroll, we traveled over to another small cove for a swim and a bite to eat. As usual, Billy made us all some Cajun chicken wraps which were very much appreciated.
Here is a picture I took there that I call Natures Steps:

The ride back took longer as the wind had picked up quite a bit. So our three hour tour was more like a 4.5 hour cruise:) I was very happy to be back around the gap and convinced Billy to make a side trip over to Stella Bay just for the hell of it. We traveled a bit further to snoop around Popular Dell. This place is always good for a lovely summer picture:

We went to the cottage for dinner and then back home to get ready for an early workday on Monday.

Long Weekend on the water

Yes, it was a beautiful civic holiday weekend...The sun was out and there was not a cloud in the sky. Of course we celebrated that by spending the entire day on the dock and in the water. Bert was kind enough to entertain us with her tubing skills. I was the spotter so of course I had to have my camera in my hand. Our friend Kenny brought his video camera so he got some awesome footage of Roberta bouncing across the lake.

Our friends Richard and Herbie showed up in Ricks boat and we had a small art viewing on the dock to try and keep up to their fine Odessa standards. Can you guess what the subject matter is displayed in this canvas?

Its funny the lengths we go to to protect our men. Here is a picture of my friend Judy protecting Pa's family jewels:

And at the end of a very exhausting weekend, poor Pa passed out on the couch. I thought it so kind of his friend Billy to assist in painting his fingernails black. Can you not tell how deep this friendship is?

I had to work on the 'holiday' Monday, so I had no way of extending my holidays by one more day. Having a bunch of our friends around us for the weekend was definitely cause for celebration!

'Our Holidays! (Part Two)

Yes, once a year, Billy and I take a 10 day holiday together. This year we/HE decided we would go visit my Aunt and Uncle who live in Gore Bay, which is on Manitoulin Island. We decided to go in the middle of the week as the long weekend would prove to be a traffic nightmare. Suffice to say, it was one of the hottest weeks of the summer and on Monday we packed up the lawn chairs and a few cans of beer and headed out to the park across from the invests plant for the afternoon. We managed to find a spot under the trees where it was shady and windy. The dip in the lake didn't really cool us off but the wind certainly did! We didn't want to leave.

The next day (Tuesday) was even hotter so we headed over to the cottage just in time to see LB and Jimmie doing some insulation work upstairs. It was stifling hot so we convinced them that the dock was the place to be! Jim was kind enough to show us his latest Stupid Pet Trick that he had taught the ducks. Its called 'EatTheSandwich' :

And to end the day, we witnessed a lovely sunset!

That night I spent 3 hours, in the sweltering heat, ironing our clothes for our trip. The next morning we got up at 6am and left the house by 8 for a long 12+ hours on the road. Billy decided to NOT take any major highways, so we took backroads all the way to the trans Canada highway. He was very good in the fact that we needed to stop at least once every 2 hours for a break and here is a picture of a lovely place called French river.

When we finally got to Uncle Bobby's house at 9 at night, we spent the next few hours looking at some of my Mom's old pictures that I had remembered to bring to see if they recognized any of the people in the black and white shots. We had a few glasses of wine then I went to bed. It was a very long day and I was beat. How kind of my relatives to give us a place to crash for the next two nights! We were just going to go to a bed and breakfast but they insisted. So the next day we got up early and Aunt Joan and I swapped some computer programs and I managed to get my blog working on her laptop. How convienent it was that she had a highspeed connection that I could use! Here is a picture that Billy took of us 'geeking'.

Once we were pried from our laptops, we took a 5 hour trip around the island to see all the sights. There is a look out spot high on a hill and I took this shot that actually looks like a post card:

Seeing as we were on holidays, we had to play the tourists! We visited this beautiful spot called Bridal Veil Falls. What a gorgeous spot:

Then we hit the beach but it was closed:( It was a beautiful spot though:

We stopped at a quaint dinner and had a delicious white fish lunch/dinner. We headed back to the house and had a late dinner of salads and cold meat and buns. None of us were very hungry but we managed to eat some. We sat out in the dining tent and had a few more glasses of wine before I had to go to bed. The next day we had to get up at 6 to leave by 7am to be at the ferry for 8am. Oh, before I get to that, here is a picture Billy took of my Uncle Bobby with an old license plate he found:

It was like being at home, we raced to catch the ferry! But this ferry was very different to the Amherst Island Ferry. This ferry was 4 levels and once you parked your vehicle below, you had to go upstairs to one of the many beautiful lounges. Here is a picture I took from the top of the ferry as we left the dock from the island:

The 2 hour trip through Lake Huron was very relaxing and entertaining. In many spots there was nothing but water as a view....no land in site. Where we sat, we could see on the big screen GPS where we were in relation to where we were going. Although I never got any pictures of the entire ferry from the outside, Billy took a few shots from one of the outer decks:

And seeing as we were acting like tourists, here (in Tobermory) is a typical lighthouse picture for ya:

Now we had planned on going on a few sightseeing tours when we got to Tobermory, but it was the Friday of the long weekend and when we got back to the mainland, it was packed with tourists and bikers. We decided to travel south to Owen Sound, where we stopped for lunch at Timmies. It was at that time we started to head east, and took backroads back home. According to our map, if we took the long way around, we would travel the 'scenic route'. Well, even though the map was a 2007 version, this scenic road was packed with trees therefore we could not see the water at all. We did find one little spot where there was a lookout called Skinner Bluff. This is the beginning of the Niagara Escarpment. Naturally I had to take a pic:

Somewhere along the way we passed a 'crop' of wind generators. They looked very odd and creepy, in a way. I really hope these things done pop up over on Amherst Island as they really are UGLY:

We made it home just after 8 pm which meant we had spent over 13 hours on the road. So to sum it all up, we were gone from our house for 60 hours and spent 32 hours traveling in the car. Yes it was fun and I am happy to say that after all that map reading I am still married to mister C:)
Next time we plan a road trip, I will insist it will be less miles and more time involved.

One month later....

Yes, I have been negligent...I have not updated my blog as I have been toooooo busy living life to the fullest! July and august are the two months of the year where I take all my holidays, therefore I am not at home a lot nor do I have the time to scribe my exploits. (damn...That almost made me sound important!)

So lets see...on Friday July 28th, I had arranged with Kyle Murray to do part of my radio show with him. He has the 10pm-12 midnight slot at CJAI on Friday and Saturday nights...We had talked about getting together sometime as we have similar tastes in music. It was a hoot...We did 2 hrs together and even had some people show up and take pictures of us on the air. Kyle showed me how to use the CD players on the air and I instructed him in the ways of HAL...The computer that runs the station. The thing with playing CD's is that you have to scribe exactly what songs and the artists that you have played. I prefer to allow the computer to log it for me. So we had an eventful 2 hours and instead of taking the 10 boat home, I took the 11. Here is a picture that Terry Culbert (CJAI Program Director) took of us with my camera:

The next day we had a family reunion for Bill's family at our local legion. It was very educational and a lot of fun. The local news paper was there to take a picture of all 109 of us. Once I scan it I will put it here:

Here is a picture of our nephew Brent Bell and his fiancee Jenna. After discussing all the concerts I had been to since I saw him last, Jenna ended up calling me the 'cool aunt!'

The next day (Sunday) was sunny and calm so we spent the day on the boat and at the cottage. Its funny how the duck family we fed for the 2 months feel comfortable enough now to just come up on the dock with us:

In fact, they eat right out of our hands in the water too:

So that is the end of July...a great month for boating, tanning and swimming! I believe this picture sums it all up:

What I did on my summer vacation.

or at least the last half of it!

Lets see, Monday i stayed home and cleaned the house. When Billy got home, we went down to finkles park with a box of chicken. The water was barely cold enough to cool off our sweating bodies but the wind was a definite bonus. We sat there for 3 hrs and certainly didn't want to leave. Tuesday was market day ... I took a side trip to my aunt's house and when I got home, I did the laundry, weeded the garden and vacuumed the entire house.

Wednesday was shopping day. I managed to score some awesome sales at the Cat Center and Cotton Ginny's. Due to the fact that I was already in the city, I decided to get my oil changed at COndies and see what can be done with my car predicament. After three hours, the service manager came out to tell me that the next time I bring my car in for an oil change, they will replace the intake manifold gasket as GM is now covering the cost of replacement due to an impending law suit in North America. Let me say, it certainly helps to put up a fuss and make the company aware of issues that you are not happy with. It has certainly worked so far in my case.

Billy came home early on Wednesday afternoon so we went for an early dinner at the Legion and then went for a boat ride around 3pm. We managed to make it out to the Jenna Lambert flotilla and as we watched this young disabled struggle to cross the lake, it certainly makes one put things in perspective. I wanted to jump in and swim with her however there were so many boats and people around her, we couldn't get close enough to even ask. Here is a zoomed in picture:

We took a side trip to Confederation Basin and found this huge ocean cruise ship docked in where the Island Queen usually is. My brother said this beast is over 200 feet long!

On the way home, we stopped in at John and Sues place. Their neighbour was there and decided to play photographer. So here is a picture of the four of us:

On Thursday I rested as I knew that I was off to the Krock Party Cruise with my hairdresser Joanie and some of her crazy friends. It was so hot that I was sweating after I got out of a cold shower. It was so funny to see all the people I knew on this cruise. Two girls I once worked with at Bell, one young man named Mitchell

that I met online and worked with for a short time, a bunch of people that I work with now, a guy I worked with for 3 months in 1996 at Altair Electronics and a lovely lady that I met online 8 months ago but had never met face to face till that night. Her name is Christine and I feel like we have known each other for ages. Here is a picture of us on the boat:

On Friday Billy took off for his deer camp to do some repairs and I got up late (as I didn't get home till 2am after driving 3 drunks females home) and got my music together for my radio show that night. I also took the afternoon to finish a book I had started back in May. So now I can say that I have (finally) read The DaVinci Code! We went to the Legion for dinner and I sat outside by myself as the guys sat inside and yapped.
Saturday was a rainy dreary day so I worked and cleaned all day long. I cleaned the basement and even vacuumed all 4 floors of the house. I decided I needed to be rewarded for this so I went to see James Mckenty and The Spades at The Merchant that night. I met up with my friend Tina there and she was kind enough to take a bunch of pictures for me and of me. Here is one of me and the band after the first set:


The place was packed and at one point in time I realized that Kirk Muller was standing right beside me and Paul Langois from The Tragically Hip was sitting right across the table from me. Even my favourite Prince Edward County girl Emily Fennel was in the house. I managed to have quite a conversation with her and I think we may be able to get her over to the Island for a show at The Lodge and/or a recording at the radio station. What a sweet lady she is....She even posed for a picture with me:

Here is a cool picture I took at 2 in the morning from the parking lot where my car was parked:

The next day I dragged my butt out of bed at 9 and we were on the water by 11am in the boat. It started off as a beautiful sunny day as we slipped over to the back beach. Billy washed the bottom of the boat and I swam around him in circles. The water was actually refreshing and I didn't want to leave. We went across the gap and took our time viewing the beautiful shoreline of Prince Edward County. We stopped for lunch and a quick drink and then took off again for a short time till the black clouds formed overhead and we were chased down the lake by a looming thunderstorm.
It certainly was a short week, even though it was 10 days long:) In three more days Billy and I will be on holidays and I certainly hope the time goes a bit slower.

Holiday Week #1 is now over 50% complete!

Its pretty bad when you cant get percentages out of your head when you are away from work for a week! However, I have had a great week weather-wise but not so great dollar-wise:) Last weekend Billy had to work all weekend doing inventory therefore I had to drive over to the cottage both Saturday and Sunday. It seemed weird not having our boat tied to the dock but I guess you make due with a lawnchair as your sunpad when the boat is not available.

On Saturday I stopped at the radio station just as Peter Truman was finishing his show with one of the local residents. It seemed weird to be in there when someone else was on the air:

When I got to the cottage, our friend LB was getting ready for his step-daughters wedding. Apparently he was the bearer of the shotgun therefore we thought we should get him ready by handing him the potato cannon:)

Our friends from Amherstview came over and left us with a lasting impression. What a couple of asses!!

On the way home Sunday night, my friend Warren (who is a captain on the ferry) invited me up to the wheel house! What a great spot to take some pictures:)

The wheelhouse is airconditioned and has a fantastic view up and down the channel. Here is a picture of Diane docking the boat at the Millhaven dock. The two toggles she uses are like operating an oldschool video game!

On Monday evening, Billy came home with a box of chicken from Dixie Lee and we packed up the cooler and the chairs and headed to Finkles Park. The sun was shining through the trees and the water was just a blessing in the sticky humid heat.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent shopping and cleaning. And right now I'm waiting on mister c's arrival so we can finally go out in the boat...its been over a week!!!!


For some reason I have been compelled to shop every day for the last three days. Now remember, I am not a shopper therefore this is a once a year event! And it was an added bonus that all the sidewalk sales are on this week as well.

Rock Crew & The Golden Dogs!

My favourite band out of Toronto visited Kingston last Thursday night for the Rock Crew Productions 4th anniversary party. Unfortunately this was to be the last Rock Crew show as Chris M has made a career move to real estate. He will be missed and (IMHO) local rock shows will never be the same. Regardless, it was a night out for me and seeing as I was officially on holidays, it was going to be a late night for this cat. My 'boss' from the radio station wanted to get a quick interview with the singer from The Golden Dogs, so we snuck backstage before the show started and Tom started questioning Dave as I snapped pics. Its funny, Dave remembered me from my myspace page as well as all the Kingston shows they have played. (I'm always up front) The interview was cut short as the sweet sound of the Lady Racers crept into the room. Here is a pic of Dave and Tom:

The real reason *I* was there was not only to see the dogs, but I had never witnessed The Mudlocks...This band that only plays every two years or so consists of my friend Shayne on drums, Robbie G on lead guitar, Mike Perlin on bass and Morris on vocals/guitar. They sounded pretty good considering the time frame since their last gig!

The Slaves of Spanky came on next and I am happy to say that I was bopping and bouncing along with the crowd...not bad for an old gurl:) This rap band had the crowd on their feet immediately!! They managed to get Morris up on the stage to dance and sing with them and then BOOM, out comes the shaving cream and Morris ends up smelling like an old man (Old Spice) for the rest of the night!

And then the Dogs hit the stage and the crowd pushed to the front again. What a show these guys put on...everyone was dancing and singing to the top of their lungs. Sweat was flying everywhere. I certainly hope this entertaining band makes its way back to Kingston despite the fact that Kingstons greatest promoter has retired.

It was a good thing that I didn't have to go to work the next day as I didn't get home till 3AM!!!!

The second week of July !!

As we roll into the third week of July, I realize that the summer is running away from us in an alarming rate! We hid out from the crowds that invade our small village on Canada Day weekend. It's always a tradition for us to run away to Amherst Island and watch the crowds from a distance. Really, who would want to be walking around in the sweltering heat when you could be relaxing here?


Or even here, in Stella Bay:


The next weekend we started our Saturday off as tourists. We went to Morrison's Restaurant and then over to the market for some fresh veggies. Its weird, we have lived here all our lives and have never experienced breakfast at Morrison's. What a lesson in teamwork that place is. We managed to get a table right down by the kitchen and watched the waitresses race back and forth and shout their orders to the three men at the grill. Never once did I see a chit pass over to the cooks...they filled the numerous orders by memory. Damn, I wish I had that type of gift.
The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day to explore the newly cobbled market square. The colours were such a treat to the eye, and the camera lens.



That afternoon we hit the water for an afternoon of sun and fun. Being the chicken that I am, I decided to be the spotter/photographer for my friend Bert.

The ducks that have been hanging around the dock for the past 4 weeks are now eating out of our hands. How tame can they get?

As the sun slid down, the perfect photo opportunities always present themselves:

On Thursday at 430pm my supervisor told me that I could start my holidays early!!! What a treat, as I had already planned on going out that night and having the next day off was a real benefit. Thanx Helsby!