Guess who's back?

Thanks Julie for the inspiration to actually post something and to broaden the focus of this blog. Look! I'm posting!

Winter seems like it's been dragging on forever so I thought I'd post a picture that makes me happy:

That's Spence planting a maple tree he brought out from the back of the property. Look at all that lush greenery!

Yesterday's temperature hit a high of 8°C which felt amazing. Had a great visit with Julie and we came thisclose to having our inaugural porch sit to enjoy the sunshine at the new house. But we got to talking and didn't manage to make it out before sunset. Soon. It will happen soon.

Night's Sky

This year it felt like spring lead directly into fall. Last weekend temperatures plummeted to just above freezing. Quite a shock when I remember swimming a mere two weeks ago.

With the falling temperatures came our fall tradition: getting the raft out of the pond. This year we were lucky; not only were there four people to share in the load, but we had an audience of no fewer than six! Guess word is getting around.

While there's a lot of things that I'm not looking forward to with the changing of the season, there's plenty to be excited about. It's time for hearty soup and fresh bread. Cozy fires in our wood stove are about to accompany our evenings. The sun sets early giving us hours of beautiful stars to enjoy before bed. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to get myself out of bed in time to enjoy a sunrise or two.

Week 25: Back is Black

.: August 13 & 14, 2011 :.

Floating paradise

We had high hopes for and anticipation of the scheduled events this weekend. 

We arrived earlier than usual Friday evening (without any incidents) and we settled in and played a couple of games of cribbage on the deck to kill some time. The temperature gradually started sinking so we decided to go inside and watch Spooks before turning in for the night.

I got up early Saturday morning and while Sim was still sleeping I started cleaning up the forest area that has been my project over the better part of this summer. I was busy moving small sticks and such when out of the blue my lower back locked up and sent waves of pain up my spine and down my legs. I tried to walk it off, but the pain just wouldn't go away. Over the course of the weekend it slowly grew worse.

Wildflower

The pain had started only a few minutes before Sim got up, and it wasn't long after that that Bob and his crew showed up with the new raft on a trailer. It took them about 45 minutes to unload it, get it into the pond, and have it anchored in its designated spot. Once there it looked terrific!

At about 11:30 Sim's parents arrived. There was a little rain, so we hung out on the deck talking until it cleared up, at which time Sim's mother wanted to get working, so she went to the forest to continue my earlier work. Both of us were again impressed by how hard she works - she's like a machine. She completely finished relocating the pile of branches and sticks and the forest area is looking better for it.

Up close and very personal

While she was working I went to the shed to get the red rake. As I approached the shed door I noticed a spider's web in which a wasp had become entangled. The author of the web (Charlotte?) was in the process of wrapping the wasp in a cocoon. I quickly got Sim's attention and she brought her camera with the macro lens and got some really great shots.

By around 2:00 we were ready for a swim! I was the first in the water and onto the raft. Sim joined him, followed by her father. The water was a little chilly, because the weather's been a bit cooler than normal, but it was refreshing and, more importantly, fun!

Anyway, the raft is fantastic - we're very excited for the hours of fun and relaxation it offers us in the future.

At around 3:30 it started to look ominous on the horizon, so we decided to get dinner ready. I had already started the BBQ and by the time we got back to the chalet it was piping hot and ready for the seasoned chicken we'd brought. Sim's parents brought some delightful red cabbage salad and we had a very delicious and pleasant meal at the "new" picnic table.

Pond wildlife

We spent a while longer visiting before Sim's parents got ready to leave and then said our goodbyes as they departed.

By this point my back was killing me, and I more or less passed out for the next few hours on a couple of the open-armed Muskoka chairs. Meanwhile Sim spent some time at the pond taking more macro shots.

We spent the rest of the evening watching a few more episodes of Spooks before calling it a night.

The next morning my back was still causing him real grief. Nevertheless, we went to the local inn and enjoyed a delicious sausage and egg breakfast. It was still overcast and in fact shortly after returning to Twin Ponds the weather became threatening. The thunder on the horizon prompted us to pack up early and head home.

Even though the weekend was regrettably cut short, it was very nice and gave us more enthusiasm about spending time in Pond Superior playing on the raft. Good times to come!

Week 10: Winter Wonderland

.: December 19, 2010 :.

After work one evening early in December Spencer came out to the parking lot, got into the car, turned the key in the ignition, and muttered under his breath while the starter ground away without success. This was only the second time in almost nine years that the car hadn't started. Aside from the fact that it was cold and rainy this incident was particularly annoying, since it had come following what seemed to have been a series of small to medium to large repairs.

Forester to the rescue?

After Spencer took public transit home we started thinking about a replacement vehicle. Over the course of the next few days we considered a variety of makes and models and finally settled on the Subaru Forester. There were many reasons for our decision, not the least of which was its safety rating and all-wheel drive.

Fast forward about nine days: we indeed purchased the Forester and were delighted by how almost elegant the ride is. Of course that's measured in comparison to the old bucket of bolts, so perhaps we're overstating it. Regardless, we love it.

In the first week or so of having the car we were still undoubtedly looking through rose-coloured glasses. So when our region had its first real snow storm of the season, we were unphased. We even triumphantly declared that we were going to visit Twin Ponds, because our car could drive anywhere.

A beautiful sight

The drive there was a bit slow for the first half of the trip, but then traffic diminished and the weather cleared allowing us to reach the concession road in much better time than we had anticipated. On the way we remarked at the amount of snow that had fallen in the area, although we really had no idea what to expect at the property.

The concession road had been plowed in the morning and in the intervening hours more snow had accumulated making the roads a little unpredictable. Luckily for us the Forester handled the white-packed surface very well. After the familiar 8.2 km drive we arrived to see the driveway and the new gate decorated with snow. Lots and lots of snow. But that didn't matter, because we were driving a Forester!

SNOOOOOOOW

Spencer cautiously turned off the concession road into the driveway and immediately stopped the car. He was concerned that the slope on the driveway presented a potential hazard - he didn't want the vehicle to slip into the newly installed gate. That was when we discovered that short of a Sherman tank it didn't matter what you were driving, you were going to get stuck.

The small detail Spencer had forgotten was that the snow plowed off the road had settled in the depression in the driveway causing an abnormally deep well of the white stuff. In short the Forester was (almost inextricably) stuck. And in true Urbanite fashion neither of us was wearing proper winter gear. In his high-top leather Converse Allstars and leather jacket Spencer trekked to the chalet to get the shovel we had (luckily) bought in September.

Peaceful ponds

Until this predicament he had never really appreciated how long the drive from the gate to the cabin is. That became readily apparent while trudging through 2-foot deep snow in running shoes, particularly at that moment when, while coming around the corner of the clearing, Spencer realized he'd left his keys in the car. Fortunately the shovel had been stored in the metal shed (we'd been too lazy to take it into the cabin), so after another long walk back Spencer spent the next 45 minutes digging the car out of the snow. It was also fortunate because Sim wanted to get a picture of the chalet under the unspoiled new snow.

Once that had been taken care of we and the dogs all trudged through the deep snow and made it to the cabin. Spencer (who had already seen it) waited for Sim to catch up. He wanted to see the look on her face as she experienced that virginal glimpse of the cabin under such pristine whiteness.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Bubbles!

Actually getting across the deck and through the front door was a bit of a challenge, especially for Bubbles, who had some difficulty navigating through the accumulated snow on the deck. Once inside we didn't stay long. It was cold and Spencer's feet were all wet from the walks to and from the cabin and working to free the Forester. We did, however, have the opportunity to show Jasmine and Bandet the gorgeous snow on the ponds and get some pictures.

After a few minutes we locked the place up and headed through the deep snow back to the car, which we had left on the street side of the gate (we weren't about to risk getting stuck again).

Glad to be back in the car's coziness, we headed home yet again.

Week 3, Day 2: Sunrise

Morning fog

We woke up fairly early on Sunday morning. The air was cold. We had both slept somewhat fitfully; the ground was harder than our sleeping bags were soft and neither of us was used to the spartan padding. Spencer hadn't really suffered from the crisp temperature, but Sim's feet and toes were cold which made sleeping for her difficult.

Spencer arose before Sim and went to the ponds to prepare the morning fire. Sim joined him shortly thereafter and they enjoyed the warmth of the fledgling fire while watching the mist over the water under the morning sky, whose sun hadn't risen over the ridge to the west of Pond Superior yet. A little while later Luke joined them after having a less than comforting sleep himself. Although he typically has an unusually high metabolism and body heat, the cold dampness of the night seized on him unexpectedly. Perhaps he should have slept with more than just a single sheet...

We all enjoyed the morning and after a while went back to Tim Horton's for breakfast.

Our very own Dr. Doolittle

Returning to the estate we had no specific agenda. Instead we attended to one thing or another as our mood saw fit, including more sanding and staining and general cleaning around the cabin. Luke and Spencer spent more time in the river under the warm sky playing with the fish and other marine life.

Over the course of the day, and in fact the whole weekend, Luke had been busy channeling Dr. Doolittle. That is to say that he was at one with the animal kingdom. In short, he had befriended four fishes, two crayfish, one baby monarch butterfly, a little frog, and a snake. Quite impressive actually!

By late afternoon we were all pretty much done so we decided to pack it up once again and head out. It should be noted here that on our way home we stopped at A&W to enjoy their epicurean delights. One of many stops there to be sure - it's quickly becoming a family favourite.

Another satisfying stay under our belts. Twin Ponds was slowly changing a posse ad esse.