The skies FINALLY cleared last evening.




A snake in the grass, soaking up some rays this morning.



Hi Szymanski family. There are a couple of semi-floating dead heads in front of your dock. It's a two man job to pull them into shore and I was alone at the time.







The navigator in his usual position, charting the way through the narrows. Kita has made an amazing recovery since he was at "that" door just a few days ago. The funny thing is that he doesn't like his hot dogs as much as he used to. Thanks to all who wished him well.




Kita and I dropped by Frasertown this morning but the no one was home. If you ask me I would say they were out to lunch. I did complain about the weather with Fern and Germ in Maxi Park. The consensus is that the fishing is poor and the weather is worse.

We thought we were losing Kita earlier this week. It seems that he might have had a stroke and was having trouble moving around. He was too ill and sore to take to the vet over our rough roads. But by today he has improved so much that we went fishing, just the two of us like the old days B.C. He is still having some trouble getting up off the floor, but who doesn't? The quality of life issue will have to be monitored, but for now his eyes are still bright and he still smiles. He is eating, drinking, and doing #1"s and #2"s. Life must be OK if you don't need a diaper.




This bass was jumping off of the dock for days. I had hooked him 4 or 5 times, but he always managed to spit the lure. Then I finally caught him,



and let the warrior go to fight another day.



We just had a thunderstorm go rumbling through. This was just before things got interesting.

Random update.


Yesterday it was too hot to bake bread in the cabin.




If the blueberries on the front "lawn" are any indication, this should be a good year.



Michelle, the purple carrots are coming along.



Yesterday, while fishing off the dock, a deer fly bit my right wrist and it is still swollen this morning. The black flies are done, the mosquitoes are only bad early and late in the day. The horse and deer flies are really bad in the heat of the day. By my calculations, the first frost should be in about 61 days, but who's counting? Me.

Happy Birthday

Grasshopper!






How old is she? Well that's a rather rude question. BUT, you will notice that at her first birthday, they still hadn't invented colours, yet.

Just a quick note to let you know that we re all right. Maybe a little mouldy around the edges. For the past couple of weeks, it seems like we haven't gone 30 hours with out rain. Then it will get nice and sunny, just long enough to mow the well watered weeds. Temperatures have been in the high teens, going down to single digits a few nights. Now it looks like more rainy weather moving in. That's all for now, I gotta empty the composter while Grasshopper is in town, again.



30 minutes ago.




15 minutes ago.



Now.

Pea soup fog last Wednesday morning.




We had very special guests drop by Thursday afternoon. Itchy Richie's Aunts, Brenda, Jackie, Diane, and honorary Aunt Doris. Richie, I don't know why you didn't turn out better with role models like these fine ladies.



Richard, do you recognize me now?



Friday we visited the girls at Frasertown cabins and stayed for an awesome BBQ pork tenderloin supper.



It was the heat. It was the humidity. It was an after supper nap. OK, it might have been the wine.

Meet and greet at his Lordship's birthday party.




Himself, on his throne in the corner being ignored by TT, Linda, and JUNE.



As usual, Jose put on a feast fit for a duke. Everybody ate toooo much and we are all going on a diet starting today.



The birthday Baron hid out during the singing of Happy Birthday. I didn't think that we sounded that bad.



Happy birthday to you!

Surprise!




Yesterday a surprise 50th birthday party was held at Frasertown for TTSK. It took a lot of work to get her here, 1.5 hours away from home with out her suspecting anything. TT, the master deceiver, pulled off this trick with a performance worthy of an Oscar. It would take too long to explain it here, but would make for a good story around a camp fire.


The surprise moment.



Still in disbelief.



Friends, neighbors and relatives came for the celebration.



The cake, marked with high lights of Karen's life, so far.



A toast to the birthday girl. Nice block Tina.




Today we are off to a birthday party for the Earl of Little Tomiko. This one is not a surprise party because Lord Edwin knows how old he is.

Happy

Canada Day

Hosers!


This lone goose kept me company a few days ago when Grasshopper and Linda went to town to bottle some grape juice. I'm told that it's for medicinal purposes only. They say that it is good for tract infections??? Back to the goose, all day it just bobbed off the end of the dock, occasionally honking .



The bass have left the dock, leaving behind their little ones (the little black dots). Bass actually lay their eggs in a nest and the males guard them until they hatch.




This past week the heat and humidity gave way to cooler, unsettled weather. Sun, cloud, heavy showers....




Which led to the best double rainbow, ever.




















We had our fireworks show last night. No pics 'cause we watched from the safety of a screened in deck. It seems like every day we are saying "this is the worst day ever for bugs". I think they are cross breeding so they can take advantage of the worst of their traits. The good news is if they get any bigger, we will be able to hunt them with shot guns.

High temperatures and humidity cause fog early in the morning.




If you look close, in front of the boat, you will see a young black bear.This bear has been hanging out at Bedrock for a couple of weeks. It would look in the window at 3 dogs barking at it. A few days ago, the MNR set up a trap and last evening the bear was caught. Which brings up the question: If a bear trapped in the city is released in the woods, where do you release a bear trapped in the woods? How about Queen's Park? Or maybe Pamela Anderson would like it?



This picture doesn't really show the swelling from mosquito bites. This is the worst time of year for bugs. You got your mosquitoes early and late in the day, black flies are still around, horse and deer flies come out in the heat of the day, or when you have both hands busy. It has been near 30C for a week now.




Yesterday we installed a new aluminum dock at Jose's and Ed's with help from TT, the Queen of London, Grasshopper, and BIG BRY. No pics cause I was in the water, but, I think Grasshopper might have some, 'cause she wasn't in the water. Last evening we had TT and Linda over for left over chicken and bowls of green stuff.

Little bro, there are now two bass under the dock, maybe a he/she thing?, one about 10 inches, and one about 14 inches. I did catch the bigger one by accident. When I tested Grasshopper's new rod, I dropped the lure off the side of the dock while I closed the tackle box and it caught it self. P.S. get well soon you whiner.

Nephew from Harperville, We'll be here. It should be very romantic at that time of year. You might even give your poor old Mom a BGB.

Saturday morning was picture perfect.












A small mouth bass has taken residence under the dock.

Gimmee a break, I've been busy lately. First, the old goat developed a leak in her transmission. I had to fill her up with oil and hope enough stayed in to make it to town.

Then the generator broke and it took a while to figure what was up with that. Luckily, you can still get parts for a thirteen year old gennie and the part is only $23. Still, I think that we will need a new electric start generator before winter. Generators can be hard to pull over at -30 and, you know, Grasshopper isn't getting any younger.

I helped Rob reinstall his gazillion pound inverter.

The black flies are bad and now the mosquitoes are out in full force.

I haven't even been dragging the camera around. So, some pics in the yard.

Lady slippers.



Trillium.



A future "T" of a "BLT"



So, like I said, my excuse was that I was busy. What's your excuse?

Young feller in Harperville, I'm expecting to see pics of a BGB bump soon. Your Mom isn't getting any younger you know.

Sis, SOMETHING exciting must be happening in the land that time forgot.

Baby brother, where are the pics of the real north woods cabin?

That's it for now. Grasshopper has gone to Sudbury with the Queen of London. So, after I check the water in the solar batteries, I'm just going to chill out.

Happy Birthday

Super Hippy Chick

You are 7 years

old today.