Summer, the end

So I guess if this weekend is Labor Day weekend then it is the end of summer. How can winter last so long and summer be so short? (imagine asking that in Houston?!) It seems only yesterday that we were visiting with our friends Bob and Donna on their trip here and planning our long stay at the shore. Now it is over and it is back to real life and cooler weather.

About that cooler weather....I can remember when we would go shopping up here on vacation when I was in school and they had all the fall clothes out in August and in my reality it would be months before we could even think about wearing sweaters or cords or jackets and I wondered who buys this stuff so early? Are they kidding? Well, now I see the fall clothes and think, oh I better get some long pants or a jacket, I might need it soon. Shorts go in the drawer for another winter and bye bye tank tops and flip flops...sigh. I guess it is a good thing I like pants and long sleeves. But how will everyone see what is left of my tan with pants and long sleeves on? I have decided to push the season as far as I can and wear those shorts and sandals until I freeze! Two more weeks...haha.

Another observation....we always marveled at the fact that Canadians seem to do a lot of traveling. More than most people it always seemed to us. They are adventurous and really do see more of the world than the typical American. Looks like we are subscribing to that philosophy as well. We have done a lot of traveling since we moved here and it does not look like it is going to end. I tend to think that it is just the phase of life we are in right now but WOW! I can count 4 or 5 trips we are taking in the next 2 months. That is a lot! We are visiting new places as well as old favorites. We will be visiting our son Michael for Labor Day in Casper, WY. Our first trip to where he lives and we are both looking forward to going out west. Another exciting trip will be October when we go and visit Kelly who is studying in Paris for the semester. Why not? I think it is a great excuse to go to Paris. I might be more excited to see Kelly than the Eiffel Tower this time! Lots to look forward to but I still have to get my life going here too.

Back to work, at least a little. Another good thing about being up here is that no one really questions you when you ask for 2 months off to go to your cottage in Nova Scotia. Gotta love that! In the States they looked at me like I was crazy. I am definitely taking advantage of that while we live here!

Summer, Part 3?!

Garth and Hugh discussing life and "the games"
TJ's garden was Santa-ed

The Mini Olympics winning team

Pot luck with the cousins at the farmhouse

Time flies up here!

First there was the week with just TJ and I. We worked a lot and got organized. It was relatively quiet and we had a nice time.

Then Katie came up for a week. We enjoyed visiting and spending time together. TJ was gone for most of the visit until the weekend and then he came for a few days. I think he had a great 3 days! Perfect weather, just enough activities to be interesting but not too many to be exhausting.

Then there was the massive influx of people and "the games". Lots of cousins and many get togethers. It is always so hard to fit everything into a day. Where does the time go? We aren't working, we don't really have any obligations up here but still the time seems to just fly by. Can a day really be comprised of waking, eating, doing a few chores, exercising, beaching, visiting, a couple of meals, more visiting, laughing, playing and more visiting and going to bed completely exhausted and very late, only to wake up and do it all again? The answer is YES! We love it too! There are so many people here during "the games" that it is hard to fit them all into one day so we just have a continuous cycle of visiting and hanging out, oh, and the games. We lost this year, not enough key players here that week. Guess they chose to have a vacation instead of playing in the games. Still, a great week and super great weather!

Then comes the family time. Rachel, Matt, Daniel and Kelly and TJ all here for 10 days. Talk about busy! That Daniel is one moving man. He has an amazing curiosity about everything around him. He also loves the beach. It is so much fun to see him think about things and figure things out so quickly. This age is so physically tiring but they are wonders to watch. We had a great time with all of them here. We also know why young people have kids, whew! We have also had the most perfect weather of the summer for the last week. August is the time to be here, mid August, for those of you who are planning a future trip up here. Warm to hot days, cool nights and plenty of sunshine, no jellyfish and warm water to boot! We love it!

I'll just share a few pictures for your reading enjoyment. By no means all of the pictures but just a taste of the summer. It really has been one of "those" summers! Thanks be to God.

Summer Part 2

The deck addition and future screened in porch.

Shore life in July has been very nice. This is the first summer we are actually staying in the farmhouse. I think I like it, but then again, this has not been the busy time at the shore either so being down the road is not a big issue yet. When more people show up I could feel different about not being in the middle of the action, then again, I might just like being away. We shall see.

Our first week here was full of work. TJ keeps a very fast pace when it comes to work....surprise! The garden was full of weeds and we weren't sure if there were any vegetables in those weeds or not. Turns out, TJ is quite the gardener. The lettuce crop is fantastic! Never one to do things on a small scale, TJ planted a garden big enough to feed a small town. Lettuce for everyone!

the lettuce crop

We cleaned the house, trimmed a few windows and have almost completed the bathroom, I mean....really completed it! Whoo hoo! This house is an endless opportunity to work. So many things to do, so little time, I mean money.

I must say the place is shaping up, still lots to get done but the vision is coming into focus.

Weather report: More sunny days than rainy days. That being said, it has not been fantastic just yet. Still a little cool and wet to be the perfect summer but I think things are looking up. Today is the perfect shore day and I hope an indication of things to come. Not complaining at all!

I think this past week was my vacation. TJ was back working and I was here alone for the week. Yup, that was my vacation. Katie arrives today, TJ comes for the weekend next weekend and then I will have another week until the next visits from Rachel, Matt, Daniel and Kelly and TJ. This summer is the summer of shift visits. Everyone is not here at the same time there is just a constant flow in and out of family.

So far, so good. What is not to love, right?

Summer, Part 1

Summer officially arrived on June 22 and it was actually summer like for about a week. Our friends, Bob and Donna visited from the 25th until the 30th. We had a great visit with them. We did all the usual tourist things, downtown Toronto, Niagara on the Lake, wine country, a few pubs here and there and hung out enjoying the lovely summer evening on the back patio. So nice to have good friends to share that with!

There were a few highlights from their visit.

Donna and I at St. Lawrence Market

First might be that they brought their new dog, Lily, and Lily and Sadie were very compatible! That is saying something for Sadie! The video is for my family's benefit. It is pretty cute.

Another highlight would have to be seeing Jersey Boys. We loved it! It was so much fun and very well done.

The final highlight would be our day visiting the Niagara wine country. We tasted some very good wines, bought many and then ended the day at home out on the deck, enjoying our purchases. The weather could not have been any nicer either. Bonus!

Now TJ and I are heading to Nova Scotia for the rest of the summer. Well, at least for me. Here is hoping for more sun than last summer and more warmth than last summer. I am looking forward to spending time with family and friends and living a slower pace life. That might be a stretch at the shore sometimes though. Not to worry, it will be great!

Line Ups!

Wanna know what causes Canadians to act like people in Louisiana or Texas when a hurricane is coming? The threat of a strike at the LCBO! (The local liquor commission, the only place to buy booze here.)

Today's news is that at midnight, the LCBO may be going on strike, closing all the stores for a while. Well, since we are having company for the next few days, I decided I should get a few bottles of wine, just in case. It looked like the grocery store before a hurricane! The shelves were almost empty, the line ups at the check out were about 20 people deep at each one. Craziness! One fellow with a British accent caught me in an aisle and said, "They should all be shot, this is ridiculous." Hmmmm, a little extreme. " I really was surprised at how many people were out loading up.

So, Toronto is now in the throws of a garbage strike, so apparently garbage is piling up all around. Ontario is possibly getting ready for a strike by the LCBO. I'll bet the garbage strike lasts longer than the LCBO (if it happens). Judging by the public reaction already.....priorities!
Just had to share that with you all.

Friends and Family

I think June is the month for friends and family, well, maybe the entire summer is if I think about it! I just got back from visiting St. Louis and Nashville. Kelly is spending the summer in St. Louis, working for the university, so I went to visit her last weekend. While I was there, we drove to visit TJ's brother, Phil, and his family in Nashville. It was a good weekend!

The Tree house

TJ built Erin and Declan, Phil and Carol Anne's kids, a treehouse while we were there. The kids had a blast, I think TJ did too! It was so nice to be around them and see the kids, who are growing way too fast.

Erin and Declan in the treehouse

Kelly and I had a great visit, mainly spent restocking her pantry and making sure she does not suffer from malnutrition for the rest of the summer. I think she will be fine now. We did do a few other things too like a movie, the park, the zoo, a museum and dinner out. It was great to see her and spend some real time together.

Next week we have friends from Georgia coming to visit for a few days. Should be fun showing them around Toronto. I am hoping for some good "patio weather" so we can sit outside and have dinner or happy hour.


When they leave then we are off to the shore for the rest of the summer! To more friends and family. All good stuff.

Fresh Air

I think one of my favorite things about living up here is the fact that I can have my windows open for many months. I just love the feel in the house when the windows are open. The house also smells so nice with the fresh air inside.
For most of my life I have lived in places that had to run air conditioning for about 8 months a year and then heat for the other 4 months. There may have been a week or two that were worthy of open window living. When we moved to Georgia, I remember how luxurious it was to have entire months when I could open the windows in the house and just enjoy the outdoors...inside. I loved it!
The past couple of months have been open window months. I realize that my internal thermostat runs a little cooler than most, I like it very cool! There is no sleep better than that in a room with the windows cracked and the temp outside around 50 and the blankets on the bed all cozy and warm. Ahhh! I just love it.
I noticed when we visited our friends in Montreal that their house smelled so nice and I really think it was because it was spring and the windows were open. Plus, I think the house was just very clean! I can't make that claim....It reminds me of when we would leave either Texas or Louisiana when we were kids and drive to Ohio to my grandmother's house in the summer, and her windows were always open and it always felt nice there, well except when they were having a heat wave, then it could be plain miserable. That is another post altogether.
I ramble on too long about something like open windows but I really do love not having to run the AC at this time of year. Don't get me wrong, as soon as it gets the least bit hot or humid....the AC will be on! Bummer!