The Old and the Restless

On Friday Paul and I, Carole and Roy went to Gary’s new place on Sturgeon Lake near Fenelon Falls. Gary is a member of the Toronto Bicycle Network (TBN). When the large winterized cottage came for sale beside his cottage, he decided to buy it and sell his house in Toronto. He has kept his original cottage as well. His children and grandchildren like to visit. Carole and Roy took their bikes and firewood for Gary. Paul and I brought our bikes and Charles (also a member of the club, and a minister)  Charles was minister at this church one summer. There are 4 churches, each a different denomination, in one block in Fenelon Falls Next we visited the local farmer’s market to check on the butter tarts. We then rode10 km on the trail to a chip wagon for lunch., plus 10 km return. Charles is not going very fast these days. It was a very slow ride. BUT …the next time Charles comes, Gary will take him on his ATV. (Gary has a few of them) After the bike ride Gary took us for a boat ride on St...

Although Paul's birthday was May 20th we celebrated it on Father's day, June 19. That was the day most of us could get together. Margot made the delicious sticky toffee pudding cake and brought the decorations. Margot is about to cut the cake. Sandra's sister, Sharon and Paul watching. It was nice that Bill Smith was able to come. Paul has known Bill since Grade 12 in High School. He is talking with Margot's husband, Mark and Megan's husband, Paul. Sharon and Sandra talking to Bill (on the other side of the table) Carole's husband, Roy, Joshua and Tom. They had a computer game they were trying to play with the rest of us It was difficult to get the lighting right with this photo of Ella and Mark.  By the time Bill sat there, the lighting was better. Hmm. I wonder how Bill feels siting under the sign that says "80".  He is not there yet. This is the only photo of Megan because she was taking all the other photos. Paul, Carole and the cake. We have known...

First day on the beach was windy I rented a bike for Joshua. The first place to ride was the trail from Osteen to Gemini Springs with the mandatory stop at Green Springs. The alligator cooperated by floating by. After lunch at Gemini Springs we walked by the stream. When Margot and Ella went to the pool, there was an uninvited guest. Margot and Ella visited Smyrna Dunes Park. A gopher tortoise obligingly posed for a photo On the way to Publix for some groceries we went through Indian River Lagoon Park. Margot took Joshua and Ella to Blue Springs. Because it was warm, I didn’t think they would see any manatee. They walked up to the boil where Megan and I once went scuba diving and there were two manatee with tracking devices on them. Normally manatee would not be there because there is no food at the boil. They must have been fed lettuce there.

Because we have been so tired in the evening after a ride we decided to do a shorter ride, 35 km, to Titusville and back. Accordingly we drove to the Aurantia Rd Trailhead which had parking (but no washroom). Because of the strong wind coming from the south, we had to stop frequently for water…and rest. Two people who passed us riding e-bikes asked if we were going to the launch. Thinking she said “lunch” I was going to ask her where, but then realized that we might be in time for a rocket launch which had been postponed the last two days. The Trailhead start is at the green arrow. We were riding on part of the Florida East Central Regional Rail Trail. Because it is quite open it can be quite hot. With a temperature of 25C and the strong winds, heat was not a problem. We rode to the park in Titusville near the bridge going to Merritt Island. We noticed that a lot of people were arriving by car (and using the one washroom that was open) So…after lunch in the pavilion we joined others wh...

   A ride to Blue Springs when the weather is cold (for Florida) means a visit to the manatee who are seeking warmer water. The excitement in this view was the ‘gator who, with his back to the audience, is beside the log on the opposite shore. The manatee are the white shapes in front. By afternoon, the manatee are heading out to the river in search of grass to eat. Because of a die-off of river grasses, they have been fed lettuce while in the Spring. In this photo you can see a baby with the adults. The baby moved into the middle as the adult raised its head.                                     This manatee had been badly injured by a boat. A fearless armadillo entertained our ride.

We had a pre-Christmas party on December 18 this year. Megan Paul and Tom came and brought hot apple cider which we had in the back yard. Because of the velocity of the omicron variant of COVID they did not stay for dinner. Ella in the kitchen. For dinner we had pulled pork with roasted plantain and various other dishes. Joshua with the Paris-Brest cake that Margot made for my birthday. This round, choux-pastry cake in the shape of a bicycle wheel was created in 1910 to commemorate the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race. Margot felt that the tire had gone flat. We thought it was delicious. Ella, after dinner. Time to leave. If Margot holds Molly, she stops barking. I guess she is reassured that she will not be left behind. DECEMBER 25- Christmas Day The Christmas Day celebration was at Mark and Margot's in Barrie. Before dinner we had a Christmas concert. Joshua wished us a Merry Christmas on the guitar. Grandma McCrossan's china looked beautiful on the table. Margot made a beautif...