ON to MI to GA

A hectic week of weird weather, Christmas visits, and a long drive. In Toronto ON, the mild weather brought out tennis players instead of hockey. Heather came up instead of snowmen. Magnolia trees are budding as if it's April. Construction crews are OK with the warmth --- heavy concrete sections are being lifted into that iconic building site in the Beach. But we had a minor disaster in the basement apartment at 2 a.m. on the 23rd. The toilet and other drains backed up leaving a nasty mess. The tenant was very understanding but the landlord is facing a big bill for cleanup and new flooring. Lump of coal from Santa?

Had to take a walk in the foggy air, ironically to clear my head. The geese might be upside down but the citified beavers are normal, chiseling away at nice soft willows. Reminded me of Grey County. And then a Happy Face appeared in a pruned tree limb, like seeing an image of Elvis on a piece of toast! Things are looking up??

Driving back north there's wind, rain, sunshine, sleet, and snow. Christmas lights brightened the mood and there was good cheer visiting family on the 25 and 26. Anybody want some takeaway cookies??

Finally our changeover to travel mode. Went to Kemble to switch vehicles and load up for the winter adventure. Surprise: we could drive up the hill! (No snow, no ice, first time ever in December. Can you say "climate change" boys and girls??) So putting the battery back in and filling the trunk went faster than planned. Balmy drive over the border to Macomb MI to share itineraries with fellow snowbirds (and learned about a happy event coming soon !)

Yesterday was the "push day", driving 12 hours southbound. Mostly springlike, with short sleeves and the lowest gasoline prices in years. But this morning it's pouring rain at Duffy's Motel in Calhoun Georgia GA. Time to post these pictures and get moving again...

NOTHING ADO ABOUT MUCH

          "Twas the Sunday before Christmas and all through the blog
          Winter has arrived with driving for the holidays
          And a boy with his dog... "

After many days of not much happening, winter and our hectic Christmas travel season have arrived on the same day. The shore in our Beach neighbourhood is pretty-in-pink at the end of these short days. An unusually comfy beach chair waits forlornly by the cold waves. The boardwalk has been deserted by fickle day-tourists but reclaimed by local runners and dog walkers.

On this day the Toronto skyline is actually north of the setting sun, resulting in a rare silhouette. The sunset itself is cold but with a cosmic promise: the days will now get longer. Starting yesterday, our week's driving will add up to about 1,800 miles --- more details next Sunday. But little boys can be much more impressed and excited by Santa, a turtle and a dog...

From Pat and I to you and your loved ones,
Merry Christmas to All, And to All A Good Night!

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY??

It's that December time of year again. There are literally hundreds of turkeys criss-crossing the yard and we wouldn't mind if a hundred of them wound up roasted and stuffed in a couple of weeks. The cardinals and blue jays are outnumbered and outpecked at the feeder. In Owen Sound dozens of displays line the river banks for the Festival of Northern Lights, but they're much more magical/whimsical lit up after dark.

We returned to Toronto just in time to see 6" of snow dumped on the neighbourhood. Ironically, I had been saying I miss shoveling snow! The short days, cold temps, and snow piles are already enough winter.

But the seasonal decorations are cheerful on the streets. The trees along the boardwalk have lost their leaves but gained thousands of bright lights in exchange. The usual characters including Snoopy, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa all wish you a Merry Christmas. And a surprise in the park --- a new version of the Little Drummer Boy?!

MICE SWIM, TURKEYS TROT

Back at Kemble for the first time since mid-October and thankfully all is well. No burst water lines and the propane tank has been refilled while we were away. It's also our first taste of winter and snowfall, although we missed the really heavy recent snowfalls. The ritual of leaving the van at the barn and trudging up the hill with loaded backpacks forces clean cold air into the lungs.

Despite all efforts, we still have mice in the house (duh...you're out in the country!). Some bite through the tube and snack on toothpaste, others end up floating in a very small pond. Outside, the chickadees, blue jays, and goldfinches are welcome at the feeder. But flocks of 20 turkeys at a time roam and gobble seeds like turbo-charged vaccuums. Oink, oink...

The uphill/downhill trek to the road is great practice for the winter hikes coming soon. In town the decorations for "Northern Lights" and on private homes mean the holiday season is near. But these days the sun is nature's calendar as it rises far to the south. The shortest day and winter officially arrive in 2 weeks!

BACK WITH A BANG

We're glad and thankful to be back after a month in warm places and blue seas. Isla Mujeres is so familiar it felt like a second home. Images from the last days there include school kids being rounded up to celebrate the 125th anniversary of their state, Quintana Roo. Rough concrete construction being done by old-fashioned manual labour. The co-existence of traditional fishing culture with more lucrative tourism. The gaviota sea birds soaring as dark tropical storm clouds form. And 4 times a day, the ancient slow ferry Isla Blanca chugging its way to the mainland. Great memories, sure to bring us back some day...

And then BAM! re-entering the mainstream. In Spanish, the airport greeting is a traditional "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year", but in English it's all about shopping and gifts. Sigh. At our connecting flight, I could actually see through my window that our one checked bag did NOT get loaded! That's it, black backpack, in the lower right of the luggage cart picture. We frantically alerted the crew but they basically said we were mistaken. We weren't, it didn't, no apology when it was retrieved next day. Also, during an earlier wind storm a largish branch of our old maple was left dangling in plain view. Welcome back, homeowners!

But it's good to be back enjoying some clean bracing fresh air. The local outdoor rinks are all open and Zamboni-ed. Then last night we streetcar-ed downtown to join the other 100,000 at city hall for the 48th annual Cavalcade of Lights. Beautiful mild night, lighting of the tree, happy live music that created thousands of real bobbleheads in the glow. On the ice multi-culture faces (many experiencing the challenges of skating for the first time in their lives!) sharing an amazing fireworks show. Toronto at its best!