CLEANER, ROOFER, SCRAPPER, GOBBLERS

The move out of Toronto is complete. The place is spotlesss thanks to The Cleaner who cleaned nooks that the new tenants might never even see.

Meanwhile Up On The Roof  (The Drifters 1962), The Roofer took down the antenna that brought in free over-the-air TV. A little creepy to be out there filling in the gaps.

One of the hot water heaters in the basement died and within an hour a prowling Scrapper (scrap metal, get it??) hauled it away --- love those recyclers!

So Kemble is now Home. Sunrises in the front window this time of year are spectacular. Hummingbirds are zipping around like a crazed airshow, either protecting their feeder zone or getting ready to fly to Costa Rica. But the Gobblers are 100 times bigger and don't even fly over the fence.

The annual Salmon Spectacular fishing derby is on, with dozens of boats circling the same spot. Isn't it an unfair fight with their fish finding sonar? Maybe the fish should get radar jammers. Anyway, we know who's gonna win that one, and the results are visible in the tent HQ.

So, no big news this time ---we'll try harder next week! In the meantime, did I mention the sunrises?

LOTS OF MOVEMENT

Doesn't anything sit still any more? The move out of the city continued this week with clearing out the apartment. The Dakota pickup proved it was more than just a Pretty Boy by taking a full load. But he wasn't totally cooperating and needed a new starter by week's end...

Passing through Owen Sound we saw the 1953 restaurant rail car that has been moved into place. It will be restored and even have an ice cream parlour inside --- a scoop of Boxcar Banana, please. And for the 40th annual Summerfolk music festival, thousands of folkin' pickers and grinners moved into  the campgrounds.

The next move was in a UHaul cargo van packed to the (bicycle) rim. At the Kemble end, things wanted to slide out on their own! We again have doubles of all household items and lots of laundry followed.

In the pond, a large female frog layed a late cluster of eggs, soon gobbled up by the fishies. A visibly pregnant squirrel moved a lot of sunflower seeds for the coming squirrelettes. The annual Monarch To Mexico Movement is also ongoing. See you in Escondido??

Besides our home move, we're also walking more than usual, training for an upcoming event. Nice to pick fall apples on the way, but good advice to all of us --- just keep moving!

MICE AND MARIO

The ParaPanAm Games wrapped up in Toronto and Canada placed an impressive second in the medal standings to Brazil. What these 1600 athletes (a new record number of participants) showed was talent, not disability. Wheelchair rugby was the crowd favourite --- like murderball on 28" spokes! Toronto got a giant boost in civic pride after some dark years before. Bring on the World Series??

In the Beach, trees fall before the leaves do.

The little Kia is not a moving van, but it does a good impersonation when it's full!

Arriving at Kemble, hummingbirds awaited a refill of sugar water before they take off for Costa Rica.

Brutal heat most of the week fried the ferns but the garden has been planted with more drought-resistant native species. So blackeyed Susans, cupflowers, and hollyhocks thrived. And bumblebees seem to be making a comeback in numbers.

The truck had been in the barn only about 10 days but Mother Mouse (Minnie??) had created a nest in the glovebox, made of wool from a coat and plastic from a tarp. It was a shock to find her feeding six babies (4 or 5 days old??) where the Owner's Manual used to be!  They should be much happier in their new neighbourhood --- the great outdoors.

The Owen Sound Firestone dealer was one of only 3 in Canada to host Mario Andretti, widely regarded as the greatest race car driver of all time. Among 111 major wins, he is the only person ever to have won all three of the Indy 500, the Formula 1 Championship, and the Daytona 500.  Driver of the Year in 3 different decades. Driver of the Century, etc., etc. I remember Mario at the U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen NY back when it was still possible to sneak in and actually talk to the drivers in the pits! I brought the program from 1970 for an autograph. He was so surprised to see that old book that we talked for a bit. Q: What do you think of Formula 1 these days?? A: They gotta do something about the engines... Hmmmm. But a real icon for me. Who would you like to meet from 40 years ago??

WEIRDING TO WEDDING

(This posting is a day late due to a grinding drive home yesterday. 12 1/2 hours in the car because I chose the scenic route, forgetting that a Sunday in summer just might be clogged on the roads and ferries...DUH!)

The PanAm Games closed out with a last blast of weirdness and wonders. Back at Kemble despite the clear sunrises there had been rain and a leak, so the fiddler on the roof applied goopy sealer.

But the main event this week was a wedding in Albany, capital city of New York. There's a sight never seen before --- Rick in a suit, at a Hilton! The government buildings were reminiscent of the starkness in the book "1984". Vast empty spaces, monolithic towers, rectangular reflecting ponds. Quite a contrast to the elegant cathedral in the distance, our destination for the nuptials.

For all you wedding fans out there, this one was a doozy. Friday evening private party --- at a Chinese restaurant, oddly in a colonial mansion in the middle of green suburban Albany. Fast forward to the altar on Saturday, with Linas and Pamela at centre stage. Significant trivia --- the bride's grandfather was recognized by the the 5 reverands as the driving force in restoring and maintaining the magnificent cathedral.  Throwing rice at the newlyweds has long ago been replaced by confetti, then by bird seed, and now by bubbles! Cool. Linas is from a Lithuanian family, Pamela Italian --- can you tell? It was a mostly solemn Catholic ceremony with the fun yet to come.

Buses and limos took everyone out to a country club. The champagne reception-in-a-tent rocked with a note-for-note '60's tribute band. The tunes were older than most of the guests, but still the favourite party music. Then trolleyed up to the clubhouse for dinner and more rockin'. Ice sculpture, themed tables (ours was "iris"), lovebird cake, and unique table guest-guide; can you spot the misspelling?! The food was real good and way too much. The band "American Longboarders" was party-perfect, again with mostly 60's surf and twangy guitar sounds that the crowd loved. Beachballs bounced around like the  waiters juggling trays of goodies.

Then the dreaded morning-after drive home. Fast but far and tolled interstates. And the well-intended but doomed decision to take the ferry route instead of bridge back to Canada. Many hours waiting with summerfolk for 2 barges in hot sun. Still, it was an unforgettable occasion to celebrate with my longtime friend and colleague from Lithuania. Congrats to Linas and Pamela, and especially to parents Egle and Rimos. Aciu!