IT'S STILL SUMMER --- DON'T FALL!

It's the last weekend of August but it's still summer with heat and humidity forecast. The biggest local event is on with spectacular salmon fishing. The trawlers are out all day and night. The Big Top is jammed for the first time in 3 years. And sometimes the fish weigh almost as much as the kid that caught it...

Signs of late summer? A young merlin hides in an apple tree, ready to pounce on a nearby chipmunk. The car gets condensed each chilly morning.

The leaves haven't changed yet but our apples are ready-red. Pears are high, green and abundant. Mushrooms are popping ---- want to try one??

Yardwork of the season? Mulch gets loaded. Garden gets tidied up. Troughs get a rainbow spray.

Up on the barn roof, the cracked panel finally gets replaced. It's tricky footing up there. It's still summer ---- don't fall!

WHERE WAS THAT?

 Another much-needed roadtrip to get away from it all. The Hall of #4 is a clue to where it started. Pretty lakeside town with historic but still-in-use train trestle. Nice day for a picnic.

Then out on the famous X -Thousand|Islands cruise.  Scenic swing bridge, rocky cottage show, distant but popular provincial park. Now do you know where you are?

A highlight was squeezing the 75 foot wide boat through a 90 foot Hole-In-The-Wall. I guess we made it through, back to the busy summer harbour.

Up the back roads to another town never visited. Surprising waterfront of wide beaches, classic lake boats, and a monument comprised of many cultures, materials, and symbols.

A hundred miles west to another iconic Canadian city. Famed for a painted building, the highest smokestack in the country, and a woman holding up small change. A nickel for your thoughts? And the never-ending quest for Chinese take-out ---- this one rates 8 fortune cookies out of 10.

Southbound (remember that) over another iron bridge to finish up our journey. The largest freshwater island in the world has gardens, marinas, and a lighthouse recalling the days of stormy nights on the lake.

Hooray --- the Chi Chee has arrived to take us home! NOPE. After a two-hour delay assembled in hot car lanes, the off-ramp won't work and the Big Canoe turns back fully unloaded! Hundreds of us are stranded. Only option is to go back northbound (over that same bridge) and drive around the bay for a 9-hour detour, arriving home in the middle of night. What a beautiful country --- where was that, anyway?? 

WORK AND WEATHER

Evenings are cooler and days are a bit shorter. Birds and monarchs are turning southward. Maybe they got their cue from the super-sturgeon full moon this week? Then a much-needed downpour, envy of places out west. Then back to the lunar lightshow.

There's always repairs and yardwork. The clothesline platform needed a brace. The row of cedars needed a face lift because they were getting into our faces...

The gardener is tweaking the Long Walk, remarkable for her variety of shrubs and stalks. Then sanding and staining our comfy chairs.

Want a new stove on short notice? Go get it yourselves, in Toronto! A new GE in the box, a new oven in the kitchen.

The quest for good Chinese take-out took a bad turn in Alliston --- second worst of all time? But not to worry, here's some candy to sweeten it up...

K CALLING

It's the dog days of summer and only grackles are showing up in any numbers. Can you count 14, plus a furry intruder? The other action is at the splash park where orioles take their turn.

Dim light made these two pix out of focus but you get the picture. This masked bandit first climbed the bird pole to munch (that worked), then tried to hitch itself up to drink (that didn't work).

Decluttering is the main ambition these days, inside and out. Inside we're sorting through papers and objects. Tough choices, and nobody wants old stuff even free. Outside in Toronto, the front greenery has boomed and had to be cut back before the city ordered us to do it.

It's a long (60 years?) story, but my high school Kencoll yearbooks have come back to me. Talk about strolling down memory lane. Classmates, teachers, championship teams, marks, awards, mementoes of Kennedy Collegiate. Find this guy in the class picture with his varsity K. Then note his "Weakness" at graduation ---- I've had about 15 or so since. What came true for you?