Boat Licences and Convenience

Paige and Roger rolled back into Bondi this week. Right now, they are calling Switzerland home, but their year is never complete without their necessary Bondi Time.

First order of business for Roger was to get the boat in the water.

Second order of business, as it turned out, was to get their Boat Card, from BOATSmart. This is the year that it is required that all boat operators have their boating license.

The good news is you can take the exam on-line. Which is precisely what they did, merrily connected to the Bondi High Speed network.

Third order of business was to get out there on the lake!

Bracing for Impact

Welcome to Deerhurst Resort. That's the turn to the place, up ahead where the traffic lights are.

Traffic was sparse this day, so I was able to take a second to snap this through the truck windshield. These are the ever-so-attractive security fences going up in honour of the day and a half G8 coming to town at the end of the month. Granted, security fences are there for security, not for good looks. The army is in residence now. Huge trucks and flatbeds carrying even huger vehicles in army green keep driving past.

The Hercules was circling overhead today, low enough I could almost introduce myself to the cockpit crew.

Security is the order of the day, and for good enough reasons, although yes, it does sound like a billion dollars for what is really only a one and a half day show is excessive by any standard.

On the other side of the commotion and confusion coin is the "legacy" of buildings paid for by G8 dollars other than the billion for security and let us not even touch on that Fake Lake Muskoka travelogue built in Toronto.

Two of those legacies popped up in Huntsville. In the photo Brian snapped last week while flying with Nick Kohler from McLeans, you can easily spot Cann Lake. just to the top of that (real) lake is the site of the University of Waterloo campus. That's a wonderful addition to this town. To any town, really, but why not here? And just to the left of that is the huge roof of the massive Summit Centre Olympic size skating rink, $23 million (give or take) of our tax dollars in action. We're not sure what use it is being put to for the Summit. (after all, if they told people these things, how secure would the security be???) But we're pretty sure it's one helluva structure for a Summit of such short duration.

We were promised that this event would bring unprecedented journalistic coverage promoting the area... so sitting the journalists on a fake dock by a fake lake listening to fake loons should really draw out their very best literary efforts to encourage folks to come here. Mind you, the REAL THING is right here, just two hours north of Toronto. We'd be delighted to have those self-same journalists sit on a real dock, by our real lake. We'll even bring them real beer from a real brewery, but I digress...

We're ready to welcome the World, even if they'll only be in town so briefly. Although one can't help but ponder, if the problems facing the World today could be solved in a one day meeting, never mind that they are supposed to keep talking while dining or if they wander onto the links... if it was really able to be so swiftly solved, would we not have done it by now?

Flowers and Small Friends

Sue came to visit this week. She is a gardener 'superbe', wins awards for her gardens in Holland Landing, and when she is here, Nancy is always galvanized into action trying to get the weeds out of her own gardens.

The poppies put on quite a show, which got them a high grade from Sue's discerning eye.

Then Chippy Chip came to chat her up, and all flowers were forgotten. At least while she was spending quality time with the chipmunk!

He is a bold little fellow, who almost knocks on the door when it's treat time.

Nor is he adverse to a little stroking and ear rubbing while stuffing nuts into those cheek pouches!

If All Else Fails...Read Directions!

The unifying theme last week seemed to be "Read the Book."

We were assembling Carol's new greenhouse -- she's pretty thrilled, since she has coveted one of these for some time. It is a deer-free zone, and a place where she can start plants early in the season, and where her tropical beauties can linger all summer long.

The directions contained no words. We are back in the age of heiroglyphics, and let me tell you, some of the those pictures are less than clear. "Let me see that again," was the battlecry of the day. The claim that it was 'easily assembled by two people in a few hours' proved a trifle optimistic, but slowly and surely and with plenty of hands, up it went.

'Which way is up?' was asked on several occasions... and there was a great deal of digging about seeking out parts that were in fact NOT numbered... sometimes the only way to know which fastener you're looking for is to count them. If you've got 12 of the beasts, then they must be part #522, for example.

It has funky air vents that open and close on their own, depending on the temperature. It has a sunscreen that, curiously, does not fit without major reconstruction, yet is part of the kit (and it fits now!) Running water, solar lights...

And Carol has already moved plants in. A thing of beauty is a joy forever. So true.

The Other Side -- Georgian Bay

Carved in stone... that pretty much describes the coastline of Georgian Bay.

I was over to a friend's place on the weekend. Her cottage faces across the bay to Franklin Island. The road in is twisty and narrow, frequently crossed by turtles and the occasional rattlesnake. The shoreline is either wide, shallow and sandy, or grooved granite, solid Canadian Shield.

I'm always fascinated by how the topography changes so rapidly in such short distances. Here at Bondi, the rocks of the Shield are never far from the surface -- but over at Trish's, the rocks ARE the surface. That and the almost endless stretch of water that is Georgian Bay.

When this part of the world was being settled by Europeans, the British commissioned warships to be built to operate on the Great Lakes. Unable to conceive of any body of water that large that was not a salt ocean, all the ships were fitted at the boatworks with desalination equipment. None of which was ever used. All the same, standing on the wide shores, looking out to the west, it's easy to imagine this water goes forever.

Not far from here you'll find Kilbear Park, one of the jewels of Ontario's Park system. The park contains a wide variety of geographic formations from the bold granite rocks of the Canadian Shield to the sandy beaches of Kilcoursie Bay. The park contains a diverse ecological system of forests and wetlands.

The Georgian Bay coastline is worth exploring. From Parry Sound, you can catch the Island Queen for a cruise through the Thirty Thousand Islands. There's more... so don't try to count them, just enjoy the cruise.

A little to the north is Killarney, definitely a treasure, with its quartz cliffs and turquoise waters.

To the south is one of Brian's favourite flight destinations with his float plane -- the Giant's Tomb, part of Awenda Park.

We are blessed to have Georgian Bay rubbing shoulders with us in Muskoka. It is definitely one of the most beautiful and unique spots in all of Canada, and possibly all of North America. It is about 320 kilometres long and 80 kilometres wide, on the northeastern side of Lake Huron. More importantly, the Bay itself is almost as large as Lake Ontario, one of the smaller of the Great Lake. Canada’s own Group of Seven made the Bay and the islands famous throughout the art world. So unique is the region that it has been named an UNESCO HERITAGE SITE.

It's close enough to be easily reached in a few hours drive from here. And it's worth the trip, even if just to say "howdy neighbour."

And by the way, Trish, you owe me a dinner...

http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/killb.html

Active Minds, Lessons Learned, Libraries for People

The Dwight Library recently offered a program in Children's Theatre. Conducted by Glenn and Elizabeth Copeland, it drew twenty creative, adventurous kids, and the fun began.

After eight weeks, the Dwight KidPlayHouse presented Side-By-Side, a series of skits that showcased what the youngsters had been working on.

Now, if you put a group of 8 to 12 year olds together, with props and costumes, you get a whole lot of action. From the adventurous duo who tackled Shakespeare, through puppetry and sword fighting to the songs of Les Mis and Armenian folk tales, these kids romped through a vast spectrum of adventures. Occasionally Glenn and Liz were compelled to confess that they were a tad "off script"... but is that not what creative play is all about?

With a very minimalist set, simple costumes, and great enthusiasm, the Show Went On...

It's not easy to shine your light in front of a crowd, so cheers, loud and long, for all the youngsters who took part. Sometimes the lines were shaky... occasionally the story lines were a little sketchy... but the heart and the soul were pure gold.

And the audience? Well, the kids had 'em rolling in the aisles...

We're fortunate indeed to have a library like this. Two years ago, our librarian won the Peoples' Choice Award at the local Bell Businesss Excellence Awards. No wonder. It's a fun, friendly place. There's a bright, inviting children's section; a funky teen room complete with a Wii and a selection of books that go out the door in armfuls. There's a quiet nook, with a fireplace and armchairs for curling up and reading, a meeting spot for friends, a computer room (with High Speed for All!) and always a smile. You can even get a cup of coffee! Peggy is always on the lookout for programs that enrich our community.

And youza! Did she ever strike the Jackpot with KidPlayHouse productions!

Thanks for a fun evening, everyone... and especially the Stars of the Show, the kids. 'fess up... isn't that a whole lot more fun that watching TV????

Take Your Breath Away

Truly, is there anything on the planet more beautiful than this?




Last June, we found a tiny fawn 'stashed' in the garden at Red Pine cottage.



This year, it's a week later, but we've got another treasured guest, just as tiny, curled up near the fleur-de-lis that line our driveway into the Resort.



How sharply crisp and clean are the white spots that afford this tiny creature camoflage. You have to have sharp eyes to spot the fawn, even just snuggled in the grass. It would be easy to just walk on past and never notice. Which is, of course, the whole idea of camoflage! The iris provide incredibly good cover, the little one looking more or less like old dead leaves heaped near the flower's base.

When the fawns are this tiny, they have no scent. When they lie immobile, making no noise, they are almost impossible for predators to spot. Once Mom tells them to Stay! they do just that, and can remain in place for up to 9 hours or even longer. Often well-meaning people stumble on one, and assume that it has been abandoned. Wild animals seldom abandon their young, but they do have strategies for survival. If you find a tiny fawn like this and mess about with it, then it will be left on its own.

The rule of the day is to just let them be. After all, would you interupt any baby taking a nap? The doe will come back and collect her baby. Yes, they can run, even at this tender age, but they don't have much stamina, so this ploy of leaving them resting and almost invisible is preferable to having them run with a herd. Of course, this time of year, the does aren't in a herd anyway -- they will be in small family groups now. It is in the winter time that deer will yard up into large herds. Having a delicate baby with you if you have to run away is a hindrance to the doe, and a risk to the baby. Leaving them motionless while the doe draws the threat away, that's a whole lot better option. So if you are privileged to find one of these most beautiful of wild babies, don't touch... don't fret... and don't get too close. Just take pictures, and Leave them Be.

Telephoto lens are a wonderful invention.