Lakes, Loons and Poison Ivy

Another hot day means another lake.  This morning we took it a little slower and did some housework before leaving for an adventure.  We loaded up the truck and drove out of the driveway just before 10:00 am.  Yes, that is a slow morning.

We arrived at the Sharbot Lake Provincial Park about an hour later.  We unloaded our kayak and blew up the paddle board.

We set up our chairs and were ready for lunch, lake side.  After enjoying a few snacks that we brought,

Ron dove in the water for a swim.  I paddled beside him.  

After about 40 minutes, we were both back on the dock.  I cooled off in the water and then we sat and enjoyed the area.  After a while, we went back out on the lake.  Ron kayaked and I kayaked on the paddle board.  

The wind picked up a bit and the clouds rolled in.  We headed back to shore.  It rained a bit but not enough to move us out.  We sat and enjoyed a loon show.

After another swim, we started packing up.  The weather had improved again and people were finding our hideaway.

We drove into Sharbot Lake and stopped for a treat.  

We just started driving home when we got a call about Sarah not feeling well.  She had been camping with Jett’s family.  We received a second call that she wasn’t doing too well and Marci decided to take her to the hospital.  We assumed that she was dehydrated or bothered by the extreme heat.  We drove through Tamworth and changed vehicles and headed to the hospital in Picton.  We arrived to Sarah lying down in the examining room.  Her face was swollen and her eyes almost closed.  

Her one foot was puffy and had little feeling. It wasn’t much longer before a resident came in and then a doctor.  The doctor took one look and said “poison ivy.”  I guess it is all over in the county and especially at the Sand Banks.  Sarah had fallen prey to it.  She was given some meds and a prescription and we were on our way home.  Poor girl will be suffering for a while but hopefully she will heal up quick.  She is tucked away in her bed tonight and we will see what tomorrow brings.

My Two Cents on the Penny

Today’s blog is brought to you by the extinct penny.  In February 2013, the Royal Canadian Mint stopped distributing pennies to financial institutions.  At that time I was working for a large credit union in Saskatchewan.  A few months later I resigned.  The two events had nothing to do with each other but the CEO acknowledged my resignation and tied the two together in his update to staff.

Like most, we still have a few of these coins but for the most part you don’t see the one cent around too much in Canada.

Yesterday we went out for lunch.  Stephen gave me a Mother’s Day gift that just keeps giving.  It was a gift card for downtown Kingston.  What a perfect gift!! Today’s choice was Copper Penny.  It felt like coming home. 😂

We enjoyed a good lunch and were not disappointed with our stop. 

We came home after our Kingston errands were completed and Penny, the neighborhood cat arrived at 8:30 for her evening meal.

Oh and one more Penny thing…a few months ago I asked my cuz if she made bubble bath.  Denise makes soaps, bath bombs, creams and so much more at her SOAP SHACK.  She said that she doesn’t anymore but a little while later she showed up with this!

The penny may be extinct but the name lives on.  I’m thankful that Ron kept this old coin around!

Canoeing on Canoe Lake

On days with heat warnings it is necessary to start your activities early.  As much as I don’t like early mornings, I did it.  I packed my breakfast and carried my coffee and we were out of the house by 6:30.  There was a lake that has been on our radar for a while.  It seemed that if you want to go canoeing, you should do it on Canoe Lake.  

When we arrived, the lake was like glass and the temperature just right.  It is about 7 km long and not very wide.  

We paddled along the west side, keeping in shade most of the time.  I was able to enjoy my breakfast on the water.  

An eagle flew over us a couple of times.  They are such majestic birds gracefully gliding across the sky.  A family of loons sang their eerie chorus and fluttered around to warn us not to get too close.  

When we were almost to the end, we crossed over to come down the other side.  We found a few spots to get out of the canoe and go for a swim.  The day was getting warmer and the water helped to refresh us.

At one point a blue heron was flying ahead of us, landing in a tree and then flying when we paddled close.

The one problem about going down the opposite side of the lake was that what we assumed was an island was actually a very long peninsula which added a little more time on the lake.  This also meant another stop to cool off.

It was a beautiful day. We paddled 15.57 km which meant that we were on the lake for just over 4 hours.  In case you are wondering, our average speed was 3.8 km.  

We decided to drive a different way home and it felt like we were really on some back roads.  

The road took us by some falls.  

Further along a deer was standing in the swamp.  

All along our travels, there were lakes.  

More lakes means more canoeing explorations.

Filling the Day and the Baskets

Sarah is gone camping for the week and we find our house very lonely when she isn’t here.  We have to try and keep busy.  Saturday morning we went to the berry patch.  

Paulridge Farms has been the place to go for years and they have decided that this is their last.  We didn’t want to miss having some fresh berries and be able to put some in the freezer.  

The raspberries were pretty easy picking and we came away with 4 boxes.  Since the beans were also ready, we picked some of them too.

Just down from the beans was a sunflower garden.  

They stood high and healthy.  They were most definitely enjoying the sun.  

Later in the day, we went to friends from the church for a steak dinner and a couple of games.  We got home around 9:00 and I was exhausted. I still needed to water our parched garden and there was also our little neighborhood cat that was waiting for her dinner.

It wasn’t a busy day but I thing the heat saps a lot of energy.  We have a lot more of those heat zapping says ahead.

That Place

Sometimes you just need to be in that place.  That place for me is Bon Echo Provincial Park.  It has many happy memories of childhood camping.  It now gives me peace.  Even on a busy Friday afternoon, we can find a quiet place to enjoy the lake.

We left home just before noon with a packed lunch.  We put the canoe in at the creek and paddled along the main beach.  

It was a hot day and many people were finding their happy place in the lake.  It was an easy paddle to the narrows and then the wind picked up.  We stopped at another beach and ate our lunch.  After a little bit of people watching, we canoed into the wind a little further and then let the wind help us back.  We stopped at another area and enjoyed a swim and more watching.  

We thought it was time to head back so we canoed past the beach again.  More people had found refuge in the lake by this time of the day.  We loaded the canoe and then headed back into the water to cool off again.

Yes, some days you just to find your place to breathe a little deeper and make new memories.

What’s In A Name?

I called a friend on Wednesday night and asked what she was doing.  She responded with “nothing, what do you want to do?”  We set a plan in motion.  Kevin and Pam were going to meet us at our house at 7:00 am with their kayaks.  Sarah said that she didn’t want to go with “us” but then learned that us included two extras and so she decided to drag herself out of bed.  Our first visitor wasn’t Pam and Kevin though…Penny, the neighbour cat showed up for breakfast.

After Penny had her breakfast, Sarah had hers and Kevin and Pam arrived.  They followed us down Mountain Road.  After living in Alberta, we wonder why this road is named that.  There are no mountains in Ontario. Oh well…what’s in a name?  Really…Penny, the cat??

Back to my story…we arrived at Eagle Lake and if you are getting in your mind that we drove up a mountain to a lake where eagles soared, you would have to change your thinking.  We drove along a somewhat curvy, unelevated road and we did not see one eagle.  The lake would be more aptly called, Loon Lake because we did encounter a number of these.

Speaking of names….we once hiked to Lost Lake.  We wondered if after being there it should be called Found Lake??

We set out paddling.  Kevin and Pam were in their kayaks, Sarah on a paddle board and Ron and I in our canoe.

It was a beautiful morning.  We paddled and chatted.  Ron and I went around Comet Island since we were working together in our canoe and the others were all independent.  Once again, we have no idea how this island got that name.  We didn’t see any comets, satellites or even stars.

We enjoyed our morning even without mountains and eagles.  Loons on a lake made for a good day and I’m talking about birds!

Pampering Day

The car was looking for some attention.  I’m not sure if the Ram bragged about his oil change and good check up but the Honda wanted her day too.  For the past week, she would remind us that she was getting close to needing some fresh oil.  Each time we would start the car a reminder would flash up.  Vehicles are so smart these days.  We kept it our little secret that she was already booked for her special day.  We drove to Belleville which really threw her off because we had been going to Kingston for her check ups.  I think she got a little excited when we pulled into the Honda Dealer.  We dropped the keys off and were shuttled to the mall.

Twice the dealership called to give us updates on how she was doing.  Her brakes needed some servicing, the oil changed and a few other special treatments. She was loving her special day.

Meanwhile at the mall, Sarah and I thought we should be serviced too.  Sarah decided to get her hands looking  pretty while I decided to having sparkly toes.  We couldn’t talk Ron into it.  He did slip in and took a couple of pictures.  One of us was happy to see him, the other didn’t see a reason for a man to be there!

After our servicing, we got a call that the Honda was done with her special treatment too.  Sarah and I were a lot cheaper!  

Sarah shopped for some new books at Indigo.  That girl loves to read and learn.  She even likes the smell of a book store.

We had lunch at Montana’s…Sarah picked up the bill.  What a nice treat!

Now as long as the Honda and Ram keep quiet about their special days, we will be good.  If Kawi hears, he will be wanting his day too. 🏍️