It's Raining,

it's pouring. We have been meeting a few families at the beach every week. Many times it's been overcast or cool, although still doable. But today it's pouring. So no beach. The kids didn't feel cooped since they filled lots of time with biking, running, swinging, soaking up the rain (literally). They were a blast to watch. A fire, tea and our newest read aloud, under layers of blankets were called for after drying off.

Cousins

We group our celebrations with my side of the family, making sure each one gets recognized. This time; two birthdays and father's day. There is distance, very different schedules and life to schedule around. But we always find a way and a time. Guaranteed is great food, thoughtful gifting and lots of playtime. The cousin's ages span 12-2 years old, equally sharing a love of imaginary play. With a birthday gift of a sword, the games involved rescue, knights, duals and adventure.

They have a special bond, they know the importance of this relationship, cousins.

Ours

We head to our little beach and dock, which is walking distance from our house, a lot. As a treat the loons are spotted, or a great blue heron. But our mallards, we see them every time. It is almost like seeing our friends. There are two sets of families, getting the chance to watch the ducklings grow. They are extremely friendly, although we don't feed them, I think they are just see a lot of people. These pictures, Chris took, the ducks were literally two feet away with babies and all.

They're Here!

all the rain has meant black flies, a hike along the beach meant we were under attack.

Happy Father's Day

::mini golf, course made in the wee hours of the morning, all of their own design

:: breakfast on the deck

:: the first turkey we have ever cooked

:: snuggles, all on the couch

:: a car show

:: knowing how much he's loved

Silver Dart

The nice weather didn't last long, it poured most of the day. But the rain didn't hold us back from a little road trip to see a replica of the Silver Dart. This year is the Centennial Celebration of Flight in Canada. There is a rich history of flight that has been neglected, numerous contributions by Canadians bringing flight to where it is today.

The Silver Dart is one piece of that history. An aircraft I had never heard of before. I was amazed at this flimsy looking, 250 lbs. pedal operated, open, bicycle wheel aircraft. The first pilots must have been incredibly brave to even have thought this was a safe idea! (The kids all said they would give it a whirl- so maybe its just me!) The rain meant everything happened in the hanger, which gave it a very authentic feel. The men who have been travelling across the country with the replica where dressed in 1909 costumes, as this was the last time the plane flew. There have been paper planes, goggles and caps, a new list for the library and designs on the go. I love how that inspiration manifests itself.

Donkey Love

It couldn't have been better timing for the sun to poke it's head out this evening. A friend invited us over (after a few hints :) to not only see her beautiful horses and donkeys, but to groom and ride them.
She takes in horses and donkeys that haven't been cared for properly, or no longer have a home. She gives them lots of TLC, some being relocated to new homes afterwards.

A new donkey, Gus, had just arrived this week. What a handsome fella! Shai was smitten over him. I think a donkey might be a nice addition (right after the Alpaca and sheep, don't you?).

The kids loved riding them, brushing them out and feeding them carrots. Round the evening out with a bbq , a trampoline and a little bit of fishing and it was a success.

Nature Central

Everything has turned green, which has been wonderful. With the green has come days filled with nature adventures. I am truly amazed at the end of each day, what beautiful and fascinating things we have encountered. This week alone has meant;

:: finding a nest of red bellied snakes, including some very tiny babies (a cool guide)

::listening to the very loud singing of the bull frogs in our pond, competing with equally loud tree frogs, whose calls can be listened to here

:: on our clothes line we found a few big black bugs, with long antennae, after looking in our bug book found out they are notable sawyers, we thought of a particular friend with the same name!!!!

:: have found too many giant water beetles for my liking in particular, and when they come out of the pond WOW are they fast!

:: watch Shai sing a large American toad twinkle twinkle little star, who stayed to listen

:: began identifying the wildflowers close by, filling corners of the house with mixed bouquets

:: caught some dragon fly and damsel fly larva- the former propels itself through the water by shooting water out of its back end, and both are quite aggressive, although the more of them means the less of the mosquitoes

editor's note: i can't believe i failed to describe the picture of ben. While climbing in our big tree, a tree frog landed on his head!!! I got a picture from the ground, if you look closely you can see it.

Gifts of the heart

Awe. Pure amazement. How blessed I am, with such truly big hearted kids. Today was my birthday. I love birthdays. To celebrate the gift of each other in our world, I think that is pretty great. So, today was my birthday, and boy did I feel special. My kids worked all week (without suggestion or persuasion) on gifts for me. Elias whittled, sewed a leather handle, burned a design on a beautiful walking stick for me. He knows how much pleasure hiking brings me, something we love to do together. Aria and Ben collected caps, hammered each one flat - about fifty of them- hammered a hole in each with a nail, and strung them into a very groovy necklace. Why? because they know dancing fills me with joy, something we love to do together. And what is better than dancing, then dancing with a beautiful jingle sound? After a picnic, a fire, a fabulous cake Chris made, we danced. Danced barefoot in the grass, freeze dance even. I love birthdays.

Black and white seems to fit

They look kind of spooky don't they. They felt kind of spooky.

Last fall the kids and I stumbled upon these large cement creations and have since wanted to return to show Dad. We decide to take a road trip, this being one of our destinations. We were greeted by peahens and peacocks- a very strange sighting on an empty Muskoka road. There is a medieval house (can you find the bathtub on the roof, or the tower made in the shape of a head). Scattered across several acres of fields are heads and trees made out of concrete and tower very high. The artist Peter Camani is interested in the concept of permanence, creating art that lasts through time.
The work was very interesting, to see something so large scale, with connecting features, done by one artist. There was no cost involved in visiting, and guests are welcomed to roam around the land. We were not surprised to read on the site that bookings are taken for various holidays; halloween, solstice, fulls moons being very popular ones!

Afternoons at local beaches

Always welcomed, fish dreams, sandcastles worlds, water adventures.

Art in the town

The downtown area is filled with reproductions of paintings done by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. The heritage of these famous artists using the backdrop of this area as the inspiration for their art work is a cherished one. The paintings; twenty two of them and counting, are scattered through out the main streets, on side alleys, on store fronts, obvious and obscure places.

Seeing the beauty of the natural setting, the contrasts of the colours, set against the busy streets and buildings really drew out the essence of the natural beauty. With such large pieces of work, you really get a sense of the colours, the brush strokes, the lines. We have been trying our hands at our own art work, talking about perhaps adding a large piece to our yard. The perfect inspiration was walking tour of the art work around town. In a few weeks the town is holding a festival to celebrate this history, adding more murals, art in the street and workshops. Its on our summer list.

Tom Thomson Project

educational activity

Tour Night

The cub group the boys belong to has been such a rich addition to their weekly routine. The leaders are encouraging, genuinely interested to see any treasures they bring from home. Each week is a fun filled two hours. This particular week was a visit to the new paramedic centre.

We had a tour of the supply closet (complete with demos), a walk through the trucks, a look at the down time space, a listen to the sirens. The highlight was watching one of the cubs and a leader get strapped to different types of backboards and to show how secure they were, gave them a flip upside down. My guys were glad they didn't volunteer.

Update

We still have 11 chickens. We are so happy to report, 1 and only 1 is a definitely a rooster. They are spending their days outside, eating worms and jumping off the wood pile. We are still enjoying them, and the quirky way they have.

Track Excavator or Front End Loader?

Graders, mass excavators, backhoes, cement mixers, paving equipment, bobcat, forklift, cherry picker....I could go on far longer than I ever wished, naming different building equipment. Considering the very little memory capacity I have left, I really wish these names didn't take up valuable space. Alas, my little one is in love with the world of large equipment and the names of this machinery is part of my daily language. I love how he ooohs and ahhs as we pass by each truck. Pure excitement.

History Alive

It doesn't take much for us to get excited about history.

Through in the chance to walk among a recreated village, smell, touch, see, hear the stories of the past and we are pumped! A friend organized a recent trip to Sainte Marie Among the Hurons, a recreated 17th century unique Jesuit Missionary village, where the french created a community living among the Huron Wendat Nation.

Our guided program focused on Two Cultures : One Land, giving us some insight into who the Jesuits were, why the came to this land, how they lived, how the Wendat and Jesuits impacted one another. We were invited to listen to the stories while were immersed in recreations. The tour guides, dressed in period costumes were informative and entertaining. It always refreshing when we are welcomed to touch the artifacts, ask questions and explore the village.

We were all blown away to learn that when the Jesuits came to this village, they would need to portage for 30 days, carrying three times their body weight (and sometimes piglets or calves), getting out about 50 times to portage (carrying the canoe) over untrimmed trails.

We were also struck by the differences of the two churches with in the community. The one used by the Jesuits on a daily basis, complete with separate room for the priest to prepare for the mass (sacristy), wood floors, no seats. The church the Wendat people went to had dirt floors (to cover the dirt, takes you farther away from the Earth and Great Spirit), birch bark crosses, seats, colour in the embroidered cloths.

We have had many interesting discussions about nations meeting each other, and how they choose to interact after the initial meeting. There are a lot of whys on a moral level and wondering how things would be today if history had been different.

While the trip was very informative and interesting, the kids and I were over the moon to visit with friends. Despite rain the kids gobbled down lunch quickly to run around with each other, constantly clinging to one another. I was happy to have a chance for a catch up and time together. The kids asked to see the photos, and wondered why I didn't get any of the play time- I was too busy enjoying myself!

Settling

It's hard to be patient, to trust. To watch them run among a group of kids, whose names though know and whose company they look forward to, is worth being patient for. We have been inviting three or four families to join us each week for playing at the skate park. It's becoming a regular play date, helping us settle even more.