The Soft Laughter of April

Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and shadow of April showers. 

~Byron Caldwell Smith

If I didn't hurry up and post again soon, you'd all think it was still winter in my world.

It isn't.

In fact, it has turned into lovely spring weather.

At least for now.


A couple of weeks back, Carol Anne and I took a day trip into Port Perry, Ontario - less than an hour from home. The day started off sunny, warm and perfectly lovely.






The best part about being a passenger is the opportunity for drive-by shootings - in this case, of a barn which caught my eye.






We arrived at Port Perry just in time to have a bit of a wander before lunch.

After feeding our faces, we looked around at some of the local shops. It's not a large town so we soon ran out of shopping spots and instead, zigged and zagged down a couple of side streets.






One of those streets led us to Ozzy, this adorable eight week old French Bulldog pup.
Correction: Both Theresa and Daryl indicated that they believe that Ozzy is a Boston Terrier. Mine was a guess. I stand corrected. :)






He was irresistible, and he got lots of pats and belly rubs in whilst chewing on fingers and shoes. I managed one last photo of him in the middle of a good shake.






As clouds began to gather, we were indecisive about setting out for a walk which would take us farther from the car. We stuck to the nearby waterfront of Lake Scugog.






It turned out to be the right choice. We knew that rain was expected and those dark clouds approached rather quickly.






There's something beautiful about dark, gloomy skies - especially if you aren't far from shelter.






By now the wind had also begun to pick up so we took that as our clue to get to the car and head home.






Five minutes into the drive, and the windshield looked like this.






But all of that rain and subsequent sunshine soon gave us new growth like this.






And like this.






And this.






And now, when the sun begins to set, the newly-budded trees are ablaze with colour and life once again.

Spring has indeed sprung.

Somewhere Else

Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car. ~ E.B. White

On one of my trips up here before I actually settled in, we took a little drive to a nearby town or two.



This is Whitney, Ontario. It sits at the southern point of Algonquin Park - Canada's oldest provincial park.






We were late getting started so we stopped at The Mad Musher for lunch. It was rather costly to eat there but the food was decent enough.






The sun poured in through the window prompting me to photograph the shadows across the chair.






The other side of that window provided a pretty view of the Madawaska River.






You know you're in a small town when one small building houses the grocery store, credit union and Sears outlet.






This is a lookout point over Lake Kamaniskeg in the town of Combermere. And they really do mean "look out." The edge of the boulder on which we were standing drops off to the highway below. It was a pretty sight but I'm not crazy about heights and this one was pretty vertigo-inducing. Coincidentally, Tom Petty's Free Falling is playing on the radio as I type.







One last look in the other direction before we crawl out of here.






This image will probably make Frank's sister, Theresa smile. One summer day, about four years ago, Theresa, her husband Evan and I took a drive through the towns surrounding their family cottage. We stopped in a few places and looked around at general stores, antique shops and other spots. One of those stops resulted in the purchase of this unusual Jam. It was pale pink (this one, not so much) and the lady in the store suggested we try it on crackers with cream cheese. So we bought some. Theresa and I opened up a bottle of Malbec and dressed up a few crackers as suggested by the lady in the store. We almost finished the whole jar. It was amazing! The problem was that we had no idea where it was that we stopped and found it. I have been on the lookout for it whenever I see homemade jams ever since. So, on this road trip, Frank brought me to a store where he had seen a huge display of homemade jams the week before, and while I was scanning the labels, he spotted this lone jar on a low shelf. It was the last one that they had but after I told the store clerk that I had been looking high and low for this jam, she took the name down and said that she would tell the person responsible for making them and that there would probably be more at some point. Yay!







Heading back toward home, a drive by shooting of the scenery around us.






I'm cheating here a bit because this photo was actually taken a few days earlier but who can resist a full moon on the rise over the trees and across the bay? Not I.

More coming up in a few days.

Felines and Fishing Lines

Day trip season has returned to southern Ontario!

One day last week, Frank, his son #1 and I went fishing at a spot we tend to frequent each spring. We packed the car around noon and soon found ourselves on this lovely, hilly stretch of country road.

I wrote about our visit there last year and how we caught a few fish for the then-pregnant feral cat who lives at the mill.

We were quite relieved to see that she had survived yet another winter and seemed to remember us from previous years. Frank has been fishing for her every year for a long time now. She was much less reserved than usual - probably more hungry, too (she looked skinny to me) - and had a few things to tell us as she approached. She stayed just out of reach, but close enough to encourage us to toss some fish her way.

The appropriate meal-sized chub which were so plentiful last year, were playing hard to get this spring, and as luck would have it, the kitty ended up with a decent-sized trout, which was injured in the catch and therefore unable to be released. She was quite happy with that.

She's a sweet girl, isn't she?

The mill, which is now for sale, has been shut down for longer than I've been going there, and has fallen into quite a state of disrepair. But I find its dilapidated rustic setting quite charming. Here's a peek inside one of the front windows.

And here's one, out back close to where we fed the kitty.

Sometime before our visit, an angler must have quenched his thirst with a cold beer. He left this bottle cap behind. I wonder if he fed our furry friend, too?

After the feline's belly was full, we moved on to another fishing spot. I opted to leave the line-wetting to Frank and his son, and took a walk to snap some more photos instead. I'll share those with you next time.

Day Trippin'

A couple of weeks ago, Frank and I took a couple of day trips around and about his neck of the woods. We drove to Port Hope, Ontario and visited an antique and craft store called Primitive Designs. We'd seen it advertised in one of those freebie magazines which offer suggestions about where to go and what to do in the area. Their Native Canadian crafts and imports from Southeast Asia intrigued us, prompting us to visit.

We spent over an hour looking over the many beautiful and unique items, and left with a carload of purchases. Among them, a huge coffee wood plant stand, a wooden crow, a carved wooden dragonfly which balances delicately on a stand, some incense and ...

a totem pole which now resides at Frank's place. (please click to enlarge)

The place is set up as a series of well-sheltered tents outdoors. It's cold inside but after a awhile you scarcely notice it. You're too busy looking at all of the fascinating pieces of art. (please click to enlarge)

Can you imagine placing one of these huge garden sprits in your back yard? (please click to enlarge)

She's got legs and she knows how to use them - as a table support, of course. (please click to enlarge)

Carved wooden loons sit among colourful rain sticks. (please click to enlarge)

This beautiful wood carving had such incredible detail. (please click to enlarge)

There were far too many items to show in separate photographs so I put the rest of them together in a three minute video. I hope you enjoy it.

In a few days, I'll have some photos taken around and about our day trip.