Where Roads and Rivers Meet

If you like the title of my blog post, you're not exactly in the same boat as most of Peterborough. "Where roads and rivers meet" was the proposed new tagline for the city but it was widely rejected recently. Despite it being a rather accurate description, I think its irony comes too soon after the great flooding we experienced this and previous springs. Social media spots and other various online publications have suggested a contest for a new slogan. Some of those suggestions as well as previous slogans, and those for the Trent and Kawartha area in particular will appear with my images below.



Slogan: Electric City
These are the churning waters of the London Street Generating Station.






Slogan: The place at the foot of the rapids
This woman was fishing closer to the shoreline at the base of the generating station.






Slogan: City of bridges
A small show of defiance on the nearby walking bridge.






Slogan: It's just around the way
Regardless of water levels, many locals have kayaks and canoes, and enjoy getting around town via the waterways.






Slogan: Heart of the Trent-Severn Waterway
A twenty minute walk or a three minute drive from the above scene, we found ourselves at Lock 19 where some of the same boats were now in action. This group really got around on that day.






Slogan: Gateway to the Kawarthas
The watery gates were soon opened and they continued on their way.






Slogan: Bright waters and happy lands
A few boats having a bit of a rest near the lift lock.






Slogan: Marine highway
And here is the lift lock in action. A couple of boats (including the Lift Lock Tours boat) in the left chamber are about to make their ascent.






Slogan: The land of shining waters
Almost at the top, they'll continue their journey north along the Trent-Severn Waterway. The caisson on the right was full of smaller boats including some of the kayakers we saw in previous photos. I told you they really get around.






Slogan: Popular Peterborough for progressive people
Peterborough has dozens (it would seem) of these Little Libraries around town.






Slogan: The participaction city
A little more graffiti on the way into Jackson Park expresses sentiments like "the whole earth is our hospital" and "resolute kindness."






Slogan: Nestled in nature
It was a beautiful early summer day with puffy clouds scudding across the sky. This Jackson Park meadow was very inviting with its long grass undulating in the wind.






Slogan: Where land and nature nurture us
A male Downy woodpecker was working hard at this one tree. His rat-a-tat easily caught my attention.






Slogan: Is there anyplace you would rather be?
This pole pretty much disappears behind the vines.






Slogan: Your life right here
Step back in time with this beauty parked near my place. Something tells me that it's from 1956.






Slogan: It's a natural
One of the many pretty spots seen while out walking one day in May.






Slogan: The wide awake city
A litte more graffiti because who doesn't love bees? And cake!






Slogan: Come share the magic
And finally, let's close this tour with a rainbow - a double one, in fact. This one illuminated our view on my birthday while my younger son was visiting and we were both on speaker phone with my older boy. Life is good!

What Children Like

I never get any protests from children. All you get are giggles of mirth and squirms of delight.

I know what children like. 

~ Roald Dahl

There is no shortage of adorable children in Peterborough. And of course, since kiddos come in all shapes, sizes and species, you'll find a few of the non-human variety here, as well.

I hope you enjoy.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

~ W.B. Yeats

These two siblings were having a bit of a tug of war on the dock, one evening. He wanted to stay and she wanted to return to the nearby restaurant.

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

~ Kahlil Gibran

She won!

Watch the littlest kids carefully; the biggest messages for the grown-ups are hidden there!

~ Mehmet Murat ildan

Closer to sundown on the same day, a younger pair peered into the water together while their mom watched over them from just outside of the camera's view.

I like dogs

Big dogs

Little dogs

Fat dogs

Doggy dogs

Old dogs

Puppy dogs

I like dogs

A dog that is barking over the hill

A dog that is dreaming very still

A dog that is running wherever he will

I like dogs.

~ Margaret Wise Brown

Bounding into the water just like a little kid, this dog couldn't be happier.

The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog. ~ Ambrose Bierce

And back out again with his victorious capture. He runs to his person to toss the ball into the river for another opportunity to swim and fetch.

A child's imaginary playmate just might actually be there. ~ Doug Dillon

Same river, different dog with his kidlet, having a late afternoon swim.

Your children will smash your understanding, knowledge and reality. You will be better off.

Then they will leave. You'll miss them forever.

~ Tibor Kalman

And then they moved on. The dalmatian was in a kayak with one of two adults (though only one of visible in this photo) up ahead.

A party without cake is just a meeting. ~ Julia Child

I'd hazard a guess that there were a bunch of kids enjoying a birthday party just inside this home.

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Speaking of parties, the little cutie hidden behind the cup is one of Carol Anne's neighbours who recently attended her milestone birthday party.

A child is a curly, dimpled lunatic. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I suspect that this little guy has another pair of shoes much like this at home.

Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia. ~Joseph Wood Krutch

The only "kid" I have still living with me is my beautiful Zephyr.

The soul is healed by being with children. ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

This little sweetness was having fun exploring the sand and splashing in the water.

When a kid says "smell my hand," it almost never smells like cinnamon. ~ Brian P. Cleary

And finally, this exuberant little girl was feeling the evening music at an outdoor concert.

More photos coming up soon. I do also hope to get around to some blog visits before too long. See you soonish!

Mud In Your Eye

Last week's visit to the cottage has already begun to feel like a distant memory and I hope that we can get back there sometime soon.

You might remember that last September, we took the boat out and tried to fish for walleye. I kept on hooking and reeling in catch after disappointing catch, with nary a walleye in sight. At that time, Frank insisted that I learn to hook my own worm and remove my own catch from the hook - and I did. This year he added one very nasty task to the routine. I had to "blow up" my own worm. It took me a couple of seasons to even stomach watching while Frank injected his worms with air and now he wanted me to handle that job myself. Gulp!

Here's what's required. After piercing the slimy, wriggly creature with the hook, the worm is held steady with one hand, while inserting a syringe-like needle into its body. The needle is attached to a small, empty plastic bottle. A quick squeeze of the bottle injects a puff of air into the worm so that it will float above the sinker which otherwise weighs it down to the bottom of the lake. This makes the worm more enticing for curious, hungry walleye.

I was beginning to get the hang of it after a few tries, and began to relax a bit. By the fourth or fifth time, it became routine. I hooked the worm, and held it in place while finding and unscrewing the safety cap from the "worm blower." I inserted the needle into the worm and casually squeezed the bottle. The worm immediately squeezed back and squirted me right in the eye with - I don't know - worm guts! It was unattractive to say the least. So was Frank's laughter. Really unattractive, Frank!

I managed to survive it, rinsed my fingers and face off with lake water and proceeded to catch my one and only walleye.



Here's my walleye under the knife. Frank's skillful fingers had it beheaded, filleted, skinned and wrapped in no time flat. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



We were treated to several beautiful sunsets during our stay - like this one. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



The setting sun lends such lovely light to everything it kisses. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



We drove into a nearby town one afternoon, where we eventually did a bit of shopping. On our way out of this general store, Francis spotted this little chipmunk feasting on some spilled sunflower seeds atop a storage shelf. It scarcely gave us a glance while it greedily filled its cheeks. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



The Hummingbird feeder was like an airport with incoming flights and frequent departures. This little one thrummed past my head and posed briefly for a photo. It appeared to take notice of a wasp which was anticipating its own taste of the sweetened water. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



A couple of parked Kayaks offered a splash of colour to the view seen outside the back door. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



Benny spent many hours honing his swimming skills. He also perfected his water-biting skills. Rather than wait for waves to roll in...


.. I accommodated him by splashing and kicking the water his way. He obliged by jumping up to bite as many droplets as he could. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



On our last day, we fished until the sun began to set. The rising moon and clouds reflected some rich colours. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



Back on shore, the sky exploded with colour for the last sunset of our holiday. (Click the photo to enlarge it)



As we were cleaning out the cottage and packing up the car to go home, we noticed this bug sunning itself on the railing of the deck. (Click the photo to enlarge it)

We left the cottage on a perfectly sunny day. The sky was a brilliant blue with only occasional wispy clouds. We packed up the car without concern about rain. Canvas bags and other not-so-water-resistant items were secured to the roof rack and off we went.


As we headed for home, the sky changed considerably. All around us we could see pockets of angry weather and each slowdown on the highway was nerve-wracking to say the least, but we managed to make it home with moments to spare before the sky opened up. (Click the photo to enlarge it)

Benny does not like it when he doesn't know where we're going. He's pretty good in the car if it's a routine trip, like when Frank comes to my place or home again, but the trip to and from the cottage was different and wrong! Here he is doing his distressed chimpanzee imitation. (Make sure your sound is on!)

But eventually, all becomes right in his world again. (Click the photo to enlarge it)