…thanks to Cee for hosting CFFC https://ceenphotography.com/2024/02/13/cffc-weathered-wood-2/
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Weathered Wood
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Tag Archives: Cottage
A Tribute to Shirley
…Shirley was a long time cottager up on Big Sand Bay
Shirley O’Donnell passed away a week ago today. I saw her one last time back in August when we were both at our cottages. She looked well but clearly her health was not good. Her log cabin cottage was the envy of the beach. Over 40 years ago she had the logs of the cabin floated over to Big Sand Bay and rebuilt on top of the dune. Every summer she and her two children resided in this rustic cabin. She only had electricity installed in the last decade and like us used an outhouse for most of her cottage life. Several years ago she had a beautiful little building put up next to the cabin with a composting toilet and an outdoor shower.
On the weekend I got up early Sunday morning and took a walk to Shirley’s place and started to take photos of the view and the special little touches that made her place so special. The mist coming up over the lake was very mystical and I almost felt like Shirley was looking down on us and sharing the morning with me.
An Evening Walk on the Beach
…after arriving at the cottage we had a quick snack and then decided to explore the beach
Now that the days are getting shorter my daughter and I knew that we didn’t have a lot of time to walk on the beach before darkness set in. After sitting in the car for over three hours we needed to stretch our legs. We fuelled up on some tea and homemade apple cake and then headed down to the beach. We were pleasantly surprised to find the the water level had gone down somewhat since our last visit so walking on the beach was considerably easier than it was two weeks ago.
Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge – Any Kind of House
…thanks to Cee for hosting the Black and White Photo Challenge
A Cottage
The Queen’s House
A London Flat
A Home to Rent in Hyde Park
The Tortoise’s House
A Bird House
In the Neighbourhood
Dundurn Castle in Hamilton
A Playhouse
Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge – August 26, 2018
…..thanks Cee for hosting the Odd Ball Photo Challenge
Just got back from a three day visit to the cottage where I managed to take some odd ball shots on the ferry, on the beach and around the cabin.
A Day at the Spa, Two Days at the Cottage and Cleaning the House
….a busy week
Last Friday my good friend, Arlene and I went to the Elmwood Spa for our birthday lunches, water therapy and facials. My birthday isn’t until the end of August but we decided to have our birthday lunches at the same time. We enjoyed salads, a main course and dessert. The only thing we had to pay for was our wine and coffee.
When you have a treatment for more than a $100 you can also do the water therapy at no extra charge. This includes the steam room, the whirlpool tub and the salt water pool. We did it all. After 30 laps of the pool I showered and then proceeded to to the rooms where the facials are done. What a relaxing afternoon. We left the spa feeling renewed and refreshed.
On Saturday my husband and I left for the cottage. This was Kevin’s first trip and my fourth. The weather wasn’t great but it was nice to get out of the city and just chill. Sunday was overcast but for the most part the rain held off and Kevin and the dog were able to go for a long walk through the woods. Frances loved the freedom to run and roll in every mud puddle she could find.
On Monday morning we left but not before Kevin made us a delicious breakfast that we affectionately call hopple popple. It’s a fry up of bacon, vegetables (usually onions, potatoes, mushrooms, etc.) and scrambled eggs.
For the rest of the week I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning and reorganizing some of my art supplies and paintings. Our son and his wife are vacationing in Toronto and will be staying with us for a several days. I spent most of my time cleaning the spare room and framing and hanging some of my art work around the house. It gave me a great deal of satisfaction to see some of my work hanging on the walls.
On Wednesday Kevin and I went out for dinner at Nodo on Dundas St. W.. The meal was so good that I didn’t get a photo of our meal until it was completely gone. 
Our daughter-in-law and daughter were at the baseball game for Josie’s birthday and we agreed to stop by their house to check up on the dog, Olive. After our meal we made the short trip to their house and spent some time playing with the dog and catching the baseball game on their TV. The Blue Jays were behind 2-0 and in the top of the ninth they pulled it off and scored three runs.
Evening Shots From the Cottage
….on my first visit to the cottage this summer I walked the beach in the evening to get some night time pictures
A Day of Reading and Quiet Reflection
…..my road to recovery has been painless
After icing my jaw all day long yesterday I was happy not to have to do that today. There was little to no swelling this morning so I guess the ice paid off. I started the morning with a delicious peach mango smoothie that my husband made for me and for lunch I had some creamed soup and leftover mashed cauliflower with an egg mixed in for some protein. Both meals were somewhat satisfying and I wasn’t as hungry today as I was yesterday.
One of the benefits of staying home and having restrictions as to what I’m allowed to do is that I was able to get a lot of reading done. I’m all caught up with my emails and I’ve finally started a new book, Road Ends, by Mary Lawson which I’m about a third of the way into. I’ve also been able to research some great art sites for ideas for upcoming art classes at school.
We also got some good news today. My husband went for his quarterly check-up at the hospital this morning and his blood count is still in the normal range. It’s always a little stressful for my husband on those days coming up to his appointments.
Ese’s Weekly Shoot & Quote Challenge – Pleasure
Knowing that we don’t have to worry about the return of my husband’s cancer for at least another three to six months brings us both a great deal of pleasure.
Pleasure is Nature’s test, her sign of approval. When man is happy, he is in harmony with himself and with his environment…..Oscar Wilde
As we get older we appreciate the simpler things in life. Here are a few things that give us pleasure:
Tonights dinner. Yum!
My sister with ‘my three girls’.
For more quotes and photographs about pleasure check out Ese’s Weekly Shoot & Quote Challenge.
Daily Prompt: Remembering Summer
Theoretically, summer will return to the polar-vortex-battered Northern Hemisphere. What are you looking forward to doing this summer?
Summer Dreams
Mornings at the cottage
sitting on the deck with a good book
and a cup of coffee
Long walks on the beach
soaking up the sun
running through the waves
Puttering in the garden
turning the warm soil
picking fresh herbs
Starting up the barbeque
sharing food with family and friends
warm evenings with a glass of wine
in the backyard
Painting in the great outdoors
Listening to the CBC
Marathon games of scrabble,
Rummikub and euchre
Car trips to the country
farmers’ markets, antique stores
ice-cream parlours
Dreaming of summer
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/04/06/daily-prompt-in-the-summertime/
Breaking into D’s Car
….it’s amazing what we pick up from TV
As we were packing to go home yesterday, D came to my cottage in a panic because she couldn’t find her car keys. She thought she might have locked them inadvertently in the trunk of her car. She rummaged through the garbage first but to no avail. The only explanation was that she accidentally placed them in the trunk while packing and then closed the lid.
Breaking the window was the last resort so we searched the deep corners of our brains where we store useless information looking for a solution. How many times have we seen TV shows where cars are broken into in mere seconds with the use of a crowbar and a hanger? We found a crowbar and managed to pry open the window just enough to stick a saw blade into the interior of the car. Unfortunately the blades we tried were all too short or they bent when we applied pressure to the lock.
Finally D’s daughter found a long metal rod that did the trick. The click of the lock was like music to our ears. If you know what you’re doing and have the right tools you can break into a car in a matter of seconds. Not that we’re contemplating a career change but it is a bit scary when you see how easy it is to break into one’s car. Now all we have to do is learn how to hot wire a car and we’d be in business; another skill that could have come in handy if the keys weren’t in the trunk, which they were.
Mama Cormier 