Today, Saturday July 19th we are not at the cottage, rather at home even though the sunset is that over Little Pike Bay Point. Here, it is raining, coming straight down, a soaking rain. Good for farmers, grass and mosquitos. 

Kathy and I have been busy this week supporting our consumer economy in preparation for our King/Mininger family reunion in Ellston IA next week, and rounding up things for the Honicky reunion at the cottage the following week. As always, there are people coming as well as people who won't; we will enjoy those in the present and remember those who are still far away. 

Right now, I am developing a sore butt, sitting as I have been for the past week. I do know, that I will be up and about once in IA and again in Ontario (is there an Off-tario") More toys for Bounty, more toys for tots, lots of fun in anticipation.

Oil upon the water

As our month and several days at the cottage draws to a close, we can reflect upon this stay and say "yes", we have found a rhythm to this life on these Canadian shores. We do what we would be doing elsewhere, only, the location, its environment, dictates our adaptation, nay, immersion, visual, acoustic, the hairs on our forearms are telltales messaging us about the wind. We have to see, hear and feel anew.

We continue to travel and explore. Today we did the "Bruce Peninsula Artists Studio tour 2008". Some 18 stops are on the list from Tobermory to Oliphant. We made only a half-dozen studios as we wanted the Saturday tour of the "bullfrogpower" "clean reliable electricity" from the windmill farm just South of Ferndale. A well spent hour in the midst of our artists' studio tour.  At the end of August (30th) there will be another art studio tour where we can visit studios we have missed today. Each Saturday for July and August, baring lightning, there will be wind farm tours.

Yesterday we spent moving the boats out of the water: Bounty back into her boat house, Sunshine on her trailer at the Launching Pad, the dingy hauled to the South side of the island deck. Each was lovingly washed and scrubbed of the fish roe plastered to their hulls, or, as in the case of the dingy, covered with small winged creatures that had hatched, mated and died, littering the white of the boat. During the hatch and aerial mating, Seagulls crowded the skies, acrobatically twisting and turning mid-air, scooping up their minuscule meal.

From a day of cool Northeast 10 knot breeze, the wind died in the evening, Lake Huron became placid and the setting sun cast a pinkish, purplish, hue: our oil on water sunset.

The Launching of "Little Pike"

Begun more than a year ago, Bill Tyler had the idea of launching "Little Pike" a Morgan 24 (foot) bought by his dad 4 decades ago. The "Little Pike" that Bill had was land locked in its storage garage adjacent to the "Launching Pad." Over the dozen or more years, the marine rail tracks have rusted and become distorted by the winter's ice pack pounding on them. 

Driving the isolation of "Little Pike" further, has been the water levels on the Great Lakes which have been very low since 1986, the last high water. At that time, 22 years ago, water lapped into "Little Pike's" boat house. Now there is no hope in floating the boat off of its marine railway trailer. So she sat, and with sitting, accumulated all the ailments a boat, which had previously sat in water, accumulates including frozen bolts, levers, cables and a host of other metal parts previously immersed in water. 

Bill's thoughts turned first to restoring "Little Pike" ; ie, taking off all hardware, removing the gasoline in the tank that have turned into varnish, replacing the stuffing box, the through the hull fitting where the shaft from the engine to the propeller is located, and a myriad of fitting and pieces that required replacement. New fiberglass paint was applied and the day drew nye for her launching. The question of course, where to launch her? Take her to Lion's Head Harbour and keep her there at that marina? Find deep enough water in his front yard to launch her? In the end, a road was made to the front yard and the steep entry into the water was moderated with stone, and "Little Pike" was launched, floated off her trailer, having been pushed into deeper water by a chained extension log by Connie Collins' tractor. The launch, again demonstrates, that where there is the will and resources, there is a way.

From launch, Bill and his friend Anna Marie came to the mooring just inside "Mare Nostrim".

At this point it was a "see Bill run...." story. The wind was coming from where I was standing taking the picture. As Bill came up to the mooring ball, he scrambled from the cockpit and the tiller to the bow to catch the "painter" with his boat hook. The engine died and the boat came broadside to the winds directing it towards the rock shoals less than 40 feet away. "see Bill run", back to the cockpit, to restart the engine and make another pass at the mooring ball. "All's well that ends well." After the second or third pass, he snagged the painter, cleated it, stopped the boat's wayward movement, and secured "Little Pike" to her Little Pike Bay mooring. 

After launch and a shake down cruise, Bill and I headed out, compass course 270, due West, for 10 miles in a 12 knot breeze, 150% genoa jib flying, heeled over with little pressure at the helm. So, "Little Pike" is back; restored, launched in a new place, and she sails as well as 4 decades ago.

Sunny Day

Wild flowers festoon our front yard, mostly daisies and buttercups. There are other flowers, something like a dandelion but without the prominent leaf pattern. Small butterflies hang onto the flower as it is pushed by the wind, back and forth, up and down. On the water, there is a cormorant duck diving for some of the fish that I could see on the bottom as I snorkeled on Bounty's standing anchor the other day. 

Walking the driveway, there are now Tiger lilies with their deep orange colors contrasting with the gray limestone bedrock and the brown ground cover peat moss. A small flower on a thick stalk, what I call "Indian Paintbrush" apparently has another name Kathy has found, and it too gives a contrasting deep orange color to the otherwise dull background. I found several varieties of iris on my walk yesterday along the shore and on trails through the bush. Kathy has planted geraniums and another red flower to attract the humming birds; Kathy's plan is a success.

Today is Canada  Day. A time for Canadians to celebrate their disconnection from Great Britain and begin the arduous journey to self identification.  For me, this is three days before my country's celebration for the violent separation from Great Britain and its mercantile system (everything going to GB to be made, taxed, whatever, before an item could be redistributed to the rest of the empire).

It is altogether fitting that Bounty symbolizes the water routes that made that early separation of that bygone era possible and necessary.

Today, after brunch, Kathy and I began the dialogue of where we are traveling to  this afternoon. Will the waves be too bouncy? Should we make a dash for Sandy Beach on the inside passage? Is there enough water over the shoals to make such a run? Is the water too cool to moor Bounty off the shore and we having to wade in? All questions yet to be answered.  Of course, if it is bouncy, then maybe we should head towards the Fishing Islands in their protection from the seas. 

There is an alternative of course, staying right here at the cottage, shaded from the direct sunlight, viewing the bright blue waters, listening to the waves lap on the shore. Yet, there is the magic of riding on the seas, one hand on the tiller and the wind at our backs. I am watching an ant, carrying its prize along the boards of the front deck, trying to reconcile, how to get to the next board. 

Of course, Kathy and I could do what we did Sunday afternoon and evening: drive to Sandy Beach until the Celtic Camp kids came for their water sports, go back to the cottage clean up and get appropriately attired for our trip to Cape Chin, on the Georgian Bay side of the peninsula, to have our lobster, mussels, and shrimp dinner at the Cape Chin Bed & Breakfast. This B&B is a rambling rustic renovated farm house, located in a field with surrounding barns. As we sat down for dinner, we chatted with a Toronto couple next to our table, they found this B&B online, they were looking for a last minute place to go for the weekend. High season but vacancies; a sign of the economic times? The food was great, served in a homey atmosphere. Besides the seafood, there was Chicken Paprikash although made with a tomato base instead of a sour cream base that I like. I did have a sample which was also delicious.

There is more to think about as to what to do on this sunny day.