20 Light Years From Now

Congratulations Sarah and Tim!    

This week we drove south of Massey to see the annual Sandhill Crane migration. Hundreds were feeding and squawking en masse on the various fields.

I've stated a gazillion times that September is my favourite month in the Great White North.  What's not to love about warm daytime temperatures, cool breezy evenings, and NO bugs? The abundant rainfall this summer, however, enabled a few more bugs than normal to survive this long into the season. They're still buzzing around, but otherwise so far September rocks.

It was a dull and dreary day here in northern Ontario, so John and I drove south to Hwy. 17 and then headed west toward Algoma Mills. Our destination?  Bootlegger's Bay on Lake Huron.

John's been kayaking his little heart out the past couple of weeks.

During our stay in North Bay last weekend we hiked the trail around  Duchesnay Falls . It was a glorious Sunday morning and judging by the number of other people out on the trail, everyone was on the same page.

John and I had an opportunity to spend the weekend in North Bay, Ontario, and while we've driven through on a number of occasions we've never taken the time to stop and check out the sites.

A friend recently asked if I'd gotten any blueberries yet, and other than those picked by Emily I realized I would need to act fast before the season ended. So, Friday morning John and I went blueberry picking on Rooster Rock.   

  Mark Twain said, " Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. "

On Saturday John  suggested we go fishing on Depot Lake.

John, Guy and Emily hiked to the top of Cougar Mountain on Saturday morning - just two days after their first attempt to scale it.

John and four of his kayak-enthusiast friends (Rae, Jean Guy, Mark and Ron)  drove north of town this morning to go kayaking on the Little White River. 

Springtime is my third favorite season. It's often wet, cold, muddy and buggy, but there's also rhubarb!  

Earlier this month John and the local hiking group went to Mount Victoria which is south of Elliot Lake. Later, he showed me the pictures he'd taken, and I was IMPRESSED I asked if he'd take me there so I could see it for myself.

Friday afternoon was about as perfect as it gets in the Great White North with short sleeve tee shirt temperatures, clear blue skies, and NO bugs.   

The first week back in the Great White North was a challenge for both of us as we expected the snow to be gone, and the temperatures above freezing. When the mercury finally did rise and the sun appeared in a clear blue sky on Saturday morning we decided it was time for a little road trip to enjoy the scenery . 

Colour me a complete wimp, but I was unwilling to return home to the Great White North - especially when at the beginning of April it was STILL the Great White North.  So, we flew to Cuba.

Since our arrival at the farm there were so many telltale signs warmer temperatures were just around the corner. This week, however, winter returned with a vengeance.

Last week we said goodbye to Panama City Beach, but the locals hardly noticed. They were busy gearing up for the hoards of March breakers. And soon row upon row of wooden loungers returned to the beach after being in winter storage. 

It's hard to believe we've been in Panama City Beach for four months. It's even more of a stretch to come to terms with our pending departure (tomorrow), but as cliched as it sounds all good things must come to an end. Still, we learned quite a bit about ourselves. For starters we can tolerate each other long term,  and  in close quarters. Of course, having a sense of humour helps.

This week friends from home stayed for a few days in St. Andrews State Park, and naturally we had to get together. Monday afternoon Rae and Jean Guy came over to our condo for a swim and stayed for dinner.

St. George Island, Florida is a barrier island just south of Apalachicola and Eastpoint on the panhandle, and since we were in the vicinity we decided to take a look. The bridge connecting Apalachicola and  Eastpoint  is impressive and seems to stretch forever.

Apalachicola is a one and a half hour drive southeast from PCB on Hwy 98. 

We've been very selective of when we leave the beach for places unknown, but with our time in PCB coming to and end this month we decided it's time to get out and about.

Having never attended a Mardi Gras festival or parade, we thought we'd give it a go, so bright and early this morning we headed to historic St. Andrews in Panama City. This pirate ship is a year-round feature. It's actually on the corner of a parking lot.

Did you hear the one about the old guy who decided to buy a wet suit? No? Well, sit back and relax. This is gonna take awhile.  

  A few weeks ago I spotted this sign in a shop...

There's been a lot of action on the far end of the beach these past few weeks. Panama City proper is a port and we often see container ships coming and going. Maintaining the port to accommodate ocean going vessels is important and that's where the "Panama City Drudgery" post title comes into play.

Saturday morning John suggested we go for a drive. We drove north, passing through Panama City to our destination of  Econfina Creek . 

December 26th isn't a holiday in the US as it is in Canada or Britain, so while our daughter worked John and I visited the  Museum of Fine Arts  Boston.

Although we opted to celebrate the beginning of a new year at Latitude 30 in a decidedly quiet fashion, there was plenty of excitement next door at Schooners.