Our Kingston trip!

 We planned a trip to Kingston to visit Jordan. He's living and working in Kingston. He is all signed up courses for September (astrophysics and a minor in geology). He's enjoying his work, receiving and organising goods on 6-hour shifts at a grocery store. 

This is Jordan at 18 months old, 2009. 'What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's' I still have this roll of tape. The little one wanted to be covered in it! I told Jordan the story about us babysitting. Momma and Papa had a wedding to go to somewhere in southern Ontario, while we were in Muskoka.

2009

In preparing for our visit, I used the tape to close the lid of the parcel. 

 What do you take a university student in student housing? A tea towel I regifted and a nail kit. Freebies from the Red Cross fundraiser. 

Also, I took 18-year-old the window crayons! 

We used those a lot. This was 2017-ish. 

Here are the kids using the window crayons!

I wrote about Papa putting in the air conditioner in their top floor apartment, left by the previous renters. It makes a huge difference on the top floor.

 

We had a great chat and talked about all sorts of things, past, present, and future!

GIFTS

Jordan's bathroom was renovated in the summer. While teeny, it has a nice, newly renovated shower. 

The next photo is the toilet paper we gifted him. When he was in residence last year, he'd run out. As with this rental, they come in weekly to clean, replenish toilet paper, etc. There was never enough. We gave him some last Christmas! Not so much a gag gift, as a necessary one.

Jordan harvested the sign on the wall behind a dumpster. Guests are invited to sign it!

A great university. There is quite a variety for student housing. There were 29,000 students for 2025/2026.  Jordan's roomie is at home for summer, but will return for university in the fall.

It really is a great city. Summer brings lots of tourists, and summer employment for the students.

mural for a spa

Tragically Hip mural

A couple of passenger tours left as we had lunch.

It was a lovely drive home.

UPDATE:

Jordan sent a photo. He's already decorated his window!

Ah, summer...

The kids are back from camping in Algonquin Park. Whew! "Almost a tornado," JL said. I can't wait for more stories. 

We took a drive to Kingston to visit with Jordan. More on that later! 

I had 5 great photos of the stormy day, with the red sky in the morning. 

Sunrise before the storm...

I spotted a buck in the backyard. 

I often think about the critters in the dark. First the doe in the dark. Look for the eye balls in the upper right of the video. This is what spooked her. Coyote or fox? In the day, the fawn wandered by.

   

 I like talking to the crows. They answer me back.

 

The storms have been frequent. First the clouds rolled in. I sped up the footage, split and reattached the actual audio. 

I keep trying to capture lightning, but I missed out. If you like the sound of a good storm... 

 

I am looking forward to processing photos! I took a few in Kingston. It is a great city. We hadn't seen Jordan in a long time. 

Cottage life

August flies by. Our kids are canoe camping in Algonquin Park. They took Aster and one of their friends. Jordan breezed into town to attend a pool party, then bussed back to Kingston. He had work on Monday and couldn't go. We all miss our cottage, but there are other adventures to be had.

Time for a bit of nostalgia. Mom and dad bought the land in 1960 for $1000. The cottage was built in 1962. Mom and Dad built an extension, and retired there in 1991. I spent every summer here, not many friends around, and I became a loner.

1962

Joe and I moved here in 2006. Mom had died and dad was in long-term care. He passed in 2007. 

Mom wanted a fish pond. They hired someone to build it. I was able to maintain it for the 4 years we owned the house, but then the motor leaked oil into the pond and I could not clean it. It isn't the type of pump the contractor should have used. I had to fill it in. Sadly. We lived there from 2006 to 2010., then moved here to Lanark County. 

I miss the big skies and the sunsets.

Back to the present, and Crumbly Acres. We are still in cottage country. Instead of a lake, a wetland, and far more critters.

We've had lots of videos of Fred. Butch is a visitor, as well. 

I decided to tip the camera up, back to where it has been. 

I managed to capture us rehanging the squirrel nest box! It was on the tree that fell in the big July 1st storm. I figured I'd just rehang it. It was empty, and might host somebody.

Sadly, it is only the beginning of August, but my cherry tomato plants and my zucchini have just about given their all. 

We had big storms go by last night. I did some iPhone videos. It was really interesting, except for the mosquitoes. More to come!
 

Garden tales

 Things have cooled off some. Outside chores aren't as onerous. A bit of rain fell this morning. The garbage was put out at 6:15, it was a lovely morning. Not as many bugs. You could smell the petrichor. (I learned that word from Gaelyn Geogypsy!)  

Petrichor is the earthy scent often associated with rain falling on dry soil or rock. The term was introduced by Australian researchers Isabel Joy Bear and Richard Grenfell Thomas in a 1964 paper in Nature.  Wikipedia

I saw something move. A large toad! I haven't seen one in a long time. The 2 x 4 is there to stop The Freds from going inside the drain pipe. The toad could get out, I suppose, but I have covered it up. 

We had a chat, but it was somewhat disgruntled. I set it free to eat those bugs. 

Daffodil garden repair

Of course, the daffodils are done, but there are other flowers here. I've written about our massive July 1st and 2nd storms. The bushes on the right were half flattened. They are tall, wild, woodland sunflowers, I think!

I straightened it and tied it once, but the thing fell over again. 

This time I used a strap from a no longer functioning trailcam.

 

The fox likes to circle this garden. I figured out she is hunting for leopard frogs in the grass. I often have to avoid them when I mow the lawn. 

 

The lilac hydrangea is doing well beside the sunflowers. 

Another natural plant, Burdock. 

Sadly, it is only the beginning of August, but my cherry tomato plants and my zucchini have just about given their all.