Swimming!

Sitting on the back deck has been lovely. I heard the black-billed cuckoo cuckooing, along with the mourning dove. 

It's been very hot, though, and I have been moaning about missing my swim buddies. I went to the website, and the beach nearby was good. Although with cutbacks, they only test the water once per week. Usually, after a rain, we get e-coli at the beaches. 

Aster was camping on the St. Lawrence with friends. Jordan is packing and restudying math for Queens University in September. We used to go to the beach often during Gramma Camp. In August, 2020, we were there three times one week. 

There were so many games. We spent hours looking for fish. 

We were last swimming together July 5th, 2023. 

Back to the present. Aug. 13, I decided to cough up the $10 and visit the beach myself. Joe cannot swim, he's got a bad shoulder. We'd just had some rain, and I knew the beach would be quiet. No teens throwing a football at one another, or screaming kids, or smokers, with smoke drifting my way. Yes, I'm an old fart. 

We'd just had a rain storm, thankfully, but I was determined to go for a swim. 

It's about 5 km down the road, and I packed simply. I put on my suit, grab a couple of towels, and Joe's camera and my wallet. My bathing suit dates back some years, but I swim so infrequently, I'm not sure it's worth it. I wore this suit when we 4 went to Dominican Republic in November, 2017, but it is older than that!

Here I am, the only car in the parking lot! It was bliss. 

The skies were lovely. Clouds bouncing on by. I tried to splice these photos, but gave up. You get the picture! 

There's a large dog print, but dogs aren't allowed at the beach. Just sayin'.

I saw a dog walk through the trees on the right, and go down to the beach on the other side of the buoys. I assumed there was a human there with it. Sure enough, I could hear her on her phone while doggie rolled in the sand. It was surreal!

Off in this bay, I spotted about a dozen geese flying in. They are noisy as they land on their feet and waterski into the bay.

This mat is a great instalment, which allows wheelchair users to go into the water. What a great idea.

There is a fire ban, and the little BBQs have been covered up. Isn't it a nice spot, though?! 

The Osprey have a nest, they were flying about. They are beautiful to watch, soaring up and around.

I made it home, and inspected the fishies. They look pretty good, considering the heat. They prefer cooler temperatures than tropical fish. The rain fills the water barrel, which flows into the pond. I counted 8 fish. A good sign.

I arrived home, and somebody in my house tried to hang up my suit on the plant hook. Unfortunately, he tried to stand on the chair. He's pretty sore, with terribly stiff muscles. Dr. Ho's has been beneficial. He's got limited mobility for now. 

Sitting and sitting down is OK. Standing up is bad, as he loses his balance with the pain. I'm going to take over dishes for now. Bending is impossible. He takes his cane into the bathroom, which saved him from a fall. He's in a lot of pain. Such is life.

I toodled into town and bought us pizzas for dinner. That'll last several meals. Meantime, I woke to a chilly 9 ℃, I'm glad I went swimming when I did. 

Market Day!

 Saturday is market day in Perth, as well as many other towns. In Muskoka's cottage country each little town had its own day. Usually, Joe Brian goes on his own. He is still recovering and so I drove him in. I threw on a dress, simple decision about what to wear. We went in around 8:30. 

We began inside the Crystal Palace. This is an older shot. That's the famous fake cheese in the shed. 

The Crystal Palace holds a lot of events. They have a new roof, as we are all aging.

In we went to find Jiny's Kimchee in order to get some dinner. Her Korean food is terrific! 

JB tells me there are lots of dogs at the market. They walk them, and then walk to the market. He was rewarding the barking by giving the dog treats. 

I had to leave as the barking triggers me. JB suggested I get out. And I did.

saturday market from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Outside I went, and took a photo of the new fountain. 

I love these hand washing stations.

Jo and Aster are too old for Gramma Camp. I don't know where the years went! I am happy they are growing up healthy and happy. That is the plan. I miss crafts, Lego, cooking, writing stories, and printing books. This popped up on Facebook, July 6, 2016. I made this dress for her. 

Caitlin took them to the beach, followed by ice cream!

Jo and Aster went to Bluesfest to see a group called 'Mother Mother!' Now, they aren't a blues band, but Bluesfest has changed over the years. Just sayin'! 

Gramma Camp – Wednesday

 We tried to watch tennis until the girls woke up. Three rain delays! Up before noon, 9 - 10-ish, Grampa and Isabelle went shopping for the pineapple stir fry for dinner.

While they shopped, and Isabelle took photos, Jos and I did some sewing. 

I had some issues with my left eye. While waiting to go swimming, and waiting for the phone call to see if I've an appointment, the girls waited patiently. 

Ta da!

They collected some rocks.

It cleared out by 3:30.

Hustling home, showers were to be had. Then, dinner prep. We had the pineapple stir fry. Jos was in charge, I assisted, Isabelle was the sous chef. 

We were going to do barley, but it took too long to cook. The recipe called for cooked rice or barley. We chose rice. It was brown rice, though, better for Isabelle.  "How do we cook rice?" asked Jos. 

    "In the rice cooker! Easy peasey." 

    "We don't have a rice cooker at home!"

    "Oh, yes you do! He's called Papa!" He's a great cook!

It was a great dinner. We watched some Jeopardy shows. Everyone was happily tucked into bed.

I've an appointment for my eye today. I'm seeing floaters in my left eye. We'll see what is wrong.