Traffic and travellers

It was slow going on the Friday of this August long weekend. 

Eventually, I found out why. The long weekend started off with a bang on Friday afternoon. Many thanks to our volunteer firefighters!

 

Aug 4, 3 p.m. from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Everything is in colour! 

It is hay season! This is cottage country...

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 Looks like the retirement home Part 3, is getting finished! The construction fences are down.

I think Perth needs a ring road! The truck needed the left turn lane to turn right. 

The renovations are coming along for our Ottawa family while they tour about New Zealand! 

  

The kids made it to Wellington and we had a really fun chat with the kids on Thursday evening. I had a Facetime request. I paused our Amazon Prime show: The Tower. The Fearsome Foursome Flyers Drivers met up with Jean, of All Points of the Compass. She hosted the kids for lunch! Isn't that fun?! I have never met her, but we have done Facetime. 

I have been relying on Siri: "Hey, Siri, what time is it in New Zealand?"  (I have a hard time keeping up!) 

In 2016, Jean had sent a package to Caitlin for my 60th birthday.  What a surprise! What a kind woman. I wish I could have sent something for Jean, but the kids were quite minimal in their packing. 

The whole group, including Jean and Hugh!

Family travelers

 I've three adult children, and 4 granddaughters. Two kids live in Ottawa: Caitlin and her youngest brother. Jesse and his family live in Vancouver. I don't know what my youngest is up to, we are estranged.  He is gainfully employed and his siblings check in on him. (Musta done something right! 😛 )

There is much going on with Jesse and Caitlin, however!

🕰 First of all, Jesse and his family flew to Calgary for a family anniversary party. Secondly, Caitlin and her family are in New Zealand. It is tricky keeping in touch. Jesse, in Vancouver is three hours behind us. The Fearsome Foursome Flyers are 16 hours ahead of us. 

I keep on talking to Siri: "Hey, Siri, what time is it in New Zealand?" It's great! 

We actually had a call from them. Calgary is only two hours behind us. Jesse and family took some time for a trip there for a party. Here they are, the Drumheller hoodoos! 

It was a 60th anniversary for Stacie's aunt and uncle. It was a grand party. The pool time was a hit! There were party games. Bryony is quite the character, ready for swimming in her swim donut. Hooray for a hotel!

And, New Zealand! They are now staying in a cottage in Hahei, and are traveling by car, although they've stayed put for several days. 

Hot Water Beach is a beach on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, just south of Mercury Bay.^[1] 

You can see the steam rising.

A boat tour was fun. These are wonderful caves. 

Dinner! It was the only open restaurant in the town.

 

At night, they return to their accommodations and upload their photos in order for us to live vicariously. With an uptake in COVID-19, I am happier at home! Josephine has been taking some marvellous photos, as well as Isabelle. They've been taking turns doing blog posts, as well.

The adventure the other day was to hike Te Pare. Apparently, the hot water beach was too crowded. 

A cat named Howard in the cafe!

Another storm, here and there!

My volunteer hospice gig was cancelled. I tootled around the house. I made a cabbage salad from a cabbage JB brought me from down the road. The flavours are 'getting acquainted, ' to quote my late mom. I used to get calls from the church ladies for a cabbage salad and pie. I'd have to phone my mother every time for her recipe. Now, I research it and/or make it up as I go!

The day before there was a buccaneer plane cruising around. They are interesting planes. 

Sadly, a Cessna crashed near Ottawa, in Alexandria yesterday. We had a Cessna buzzing the lake last month.

buccaneer plane from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo. 

🌳 My poor old catalpa hasn't given up the ghost yet. It was burned during a too-warm winter or two, damaging the cambium layer. Shoots have been coming up. The first photo is from 2020, after the tree died, I trimmed it up, with help from the grandies. The grape vine has successfully climbed up to give us more green. 

Here is the catalpa from the other side. You can see the wild grape ivy up at the top. (It was both smoky and hazy with humidity.)

That was a heckuva storm! I watched it approach, wondering if I should fill the bathtub. It avoided us, but reigned terror in southwestern Ontario, as well as in the US. These are screen captures of the impending storms. We are on well water and if the power goes, we have to use the water barrels to flush. There were 14,000 in Ontario without power after the storm. Most are back up today.

storm July 26-7 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Happily, we just had lots of rain, no lightning. It was A LOT, 40 mm (1.5")! 

 

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The Fearsome Foursome Flyers have hunkered down in the winter weather in New Zealand for a tour. 

It was pouring in Auckland! There is nothing like rain on the roof.

New Zealand rain from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

They have rented a car, and are currently in Hahei. 

Lawnmowers Son Art Gallery