Anniversary Weekend Continued ... from Sunup to Sundown

Our anniversary weekend continued yesterday although with an increase in cloud cover and a decrease in temperature today, the majority of the frolics may be over.

Actually, the day began in solitary mode for me yesterday. I awoke early and was out of the house shortly after 4:30 to go on a solitary photo shoot. This may be my favourite photo from the shoot and was actually an incidental one. As I returned to the car, I glimpsed this view across the river from the parking lot. It was still pretty dark out, and I think blogger darkened the photo even more, but I love the purple tones and the reflection — even if I do say so myself.

Later in the morning, we headed to the opening day of the farmers market. Traditionally, many spring/summer activities begin on this May (Victoria Day) long weekend. They have just built the roof. It isn't even shingled yet.

What with beef, maple syrup and rainbow trout and who knows what else for sale, this was quite the eclectic vendor. And a happy one.

Then, Sue met another vendor, Heather, who has a farm-size poperty in the woods. Before hunting season, she orders up to 2000 pumpkins to attract the deer into the safety of her property just before hunting season. She helps feed them all winter. If you squint, you can see many deer in her photo. She was selling dropped antlers decorated with various stones. You can begin to glimpse one to the lower right behind the photo.

Later in the day, we went for a drive to the Narrows Lock on the Rideau Canal system.

We had a picnic lunch and just sat around for a few hours ...

... and even managed to reach each other this time around ...

... while AC waited for the sun to go down so he could take a this photo of the sunset on Big Rideau Lake.

I took the above picture from the pier and thought that I might have the opportunity to take the iconic pier into the water shot that every photographer should take once. Alas, the fisher people had other ideas.

It was a good day. I'm glad we got out while the gettin was good because today ain't so grand.

Anniversary Picnic

As you know if you read the previous post, yesterday was our anniversary. Since we still had to be around to get Danica off the school bus, we weren't able to do much or to go far. It was just as well because when did decide to take a picnic lunch to the riverside, we were reduced to shivering in the cold. It looks nice enough in the photos, but in point of fact it was windy and cool.

You can't count on the weather on this holiday weekend. It was also blasted windy 44 years ago. It was cloudier and rainier then, however, and the rest of the weekend looks promising.

I had thought to bring my tripod and decided to memorialize our anniversary picnic by setting it up and taking some remote photos. I angled the camera to include the park along the riverbank, but as you can see, this angle caused Sue to look like a midget beside me.

We're supposed to be gazing across the river, Sue.

Look at the imaginary birdie.

Wave to the camera.

So I moved the tripod and took a few more with the beautiful water treatment plant in the background.

Smile.

Let's pucker up for a little anniversary kiss. Uh, can't reach that far. Damn.

After that stretch we were so tired that we went home for a nap. And nap we did, unlike 44 years ago.

May 17 1969

These two people got married on this day 44 years ago. The one in white has kept her looks quite well. The one in black has not fared so well.

Mothers Day and a Sick Kid

Sue's Mothers Days have entered their fourth decade. I am not sure how I got married to such an old woman.

When we arrived for lunch Danica was sucking on an electrolytic popsicle ↑↑ because she hadn't been able to keep any food or drink down after throwing up 13 times yesterday.

After brunch when Eric and I managed to combine to cook bacon, eggs, hash browns and biscuits, Grandma got to open her gift with loads of help from JJ. ↓↓

Then, Amma and Danica had a little lap time.

But she was not her usual, boisterous self.

And Dani and Mom were soon seen having a protracted snuggle on the couch. After a hot week, a cold front has blown in, and it was darn chilly, so they huddled under a blanket.

Meanwhile, Jonathan enjoyed looking at his reflection in the monitor.

And that's how Mothers Day 2013 went down.

Springtime and Boy Time

Spring vaulted into summer in the past week with temperatures reaching past the mid-20s°C and into the 80s°. The trees went from bud to full leaf very quickly that I missed getting some photos that I wanted. However, these two old oaks in the park were among the very few that hadn't yet leafed out completely.

Blossoms also suddenly appeared. This tree was in Sha's yard, and I snapped the photo while waiting for the parents to come home after I dropped the kids off for the day. Unintentionally, I caught a bee approaching the blossoms.

Other than the rapid weather change, some things have been proceeding as normal. For example: JJ and I still have a story time after lunch and before quiet time.

And he continues to shadow me. I decided to bbq some hot dogs for lunch one day, and he was around the whole time. In this photo, he was examining the workings of the gate.

One day, we helped a neighbour with her move. We trudged back and forth together: the boys and the Bups.

I Once Was Lost

I kind of got lost or at least I lost track of my blog for awhile. These are some more photos from what is now the weekend before last.

Sue snapped this picture of me wandering around with my camera at</ br>Festival of the Maples.

Just some of the chainsaws at Wheelers..

And some more.

A storage area at Wheelers.

A green door in Balderson advertising cheap pop from a bygone era.

A barn at Balderson that Brian and I visited while the women were doing a wee bit of shopping.

Before the Crowds

Before being gobsmacked by the crowds at the Festival of the Maples, we met Brian and Heather at Wheelers. After a leisurely and chatty breakfast over pancakes, sausages and plenty of maple syrup, we ambled about the property seeing what we could see. The women did their thing, and Brian and I, the amateur photogs, did ours.

So, what I have to offer today are your basic wandering around pictures. Occasionally, I would catch a glimpse of the ladies and take a shot — mostly of their behinds as it eventuated.

Heather was enthralled with the alpaca who made cute sounds to her.

I wished he was a llama, for then I would have called him god and said, "Behold the llama god."
And I would have thought myself clever.

They are looking at an old Model T, which I have posted several times previously. This time I ignored Tin Lizzie.
I hope she forgives me.

In the far distance, the ladies check out the blacksmith shop and saunter by various farm relics.

And here are the Brian pics as he wandered about snapping this, that and the other thing.

I think Brian was checking the picture that he just took of the alpaca (and not the llama god).

Walking behind a setup of the ancient method of boiling maple syrup.

Brian checks out a shed containing an old-style syrup boiler.

This is the inside. The sign over the furnace informs us that it could produce 3 litres per hour.