Santa's Push to December 25th

The doors are ready to hinge.

The doors look good with their new hinges and Santa and Rob are pleased.

The sanding is the last stage before the varnish. Don't you just love the smell of varnish at Christmas?

We spent one night at the cottage huddled around the Jotul. At happy hour it was 12 degrees (54F)! It takes a good 10 hours to warm up the building from freezing temperatures. Next time we will start earlier in the day or even the night before?

The beach looks very different in the winter.

A sure sign that the temperature is below zero.

Huronview's Christmas Tea is always a treat with mom's friends Jean and Henke joining us for delicious goodies.

The Sand Dollar Chrissymas Tree

This year's Chrissymas Open House was a come and decorate our tree with sand dollars that we brought home from The Bahamas. The sand dollars had all been carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in margarine containers and parmesan jars for their flight home last spring as tree ornaments. Interestingly enough the sand dollars have a Christmas theme if you read the above post card.

Mrs. Claus shows off her goodies before the guests arrive.

Everyone enjoys the special treats of the season.

Good friends made the Open House another great party.

We put the finishing touches on the tree after the party.

Our tree looks stunning don't you think? It is hard to imagine that all of the sand dollars were once living sea creatures?

These are some of the special orgaments on our tree representing places we have travelled. Can you guess the destinations?

The season would not be complete without the gum drop tree.

Santa and Mrs. Claus Keep The McGuffins Busy

Mrs. Claus and I are busy in the kitchen getting ready for this year's Chrissymas Open House.

Rob and Santa are varnishing the drawers for the cabinets and the shelves for the pantries.

Each drawer is a work of art.

This picture shows the drawer fronts before and after their face front and knobs.

The pantries have pine shelves and what a joy the storage will be.

The Cottage Kitchen Takes Shape

The cottage kitchen project has been a labour of love in many ways. The wood that is being used for the bead board and the drawer faces is the original wood from the cottage frame. It is 60 year old cedar and it is having a re-birth in our kitchen. It has taken countless hours of preparation ...planing, cutting, sanding,routing,framing,nailing and the kitchen cupboards are taking shape. This of course after many hours of design work and shopping for drawer pulls, plywood, counter tops, sinks, backsplash tile and the list goes on. This picture shows Rob standing beside the corner unit with the lazy susan.

The dove tail boards are fitted and glued into place for the drawers.

This is the bead work on the side of one of the pantries.

This the kitchen island and the corner unit cupboard upside down on top showing the lazy susan.

Do they fit together?

Sometimes he gets out of the basement and goes dancing??

Sometimes she gets to go out with him.

The sun light on on the meadow and our trees has a beauty all of its own at this time of year.

Summer flows into Fall at the Cottage

Sailing in the fall requires warmer attire.

Sweet Boat had lots of good sailing this summer and fall.

Two days after the tornado hit Goderich we had this sky and another tornado warning.

Goderich will never look the same in our lifetime. Buildings can be rebuilt but the loss of the trees is such a tragedy.

Fall sunsets take on a look of their own.

Huronview has a special harvest dinner in September that we wouldn't miss.

Rob continues work on the cottage with smaller projects. This fall he will be building our kitchen cabinets in the basement of the condo.

The garden on the beach was a success.

Happy Thanksgiving???

My annual bathing suit picture was taken on Thanksgiving weekend this year complete with a turkey accessory?!

This picture shows our bird house where we hope to attract purple martins next spring. The bird house is made of cedar logs and the green steel roof matches the roof on the cottage. It was made by a gentleman in Belgrave whose business is called Extreme Birdhouses.

The weather was amazing and what a treat to be able to get out for a kayak in October. The pictures were taken with my new Fugi camera---dustproof, freezeproof, waterproof and shockproof---just what I need!!?? We are looking forward to getting some good underwater pictures this winter in The Bahamas. If only I had had my camera with me when I had my shark encounters last winter?

The leaves told us it was Thanksgiving but the temperature of mid 20s C/ high 70s F made it feel like summer.

The mum plant looked absolutely beautiful in its autumn radiance.

Mom enjoyed both her visit to the cottage and her dinner.

It was not hard to be thankful for this lovely Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Cyrano's Adventure North

Cyrano, our cottage neighbour's Bayfield 32 gets to fly her geniker on the last leg of our journey south to Bayfield. We had sailed her north to Tobermory for the long weekend so that our good friends Doug and Jane Dotzert could experience a wilderness weekend on their boat.

The admiral loves the Michelin Man....our Mustang survival suit.

Cyrano may be a Bayfield 32 but she can kick up her heels. After close to 12 hours of sailing from Cove Island south in 25 knot winds we decided to overnight in Kincardine.

The night sky in Cove Island Harbour.

The rock colours are stunning in the north.

The resident ducks in Cove Island Harbour are quite at home with sailboats.

Doug and Jane had a great long weekend despite the weather.

We had a couple of days to get ready for the owners after our 20 hour sail north from Bayfield to Cove Island near Tobermory.

The entrance to Cove Island is very pretty.

Doug and Jane, our neighbours at the cottage trusted us to deliver Cyrano north for them....that is friendship.

There is lots to explore in the Cove Island and Tobermory area of Fathom Five National Park.

Sunsets are always a joy in the north.

Cyrano had a good adventure north.