It's 29 Degrees Celcius (88F) in Grenada....Let is Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

We are very glad that we are not driving to Toronto today....the most snow we have seen all winter.  It is beautiful but we do not want a repeat of our trip to Detroit the year we missed our flight.

We have had several days of skiing just out our backdoor at the condo.  We have either skied along the beach or gone to the local conservation area.

While I am busy packing Rob has been working on a pocket door for our den.  The project was to have taken a couple of days; however when we took the drywall off of the wall we discovered some wires and plumbing at which point we almost covered the wall back up again.  Rob however, seems to like a challenge and despite the amount of work involved decided to proceed.  After just over a week of re-wiring, re-plumbing, new drains and moving the pantry in the basement he is ready to hang the door and put up the new drywall.  The new door will allow us to put another piece of our wall unit in the den and move the piano to the living room giving the den a more spacious feel.

This year's luggage is not nearly as eclectic as in some years past.  We do have two large suitcases and one smaller bag full of boat parts and our usual cereals, crackers and other assorted goodies.   Having not been in a Grenadian supermarket yet I really don't know what will be available; however Rob has assured me that the shopping will be just as good as the modern grocery store that we used in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas for our major provisioning.
I couldn't resist checking the weather in Grenada and I am happy to say that the day time highs are expected to be 29C and the night time lows 24C over the next week; however there was one day with a high of 28C.  The weather in Grenada will be much warmer than what we have been used to in The Bahamas as we are now at 12 degrees latitude and much closer to the equator.
Today has been glorious sunshine and we just came in from one more ski ....just couldn't resist the snow and the sunshine.  It is time to weigh our suitcases and go over lists one more time.  Brian from Ontario Shuttle Service is picking us up at 8:30am and we arrive in Grenada at 8:15.  Now it is time for the sauna and a glass of wine to toast the honeymoon sail adventure 2013.

See how close Grenada is to South America and why it is 29 degrees celcius!!!

Happy Birthday Captain



It wasn't easy but I was able to surprise the captain for his birthday.  He doesn't look a day over 60 does he?  Where does the time go?  We have found some benefits to the new age and Rob's airline ticket was a cool $30.00 cheaper than mine at the senior's rate.  You have to look on the bright side of aging!?!

The Melodys, Kings, Dotzerts and Westbrooks were gathered at The Albion awaiting the birthday boy.  He was more than a little surprised. 

It was a great evening with friends and good food.

 I had made a birthday cake in the morning and The Albion was happy to serve it complete with its singing candle.  You might ask how did I do this? There is a story.  While baking the cake I was also cooking muffins so that Rob did not wonder why there wasn't any baking for him to eat.  While he was working away in the basement the cake was cooling upstairs in the bedroom.  In order to get away to The Albion with the cake and decorations I had Gayle call and ask for my help.  When I told Rob that I was going over to help Gayle he offered to come too.  Naturally I did not want him to come with me but in the meantime he had come up the stairs following me.  I threw the cake out on the front step so he wouldn't see it in the hall.  Before I could get out the door he decided to go and get the mail.  In the meantime I grabbed the cake and put it in the kitchen cupboard; however then I couldn't leave because Rob decided to have a snack in the kitchen.  Eventually I made it out the door and over to The Albion to decorate but the birthday boy hadn't made it easy.   Even after all of that he never suspected a thing and the evening remained a wonderful surprise for a wonderful husband.
Of course the best birthday present of all was the green light to travel from the cardiologist Dr. Kim.  He feels that the medication that Rob is taking for his arrhythmia is working; however Rob will live the rest of his life with a heart that listens to its own drum beat....not a surprise to many who know and love him?!?

A Cottage Interlude

It finally has started to look like winter along the shores of Lake Huron.

It was the promise of a sunny day that lured us out to the cottage and we were rewarded with three days of sunshine.  We had several walks and thoroughly enjoyed our mini holiday. 

 

There is a huge rock on the beach up past Kitchigami that is up on the shore.  When I was a child my parents helped me carve my initials in to the rock. 

The sun made the ice crystals sparkle beautifully.

The ice hummocks were just beginning to form.  The next time we visit I expect we will not see open water.

The beach looks very different in the winter.  We want to return for a visit when everything is white.

The view from the upper deck is quite different in the winter when you can see the lake.  Over the summer the leaves make it impossible to see the water; however the shade from the trees make the cottage very comfortable in hot weather.

Thanks to the propane stove both Woody and ourselves were toasty warm.  Of course he has fur, but we have an electric blanket too.  What a joy it is to experience winter at the cottage.   Both Rob and I love the cottage so much and feel so fortunate that we can be comfortable there during all kinds of weather.  

Countdown to Christmas

Every once in awhile the McGuffins get dressed up and enjoy entertaining their friends.  This year the Westbrooks, Dotzerts and Melodys joined us for a Chrissymas celebration followed by a splendid buffet at The White Carnation. 





We spent a day at the cottage fitting the cedar sink surround and the new drawer fronts.  The sink surround was like building a barrel and proved to be a challenging wood working project for Rob.  There are two door panels that hinge on either side to add to the front.  Rob was ever so relieved  to finally get things to fit.  The varnishing will be left until the spring.



Never ones to sit around we decided to re-do the bathrooms at the condo.  Both of the bathrooms received quite the face lifts with new countertops, sinks, taps, and paint.  In addition we have added new knobs to the cupboards and a splash of new accessories and colours.  What a difference it makes!  It felt good to be spending some time working on the condo.  Rob is now heavily into manufacturing drawer boxes for his dream shop.  At last count there were 16 new drawers being sanded and readied for their first coat of varnish.

On the 23rd of the month we joined Aimee, Craig, Ava, Landon, David, Linda, Sarah, Scott and last but not least Dude at a Christmas celebration in Brantford. 



 

 

 

On Christmas day we spent some time with mom and Santa at Huronview.  From there we drove to London where we joined Bob and Jan for a lovely dinner and overnight.  The next day we visited with Alison, Scott, Chase and Sherry in Exeter.   It is always fun to see what Santa has brought the kids.

Speaking of Santa he did in fact leave some things for us.  It would seem that he was into fitness this year as we received snow shoes, walking poles, a fitness mat and four pound weights!?!  Of course he may have seen how much chocolate and nuts were under the tree before he made his decision?? In addition Elvie (Land Vessel) did quite well with a new GPS and several guide books to the East Coast. 

The driftwood Christmas tree receives its first snow just in time for the holidays. 

 

We never get tired of the view out our bedroom patio door especially when it is snowing.







If You Can't Fly South.....Fly North

Our  cottage neighbours Doug and Jane have shares in an airplane that is kept in Stratford.  After this summer they decided to leave their sailboat Cyrano in Killarney and use the airplane to fly back and forth to the boat.   We were asked to join Doug for a trip in December to help winterize Cyrano.  Needless to say we jumped at the offer and met Doug at Sky Harbour Airport in Goderich. 

My first inclination was to hijack the plane and head south; however the captain told me to keep my hands and feet off of the controls.

The farther we flew north the more snow we saw on the ground.  In fact Killarney airport runway had not been ploughed and it made for an exciting landing but Doug handled things like a pro.  We hiked into town and spent about two hours working on the boat.  Doug does not have his night license so we had little time to spare before heading back to Goderich.

On our way  Doug flew us over the cottage.  It was great to see all of the sand on our point; however seeing the cottage was a bit of a challenge. 

It was very interesting to fly over Goderich and see the harbor and the town from the air even though it was getting late in the day and the light was poor for picture taking.  Doug dropped us off at Sky Harbour and we watched him take off for Stratford....a 20 minute trip in the airplane.  It had been an amazing day and once again we are reminded of the power of flight.  It takes a good 8 hours of driving,  close to 30 hours of sailing but just 1.5 hours of flying to get to Killarney. 

The Annual Chrissymas Letter

Merry Chrissymas and Happy New Year to All from Rob and Christine
In a world where many walk alone,

we give thanks for our our family and friends

In a world where many are unhappy,

we give thanks for this season's festivities
Dear friends and family,

Another year....another Chrissymas letter ....not so long a letter as in previous years as most of you see our blog from time to time and keep up with our comings and goings. If you have not gone to our blog and are interested in our sailing and RVing/ trailer sailing trips check out www.celebriansail.blogspot.com We love to hear back from those of you who read our blog and feel free to post comments. Writing the blog is an incredible amount of work; however I have printed it out in book form for the last two seasons and it is wonderful to have all my writings and pictures in book form to look at.


As many of you know we spent last Christmas at home and left for The Bahamas in January. After a slow start getting everything ship shape we spent several months sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. We covered about 2000 miles from The Bahamas to Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, St. Barths, Antigua, and down the windward chain to Grenada. The only islands remaining before Venezuela are Trinidad and Tobago. Celebrian is on the hard at Spice Island Marine Services in Grenada. We had little time for sight seeing on our whirl wind trip south and east; however we hope to spend several winters there over the next few years.

We arrived home at the end of May and had a very busy June opening up the cottage and getting caught up with life at home. It would seem that we spend much of the first month going to doctor and dental appointments. I have always maintained that we come home, get fixed up and then sent away for another sailing season.

As you know this last summer was a great time to be at the cottage and we thoroughly enjoyed the warm weather. We hosted Pirates of the Caribbean in July ...our summer beach bash party and guests even got to walk the plank and have sword fights.

My mom visited the cottage on day trips this summer as her needs have become just too great for lengthier stays. Her last visit was for Thanksgiving dinner enjoyed along with our Bayfield friends Brian and Gayle. There is something very special about cooking a turkey out at the cottage for Thanksgiving. I think it brings back very many happy memories for me as we used to always have community dinners with the cottagers when I was growing up.

Rob spent his summer working on Free Spirit, the little Seaward 24 sailboat. She had quite a transformation and enjoyed her first launch in Killarney in August along with Doug and Jane on Cyrano. In addition to Free Spirit we bought a 1998 Road Trek campervan when we first arrived home. We needed a tow vehicle for Free Spirit and Elvie (Land Vessel), as the RV is affectionately known, can also go on adventures on his own. In fact we drove up to Bruce Peninsula National Park in October for a mini RV holiday.

This summer and fall both Rob and I have had our health challenges. I spent two nights in July in hospital after my colonoscopy. Gratefully the doctor removed everything that needed to be taken out; however I am going to be an annual patient for at least the next three years. Rob too has spent a night in hospital after a dizzy spell that we thought might be heart related. He has had many tests this summer and fall as a result of feeling heart palpitations and is under the care of a cardiologist in Kitchener. Gratefully we have learned that his heart is physically okay and there is no damage; however it is important to get the heart palpitations under control before we consider leaving for Grenada. He is wearing a heart loop recorder for the next month and we return to see the specialist on December 20th. He is also waiting on a referral to an internist in Stratford to explore what else could be causing the dizzy spells if they are not related to heart and blood pressure. As we know our bodies are complicated machines and it takes a good deal of investigation and trial and error to keep us healthy.

For now we are keeping ourselves busy with condo projects. Both our ensuite and the powder room bathroom downstairs are getting long overdue makeovers. We are also planning to do a porcelain tile backsplash in the kitchen if we are here for any length of time. Rob is also beginning to build his drawers for his cabinets....another long overdue project. So much of our time and energy has gone in to the cottage the last few years so it feels good to be doing some work on the condo.

The cottage continues to be an ongoing project and Rob did some trim as well as build the sink cabinet for the downstairs bathroom. He also worked away at drawers for our kitchen island. Santa's workshop can't hold a stick to the McGuffins?!?!

We hope that this holiday season finds you and your families happy and healthy.

With love from Bayfield,

Christine and Rob

 

Autumn Turns into Winter for The McGuffins

The autumn sky takes on a different look from summer as the sun moves further south.

Along with the sunsets the lake levels have been changing in the Great Lakes.  I have never seen it this low that I can remember.  Some people have said that it is as a result of the dredging in the St. Clair River necessitated by the freighters needing more depth.  It may be difficult to launch Sweet Boat or my windsurfer next summer if the levels don't change.  The Captain of Free Spirit is pleased that our trailer sailing Seaward 24 has a draft of two feet with her centerboard up.   We may be the only boat that can float in many places previously travelled by boats with deeper drafts. 

Despite the low water levels the waves still break when the wind is blowing in Bayfield.  The pier becomes a launch ramp for crazy surfers who jump off the end and search for that perfect wave.  This of course is in late fall when the wind blows the strongest.  And you thought we were crazy?!?!

The cottage fall projects after winterizing and putting everything away....Rob building our cedar bathroom sink surround and me building a driftwood Christmas tree. 

We celebrated mom's birthday with her friend Jean at Huronview.  It just happens to be Halloween too!

After Halloween follows November and soon time to deck the halls.  This year a fresh wreath welcomes friends to our home.  My friend Gayle taught me the fine art of wreath making.

A sure sign that Christmas is just around the corner is the blooming of this Christmas cactus.

My condo neighbor and friend Jane showed me how to make this beautiful centerpiece.  I am turning into a real "Martha"!?