One of those life experiences...

Ron had to go away for certification for work and we decided that I would tag along for the ride.  The ride being 2 1/2 hours at night with 125 km being a grid (gravel) road in the "work" truck.  I think the bumps on the roads around here have destroyed the shocks in the truck.  We made it...constantly watching for wildlife.

The next morning Ron left the inn and I stayed there until Ron came to meet me for lunch.  It was a nice relaxing morning.  After lunch I spent some time in a park.

One of the questions I asked before leaving the inn was regarding the safety of the park and was assured that it was good.  I found the perfect bench located at the water edge.


And the view was
beautiful

The water was so calm

Behind me people were out walking on their lunch breaks, some ladies were going for a friendly walk.  It was very peaceful and I was glad that the sun had come out. I was tempted to lay right down on the bench as it was so comfortable but was kind of afraid that I might be taken for a homeless person with my backpack.  After taking a few pictures, enjoying the view, saying hi to some ladies walking by and waving at a dad and daughter canoeing I took out my Kobo and began to read and relax.

 

And then....I heard noise behind me and knew that a different crowd had moved into the park.  I could hear talking close by and then a local man who had a little too much to drink decided to keep me company.  His first comment was "A lot of people die around here."  (why didn't I run then???) He introduced himself and reached to shake my hand.  I gave him a "royal" hand shake (gentle and quick).  Between each story he wanted to shake my hand AND he had lots of stories like:

• he owned a gold mine that was worth 1.5 million
• he had a boat and he took people out fishing and he could take me and I could catch a 125 pound fish
• that he did deep sea fishing in the lake
• that there were sharks in the lake
• that he worked for my family

Between the stories he would tell me that I was gorgeous....and I would reply, "Yes, it is a beautiful day."  All the time I was hoping for Ron to return.  My chest was getting tight with anxiety and I was surveying my surroundings trying to figure out the best way to get away without having to walk past him or by the other group that had arrived with him and had moved a little further down the park.  I held my cell phone tight in my hand but not knowing who to call. 

 

I tried another approach by telling him that I was here to read and was waiting for my husband, hoping that he would get bored and move on.  He seemed to be thinking about this and reached to shake my hand again.  I thought this time it would be a good bye shake and so I did the royal handshake again.  He closed his other hand over mine and pulled my hand up to kiss it.  Thankfully I was able to pull my hand away and he kissed his own hand.  By now I was hardly breathing.  I needed to get away before my legs shook too much and I wouldn't be able to run.  He stood and walked behind the bench.  I am not sure if he was looking for his group, checking out the park or wondering if indeed I had a husband that would arrive soon.  I quickly stuffed my few belongings in my backpack and scooted around the bench and ran/walked to the parking lot.  He hollered after me "God bless you."  and at that moment I felt He had because He had let me get away.  I once again found refuge at the inn and waited until Ron picked me up. 

 

If there ever is a next time for an experience like this I will know to get away faster...definitely a learning experience!

 



Wedding Weekend

Last weekend was our niece's wedding and we made it a full weekend event.  We started out on Friday morning and made a few stops along the week.  Earphones for Sarah to enjoy her movie, Curd to snack on and then our lunch break in Haliburton.

 

We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the lake

and Sarah enjoyed watching a
 float plane arrive. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a nice break we headed back out on the road to the resort.


We arrived at the R.W. Rosseau Marriott and got settled in for the weekend.

First on the list of things to do....the wading pool with Princess Sarah!

Then time to get ready for the Friday night Get Together.  Oh so much primping to do:

Manicure



Pedicure



Hair Styled

Ready to go!

Saturday morning was more fun in the sun for all of us:


Ron, Stephen and cousin, Andy.

Sarah had a ride in the paddle boat with Nanny
but didn't like swimming in the big lake with grandpa.





And then time for the big event!



Beautiful setting...perfect day for a wedding

 

The beautiful bride, our niece Mandy with her new husband,
Keegan and Grandma Clark.

Congratulations Mandy & Keegan!

Home and Holidays!

I am back home now and it is soooo quiet!  There is no schedule to keep up with except what I set for myself.  No grandchildren asking to go for walks or a snack or needing a diaper change or a nap.  It is just so quiet....too quiet.

Quiet can be nice...I like the time to read and exercise but I really miss my three little sweethearts.  They were so much fun!  We had park and beach time, splash pad time, walking time and Sarah and my favourite...snack time.

Yes, it was so fun and so busy.  We had a beautiful wedding to attend...which meant hair appointments for all.  We travelled most of the day to arrive for a weekend at a beautiful resort to celebrate our niece's wedding.  We spent time relaxing and visiting with family.

We spent the other days visiting with friends and family, playing with our three precious grandchildren and enjoying the warmth of Ontario.  We really did a lot in the time we were "home" which means it will take more than one blog...so stay tuned for more details.

But we are back home (where our furniture resides) and getting use to the quiet again.  It is always so hard to say goodbye but I am thankful for the times that we can have these holiday times.

Let's see, what should I do now....tea???

Canoe...canoe...canoe!

The community that we live in is at the end of a road and we are surrounded by water.

We've had a canoe for over 20 years and when we lived in Ontario near a lake we use to put the kids in the middle and head all over the lake.  Then we moved away from the lake and the canoe sat in the backyard for close to 10 years.  After leaving there we moved to southern Saskatchewan....not a lot of canoe routes close by so it sat for another 4 years.  

But now....so many lakes to explore and Deschambault is one great big huge one.  We live at the end of the 911 road and so we took two full days to explore a little bit of Deschambault Lake.

First we launched from Bloomfields (southwest of us).  Ballantyne Bay is very big with islands throughout it.  The shoreline displayed trees and sandy beaches.

And perfect places for a picnic lunch:

 

 And more birds to enjoy:




How cool is this!

And on the way back we found raspberries and blueberries.

 

The next day we launched from the Northern Lights Resort (on the east side of Deschambault Lake) and we discovered a whole new shoreline.

 

 

 Much more of a rocky shoreline and lots more islands.

Notice I caught Ron's cast in the picture.

 Another great place for lunch.

 And another perfect spot for an afternoon break.

And more blueberries at our snack area.

 

We are so enjoying our canoe days!