Originally I started this blog as a form of diary of our trip and I was going to give a day to day account of what the Frost's were doing. As with many of my plans they don't quite follow a plan and go as intended. I will start another blog that will give more of my/our day to day adventures, soon.........
One midweek adventure that must be recorded was our trip to Leslie and Peter's friend Jay's "Sugar Shack". Leslie and Peter picked us up just after Julie got home from school and we headed 40 minutes north to near Baysville.The sight that greeted us on our arrival was special. Here was Jay sitting in the sugar shack as the maple syrup bubbled away over an open fire Better than that Jay had prepared a Maple Whisky. Much nicer than spread on pancakes!!!
The shed was sort of rough with the walls being made of split firewood that was ready to keep the stove hot and the sap bubbling. This is so that the liquid is reduced and the end product (syrup)nis produced. No part of the process is quick so there is time to talk if there are people around and time for music, reading or contemplation if you are alone.
We went for a nice gentle walk around Jay's 32 "tapped" maple trees which was good but it reminded me of the fact that you need cold weather for the sap to be produced. It was around -10C so the return to the warmth of the fire was good. As my friend Jimmy would say it's nice meeting nice people.
There are some difficult times in my life. I don't count this as one of them!!!!!
The weekend started, as it generally does, on Friday night. We didn't intend to travel too far from home this weekend so it started with a quiet little drink and some planning for our Easter trip. Looks like we'll be travelling across the border at Niagara Falls and heading into New York State in the Ithaca, Lake Placid area. Something new for both of us.
Following an excellent dinner (who IS that wonderful chef) we headed to the Rene Caisse Centre at Bracebridge for the opening night of the Muskoka ARTS and CRAFTS Annual Spring Members Show www.muskokaartsandcrafts.com which was very good. Finished the evening by sharing a bottle of Hook & Ladder Zinfandel with Peter and Leslie. Great way to start the weekend.
Saturday morning gave us the opportunity to enjoy a lazy breakfast. After that luxurious start we took the opportunity of a lovely sunny but cool day to go for a walk to Zensations to check whether Julie had been successful with her bids for some interesting "felt art". As the day was nice and Frosty was a little tired from the walking he retired to the TV and Hockey Night in Canada (starts at noon goes till midnight) while Julie went Cross Country Skiing at the Resource Management Centre. The skiing was OK but when she came upon a pool of blood it was a little unnerving. Probably a coyote killing something but she took no chances and came straight home. One of life's mysteries.....
To Brian and Marcia's place for a BBQ and then to a folk night with them where we were entertained by a great duo Joanne Crabtree and Paul Mills. Nice people nice music and even got some tourism information from Joanne who suggested our summer trip should start at Thunder Bay and follow Highway 61 http://www.joannecrabtree.com/crabtree&mills/index.html
After a few weeks where travel was the order of the day we were suffering a little bit of withdrawal so we saw that there was Festival on at Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre at Midland. We piled into the mighty CuRVy and were on the road again, nice drive and the Wildlife Centre was worth it. It has been the centre for saving the Trumpeter Swan, a bird that was headed toward extinction due to interraction with people. http://www.wyemarsh.com/index.html
After forgoing a picnic due to the cold we settled on a Tim Horton's Soup and Chili http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/menu/lunch.html which satisified us and allowed us to warm up. Tim Horton's is a religion in Canada and I haven't been able to really enjoy the coffee but I must admit they do some good things.
To make the trip a bit different we travelled on different roads and through different places on the way home. Yes a loop!!! We travelled through Wahta Mohawk Territory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahta_Mohawk_Territory,_Ontario and through Bala.
Got home in time for an early tea before going to Bracebridge to watch our South Muskoka Shield http://southmuskokashield.com/ win a close playoff game.
Yes it was another quiet weekend..........
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