What Weather!
Hot and muggy morning, switching within minutes to such a cold, wet norther that we had to go check the boats. Now clear, and pleasant with a gentle breeze.
A Little Autumn In The Air?
Warm and windy, but the nights are getting longer. Last evening chilly, though warming by morning, and warm enough by afternoon for a dip in the lake.
Lichen on maple
Early morning image by Mary Ellen
In a Rut…
…trip to the dump followed by a nice Windride.
Loons off the port bow.
And, bottle gentian, flowering, as it usually does, right about the beginning of September.
Felling Trees…
…and then securing boats against gale force winds.
Working as a team, Mark, Sue, and I dropped, bucked, and brushed three spindly and moribund ash and one big, but dead, balsam. The place looks better, and we have years worth of firewood.
Here Comes The Wind…
…after an alternating day of hot sun and chilly rain.
Calm morning.
Slowly building in the afternoon.
Blowing like stink now, but from the west, so we are sheltered.
New Faucet…
…for the outdoor shower. The old one (pictured below) has been problematic for years. The new one shuts right off and doesn’t leak a drop.
And in the more attractive department…
Sailing Heliotrope…
…with Mark and family.
Very breezy day; jib and mizzen only, but good fun—and the girls unfazed by motion or heeling.
Lively Windride…
…after a trip to the dump.
You can’t tell from this photo, but it was blowing out in the bay, and at times we hit iceboat speeds.
Why so many trips to the dump one might ask; this time because Sue has been trimming, and the new policy around here is for all brush to go the municipal burn pile.
Pulled Pork at Pinebox…
…after a few morning chores and afternoon boat cleaning. Day moved from clouds and rain, to cloudy and windy, and then to sunny and calm.
Asters and goldenrod.
Out To Lunch
Light but steady all day rain, so we went for a drive and ended up eating our sandwiches in the lunchroom at the Meldrum Bay marina.
First time we were here was 46 years ago on board Vixen. Back then the marina office was on a decrepit dock, and it didn’t have a lunch room.
Chips and Fish…
…in Prov with J&ME. Prov crowded, as is most of Manitoulin these days.
Calm and quiet afternoon, but marina full of big boats in anticipation of some weather tomorrow.
Late Summer Laze
Feeling just a wee bit guilty to be at leisure when lots of others are going back to work. (I did go to the dump, however.)
Birthday Sail
Bob’s birthday. Pleasant morning sail with Bob, Wendy, Jordie, and Maddie.
Flat Calm…
…in the morning, followed by a lovely downpour over naps. Relaxation the name of the game today.
Road Weary…
…but still a good and useful trip. This morning Dragon Races in Minocqua. Katy’s newly formed team won two heats and came in third overall in their division.
A Dragon Boat, btw, is a large, Chinese type canoe with 20 paddlers, a steersperson, and a cadence drummer.
Antler Circle and Squirrel Lake…
…on the way north.
What Is So Rare As…
…a day in mid-August? (How can it be mid-August anyway?)
Yard back in shape; lots of mulberry and some buckthorn removed.
And, the little downtown lake is almost back to being a lake after two year drawdown and some excavation.
Hopeless Garden
I think the straw I used as mulch was full of weed seed and as a result crab grass (or possibly quack grass) formed a solid mat where beets were supposed to be.
Photo by Sue
Ended up pulling the small number of beets that survived and then mowing the mess.
Land of Plenty
For dinner: home grown tomatoes, local corn, local melon, home grown blueberries, and a little fried chicken. (The garden is a mess but will soon be cleaned up.)
On The Way Home…
…a stopover at Squirrel Lake.
