SEGWUN CRUISE

Today I took my boys and their cousin Sydney out on a short cruise aboard the Segwun where between enjoying the views we explored around the ship, visiting the captain in the wheelhouse for a photo, checking out the engine room, writing out a postcard and hanging out at our favourite spot, the entrance door opening by the water.

ESSENCE OF TEAMWORK

As recipient of Associate of the Month award, I wish to invite all my colleagues to share this honour with me, for it is our teamwork that deserves the recognition. The Rosseau is like a family to me and it is a pleasure and privilege to know and work with everyone, and I'm grateful for the opportunities that strengthen the bonds of our team.
[Picture taken by Alistair for the Associate Engagement Committee.]

RIP MR. LAYTON

I was shocked to learn about Jack Layton's passing today, reminding me of when I visited Huckleberry Rock a day after he announced he was stepping down, and found parallels with my favourite tree, that was healthy last year. Both were imposing figures in their respective landscapes and now each has succumbed to disease. RIP Mr. Layton.

DOCK SPIDER

As the sun began to set we decided on one last swim and that's when my boys encountered this dock spider lying in wait at the dock. They are the largest species of spider in Ontario and can reach the size of a plate, this one only the width of my palm. They can race across the water's surface or dive underneath, often preying on small minnows.

THE NORWOOD

It's a shame when I hear about people driving to Orillia to catch the same movie playing at The Norwood, a vintage theatre that opened in 1949. Built a year after its sibling, The Capitol in Huntsville, and run by the same family, it offers modern amenities with a nostalgic charm, and I love that its three theatres are named after the lakes.

TRUCK AD

We then ventured over to the original rock cut during our quest for blueberries, where our shadows became a source of entertainment as vehicles ran us over. Alistair then suggested we wait for a white car to pass, to photograph our shadows on top, and were fortunate when a truck came, the result looking like an ad placed on its side.

ROCK CUT

Every time I visit Huckleberry Rock there's always something new to discover, a different mood with the weather or a change in scenery. I took my boys up there for their first time and as we explored near the lookout, Alistair beckoned us over to show us this rock detail, a crack perfectly symmetrical, which we called the miniature rock cut.

KAYAK KIDS

We went kayaking this afternoon, my boys anxious to demonstrate their prowess honed at the camps they attended earlier, and were pleased when allowed a kayak each. We circled around Ouno Island where they saw the sailboathouse and the bear (statue) that I told them lived there, before returning to the resort where we started.
[Thanks to Dan Arcand and the MSR staff for use of their kayaks.]

JOYRIDE

My boys came up to visit a relative's cottage giving me a chance to have them spend my days off with me. They had never tried tubing before and through the generosity of one of my coworkers, spent a day at his place where they had an exciting time on the water being towed by his WaveRunner, and for Alastair, some time in the water.

AMAZING DAY

We had an amazing day participating in the Muskoka's Amazing Race, with this year's theme focused on Georgian Bay. The race involved the towns of MacTier, Port Severn, Honey Harbour and finished on the gem of Beausoleil Island. We met terrific people, experienced good weather and saw some beautiful scenic places.
[Photo by John Challis, President of the Muskoka Trails Council.]

[Photos by the MTC, TAR title song composed by John M Keane.]
[Photo of the Delawana Inn obtained from their website gallery.]

STORM WATCH

I headed up to Armstrong Point in hope of catching some dramatic photographs of the storm, with the sky an ominous black and blue, but shortly after an eye appeared, offering a glimpse of the better weather above and it wasn't long before the storm began to break, the sun highlighting the clouds red, resulting in a beautiful sunset.

MUSKOKA'S AMAZING RACE

This Saturday is the date of the third annual Muskoka's Amazing Race, an event modeled after the hit TV series with a local twist, this year starting off and finishing at the Delawana Inn, a day of physical and mental challenges, as well as one of endurance for I work the night before and after it, but it's all for a worthy cause.
[Please help the MTC with a pledge to my team, The Night Owls.]
[Photo of the Delawana Inn, obtained from their website gallery.]

EXPLOSIVE SUNSET

The sunset from Huckleberry Rock Lookout was eerily reminiscent of the Hiroshima explosion, on its anniversary, starting with a blinding light, then a fiery core with a cloud above, a dragonfly that could be the Enola Gay bomber, the fiery core intensifying afterwards, with the smell and smoke from fires below me enhancing the simulation.

KAYAK KILT

What started as a pleasant afternoon changed without any warning, the sudden gusts of wind causing the waves to swell that frequently crashed over the bow and splashed the cockpit, forcing me to cover it with a garbage bag drawn taut and held tightly in place by straps. I'm Scottish by birth so I'm thrifty, and it's a kayak kilt, not a skirt.

FINAL GLANCE

A final glance from my launch site at Adams Bay, to the vista of the Venetia Group, a cluster of islands where I spent the past couple of hours threading my way amongst them, exploring them for the first time. It was a beautiful day and long weekend, and with the summer now half over, hopefully the remainder of it is as nice as it has been.

WINGS

Ironically music by Wings was playing from this boathouse, a former hanger, when I approached in my kayak. I met Jeff McLaughlin, who not only volunteered the history about his family, one of the original to this area, and his great-grandfather's business, Red Wing Flying Service, but also offered to close the doors to allow a better picture.