Farewell from our neck of the woods

It’s been two years since I decided to try my hand and heart in the blogging world, and for two years I’ve fully enjoyed creating pictorial windows into our world and the goings-on in our corner of homeschooling, vacationing, and daily life.

But I’m feeling the pull towards breaking for a bit, and since renewal expires in 3 days for my blog, and there are so many other things more worth pouring the moola into, it seems the opportune time to say good-bye.  I have so thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many others in this neat network of thoughts and ideas and personal experiences, and hope to continue to follow some of my favourite bloggers out there.

There are a few homeschool bloggers who are still in the very young years with their dear ones, and I seem to have this pull towards their sites despite being out of those years now. I think it’s that sentimental connection of what it was like to raise littles. Now that I’ve a young adult, twin teens, and a tween-y, I look back and wonder where on earth the time went in those precious young years?

And maybe I’ll re-appear on a free wordpress blogging site at some point to re-capture those good ol’ days and what it meant to me to educate and grow together at home.

For now, we say good-bye from our house to yours, and thank each and every reader who has spent time peeking into our journey the last two years. I only wish I’d started sooner when I realized how much fun blogging was.

We will make the most of autumn, and enjoy friends, family, and continued education at home, and of course drink gallons of tea and consume plenty of scones and jam.

And because I never did finish all my posts on our American visitors, I will add some remaining pics here as the grand finale to the wonderful time we had with the girls this summer.  Niagara-on-the-Lake, The Niagara Gorge, The Welland Canal Locks, a walk in the woods in period piece dresses, were all part and parcel of the last days of vacation together.  We continue to hold fond memories of those fun and very full two weeks together!

 

And to finish off here, I’d like to finish well.  So it’s my desire to redirect any or all of you to some meaningful links of my favourite bloggers since I’ve found fun, encouragement, wisdom, knowledge, and endearing folks along the way in all of them.

1.  Small Things–Ginny, Catholic homeschooling mother of 8, and all time favourite blogger of mine! You will not find real life more exposed than here in her heart-warming journey.  I am inspired by her ability to weave in life skills, education, hours in the outdoors, dyeing and selling yarn, and still have her wits about her.
2.  Angelicscalliwags–Claire, a highly caffeineated British homeschooling mother of 5, who I cannot say enough about how intentional and enthusiastic and driven this woman is toward educating her children in the direction of their passions, all the while nurturing spiritual truths and comfort into their lives.  She truly is a gifted educator, mother, wife, and communicator.
3. My Peace in the Puzzle–Charlotte Mason homeschool educator on the east coast of Canada with four young ones in her home.  This is a home I resonate with, being a huge Charlotte Mason fan myself.  I love hearing about the books they read and the nature walks they take, and seeing their nature journals and art projects.  This is a blog that makes my heart swell and remember the days… It’s lovely and calming and full of peacefulness and much contentment and gratitude.  Just what we’re supposed to be doing in seizing every moment of our days.
4. Scotland With the Wee White Dug:  This is my favourite travel blog.  Since the day I got married, I have had it in my head I’m going to Scotland for my 25th wedding anniversary.  Well…that’s only a year and a half away now…and I highly doubt it’ll happen, but I’ve at least got this grand Scottish traveller who I can live vicariously through her treks around her country with her gorgeous “wee white dug.”  It’s creative and funny and full of I wanna  be there photos.
5. Church4EveryChild/NotAlone:  The first one listed, being part of Key Ministries by psychiatrist, Steve Grcevich, with articles that reach out to minister to families with “hidden disabilities.”  Their hope is to “serve churches seeking to become more intentional and effective with children and teens impacted by mental illness, trauma, and developmental disabilities and their families.”  Not Alone is an affiliate site where those walking the disability journey can find “Faith and Friendship for the Special Needs Journey.”  Highly recommended sites.  It’s a longing of mine for the church to be educated properly and fully in the area of mental health issues.

We have so much to be grateful for on our journey, despite the ups and downs we’ve encountered over the past few years.  And y’all have been very much a part of encouraging me along in my corner of the world. I thank you, again, for being part of our lives for these two years, and wish everyone well as you walk your own journey.

Barbara

**Note: I may find my voice in another form and join y’all in the blogging world again at some point, so if any of you would like to be on a list just in case I do, drop me a line in the next three days before the blog, poof, disappears, and I’ve no access any longer. I will keep a list and inform you if I decide to start up again.  Many thanks for your readership. **

Ontario Tourism Day 10: Sauble Beach

Our Cyprus Lake and Tobermory trip in July ended with a stop at Sauble Beach on Lake Huron.  Sauble has 11 km of sandy beach, gorgeous to walk along the water’s edge, and amazing sunsets.

We arrived around noon and picnicked on the beach, swam, walked the shoreline, read books, made sandcastles, and of course, had coffee to end the day.

Summer is short, so leaving the beach always feels like I’m having to say good-bye to the season.  Fortunately, we were able to get up to Sauble again a few weeks after the trip with our American friends, to enjoy making more new memories with another set of very dear friends, who are veterans in the art of living the lake life.

There was nothing but sunshine, fresh air, good company, and relaxation during our days spent at Sauble.  It truly is therapy of the best kind.

This foam mat was the highlight for the children (and dads).  Hours were spent out on it, anchored down with a bucket of sand.

If you’re ever wondering where to go and have your children get a good night’s sleep, take them on a beach vacation.  Water and sand is all you need, even for the big kids.  We tuckered them out daily.

Boogie board surfing was attempted with great success by the children.

It was also attempted by the fathers, with a bit of success, and probably a bit of envy that they weren’t under five feet and able to balance better.

I take full responsibility to urging hubby on to try this out just once.  He had a good start, and all seemed like it would work out.  Unfortunately he took quite a jarring right into his head, coming down hard on his tailbone just seconds after this below pic was taken.

Evenings walking the beach were definitely a highlight for me, enraptured by the brilliance of colour the sky held.  Stunning!

I can’t say enough times just how gorgeous the sunsets are here at Sauble.

And even better, the gift of friends to share the sunset with.

And here’s a pretty cool pic of hubby that I didn’t even try to set up.

Our walk along the beach at sunset to the ice cream shop brought with it the surprise event that there’s a piper piping the sun going down one night a week throughout the summer.  How neat is that?!

Ah, those lazy, hazy days of summer are too quickly coming to an end.  But we’ve a mountain of memories, and a few hundred pics to remember it by.  So long, Sauble, till we meet again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ontario Tourism, Day 9: Tobermory and Flowerpot Island

Our second day camping at Cyprus Lake, part of the Bruce Peninsula National Park, we decided to head into the town of Tobermory to catch the ferry over to Flowerpot Island.  But first, we wanted coffee.

Fresh air and sunshine sure wear one out, so our get up and go wasn’t quite there Wednesday morning when it needed to be.  We had a full day ahead of us, ferrying over to the island, hiking around it, and walking the Tobermory shops and town when we returned by ferry.  We needed our coffee.  I hadn’t brought the Bodum to make our own morning coffees, nor was there a general store in the campground.  Remember, this was halfway to real camping.  No showers, no nearby flush toilet, a bear on site, and no general store to get your morning coffee.

We all decided coffee was the first thing we’d get upon entering Tobermory.  So how could I forget? I guess I was too set on finding the office to purchase ferry tickets.  The Blue Heron Cruise Lines office was the first thing we spotted as we entered Tobermory.  So we stopped in and purchased the over the top expensive boat tickets to the island (took me a while to actually decide on it while standing there in front of the young girl forming those syllables to mouth f-o-r-t-y-f-o-u-r dollars an adult, t-h-i-r-t-y-f-o-u-r dollars for youth.) Puppy dog eyes and a bit of whimpering to go along with them always help convince me we should just pay the gargantuan price for sweet youngest to have this once in a lifetime experience.  So I did.

The cruise line office sits right on highway six on your left-hand side as you enter Tobermory.  After purchasing tickets in the office you park your vehicle at the back of the building where a super friendly shuttle bus driver awaits you, to drive you to the harbour area. Very organized, and very relaxing to know you don’t have to fight for parking in the town, particularly if it’s a busy time.

There are several kinds of boat tours you can choose from:  the jet or glass bottom boat drop off to Flowerpot island, or the sunset cruise, or a stay aboard cruise around the perimeter of the island. For the price, I think it’s more worth it to get off and see the island itself.

It was actually a fairly choppy ride over to the island that morning, with a few close to sea-sick patrons (myself and daughters among those).  But we got our sea legs by the end of the journey.

The largest passenger and car vessel on the Great Lakes is called the Chi-Cheemaun (meaning, “big canoe” in Ojibway) holds 600 people and up to 150 vehicles, running May through October, offering a short cut to and from northern Ontario.  The trip takes one hour and forty-five minutes, and leaving Tobermory four times daily.  We were able to snap a shot of it as we passed by en route to Flowerpot Island.

I don’t recall it being this busy twenty years ago, but maybe I’ve just got selective memory.  It sure was overpopulated with tourists that Wednesday July 6th.  They’re well equipped with organizing everyone for arriving and departing the island which makes for a smooth flow of people on and off the island.

We started with a picnic lunch on the shoreline (I made sure I took the pic towards the water so you can’t see all the people to the left, right, and behind us), and trip to the washrooms (very close to the boat arrivals).  There were new washrooms in the works so I’m sure next summer’s visitors will not have near the line-ups.

It’s not a long hike at all to reach the look-outs to the flower pots, nor to climb down to get close up to them.

We were able to snap these two shots at just the right moment, between the entourage of tourists that await to do the same thing.

Not so lucky with this shot, where everyone seemed to arrive at the base of the flowerpot right alongside us.

And just like at the Royal Botanical Gardens, the same red adirondack chairs edged the trail, for a little rest for the weary (or those wearing complementary green tops) passing by.

The hike included a little side tangent up to some caves.  Poor J was assigned the huge backpack for the day (did we actually assign it or just forget about you, J?), and never once complained, lugging that massive lump around in the heat.

The lighthouse keeper’s rugged home was the end of the trail, with a cute little looksie through the rooms, my favourite being this front bedroom dreamily looking out over the water.

We walked a little further on to the lighthouse look-out point, and from there split up, our two American guests going more inland on a trail around the island, while I headed back to the main area with my two girls.

We took our time on the walk back, stopping at the look-outs, and spent a good while with our feet in the water, enjoying it’s coolness, and the passing boats.

When we met up again, we were weary (remember, we had no coffee to perk us up for that hike) and fully ready for a rest, and coffee.  I think it’s what made our trip back on the boat so enjoyable and relaxing…the thought of near and dear to our hearts, coffee at the end of the trip when so deprived of it all day long.

Going without it made it taste that much better.  The cute coffee shop, named just that, had delicious options, hot and cold, that we all pretty much gulped back.

And you can see, the effect worked.

And of course the Sweet Shop couldn’t be passed up for some tasty ice-cream (it’s a hugely popular place so be sure to stop by it).  The stores were the end of the day meander for us.

Just before we headed back to the campsite I decided we should all have some fish and chips since we were by water and that just seems the thing to do after a day on a boat.  This  is the real deal for fish and chips in Tobermory, and quite a popular place overlooking the marina.

And there won’t be one of us who forgets the story behind our trip to this place (not even the owner).  I was very busy ordering and paying for our meal at the pick-up window, all the while talking.  Big no no.  Talking and paying at the same time, without having pulled out much needed eyeglasses, is a disaster, just so you know.  I believe I gave something like a 300% tip.  Yikes!  The owner came over and exclaimed, “WOW, you’re super generous!”  I’d love to say I was, and I really do love fish and chips.  After a little while we sorted it all out, along with a call home so hubby wouldn’t flip at seeing that transaction.

We had a final fire and some soothing tea before bed, and a restful last night at Cyprus Lake.

Our next day didn’t seem as daunting of a drive since we decided to break it up by stopping at Sauble Beach on Lake Huron, an hour south, to spend the day.  Stay tuned for that Tourism Ontario Day 10!

 

 

Tourism Ontario Days 8-10: Cyprus Lake and The Grotto

One week into our vacation with our American guests, we were headed to Cyprus Lake (above) and Tobermory.  Tobermory is located at the tip where Lake Huron spills into Georgian Bay, and where gorgeous, breath-taking, stunning, doesn’t even begin to describe the beauty of this landscape and body of water.

Normally in Ontario one has to sit at their computer at 7 a.m. five months in advance of the date you’re wanting to book a site.  Because of this, I thought for certain I would not stand a chance booking a site a couple of weeks in advance.  The thought hadn’t occurred to me to take the girls this far north and west while vacationing here. But the bug got a hold of me just prior to their arriving, and so I just had to see if there were any sites left.  Lo and behold it was meant to be because when I searched, there were a few sites remaining, and obviously one with our name on it.

Cyprus Lake (the campground is officially called Bruce Peninsula National Park) sits about 10-15 mins south of Tobermory, and holds 232 drive in non-serviceable campsites (and they also have Yurt sites).  If you like your showers, this is not the campsite for you.  It holds the basics as far as washrooms (which by that I mean outhouses), but there is one wheelchair accessible flush toilet at the main centre on the way into the campground where you check-in and buy firewood and ice.

This has been the quietest campground I’ve yet to encounter.  Maybe it was just that we had polite, quiet, introverted neighbours for that weekend.  They do hold to a rule of campfires being out by 11pm which greatly cuts down on noise.  I remember waking at night and being impressed with just how quiet it was all around us.

Hubby and I spent the second week of our honeymoon here at Cyprus Lake 23 years ago.  Since then we visited twice more in our early years of marriage, so it’s been at least 20 years since then.  So this was a highlight for me to get back there again to the beauty of this part of Ontario, and to share it with some of my children.

I may have said Cyprus Lake and the town of Tobermory were Ontario’s best kept secrets 20 years ago. But no more.  As a friend just pointed out, it was listed as Canada’s fourth best vacation destination!  Now, I’m not sure I should have said that since an overpopulation of people hiking this landscape and shouldering each other in the small town of Tobermory isn’t appealing to me.  So I guess advertising for it isn’t the best idea, yet here I am doing it. Who can’t not post pictures of this amazing place!

We travelled from a Tuesday to a Thursday there, so I think we were probably among the numbers of regular summer visitors as opposed to the increased numbers who travel there on weekends, and heaven forbid, long weekends.

We were somewhat excited to see the sign posted that a bear was in the area, because all of us were really wanting to spot one (from the van windows of course, not while hiking or sitting around the campfire.)

After setting up our campsite, we headed through part of the Cyprus Lake Trail towards The Grotto.  We hadn’t enough time at Cyprus Lake to spend hiking the whole way around it, nor even the time to swim in it, with all there was to do while there.  So I’m already thinking I need to book there again next year.

When we reached the opening to The Grotto, it once again took my breath away, just as it did 20 years ago.  It’s like something tropical and panoramically stunning.  Photos just don’t do it justice.

The trail we took wasn’t wheelchair or stroller friendly, but I’ve read a review that there is a middle trail that is accessible for strollers and wheelchairs to reach The Grotto.  However, once, at The Grotto, it involves climbing down rocks to get to the water.

The water was bitingly ice cold.  I had no problem putting my feet in for a dip, but to swim? Not for me!  However, I coaxed the girls on, that they really needed to be able to say to their family that they had swam in Georgian Bay.  They agreed, some braver than others, diving in!

I was happy enough to stay along the shoreline and observe.

After an amazing few hours at The Grotto, we headed back along the trail to our campsite, only littlest broke into tears, starting to feel unwell.  We wondered if the shock of the cold water did it to her.  She spent the night with a headache and throwing up, poor thing.

But as per usual, she bounced back quickly by the morning and was up chattering everyone’s ears off about what we were to do this day, and how excited she was to go on the boat from Tobermory over to Flowerpot Island.  And this, my friends, is the destination of our next post together.  See you then!

 

 

 

The Monday Make: Tourism Ontario, Day 3, and some yummy Yolo’s

Day three with our Tennessee visitors, had us up early and out the door for a road trip to Midland, Ontario.  Midland is located in the Georgian Bay area, the backpack of Lake Huron.  Many farming families settled here in the 1840’s though it was officially founded in 1871 when the railway came to the area, bringing more settlers, and eventually became a hub for shipping and the lumber and grain trade.  For more history on Midland see this link.

Numbers rise over the summer months when tourists flock to cottages, as well as day tripping it to do the gorgeous 30,000 Island boat cruise, as well as touring St Marie Among the Hurons, a living history outdoor museum, where the Jesuit missionaries lived among the Huron/Wendat people from 1639-1649. There is also the beautiful Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre for the outdoor enthusiasts, with many a great hiking trail to meander down.

We weren’t able to incorporate the latter two mentioned sites as part and parcel of our tour of Ontario since we only had one day in Midland, and a two hour (and a bit) trek each way to and from the house.  Maybe on another visit, wouldn’t you say, Tennessee friends?!

But we were able to start our day with a picnic lunch at Midland harbour, and then a little walk up and down the main street, hitting the wonderful gem of an organic coffee shop, called Grounded Coffee.  Our only disappointment was not getting a pic outside (or inside) this shop, since it became, from then on, our mission to hit all the specialty coffee houses on our tourism Ontario trip for the next thirteen days.  This one was definitely a great beginning of that mission.

After some caffe macchiotos (I hope I have the name right?), we were headed to the harbour for the 30,000 Island boat cruise.  I felt as part of our touring Ontario, we needed to get to big bodies of water as much as possible.  There are just so many gorgeous spots along the lakes and bays of Ontario that it’s hard to choose just what ones to hit for visitors.  But I think we weren’t wrong in choosing Midland as an ideal spot for a great Canadian experience.

The boat tour was a two and a half hour journey around some of the beautiful 30,000 islands of Georgian Bay.

We had a stowaway seagull along for the ride with us, often coasting in the air for a bit directly behind the boat, then resting on the flag pole for part of the ride.

We dreamed of owning some of the serene island cottages.

Seeing the rock formations that make up what we call the Canadian Shield, was magnificent, no matter how many times one gets to see this up close (this was my third boat ride in Midland.)  Georgian Bay sits on the southern edge of the Canadian Shield.

Departing and returning to the harbour, passengers are able to see the beautiful mural by Fred Lenz depicting the time period of the Jesuit settlement and their work with the Wendat Huron people.

Once on land again, we decided to head over to a neighbouring town, and popular tourist destination, Penetanguishene, or as we Ontarians shorten it to, Penetang.

Again, a picturesque town, rolling downward toward the waterfront on a grand slope.

And in my opinion, I found this harbour even more picturesque than Midland’s (even though Midland is pretty, don’t get me wrong), especially with that wonderful view of St Ann’s Roman Catholic Church towering off in the distance.

What a neat idea they had of crafting red canoes as flower pots along the water’s edge.

And there were two replica gunboats from the War of 1812 on display in the harbour.

Our one grand disappointment in this town was the fish and chip shop down at the harbour.  Picturesque and all, but if you’re wanting the real stuff, head up the street to the other fish and chip shop on the main road (though I didn’t try it so I’m only relaying what I’ve been told by friends). We opted for the scenery, looking out over the harbour, but with that came the sacrifice of prefabricated fish and chips.  But it sure was pretty sitting right by the harbour for it.

Following this, we headed left out of the harbour onto Beck Street, followed it to Fox Street, turned left and headed to Broad Street, made a right, then another left onto Jury Drive, and voila, we were at Discovery Harbour.

Discovery Harbour is the living history centre of the British Naval base built to protect Upper Canada after the war of 1812.  There are tours of the historic boats.  There’s also the King’s Wharf theatre on site here, with special movie features showing throughout the year.

One rah rah for Discovery Harbour is their commitment to serve people with physical disabilities, allowing their site to be fully accessible.  They offer assisted devices for persons with disabilities, accessible washrooms and ramps, free admission for a support person bringing a person with a disability, as well as welcoming service dogs in all their buildings.  For more information on traveling here with a person with a disability, click here.

And wouldn’t you know,  it was like it was pre-arranged that this incredible street performer would strike up The Tennessee Waltz  just as we passed her.  What delight for our Tennessee guests to hear this gift just for them!

After some pics and a little walk around this area, we decided to visit St. Ann’s Church in the heart of Penetang before our long drive home again.  The visit there was even more meaningful, having learned on our boat tour that the rock for this magnificent building was taken from some of these 30,000 islands and hauled by boat to the building site.  Amazing!

We arrived home 10:30 that night, weary, sunburned (I thought we should have worn hats on board), and full of terrific memories of our Midland & Penetang excursion.

And because this is Monday and I’ve been so awful at keeping up with my Monday Make posts, I will do something I promised the girls, share my yummy Yolo recipe with them before too long.  The recipe comes from none other than The Oh She Glows Canadian Vegan Cookbook by Angela Liddon.

Homemade Yolos:

For the caramel–1 C pitted soft Medjool dates (I would double this recipe to get more, or larger yolos out of it, so make that 2 C!)

1 1/2 tsp peanut butter or other nut butter or seed butter (again, double it)

pinch of fine-grain sea salt

For the chocolate coating— 1/4 C (1/2 C if you’re doubling) dark chocolate chips

1/2 tsp coconut oil (1 tsp if doubling)

Flaked sea salt or chia seeds (optional, though I’d say put on the sea salt since the sweet and salty taste together is amazing!)

Instructions:

Process the pitted dates until sticky.  Add the peanut butter and salt and process until combined.  The mixture is very sticky but that’s okay, it’s how it should be.

Put the sticky mixture into a bowl and freeze for 10 mins uncovered.  The reason for this is to make the caramel easier to form into balls.  Line some parchment paper on a plate and roll into small balls and place in the freezer again for 10 mins to firm them up.

Make the chocolate coating by melting chocolate chips and oil over very low heat. When most of the chips have melted, remove from the heat and stir until all of it is smooth.

Remove the caramel balls from the freezer and roll them in the melted chocolate using two forks.  Set the balls on the parchment, stick a toothpick in each one, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Freeze the balls for 20 mins or until the chocolate is set.  They taste best straight from the freezer.  I place mine in a ziplock, toothpicks and all, placing at the top of our deep freezer so they’re easily accessible and don’t get damaged or crushed.  It’s a good and bad thing to place them where they’re so easily accessible.  Just means you have to make them more often. You’ll not be disappointed with this scrumptious recipe of Angela’s!!

Happy Monday Make to y’all! Stay tuned for Day 4 with our Tennessee guests celebrating Canada Day with us.

 

 

Keeping a Nature Journal: Part 1

I’m sure some of you guessed my next posts would have something to do with the outdoors and keeping a journal of sorts.  I’m a huge Charlotte Mason fan, which doesn’t mean we’re without rigorous academics or intensive whole-hearted education, it just means we intentionally add into our education not only living books and narrations to make learning come alive, but also work hard to nurture a love of the outdoors and the secrets that lie therein.

When the children were younger we spent a good many afternoons like this in a natural science world.  On one trip home to Canada for a month in the summer (avoiding the July heat of TN), I came across these earthy, thick, hard cardboard nature journals in none other than Dollarama! So the price was just right.

They are spiral bound which I have come to love best in a nature journal for the sake that it lies open hands-free, and can be folded to lie on one’s lap well for drawing.  I’ve yet to find another to match this size and durability, as well as the easy use it affords little ones whose fine motor skills leave them crying at the thought of trying to hold open a nature journal with one hand while trying to tap into their right brain to sketch uninhibited.

I have found over the years that one of the ways to breathe life into nature study and drawing is to read novels and books out of doors together (and not just the nature kind), allowing the children to feel that ant crawling on them, and see that beetle land on the clothes peg (even though it was a nasty June beetle that liked to eat the roots of my plants), or be startled by that twig turned walking stick they discovered on the door frame.  It slowed us down and allowed them to see things up close in an uninterrupted period of time.

We read Jack’s Insect’s by Edmund Selous outdoors one summer by the big round garden plot in our Tennessee home, and I found our nature study interest and our nature drawings blossomed alongside the flowers growing.  I hold so many dear memories of reading on our red bench, or finding the children drawing beneath our favourite tulip tree (that we named Christina Rossetti.)

Just allowing the time to sit in the clover in bare feet for a sister chat on a warm summer’s day is the beginning of nurturing the nature notebook when one stays this close to it in their daily lives.  When the time comes for mama to suggest, hey, let’s draw some of that clover you sat in yesterday, it won’t seem such a hard task or a strange request.

Give them every appreciation of what’s around you, right outside your door.  Your nature books will come alive with possibilities.

And don’t forget to buy a nature notebook for yourself.  You’ll not find a child more excited about nature than when mama gets down on hands and knees to study that flower, or broken egg shell, or creepy crawly bug, then works to draw what she sees right alongside them.  And that we’ll talk about more in Keeping a Nature Journal, Part Two.