Family celebration

Nicole and Richard hosted a wonderful family celebration for us on Saturday. It was a chance for his family to come together and we all enjoyed it immensely. The weather was perfect and Richard exhibited his ultimate culinary skills on the BBQ. Rick and I thought it was the absolute best way to celebrate our anniversary with all the family together.

The three first cousins. Richard and Malcolm meeting their first cousin Edward for the first time. A lot of male bonding happened and we hope more interaction in the future!

Richard is the BBQ King. The burgers were the best.

Sitting around under the shade of the tree: Nicole's mom Suzanne, Richard's mom Pauline, Richard's grandfather Dick and standing is Richard's grandmother Anne.

Pauline with her beautiful granddaughter Rachel...

Richard's grandparents Dick and Anne, just back from a river cruise in Europe and keen to get in some baby-Rachel-cuddle-time.

Nana Anne with Rachel.

Rick and I cutting the cake.

Family shots: Richard and Rachel, me, my nephew Edward and oldest son Malcom (Richard's father).

The whole shebang: Nicole, Richard and Rachel, me, Edward, Malcolm and Rick.

The four generations: baby Rachel held by her father Richard, grandfather Malcolm on right and great-grandmother in the middle (me).

Me with nephew Edward.

First cousins Edward and Malcolm.

Relaxing after the BBQ in the backyard....

The traditional Ontario fire pit and marshmallows. No kid gets too old for this! The three cousins continue their group discussion, lots of fun and laughter...good times!

It was the very best day, and the family BBQ turned out to be the highlight of the trip so far, and for this we give thanks to everyone who came and participated and added their energy to the group...we hope to see everyone again, perhaps some of you on the west coast?? All my love to everyone who shared the day....and those of you who are reading it now.

Family time and the Bowmanville Family Zoo

The days are passing far too quickly. We decided to spend some downtime around the house with Nicole and baby Rachel.

 Molly and Rachel seemed to really enjoy the fire pit in the backyard.

 Somebody likes hats...

 

And shoes!!

 

 Aussie just likes to snore.

 So we decided to visit the local Bowmanville Zoo. It is a leafy outdoors space with a lovely park-like feel to it.

 Rachel helps Nicole feed the Llamas.

 The Joiner family feeding some exotic bovines...

 Later we went for Mexican food in the village.

 

Rachel with her Grandpa Rick

 

This afternoon we are resting in the camper for a bit while outside it is thundering and raining. Tomorrow is our 40th anniversary with a number of family invited to share the celebration. It should be a bit busier than today...til then, adios to all our friends and family reading our little travel blog.

Around the Village

We spent quite some time touring around Hampton, to see other interesting historical places and scenery. This structure is the Tyrone Mill, a very early part of Ontario history. The early villages grew up around mills which means settlements were situated frequently around rivers and natural water falls. Tyrone Mill was a flour mill and today still operates as a lumber mill.

The blacksmith shop.

The hills around Hampton.

The United Church in Hampton. Richard and Nicole take the baby here to church, much to the delight of the elderly parishioners who smile through all the baby noises that Rachel make. They tell them that they LOVE having a baby at church...this Sunday the church is having a play with many of the village children taking part. The architecture is typical early Ontario Presbyterian style.

 On the opposite corner from the church is the corner store, a mainstay of any proper Ontario village. Sometimes (as in the one I used to live, the post office is found here)...today they sell lottery tickets instead :)

 Our little group is heading down to Hampton Pond. Hampton had four mills at one time, and they were located opposite the road from the pond, which has silted up considerably. You can see just a tiny remnant of it in the far right.

Around Hampton Pond is a delightful wood, currently filled with wild Phlox which unfortunately now are labelled as noxious weeds. I find them neither noxious, nor weeds. They grow in my garden at home and they are beautifully scented and a reminder of all the historic farmhouse gardens in the country!

 Rachel and Nicole stroll across the pedestrian bridge on the way back home.

 The quiet residential streets of the village are lined with hundred year old hardwood trees, the most magnificent of which are the sugar maples towering over the yards spreading a welcome shade from the summer heat.

 Here we saw a beautiful Victorian historic brick house on a huge lot almost stretching a full block. The garden was the usual English type, laid out to perennial beds with beautiful swaths of velvety green lawn.

 The style is one of several very popular in our early history. This property must have belonged to a very prominent early resident of the village. Perhaps Samuel McLaughlan, the auto car manufacturer?

 Another view of the same street.

Another style of Victorian brick.

FAMILY TIME!!

It's time to meet the family. Here we are in the delightful village of Hampton, east of Toronto enough to have the true Ontario village experience. How lucky Rachel is to be growing up on this street with lots of children, quiet streets, friendly neighbours and a community full of resources for a young and growing family.

Richard and Nicole live here, in a very comfortable family home on a spacious lot with enough room for all of Richard's "stuff"...things like spare truck, three snowploughs, sander and a large trailer mounted leaf vacuum.

And among all of Richard's stuff there is still plenty of room for us to tuck in and hook up. A home away from home!

Of course the whole agenda is focused on the newest family member Rachel Danielle Joiner. It's almost scary how much she is a clone of her daddy. Not just in appearance either, but in impishness, energy level and general personality.

 Yesterday morning we all cleaned the pool. Rachel wanted to have a swim but we dissuaded her with great effort.

 Great-granddaughter meets Nana B. It was love at first sight...

And here is the proud papa, with his nana. He is a blessing to us in so many ways, coming to us late in life but what a wonderful surprise he is. And we are so proud of him and Nicole and the lovely family they are building together. We know they have a rich and blessed life ahead of them, and will grow up and old together and reap the benefits, just like me and Rick. A tradition of love to endure...

Friends from afar...

 We started off today with beautiful clear skies and sunshine. The view of "Lake Irwin" from the balcony was very inviting. The water in the lake is fast warming up and almost ready for swimming.

 Yesterday we were invited to go visit our friend Bill's sister Helen who lives near Peterborough, about 2 1/2 hours away to the south east. Helen went to high school with us but was 2 years behind us. She and Dave met at Guelph (Agricultural College) and have three children and several grandchildren. We were invited for lunch, but once there we were encouraged to stay for supper as well. We had decided to take Molly and her little doggie bed, as we thought the day might be long for her to stay in the camper. We went by the back roads, zig-zagging across various Ontario counties to Lake Chemong near Peterborough.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chemong


 The area around Helen and Dave's home is beautiful with rolling green hills and lots of hardwood trees. I thought it looks a lot like Missouri, around St Joseph.

 Helen is an avid gardener and her garden is an inspiration for other gardeners like myself. She and Dave have 2 acres of beautifully sloped land with lovely trees and they designed their home to sit on a crest of land and look down over the rock gardens and wooded pathways.

 The lower level overlooks the sloped rock garden...peace and tranquility!

 One big treat from our visit with Helen and Dave was for Dave and Rick to find a great common bond through a mutual interest with trains. When I mentioned that Rick's dad and grandad were Union Pacific men, Dave's eyes just lit up. He is a big Canadian Pacific follower, and he took Rick downstairs to his "train room" which has a huge model train set (18 engines?). He has been to many train conventions including some of Union Pacific in the US. Clearly, he and Rick had a very solid bonding moment!!! The other interest they share is RVing, as Helen and Dave have a fifth wheel and have traveled many places throughout North America, many of them places where we have either gone or else plan to go in the future. Dave was able to give Rick some good advice on the route for going home.

The day was so enjoyable, we didn't pack up to leave until the sun was starting to set. It was a wonderful day for all of us and we certainly hope to see each other again soon. We got about 2 miles down the road when Bill's cell hone went off. Helen was calling to tell us we had left Molly's doggie bed behind!  A short detour back to the house and then home again. It was a typical Southern Ontario evening. Every hamlet and village had settled in for the night, no activity, all was quiet and almost no traffic. A typical Southern Ontario rural evening.


Meanwhile, back here in Muskoka at "Lake Irwin" next day, one of the nearby towns is Bracebridge, and it looks exactly like it did 60 years ago when I was a kid. The town has been allowed to expand but up on the flats, separate from the old town which is preserved as it used to be.

At the foot of the town is the old power station and bridge over the falls. Parks line both sides of the river. 

Most of our time here has been spent engrossed in conversation with friends and catching up the news about each others' lives. The rest of it has just been a relaxing break after our long trek across Canada to get here. Molly has settled in nicely, she loves the fifth wheel and lives underneath the dinette, spending most of her time out of the way...
Tomorrow we have a day of rest planned where we can read on the deck and catch some rays before leaving for Hampton Monday morning. Hasta la vista! (See y'all soon!!)