The road to somewhere?

So where are we? It's July 21st - Harry Potter Day. (We've already read ten chapters) Yesterday was an interesting day. Ken had the day off and I completed the last day of the second week of summer school. Ken picked me up after school and we drove to Uxbridge to check out some apartments.

Plan A - well forget plan a, Plan B was get transferred and live somewhere like Port Perry. I decided not to transfer so we thought that Uxbridge (Plan C) sounded like the next best option. That was until yesterday. You wouldn't think that after paying $900 a month for a palatial apartment in Toronto you'd be expected to pay $800 a month for a tiny hole in the ground in Uxbridge? At least I wasn't prepared for the two apartments we looked at. The second (or rather second and third) were two apartments above a store. I figured it might not be our first choice but it might not be so bad, but I just can't see myself in either of the apartments.

That's when Plan D (!) started to form. We headed from Uxbridge to Lindsay to see how long it would take to drive to Oshawa. It took about 45 minutes using the 35 and the 401. Not too bad really. What about Oshawa to Woodbridge? Well if there's no traffic it will take about 45 minutes. (No laughing allowed, I'm too fragile)

Hopefully in another week or two we won't be homeless and we'll be able to embark on the next great adventure - moving!

Graduation Day

Today was a beautiful day. The weather was beautiful, Ken was beautiful, the ceremony was beautiful! It really was a lovely convocation ceremony. The graduates were all encouraged to think about how they could give to their communities, to not take for granted the level of education they had attained or the wonderful country that they live in. We finished off the day with a beautiful BBQ graciously hosted by my parents, featuring the beautiful chef Andrew.

A Midland Adventure - Chasing a Sunset

Ken wanted to see the sun set in Lake Huron, so we thought perhaps we would drive to Kincardine after we had finished helping his parents move. After saying goodbye to his Mom around 5:30pm on the side of highway 12 near Coldwater, we decided that Kincardine was too far. Instead we settled upon Midland.

After finding somewhere to stay we wanted to find something to eat and then watch the sunset. We drove down to the water and it just wasn't right. The trees were in the wrong place - directly between the water and the sun. Ken wouldn't get to see the sun set into the water. Resigned to this fact we decided to eat at the only restaurant beside the water but the hour wait for food sent us in search of an alternate location.

This is a picture of the largest outdoor mural. The mural depicts a Wendat man speaking with a Jesuit priest. I took this picture while standing in front of the restaurant we didn't eat at.















We got back into the car with food being the goal. However, once we started driving we decided that we could wait to eat, and we began chasing the sun. We kept driving north and west. We found water in several places, but the sun wasn't in the right place. Finally when we were about to give up we found it. A rocky little bit of beach looking westward. We got there just in time to see the sun sink into the water.





































































Just before the sun sank from view another car drove up interrupting our solitude. Out came a man and a guitar. He sat down and played and to our happy surprise he was great. I snuck a picture of him as we were walking back to the car. Our own private sunset complete with a serenade!

Moving Day

Codrington has been Ken's parent's home for the last thirty years. You can imagine then, that this past weekend which saw the completion of their move to Manitoulin Island was bitter-sweet. This is the house that they lived in for the past nine years. Ken and I drove up on Friday to help as much as we could.















This is the back of the house. The smaller building to the right is the garage that was built within the last year.















It's difficult to tell but this is the garden. When Ken said that his parents had a garden in their backyard I had a city-girl picture in my head. Over the years they grew many different things, among them: raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, corn, potatoes, squash, peppers, onion.




















This is the tool shed. It is actually more like a large tool house. It's hard to have perspective when there is none but the "tool shed" is the size of a small bedroom. Konrad called it Grandpa's Cottage.





















Last but not least, the day before the move Jen drove out with Konrad and Anders. We all went to dinner and visited. This picture was taken back behind the restaurant in Brighton.

An Interesting Tradition

I'd heard the stories, but seeing the poor innocent toilet surrounded by gun-toting hooligans is perhaps more reality then I bargained for.

My understanding is this - on Boxing Day the McCartneys would shoot a toilet.

Upon further investigation (I asked Ken) this only happened twice.

Little Ken

Finding old pictures is fun! It was fun for me to discover baby pictures of Ken. I suppose this picture was taken in late January or early February of 1979.





















Notice the hairline - see any similarities? I love the dirt and tomatoes!

















Isn't the fish so cute? I wish I knew the story behind this picture of Ken and Laura.





















This is by far my favourite photo of Kenny! I'm assuming this is a kindergarten picture. Isn't he just adorable!

Toronto - INVADED BY EGANS!

The invasion began Friday evening. The Egans were undeterred by the ferocious traffic and they arrived armed with barf bags, did I mention those were full barf bags? They slipped into the city seemingly unnoticed and after hosing down the greenish looking Lily and Maggie the adult Egans settled down to an evening to think about tomorrow and chat about yesterday.






On Saturday the young Egan children embarked on their first subway ride. They made sure to sit in the very front car so as not to miss a thing.




Heidi Egan requested a trip to China town, so after another first - a ride on a street car, they enjoyed the sites, sounds, and smells all the while trying to stay together. The Egan children were rewarded for their good behaviour with new t-shirts and crocs for the girls. Chinatown has the best tourist t-shirts - four for $10.







Would an invasion of Toronto be complete without a picture in front of the CN Tower? I think not, that is of course if the tower hadn't been chopped off?!










After walking a few kilometers the children were again rewarded with sometime to sit and run in a "park". If you look at the picture closely you can see the beginning of a deep and abiding affection that Josie developed for Ken. You can also see evidence of her leash, or as she calls it a tail.









Heidi was excited to be able to point out fun things to her kids - like the theatre they're standing in front of where their Uncle Martin performed in Oliver.










On Sunday we all traveled to Richmond Hill ward to say hello. Heidi hadn't been back for 15 years. It was so fun to watch her say hello to people and for old friends to see her and her children.

After church we went to my Mom's for lunch. We had a wonderful weekend being invaded by the Egan's.

A visit to the Music Garden

On Thursday, April 19 the grade 7/8 students and teachers of Blue Willow P.S. enjoyed school day at the Roger's Centre. We went to see the Blue Jays play the Boston Red Sox. The baseball game was fun even though they lost the game! Ken joined us at the game and I was given permission to stay downtown with him instead of returning to school - the school day was already over and there was ample supervision.









It was an absolutely beautiful day and I wanted to walk down to the lake. Ken and I walked south to Queen's Quay and then walked to the Music Garden, which is located on Queen's Quay just west of Spadina.




Ken and I had not been back to the Music Garden since the night of October 9, 2002 when on bended knee he proposed. I love that he chose such a beautiful place - a garden of music, to ask me to be his wife.


He proposed to me at the base of the Maypole in the section of the Garden named for the Courante. Each section of the garden is named after a dance.



I was excited to go back to the Music Garden with my wonderful husband and take a few pictures.