Before

This is what the McCartney homestead looked like in August of last year.

After

What a difference a year makes! I suppose the pictures speak for themselves. I'll add this though, I'm astounded by how hard my in-laws work, perhaps inspired is a better word.

Manitoulin Adventures

We headed out on Saturday June 28 for a few days of rest, relaxation and visiting. Manitoulin is far; it took us about seven and a half hours to drive there. We took the scenic route on the way up through cottage country avoiding the dreaded highway 400. Even though the forecast called for rain (and lots of it) we had mostly beautiful weather.

We spent Sunday visiting with Ken's parents. We went to their little branch - in Little Current - on the north-eastern edge of the island. They have a two hour meeting block which makes sense when there are only six people.

Monday was tourist day. We went to Zhibaahaasing to see the world's largest dream catcher and peace pipe. Then we continued west to the Mississagi Lighthouse. We were at the most western edge of the island and the scenery was beautiful. Next we proceeded to Meldrum Bay.


World's Largest Dream Catcher - Zhibaahaasing First Nation


















Mississagi Lighthouse















Beautiful rocky shore around the lighthouse


















The customs sign in Meldrum Bay... where is the office? Perhaps it's the picnic table?















Canada Day was sit around and read under the trees day, quite lovely. In the evening we all drove out to Providence Bay. There was an outdoor concert, sing-a-long and fireworks display. I wish I had a picture of me huddled in my hooded sweatshirt wrapped in a sleeping bag. It was so cold!

Tagged!

Tag: How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.

JOYS (aside from the top 2 family & faith)
1. Laughing with Ken.
2. Music.
3. Clean crisp morning air... I know it's kind of silly because I'm not a morning person, but I love the stillness and quiet.

FEARS
1. Something happening to Ken.
2. The dark.
3. I don't know... I'm afraid of so many things... stinking imagination!

GOALS
1. Write some music.
2. Write some books.
3. Watch less television. (I should put this first, over coming this would probably help me accomplish the other two!)

CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS
1. I collect pig stuff. Really only the figurines, but there is other stuff in my collection, mostly because people give it to me.
2. I really don't know what I'm obsessed with, fruit snacks maybe?
3. I suppose I like checking out the family blogs, but I don't know if I'd call it an obsession.

RANDOM/SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT ME
1. Sometimes when I'm driving I scream for no reason and sometimes it upsets me.
2. For the first five years of my teaching career I would spend September and October looking at advertisements for other jobs and wonder, what else can I do that isn't teaching?!
3. I still have my doll - baby Anne and she sits on the sweater box beside my bed (with my teddy bear, a penguin and a pig) (I was presented with baby Anne when my sister Suzanne was born).

I TAG THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE
1. Ali and Dan
2. Ali and Dan
3. Ali and Dan
4. Ali and Dan
5. You two really need to update your blog!

Brothers!

Marcus and Seth in Toronto!

Now that report cards are finished and school's almost over I can post some pictures! It was so fun to see Marcus and Seth - and Jon and Michelle too. After a week I feel like bonded with the boys, hopefully it won't be two years until I see them again.














Aside from some occasional biting (Seth bites Marcus) they play quite nicely together.















Seth enjoying watermelon.















Marcus enjoying the ribs that Uncle Andrew barbecued.















On the Tuesday they came out to Whitby and we went to the beach. It was a stone throwing, stone skipping extravaganza.




















Marcus had so much fun throwing stones into the lake.




















So did Seth!




















Marcus and Seth had fun playing in the backyard and at the side of the house.















They had fun eating sand, I mean playing in the sandbox.

Ken Left Me

We've been married for five and a half years, and I have left Ken, many times. I have visited my sister twice a year - every year, that we have been married. But never before has Ken left me! I finally got a small taste - and I ran home to my Mom and Dad's. (It only took me 20 minutes to drive to school!)

Ken had the opportunity to go to Ottawa to attend a GIS conference. He went to an "Open Source Bootcamp" on Monday, and the actual conference on Tuesday. He and five other guys from his program drove up to Ottawa on Sunday afternoon and camped next to the Rideau River.















Their campsite was located directly across from the Rideau River.















Ken and Joel portaging through downtown Ottawa.















Why might you ask did they portage through downtown Ottawa? Well, the canoe strapped to the top of the pickup truck wouldn't fit into the indoor parking garage, and what could be more Canadian than portaging through Ottawa, while speaking in outrageous Quebecois accents and singing "Alouette" in the rain?!















Please, can you tell me, which way to de Ottawa River??

George Pethick

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day. Ken and I met my Mom and Dad at a breakfast restaurant in Pickering where we had a mother's day brunch. We then drove down to a park in Ajax and walked by the lake. The lake was so calm and so blue. It's easy to see why the early explorers thought they found the ocean when they first saw the great lakes!

After we parted ways, Ken and I drove to the public library in Port Hope. I was hoping to find out more information about the Pethick line, and find stuff we did!

Quick family line: There's me, - then my dad Ted Bacon, then his dad Howard Edward Bacon, and his dad was William Henry Bacon and his mom was Mary Irene Pethick. Her name later became Rena Mae Bacon (after she was married of course). Mary Irene was born in Port Hope and I have found some census information about her family. Yesterday Ken looked up records on the computer and then I looked at the newspaper microfilms. I read and copied down several birth, death and marriage notices from the Port Hope Weekly Guide. The picture is of George Pethick's obituary. George is Mary Irene's grandfather and the first Pethick to come to Canada. We made the happy discovery that he came to Canada from 1851 and that he was born in Marhamchurch, Cornwall. The obituary is from 1885 and was published in the paper one week after his death.

If you double click on the picture it will open into a new screen and then it will be large enough to read.