Day 1: We've rented a friend's cottage on Golden Lake just outside of Killaloe. It's no Round Lake, but it has a small sandy beach, nice dock and comfortable interior. It is right beside neighbours on both sides, but, so far they have kept to themselves and are quiet. We cheated and took the 407 up which shaved some driving time. It still felt like a looong drive on this old body. We stopped in Bancroft for some milkshakes from Kawartha Dairy. I tried a pistachio almond and bdot got a cappuccino. Kinda weird, there were many scoops of almonds waiting for me at the bottom of my shake. Hmmpt. The dogs have been pretty bonkers, especially Edie. Vizslas love exploring a new location. It looked like we were going to get a storm at one point but it just blew over...We finished season one of the Lazarus Project. It is a shame there are only two seasons.
Day 2: There are certainly challenges bringing hunting dogs to a new, non fenced-in location. Not just on land! Yes, the local ducks apparently have no fear of anything. They stroll right into the shallow waters in front of cottage. One dog points them, the other chases them...I guess someone has been feeding them. Sigh...There is a really nice cool breeze off the lake today. Pretty chill relaxing day. The deer flies are just awful here.
What sad news. The metal legend, pioneer, icon, Ozzy Osbourne has passed away. RIP Prince of Darkness. The outpouring of thoughts and grief is pretty remarkable. He was truly one of a kind, and the impact Black Sabbath had on music is undeniably profound and a cornerstone of an entire genre of music.
Day 3: We had a short trip into Killaloe today. Visited Bdot's mom and Trish. The dogs were destroying in Trish's gardens so we couldn't stay long. Edie was especially ridiculous so we had only short visits. Dinner was two trays of nachos. Oh yeah.
Day 4: A HOT ONE. Finally took a proper dip. The water was cool and refreshing. The lake floor is full of rocks though...Probably the biggest downside to this lake. It is also really shallow. I rarely eat hotdogs. Maybe, once a year when camping. But damn, we wiped out a package of dubiously nutritious Juicy Jumbosยฎ Loaded Three Cheese Jalapeรฑo Wieners. They were delicious. I don't wanna know what's in them. Huh. pretty fun Euro Semi game Germany v. Spain. Very defensive. Spain scored late in extra time. I don't know what the goalie was doing... She has been so great - she must be crushed. Anyway, the final will be Spain v. England on Sunday. I got a nice paddle in. The deer flies continue to be ridiculous. We can't seem to be around water this year without a never ending attack of some sort of biting fly. In the evening we had a small fire and s'mores. Weird the marshmallows were a cheaper brand and actually didn't roast as well. Hmmpt. We got to the end of Lazarus. I'm not sure what to think...It was an entertaining series for sure but the ending seemed a bit flung together. I don't know if they were aware they were being cancelled or not at the time. Hmpt. Still, it was some wonderful Sci-fi. โญโญโญโญ
Day 5: Another trip into Killaloe today. Today was mostly running a bunch of errands. We did stop in Golden Lake at Green's Chip Truck. Pretty solid fries. They have daily specially and I was hoping to get a Jerk Chicken sandwich but the specials have changed from what was posted online. Wah-wahh. A few shops here we would have liked to explore but we were eager to get home and relax. A big storm was threatening all day but it never really came. I think we were just outside it's wrath. Started Netflix series Untamed.
Day 6: A perfect weather day. Hot but not stupid. Light breeze. Perfect for doing nothing and getting a swim in. That is exactly what we did. We got some Sun and floated around a while. The flies still found us. *eyeroll* Bill and Anita arrived at the cottage to stay two nights. We watched the controversial Tr*mp South Park episode. I glad that at least someone has the balls to call the fat lying piece of shit out...
Day 7: Today we had an open house for Bdot's mom, who is celebrating her 80th birthday! It was a long day... visiting, eating sweets, pizza, watching dogs, watching dogs some more, trying to get dogs to do 'business'... It was well attended and I think she had a great day.
Day 8: I guess it never really feels like you've had enough time on a vacation, and this certainly applies. I would have liked a few more 'do nothing' days but, it is what it is...We had a final send off with everyone for breakfast on the reserve on Golden Lake. The locally famous Kokomish Cafe. Sadly they were slammed... clearly everyone knows it is good because everyone was there...it took FOREVER to get our order... we figure OVER an hour...Sure it was good, I inhaled it, but good lord the wait was absurd. Bdot did find her frenchtoast to be underwhelming. They clearly have too much capacity for what the kitchen can realistically keep up with... *shrug* The drive home was loooooong. We tried to avoid a long delay outside of Peterborough at the Eels Bridge (backed up for many kilometers at a timed light - UGH) so your options are to take fairly significant detours. We did break it up a lot. We met Bonnie and Buck for a short hello, stopped for more fries and shakes (this time the Orangesicle which was great!)... I was pretty surprised the dogs were quiet as they were for so long being kenneled but the silence did break about an hour from home. We lucked into finding a miracle park, the Mount Albert Lions Park. WOW! It was a massive, empty series of soccer fields, that allowed dogs, HAD POO BAGS and was a great space for the dogs to get a badly needed break from the drive. They even had reasonably nice portapoddies...As much I as enjoy the adventure and relaxation of a holiday, I also enjoy getting home. Glad to see our cats and sleep on a bed that doesn't hurt...