By the ‘Fire Tree’ in Trish’s backyard

Last Friday we made the 5+ hour drive up to Killaloe where bdot’s parents live. To break up the long drive we made a few stops. The first was in Peterborough where we stopped for a coffee at the Chapters/Starbucks. I found a Chapters gift card tucked away in my wallet (Merry Christmas?!) so I looked for a book to read – and found two! I’m now reading Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. I’m about half way through and really enjoying it. More on this book later. After grabbing coffees we were on our way. Not for long however… we stopped at Port Perry’s impressive LCBO and Never Enough Wool, a yarn store for bdot. It was pretty late by the time we arrived in Killaloe. It was freezing too, somewhere around -30 with the windchill. Brrr. So we grabbed blankets and decompressed.

Saturday morning we ventured over to Trish’s place which is just outside of Wilno. She lives back in the bush on an isolated property with only one road in. Every time we visit her we are accosted by her neighbour’s ridiculous dogs. The three ill trained morons come running at the car barking and angry… they don’t move – even after excessive honking… in fact, they move directly in front of the car… *sigh* For the most part I love animals and clearly the owner here shouldn’t own dogs… but wow…. so annoying. We eventually got past the beasts without casualties. Since my last visit to Trish’s place (years ago) they have updated their home with a major addition. The space is really cozy and comfortable. I think they did a wonderful job, and they are planning more updates in the future. The afternoon quickly involved booze as the host shared a bottle of St-Rémy Brandy. Damn – it is strong stuff. I don’t drink a lot of Brandy so I sipped it… Soon everyone was suitably warmed up and four of us went skiing as Fin watched the kids.

Trish’s home is on a massive rolling, well forested property – which is perfect for skiing. It was clear, cold (but not too bad) and there was newly fallen snow, the conditions couldn’t be better. Jessica brought some more libation to help keep us warm. Yes the evil Fireball whiskey disappeared quickly. After an hour we stopped briefly for some photos and Trish (who by this time was very unfiltered) had a rant or two. I guess she felt the need to direct some honesty toward me. I guess you rarely know what people really think of you. It is usually best that you don’t know. She said she thought I was a “loner” and a “curmudgeon”. I’d certainly agree I’m introverted but “curmudgeon” seems rather harsh IMHO. Sigh. Anyway… the ski back was up a long tiring hill – so we all felt pretty well exercised by the time we were done. Dinner was a yummy pork roast which disappeared quickly. After dinner there were more drinks and conversation. Jessica was dealing with some unbelievable requests from her tenants. She is desperately trying to sell her property. Hopefully soon! It was a fun night.

We started off Sunday by meeting Jessica at the Wilno Tavern for lunch.

Yum! Cabbage Rolls and Pierogi

I thought the food was amazing. Reminding me of past family Christmas dinners. I didn’t leave a scrap on my plate. It continued to be really cold but we decided to go snowshoeing anyway. We are Canadian right?

Opeongo Heritage Trail

We walked on the beautiful Opeongo Heritage Trail. We walked up… up… and more up… Ugh. Did the sign say something about inhospitable terrain? It was a tiring climb and we eventually decided to turn around after about 40m. The way down was much easier.

Lovely Winter in Ontario

We said our goodbyes then returned to Bdot’s parents. Her mom made a yummy chicken casserole and Mound’s inspired chocolate cake. It was amazing. We planned on returning home on Monday so I spent some of the evening gathering stuff.

Monday came and it was clear that something wasn’t right with bdot. Somehow she contracted a nasty stomach flu. She was weak, pale as a ghost and couldn’t keep anything down. The thought of a five hour drive was impossible. So we decided to stay another night. The cat sitter was okay with this and we hoped an extra day of sleep would clear bdot’s horrible condition.

Most of Monday

We were luckily(?) entertained by a Cold Water Cowboy’s marathon. I found it curious how thick the Newfoundlanders accent was. A lot of their conversations had to be subtitled. It looks like a hard life fishing on the east coast. Despite the numerous adversities, the guys always had a positive attitude. There was a profound brotherhood among the fishermen. If anyone called for help the community always responded. It was an interesting, at times captivating look at a unique lifestyle.

The day of rest helped bdot enough that we were able to drive home yesterday. She is still not 100% but certainly better than she was on Monday. It is good to be home.