Kingstown, Canada

Hi,

I'm in Canada, docked at a marina right next to downtown Kingstown. I really like this city with it's colonial old homes, farmer's market, historic city hall and sidewalk restaurants. It is one of those places that feels good.

Last night we (Milk and I) docked in Gananoque, CA. Gan is pretty cool too. We ate dinner at a small Inn. White table cloths and all. We met up with Anne, a friend of Mike's, had lunch downtown and took a little tour of Gan. We stopped at the history museum on the waterfront and learned some stuff about this neck of the river.

I am loving the St Lawrence experience, the islands, and the many moods of the river.

Internet connections have been hit and miss. Following was written a few days ago, but couldn't be posted because there was no WiFi to connect to.

Back quite a few days:

As much as I enjoyed the family reunion, I hated the after feeling that comes shortly after leaving when I find myself alone again. I missed them all. I shed a few tears for the empty feeling, listened to sad songs, and waited for the bad feelings to be replaced with good ones which didn’t really show up till the next morning. The next morning was a gorgeous trip through the mountains, traffic was low, and the day bright. July 4th actually. Independence Day! I played happy songs and sang alone with abandon. Life is good. I crossed over the river and into Ohio.

Beverly, Ohio

Dave and Kay’s vintage farm house is a cozy little 1940’s bungalow in need of a lot of TLC. They have projects to keep them busy for many summers to come. In winter they are back in Florida where it’s warm and sunny. I liked the ambiance of the place. For the most part all we heard was the birds singing, crickets chirping, and our own voices. A gravel road leads to the house and there is a “crick” flowing out front and a small meadow, and hillsides full of maple trees. There is no TV, AC or cell phone service and water must be conserved lest the well run dry, but I was able to connect to the internet via a neighbor’s WiFi.

We took a walk in the big woods, past the pond, and followed a deer path up the hill. The heat of the day and the mosquitoes were bothersome, so we didn’t travel far, and headed back home where even without AC, the house stayed reasonably cool and comfortable. Breakfast out, a little tour of the village and conversation filled the rest of the day.

Being out in the country is a nice contrast from the mostly suburban life I lead.

I left the next morning for Chesterland, Ohio.

Chesterland, Ohio

I am visiting Cousin Stan and Cousin-in-law Pat. I arrived yesterday and immediately joined them in the pool which is tucked in the woods and turned one of the hottest days this year into a very pleasant respite. We left only to have dinner and then returned for the evening to the cool water. It was soooo nice. A hearty breakfast, a ride to somewhere, lunch out, and afternoons in the pool.

Then, Macedonia, Ohio and my high school's graduating class' 45th reunion. Last week, I was grandma, the older generation of the family, and this week I was remembering my teenage years, surrounded by my high school chums. How weird. Two nights of back to the '60s. However, it took a while to get used to everyone. I would not have recognized any one's face without a name tag, after all, it has been 45 years! Oh my God! Where did the time go?

Moving along in time.......

Today, I am staying aboard the Amethyst in slip 538 at the Gananoque Marina which is in Canada on the north side of the St. Lawrence. The cruise here was beautiful. I have fallen in love with both the large and tiny islands that make up the 1000. They are outcroppings of stone ranging from barely big enough to build on (but they do) and large enough for a community of some size.

The River is the highway connecting the islands. Boats of all kinds provide transportation to stores and unlimited entertainment. The River can change its demeanor and mood quickly, one day being smooth and peaceful and the next rough and commanding. But always, it is enticing.

It is hard to imagine this place in winter. It is July here now and people are on sabbatical. River front cottages are full of summer residents, restaurants are busy, and people are swimming and wandering the streets of their community enjoying the warm weather and time away. The marina is quite full with people simply enjoying life. Pretty cool.

I am among them, just enjoying today and really not thinking about life beyond here. This is one reason I haven’t posted in this blog. Blogging can take me back to normal and regular

Back to now.

Did I say, "Life is good?" Well it is, right now.