Looking In On the Best

Yesterday and today are the first days we've experienced November like weather this month - of November. Our weather has been delightful, warm and mostly full of sunshine. Yesterday was rainy and very windy and cool. Today is much warmer and not windy but it's been dark and drizzly off and on. I certainly appreciate all the nice weather we've had as I love to be outside and prefer this to cold, wintery weather.

I have a poll for you. The spell checker is telling me that the proper spelling for the second last word in the above paragraph is wintry. This looks wrong to me and thought wintery was the right word. Which is it?

We canceled a long hike yesterday because of the weather. I went Sunday shopping for the first time instead. I was planning a trip to town someday soon to get a birthday gift but received an invitation to share a Sunday dinner with good friends. Seemed like a perfect idea. A leg of lamb was served and the meal was outstanding. My friend is the best cook I know. She also joined me for shopping for part of the afternoon. We fought the crowds. I had no idea Sunday shopping was so popular. I dare say it must have been busier yesterday than it was on Saturday.

For twenty four hours Oprah is offering a couple of songs on her website. One is the Christmas song What Child is This by Andrea Bocelli and Mary J Blige. It is the best song I've heard all year and was so pleased to be able to get it.

If there is no poll, I can't remember how to make one. Give me a few minutes.

Cooooold....

This is how I felt this weekend but especially today. My fifteen year old oil tank had to be replaced, as is the law on PEI. I canceled oil delivery months ago waiting for this fateful day. Somehow I knew it would be the weekend when I ran out of oil and so it was.

I had been painting ceilings for a couple of days and because I didn't want to put a painting hat on wet hair waited till Sunday morning to wash my hair. I turned the shower on, had a pee, which is exactly the right time required for the shower to become hot, and jumped into the shower head first. I got the shock of my life! If course with dirty hair you have no choice. You must go ahead... and wash your hair. With long hair, as I have, there is also no choice. You have to condition your hair. I would never get a brush or comb through otherwise.

I shivered through the task and I must say this was all very, very uncomfortably cold. There was not an ounce of warmth in the water. I must have ran out of oil on Saturday evening or very soon after midnight as there would have otherwise have been some heat left in the water system. I was shivering the rest of the morning till I got out of the house, into the car and off to a friend's for the day. I went to another friend's house for dinner and went to bed as soon as I got home.

Today was terribly cold in the house. Even with frost on the ground this morning it was warmer out of doors. I had to stay around all day because of the installation thus couldn't escape like yesterday. Thankfully it is all over with. The workers had everything finished at 11:30 and I got oil around 2:30. I spent a lot of time on the deck as it was so much warmer outside.

We have broken all records with the glorious weather we've been experiencing this month of November. In my fifty plus years, I can't remember better November weather. This cold weekend kind of hurt in that way. I just will try to remember that the cold was only inside my house. The long woods walk I took yesterday and the two wonderful walks earlier in the week I had are what the world really was like....all warmth and beauty. I've had meaningful gatherings this week too - four different dinners, two here and two at other friend's homes. A good week...

In honour of cold, I'm playing a favorite old-time country song. I grew up on Hank Williams and here is one of his best, Cold Cold Heart. Phil Campbell has a wonderful song too that will fit perfectly. Give a listen to Cold Engines.

Staring Straight Ahead

Where does the time go? I'm here less and less and don't see that changing anytime soon. I'm just too busy for this type of blog. Posting photos on the other blogs don't seem to be a problem but finding the time to write is next to impossible.

We have had incredible weather the month of November. We had rain and wind today for the first time whereas rain and wind are the usual for most days of November. We've had temps in the double digits and lots of sunshine instead. I haven't heard any complaints from anyone and doubt I will. Who doesn't like sunny warm weather in November?

I had a couple of friends over for dinner last night and that's the impetus for today's music. I've always liked Cab Calloway and his song Everybody Eats When They Come to My House. Reaching back but not so far is Bonnie and Delaney and Friends with Come on In My Kitchen. Now if I could get someone to cook for me....

Friday Frappe

Thought I'd better check in here every once in a while though it seems to be the same old news most weeks. There was a major change in my rhythm this week though. Due to scheduling differences with both of us, my hiking partner and I last had a walk on Saturday. I am itching to go out and stretch my legs and will tomorrow for sure. I miss it very much.

With walking not on the schedule I got a lot more painting done, the outside chores finished and have started on some fall indoor jobs. I am going to put removable caulking on the windows in the next couple of days and a plastic storm window on one window. We had snow today though it did not accumulate here. I saw on a news preview that some of the Maritimes did get quite a bit and it just as well could have been here. I must make an appt. to get my snow tires on too. There seems to be an awful lot to do to get ready for winter and I don't even burn wood.

Kenz is lying in my arms as I type. We have this position worked out where she fits herself in and lays happily here unless I have to use the left hand shift key a lot. I only mind it if my arm starts to fall asleep then I use capitals (and the shift key) as much as possible. LOL

With no way to store music at some spot on the web I have to re-introduce music that has been featured here before. How can you not have the opportunity to play these two fabulous songs any time you want. The marvelous, wonderful, awesome, fantastic, stupendous music of Chevela Vargas should be at everyone's fingertips all the time. It is much like eating oysters to me. Her music somehow enters the body and mixes with vital fluids that are of life itself. I feel that way about Van Morrison's music as well but he has forbidden people to hear his music on blogs. Here are two songs from Chevela that do it for me: La Llorona and Paloma Negra. You may recognize the last song from the soundtrack of the movie, Frida. I am listening to a longer version ( over 8 minutes) of La Llorona at the moment and it is giving me the shivers.

Have a good weekend everyone.

October Ends

Happy Halloween, Spooks and Goblins. For the second year in a row it will be light when the kids go out trick or treating. I actually like that the return to Standard Time was two weeks later for the last two years but Halloween night really suffers. To me as a little kid, being out in the darkness was part of the eerieness and excitement. I have such great Halloween memories with my brother and friends and then again with my own kids. My sis-in-law, who doesn't like Halloween, has asked me to pass out treats for her but she won't let me scare the kids. I've begged but she is adamant. I have only one mask that isn't frightening (???) so will use it perhaps.

That sentence begged a photo so I found the mash and took a few shots. It's scary but not frightening to children. I don't think...

We've had an absolutely wonderful hiking week. We turned things around and have done wood trails instead of dirt roads and this morning went exploring. We went through farmer's fields to go to a spot where there was once a bridge and the mouth of the stream where my pond feeds into the bay. It was so great. The habitat was wonderful but very dirty. My walking partner and I are amazed at the amount of trash we find out in natural areas. I could go on for hours about this but I won't.

I had quite a week with my computer trying to figure out and resort all the little pathways that my songs and photos took last weekend during my daughter's major overhaul of my C drive. Just today I got everything placed where it should be though I'll always have some photos popping up in two or more files. I defragmented this afternoon too and everything should now be right as rain.

On Sunday after lovely daughter erased my C drive I felt ill - weak, dizzy and very strange, like I might faint. I wasn't that extreme the rest of the week but the job was quite stressful. This Irving Berlin song came to mind several times - What'll I Do. Here's an excellent version from the Wainwrights, Loudon, Rufus and Martha. After hours of moving and deleting photos and music and moving one playlist at a time over to the Media Player, I thought of another song - The Thrill is Gone by B B King. The experience was quite a siege but it's over now.

I'm glad the thrill is not gone from Halloween for me. I'm going to dig out some hair and clothing to go with the mask.

Autumn Awesomeness

Goodness this month is going fast. Already it's the last week of October. It's been a beautiful month, though a bit wet at first. We got several walks in again last week so there has been no repeat of three weeks ago's constant rain. This weekend was rainy and windy but beautiful yesterday with warm (13) temperatures. An overnight of 3 and very windy again today stopped our getting out this afternoon. I danced instead and worked up a good sweat so I got some cardio and fun. You should try it.

My daughter and her dog were home again making a record breaking three out of four weekends. I didn't see much of her though as she was celebrating things in her dad's family. It's wonderful to see her anytime so we had fun when we were able to get together. The photo of Baxter is not from this weekend, by the way, but from a day at the beach in the summer.


I'm painting quite a bit most days and am going to be finishing a stained glass project this week (sorry Steve and Ellie), both good activities after long walks in the woods. The time will change next weekend and because of the importance of light to both activities, schedules will change again. I'd like to work on all three of my disciplines at the same time and am thinking of ways to arrange things in the studio and study (this room) to maybe accomplish that. The computer may end up in a smaller space is the only drawback. I love the big, airy, elbow-room space around my computer with it's big window view.

Still into simple folk music at the moment, ok, more than into, I'm obsessed. I've got some Fred Neil for today. Here is simply Little Bit of Rain and Fred Neil and Vince Martin with Morning Dew.

Bright and Beautiful

Autumn continues and is still beautiful. We were expecting a nor'easter mid-week which would have taken the leaves down but thankfully, it didn't materialize. It is windy and rainy this morning so we won't be walking today. I opted out yesterday which is unusual but had a concert to attend.

I saw Stan Carew and the Magpies at the PEI stop on their theater fund-raising tour. Stan is the host of a very popular, Halifax-based, CBC radio show called Weekend Morning. Stan and I have had correspondences several times over the years so it was great to put faces to the names. The show was very enjoyable with a Texas swing or Rockabilly country style.

I'm hoping for some nice weather this week to finish up the outdoor chores. Saturday was beautiful and I did a bit of these jobs but was quite exhausted from the earlier hike so did not finish. It's ironic that on nice days when it's good for working outside it's good for hiking and rainy or windy days are good for neither. I am still painting chairs so have chores to do no matter the weather.

With the weather forecast featuring Nor'easters and lots of wind and rain these days, I thought I'd provide some appropriate music. First, here's Ollabelle with The Storms Are On the Ocean and a favorite of mine, Buckets of Rain. This Dylan song has been covered many, many times and I have lots of versions but here is the original from The Bob himself.

Autumn Acts

I seem to be doing the same thing I was doing the last time I was here. I'm cleaning up after having guests for the Thanksgiving long weekend. Last week was from a different family celebration.

This weekend I was responsible for the food but received quality help from my daughter and her boyfriend. My daughter wanted to learn to make pumpkin pie from scratch. We did that and also made two kinds of pumpkin soup, both of which were delicious. She likes cooking and is ready to learn more complicated methods and recipes. She uses recipes and I rarely do so it's a learning experience for both of us. I also encouraged her to be cre8ive by having her make a blueberry crunch cake substituting blueberries for apples. It turned out so good that she won't be intimidated at making a change like that again.

We had eight for a traditional turkey dinner with stuffing, many, many vegetables dishes and condiments, all home made, some even from my garden. I met two very nice young people, my daughter's boyfriend's sister and his best friend, who were both alone for the holiday. I think it was my favorite weekend in a long time.

I have been taking a weekly painting class and after the class today managed to get in a much needed walk. My walking partner and I have different schedules and then there's the weather factor. We hadn't walked since last Tuesday! We both enjoy it immensely and it's hard when we can't get out. I just finished my homework for the painting class so after tomorrow's rain and no one expected for the weekend, it should be clear sailing. It's so beautiful out there these days.

'Tis Autumn by Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass seems like a good choice for today because there's no getting past it. It is definitely upon us. I always hope summer will last forever but of course, it never does. Autumn Leaves is my other song choice for today. I love this Stephane Grappelli version and hope you do to. I hope you can get for a walk wherever you are and enjoy the autumn because A Change Is Gonna Come.

Up Hills and Down

I hate to be constantly saying that I'm having a hard time finding time for this blog but that is the truth of the matter these days. In my spare time I can choose to hike or blog. On a sunny, beautiful morning like this morning, I chose to hike. It's been non-stop with things to do and the list does not seem to be shrinking. I feel like last post's title - I'm paddling as fast as I can.

I had seven guests staying here for the weekend and a friend from Australia and one from Summerside visited on Saturday but weren't sleeping here. I prepared for the company for a few days and am now cleaning up after the weekend. We even used couches for sleeping so that makes a lot of laundry.

We had a really wonderful weekend. It was a lot of fun to see everyone; even my daughter's dog, Baxter. My brother and his girlfriend were here too and that was fun. I attended a party and stayed up late for three nights in a row. From that I have not recovered yet. I woke at nine this morning. We had to delay our hiking time a bit and I still feel like I'm jet-lagged or something like that. I had hoped the walk would fix me up.

My daughter is coming again this weekend because it's Thanksgiving. How cool is it to have the sweetie and her beast two weekends in a row. I'll feed them all well and hope that this weekend will be a little more relaxed than the busy schedule we maintained last weekend. If the weather holds I might be able to get Girlie and Poochie to the woods with me.

Here are a couple songs fitting for the time of year - October by Rosie Thomas and Thanksgiving by Loudon Wainwright III. I do hope to get here more often. The autumn has so many chores. I swear it is the busiest season for me.

Paddling As Fast As I Can

My month of September has been terribly busy and that is the direct result of spending so much time at the beach this summer. I put things off at that time that I'm having to do now, as well as the usual 'getting ready for winter' chores that must be done at this time of year. Worst thing is I'm painting with oil paint indoors. I had planned to do that in the barn during the summer. I've had a headache since I opened the bottle of paint thinner.

I'm still pickling too. My daughter couldn't contemplate life without a few jars of chow chow to make it through the winter. I must admit I would like some too as I didn't make any last year. Between melamine paint, paint thinners and pickling my house is quite an odoriferous place.

I have a positively wonderful new hiking partner. We both walked individually and now are teamed up. Luckily for me she likes the same kind of hiking I do - dirt roads and forests only and lots of hills. We have either six, eight, ten, or fourteen kilometer routes that we do. We walked the fourteen km road yesterday. We aren't hampered by the weather either because she, like I , does not mind the rain.

Here's some old music for today. Remember Mott the Hoople ('69 - '74)? Their song Crossroads is significant in our forest walks. We are always coming to forks, crossroads, rights or lefts that intrigue us and my partner is up to exploring them too. Did I tell you I'm liking my new hiking partner. We're both looking for jobs so right now have plenty of time, though are willing to cut down walking hours if we'd be lucky enough to get jobs. Nine Hundred Miles by Odetta is what I felt like we walked yesterday. We walked our fourteen kilometers a half hour faster than we did the last time. The first time I stopped for photos and yesterday we booted it and I was truly exhausted for about an hour afterward.

There have been plenty of forest photos in my other blogs which are listed in the sidebar if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Stung in the Sun and the Arm

Blogging this afternoon is not what I had planned. I disturbed a bumble bee's nest while I was cutting down some sumac. The bees are angry and chased me into the house. They have a sentry flying around the door and he is not letting me outside. I got one sting and slapped (most likely killed) the bee that did it. His family is buzzingly angry. I guess the sumac can wait till a freeze and I hope that by the time I finish blogger the sentry at the door will have gone.

We did our walk early today. I wanted to be soaking in the sun during this sumac job this afternoon. We've been going on roads that have thick tree canopies so you don't get much sun. We walked 9.6 km today, 8 yesterday, and will do 8 Thursday and 14 0n Saturday. I love this season for walking in the woods. The fungi are spectacular. I've had great examples on my Shutterchance blog the last few days. My favorite part of being in the woods is the smell of the ferns and today was a very ferny walk. Pure perfection!

You're going to think I've gone completely folk on you here with another old traditional folk song like Shady Grove. I haven't but this wonderful version by Laura Love deserves a listen. I've been dancing as usual and listening to all types of music, also the usual.

Sometimes I have to repeat songs on this blog in able to access them for another blog. That is the case today with A Wonderful Life by the Felice Brothers. I love the feeling of this song so much and agree with it's sentiments when I am in the woods, walking for my soul. It is not a chore to feature this song again.

Friday Frivolties

I am struggling to remember where I found the time to post here every day. I am truly finding it difficult to get here once a week or so. I have one hour till my meatloaf is cooked to post to several blogs. It's been a busy week. Thank God It's Friday and for me that's the best night of the week.

I am overjoyed to announce that I have found a new hiking partner. We hiked a little over six kilometers today; FOURTEEN yesterday. I love it!!!! I have asked her not to stop when I stop for photos so I'm constantly working hard to catch up with her which is pure perfection when walking for fitness, as I do. We went for chanterelle mushrooms today so the pace slowed down whenever we came across a patch. It's nice to find a feed of them so late in the season. I will thoroughly enjoy them sauteed in butter, salt, and pepper accompanying the meatloaf. My son doesn't like them. This is one of those times one says, "His loss; my gain." Yum yum, yum, yum, yum.

Another great part to my walks is that I'm getting more mushroom photos. I don't know why but I've been fascinated by photos of mushrooms since I saw a wonderful Japanese site years ago about mushrooms. It is no longer on the net but I still love photos of mushrooms ans am pleased to be getting some good shots. What a weird hobby, eh?

I am still listening to a lot of folk music along with other varieties, working on the perfect folk CD. Of course, Peter, Paul and Mary are there. Did they not introduce us to folk with their famous, simple -styled songs. I'll let you go to other places to hear their music being played today to commemorate the death of Mary Travers. I will take you instead to musicians they have influenced. These are the folk musicians today. Here is Endlessly by The Cracker Cats and Pastures of Plenty by Pierce Pettis.

Folk of September

Seems like forever since I checked in here. Life is busy but life is good. There have been a few adventurous outings with friends, pickling, gardening, birthday's in the family, and a recommence of my long hilly walks.

It's a wonderful time of year. The oppressing heat and humidity of August is gone and a lot of the tourist traffic as well. I took a swim last week and knew that summer was past. The water was c o l d. The day and sun were hot, thus the need for the swim, but once I got in I wasn't long getting out, very refreshed.

I started this post this morning and got busy shortly afterward. I've worked hard on some chores outdoors and in and took the last half hour to lie in the sun and finish a book. It is 23 in the shade but my deck is hot and in the sun. I feel sun-kissed. I had dinner with friends yesterday and am having dinner with friends tomorrow night so am staying home tonight feeding just the boy and me.

I've been listening to wonderful folk songs recently. I make a CD most months with a theme of sorts. This month, it's called Folk of September. It opens with the well known, Caledonia, covered wonderfully by Ruth Notman. This woman is new to me but sounds so much like Kate Rusby that I had to verify that it was indeed, not her. Here is Caledonia and the classic Blooming Heather by Kate Rusby. Compare. They sound very much alike. I love Kate's version of Blooming Heather. It has a great male harmony singer which makes it special. This song too is on the CD.

That Friday Fondness

September has been a busy month so far but this afternoon I got some beach time. It was glorious. The water was colder than the last time I swam but a swim was just what I needed to relax and refresh. My friend and I went in at different times but did the same thing - floated and watched the clouds. It was heavenly. I think we'll have some more beach days and the water may even warm up. I think the cold is from two hurricanes blowing and raining the last two weekends.

I made pickled beets this morning and have officially slid into pickle mode. I've been given cucumbers whenever I want to pick them and that will be tomorrow. I have three batches of various pickles planned. I am making beer tomorrow as well. This is a good time of year for that too with the cooler temperatures. I have apples ripe and ready for jelly, pies and/or desserts and the garden's tomatoes are perfect for putting by. It's a busy season.

I went woods walking and picked some chanterelle mushrooms this week. I enjoyed them with steak that night and have enough for two more meals. They are so incredibly delicious. I'm later than usual foraging for them so they're past their prime in amounts still pickable. They are loved by worms and slugs as well as humans so it is always a race to see who gets them first.

What a Wonderful World is the first song I think of when I remember my lovely beach afternoon with my friend today. I've got a great version of that classic by Katie Melua and Eva Cassidy. Prince Edward Island's own, Catherine MacLellan, has a perfect song for this afternoon too. Take a Break is exactly what I did after a very busy week. I love Fridays!

Unforgettable

Oh, what wonderful things I've seen and great adventures I've been on since last checking in here! I was this close to a moose and lucky for him, I shoot with a camera, not a gun. The moose was simply standing on the side of the road. My sister turned her car around, drove right up to her and I took photos which didn't seem to bother the moose at all. We left before she could change her mind.

I had made plans to meet up with my 1972 roommates on Monday and Hurricane Bill was forecast for Sunday. Knowing I would probably not want to drive in a hurricane and assuming the bridge would close, I decided to go to New Brunswick early and visit my family for the weekend. I told no one in advance, so surprised my Dad first and everyone else in turn. I had a great time with the family, spending the night at a cottage on Grand Lake that my sister in law had for the weekend and spending alone time (shopping) with my sister.

The reunion with my two girlfriends was as I imagined. Though we look quite different than we did in '72, we haven't changed a bit in how we relate to one another or have a great time together. We stayed up late, ate junk food (as well as wonderful meals), and had a lot of laughs. We went on a long car trip to keep a medical specialist's appointment for our friend who developed a medical condition since she arrived on vacation. That is quite different from '72 when we were all in our early twenties and healthy as horses. We had a blast, remembering (and sometimes not) events from the past and mourning together for a few lost friends from that time.

I regularly keep in touch with both women but it was truly wonderful to be in the same room together and witness how we all went back to the patterns of the ways we had related to one another thirty-five years ago. I thought it was very interesting. One became the mother; one the baby and one the comedienne. I could go on and on about these patterns. Broken Social Scene has a song, All My Friends. It tells a little about us but the next song is about our history. Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole sing Unforgettable. It fits for us. We all have these 'unforgettable' moments and experiences with each other in a prime time of our lives and we'll never forget their impact - which we all shared, being roommates. It was a really inspiring reunion for me. I am going to be doing lots of art now and these woman have provided the muse.

Beach Days Again and Again

This has been a great week for me. A dear friend and I have been exploring some Island beaches and loving every minute of it! The photo is of West Cape where I own some beach land. It's been five years since I visited and it certainly was about time. The beach and water were both wonderful and as great as I always imagine. I usually walk to West Point and back but my friend was only cool with walking half way. The cliffs were amazing as usual but we did not reach the dunes. The photo shows a pretty good face profile on the left.

We visited two other great beaches this week as well. Both were new to my friend and one was new to me. I'm not even sure if I could find that one again. I just took some roads that I knew would eventually reach a beach. What an amazing place this island is in the summer. The sheer beauty is one thing but the fact that you can drive to the end of so many roads and find a beach to explore is amazing. I'm a lucky woman.

It is thirty-one degrees at the moment and I would say the beaches are full again today but I need a day out of the sun. I'm listening to music, uploading tons of photos and catching up on a bunch of stuff. I have a glass project to start on Monday. Life has to be taken care of, even by beach bunnies.

The scenery has been beautiful and if you click the links to my other blogs, An Island Walk, Just Picture It, or Pictures and Pursuits (also listed on the right) you'll see, in the next while and also from the past weeks, some pretty awesome Island spots. Still Water by Daniel Lanois describes some of these shots. The Water by Feist describes most, I'd say. When talking about such Canadian beauty it's nice to extend it to the musicians, don't you think?

Beach Finds

After complaining the last couple of summers of never getting to the beach, this year I am changing my tune. Happily. I've been spending lots of time at the shore this year and it is absolutely glorious. Any kind of beach is available on PEI. The beach can be secluded or out in the open, small or huge. The bottom can be sandy or rocky, and the water warm or cold. It can be crowded or you can be the only human in sight. I've visited all kinds of beaches this summer and have experienced each aspect at one or another.

The spot I visited on Sunday had fabulous rocks because of a lot of oyster drills in the area. My companion and I are both avid rock people so were happy as could be. There were only two other people at the end we were beachcombing. The water was very warm, like a bathtub.

I'm feeling so mellow from all this beach-going, that I'm going to play music to match. Not many are more mellow than Iron and Wine. Here is Sea and the Rhythm and Naked as We Came. I love singing along with these songs. They match my voice.

The Call of the Beaches

What a hot summer this is turning out to be. I am inside for a couple of days working on some glass and it's a bit of relief. I had a trip to the beach last week and got sunburnt and a mild case of sunstroke or sun sickness. For two days I was completely drained with almost zero energy and that, my friends, is very unusual for me. My daughter's friend who was with us suffered the same fate but her skin blistered as well. We were at the beach too long basically - from before noon to after five in the sun with not a cloud in the sky and temps of 28 C.

We had an overnight rain once last week but none this week. Yesterday there were showers forecast but we recieved none - just more heat. I was wishing for rain and everyone thought I was crazy. I like the balance rain brings.

On Sunday I attended a twenty-fifth annual and final celebration of friendship, seafood and music that has been a mainstay of my summers. Our sons and daughters now have sons and daughters and three and maybe four generations were together. It was marvelous to see all the new babies and children. The oldsters played music in the early part and the youngin's took over the stage for the late night. I will miss this yearly event and tradition as I don't get to see a good many of the folks on a regular basis. I was always guaranteed a chance to catch up once a year and have a good time and wonderful food and music while doing it.

This song comes to mind every time I go swimming and I should play the real thing instead of the weird rhymes in my head. I always enjoy Loudon Wainwright III and The Swimming Song. The second song is for a friend who came over from Halifax for the party and also played a set on Sunday night. She does a GREAT version of this song, Deep River Blues done here by Janet Bean.

Why not a couple extra songs to make up for my lack of attendence here this summer. I love If It's the Beaches by The Avette Brothers and stupidity once in my life will not keep me away from the beaches. I am going down for a swim after posting as a matter of fact. Finally a request from the heavens said perfectly by Jo Dee Messina with Bring on the Rain. I'm only asking for one day or night, not a deluge.

By Boat

It's a long time since I've had such a fun day as yesterday turned out to be . Boats full of people gathered for an annual poker run to aid the Northumberland arena. Each boat called at four ports to receive five cards and the best poker hand won.

I'd estimate thirty to thirty-five boats were present at a selected site to spend the finale. Most had coolers, barbecues, stereos, water toys, and lots of happy party-goers. Children and dogs had fun, went for swims, lay on water lounges, and visited back and forth on other boats with their keepers.


Our boat had sixteen aboard and we had a ball. The brave ones got towed behind the boat on a boating tube. My daughter is in the middle of the threesome shown above. I think I was the only one not in for a swim. I may go for one at my own beach later to try and cool off after supper. It is hot and humid today, more;so than yesterday. We share good food and lots of fun times. This is what summer is meant to be. The ride back to the home port was wonderful with the setting sun and promises to meet again next year.


This calls for boat songs does it not? One of my all time favorite pieces of music is Phoebe Snow's version of the Ira Gershwin song, There's a Boat That's Leavin' Soon for New York. In my opinion it is the best version of the song out there. I also like the Holmes Brother's version of Lyle Lovett's song, If I Had a Boat. Hope you like them too and I hope you get a chance to get out on a boat this summer.

Summertime - Busytime

Just returned from a quick two day trip to Halifax, pictured above. Unbelievably, I did not use my camera once on the other side but got these quick shots from Dartmouth this morning. I accompanied my daughter and her best friend at the last minute and was so glad that I did so. I visited my friend who is in hospital there for most of yesterday and went to a Pride-sponsored one-woman play last night with my best friend who lives there and her long term (over 20 years) partner. I stayed with them and so did the girls after their accommodation plans fell through. I had a wonderful time partly for the spontaneity but mostly for the time spent with dear friends and family. There's nothing like it.

• One year - Forty seconds
• Songs You Used To Love
• Postcard.FM
• All Music - All Blogs

Also from the music pile today are a couple of songs from the outstanding Patty Griffin. A couple of songs that remind me of the trip are You Are Not Alone and Long Ride Home.