What was that about hot summer weather in my last blog? Not until these first few days of August has it been warm enough to swim with any comfort. August 4 was the first two-day swim of the season, an idyllic Lake Mindemoya day of a little work, lots of reading, dreamily watching the clouds through a gauzy blue sky as I floated on the water—and warm enough for dinner outside.
Claire and me at the Garden Shed Cafe
The upside of cooler days than usual has been plenty of opportunity to work and I handed round one of the Laundry Line revisions to Claire Grandy, vacationing from NYC at her parents place on the Bruce. She hopped the morning ferry from Tobermoray on July 30 to come to the island for lunch and the afternoon. We enjoyed the Garden Shed Café—can’t keep away from the place – and then drove to Sandfield to see how the Manitoulin Streams Project at that site was doing, and to sit by the river to catch up on 6 months news.
Claire at Sandfield overlooking the Manitoulin Streams project
Then off to The Southbay Gallery for some belated birthday and graduation gift shopping and –way too soon—to the ferry for the 5.50 boat.
July 19 was the Kagawong Festival and I joined several readers for Word in the Park. We lucked out with a sunny day, read sitting under a tree. The gentle breeze picked up during the afternoon, we secured books and papers with rocks and practiced voice projection.
Ann reading at Word in the Park at Kagawong
Gore Bay Theatre with Sally Miller on the 24th for 4 one act plays very well done and then a lovely surprise visit over the long week-end from Sonia Elisabetta di Placido and her mother Tony di Placido who tracked me down via Facebook (OK-now I’m a convert. But what prompted me to look at it on that day?) They went to the Wikwemikong Pow- Wow on Saturday and I thought they’d be exhausted but we wined and dined, then spread ourselves out on lawn chairs to drink in a sky full of stars that we never see in the city and talked long into the night.
Sonia and Ann
Sonia and Toni
A long planned visit with Bonni Kogos who came for a glorious swim and a tea and lots of talk (we do that well!)
Bonni Kogos
And a lovely evening of poetry at the Harbourfront Centre with five fine poets.
Reading at Harbour Centre
Now that the days and nights are warmer it’s hard to drag myself away from dock and beach. But a trip along the North Shore with Sally Miller, in and out of the many bays with names like Elizabeth, Mudge, Misery and Dominion, all the way to the west end of the island and dinner at the Meldrum Bay Inn was well worth it.
I’ve dreamed of visiting the Benjamin Islands for years and finally a new cruise ship, The North Channel Cruise Line is sailing out of Little Current to the Benjamin Islands on August 10—with me and friends on board.
Me and Ciann Strickland in the bow
The Benjamins
Bay Fine and Killarney in the fall or next year for sure!.
On August 12 Jan McQuay and I will read at the Mindemoya Library to help celebrate the opening of their new addition, the result of several years of Claire Cline’s vigorous fundraising in a receptive community. The library is big enough now for a full children’s section and more computers—where Wes Cline gives instructions to people like me who cannot get her Kobo to work.
Sacred Circle Dance will happen as usual at Freer Point, organized by Ciann Strickland and hostessed by Mairy Beam and Martha Saunders, this year on August 20. This is one of my favourite events of the summer: pot luck supper on a huge deck, cleared for action as we drum and dance against the backdrop of the North Shore and the La Cloche mountains in the distance. Can’t get any better.
After this I hunker down to savour the last 3 weeks of my summer on lake Mindemoya with as few alarums and excursions as possible. There are unread books and a just started clay sculpture beckoning, more dreams to dream lying under the cedar trees watching clouds scud across the gauzy blue sky, a few poems simmering ….
Ann reading at the cottage in July-sweater on!