A Sweet Short Summer

With a cool beginning to summer not having a dock was fine, until the first hot days in July when I yearned for a swim. So Sally Miller and I went off to Gore Bay to shop at the Hummingbird and Susan’s new gift shop and then cooled off in the windy waters of Turtle Bay.

I settled down to submit a final edit of Laundry Lines, A Memoir in Stories and Poems (It’s going to be crazy in September when Luciana gets her edits to me!)

With quiet lunches and dinners with friends now and again, and a visit from Dave and Mal with their adopted fawn.

Sacred Circle Dance, organized by Ciann Strickland met early this year at Mairy Beam’s and Martha Saunder’s place at Freer Point on a perfect July night with a perfect sunset over the La Cloche Mountains.

This time I stayed overnight to watch the sunrise (and walk the pebbly beach) The Gore Bay Theatre and Agnes of God that night rounded off the busiest two days of summer.

The “Fabulous Five” arrived at cottage #8 the third –and very hot–week of July. We swam at the public beach (still no dock!) had delicious dinners and late night bonfires together. A hug plus this year was Harriet Kideckel’s offer to try for a good photo of me for the back cover of the book. You can see the great results on my web page, Ann looking wistfully authorial in one and wicked in a hat and shawl in another.

There were two special once a year meetings with groups whose activities I follow all year in their monthly mailings and in the Mantitoulin Expositor. The first was The Manitoulin Writer’s Circle in July where story drafts for the Marion Seabrook Short Story Contest were read. It was great to hear Julia Snell’s second prize story again at the awards ceremony in August.

In between were exciting openings at the Perivale Gallery, new work by Nancy McDermind and erin blythe reddie at the Gore Bay Museum, and the launch of Linda Willson’s new book, The Spring Window. Mary visits and we go to Quintina’s for honey and visit Linens and Lavender to shop and admire the gardens.

Then in August I was happy to host the Creative Gathering, organized by Kate Thompson. We met under the cedar trees on a blazing hot evening and talked about our latest efforts. New members Alex Broughton and Peter Nelson were there and, to my astonishment and delight, offered to put together a trailer to promote L.L. The shoot was on the hottest day of July from 1:30-8:30. I hung and took down 6 laundry lines 6 times!! But by this time I actually had a dock and we were able to cool off in the wind-swept water.

 Of course there were the usual Saturday Markets in Mindemoya where I fill my basket with just picked produce and salsas from Bryan, Ken and Ted, and shop for Christmas presents with crafters like Anna Barnett at Northern Creative.

An August highlight was a cruise to Baei Fin Fjord with Ciann Strickland on the North Channel Cruise Lines. I sailed this fjord many years ago and it wonderful to be there again.

An all too short summer is rounded off with my discovery of Sue Rumble’s amazing shiatsu+acupuncture treatments, balanced with the Thursday Market at the Ojibway Cultural Centre where, as well as the beautiful Native Canadian work, Anne Beam’s latest show is on exhibit.

Sorting, packing, a last swim and off to Toronto: Jackie and Rebecca’s wedding, edits from Inanna (I hope) and re-packing again (I may never actually un-pack) for a one week trip to Maine and my other magic island, Monhegan.