Living the Dream with Joyce: August 2018

August 20th - 21st, 2018

Last Sunday here in Owen Sound - and this week is Blessing of the Pets week - so Sophy and Mia got all dressed up and came along,. There were a number of dogs in church - all of them incredibly well behaved - and the minister came to each one individually and asked a bit about them before blessing them. It was really cute!
Monday was laundry morning for me - and Helen and I went back to Sauble Beach for a nap on the beach (unfortunately overcast, so no sun) and a Beaver Tail and poutine.
Tuesday is very much get-ready-to-leave day. Rob and Helen are cleaning up, etc. and I'm uploading pictures to my blog, since is the last wifi I'll have before Ottawa (except for my phone). This is my last entry - tomorrow we leave Kilsyth and go to the Walmart in St. Catherine's for two or three nights. I'm scheduled to see Julia and Leon on Saturday; Bobby, Kara and Jake on Sunday.

Saturday, August 18th, 2018

Kincardine today! We drove over and parked beside a park where the bagpipe parade is supposed to end - starting at 8:00 p.m. Went to DQ for a blizzard, then walked around town a bit and strolled down the wharf. The lighthouse, which looks so big and impressive on the website, is actually this little building right next to the canal - not impressive at all, so we made our own fun, with Rob and Helen goosing each other while I took pictures . . .
We watching quite a few people doing that windsurfing thing where they ride a mini-surfboard and actually rise out of the water - fascinating!
After dinner at a restaurant on Main Street (complete with Cowbell beer, of course), we joined the crowds (well, small crowds) lining the street and got a good view of the pipers as they did their weekly parade. Very cool!

August 16th, 2018

Penatanguishene: love that name! We reserved tickets to "Hairspray" at the King's Wharf Theatre. Lovely place - beautiful waterfront, great view of the bay and boats, gorgeous, sunny day. The performance was outstanding! Every scene, every song, every voice was just awesome - could have been on Broadway! We all thoroughly enjoyed this production - so glad we came here.

August 14th, 2018

Cowbell Brewery in Blyth!!! Finally got to see Bobby's craft brewery - and what an awesome place! We had an excellent, laid back, funny, informative tour with Dave Scott. Love the little touches: the wood slices used as Reserved signs; the copper railings on the stairs; the walls of wood deliberately weathered; the use of local characters in the naming of the different kinds of beer; etc., etc.! Cowbell is the first closed-loop brewery in the world! Incredible attention to environmental and ecological details - always keeping in mind the needs of the local community - hiring lots of young people. This is genuinely an impressive plant! Rob and Helen loved the beer, too. After our tour and lunch in the restaurant there, we went to the Blyth Theatre to see The Farmers' Revolt - which, although well done, was pretty boring for Americans who didn't get any of the Canadian references. Historical stuff not really being my thing, either, we left at intermission and walked around town - found an awesome little yarn store and had a long chat with the owner. Definitely Blyth was a high point for all of us!