Happy Halloween

Must be getting to hot in there...they are leaving.

Last evening I took some pre-Halloween photos of our pumpkins as they are calling for rain this evening. We went with Swiss cheese including mice....George

This pumpkin has an orange glow to it but it is actually a white pumpkin with black mice.

Was not sure what I was doing when I carved out this one...the last one of the day but it kind of looks like a one tooth mouse.

Happy Birthday Kingston

Kingston is dressed as KING Kong while our son Jamie is the Empire State building....and mom is the damsel in distress.

Grandchild No. 3, Kingston celebrated his 1st birthday today...the party was actually on Sunday as seen in the photos...happy birthday King...George

Some of Christy's handy work.

Kingston and grandma

The puke pumpkin...one of Christy's carvings.

Coastal Pumpkins

Here are a few pumpkin photos I have saved for use in future years. If you have yet to carve one these give you a lakefront theme...this year we have already done two pumpkins as Swiss cheese...mice included...hope to take some photo of them tonight...George

Wish I was there...

Do you see the light?

Wasting away in Margaritaville

Kiera having a nap last summer on our boat...our daughter Nicole`s new puppy.

Last summer Kiera was having a puppy nap when we decided to have some fun with her. We put a set of shades on, added a margarita glass and here we are....wasting away in Margaritaville....George

Seson Ends

This year my boat and Brad's boat are seen stored next to each other...my boat Trekker is to the left. I am happy to be close to water and hydro this year.

Yesterday I made my last trip to Bayfield  finishing what was left to be done on the boat for this season. It turned out to be a better day than expected. Once my chores where completed I decided to take a last walk on the beach for this year...I am still in shorts and flip-flops but a jacket was needed this time. I found a few boats still in the basin. The lake was choppy and water was cooler now....I kept my feet out this time. The colour along the shoreline has finally changed....nice to see as I walked the shore. With all the rain the day before the two streams I passed could be seen flowing into the lake more so than any other time this year...here's hoping the winter passes quickly...George

The lake basin is almost empty on Sunday. A CS27 is seen taking its sails off.

The trees along the shoreline are starting to show colours. Fall has come late this year.

One of the two streams I crossed was running well. Good to see more water being added to the lake.

A back lit photo of the waves hitting the Bayfield beach.

Sunset at the Lakefront Basin

I took this photo while walking back to my boat after watching an August sunset at the beach. The after effects of the sun can be seen in the clouds off to the south-west and also in the basin water...George

Foil Sailing

A J24 sailing off the coast of Australia.

I found a site that was talking about foil sailing and mentioned this Aussie J24...not sure how real the photo is .....it is hard to believe one can get this boat sailing out of the water...George

Mystic Wooden Boats

A small portion of the fleet at the Seaport Museum located in Mystic, Ct. Oct 2011.

Following the Annapolis boat show in 2011 I travelled up along the coast to Connecticut to visit the Mystic waterfront. I was actually on my way to the Boston area when I stopped for the night in New London....a short drive to Mystic. At the Seaport Museum one can find a good number of vintage boats all in great shape. While in town I had to also stop by Mystic Pizza for a slice.....mine was meatball pizza. Mystic is the location of the movie featuring Julia Roberts called Mystic Pizza.....I believe there is a 25th year celebration for the movie this year with the reunion of the actors involved in the film. An unknown at that time named Matt Damon had a 10 second part in the movie.....George Dutka

Sunday Afternoon Swim

Allison takes to the water on a August 2012 Sunday afternoon.

Last summer my sister came up to Grand Bend for a sail and a swim with our mom, nephew Ben and his girlfriend Allison. Since the wind was light and the waves non existent at the time we had a nice swim first. The photo above I took with my Olympus Tough camera which takes nice photo above or below the water.....George

Photos from Bayfield 2013

I usually make up a lead in photo for my photo files. Most times I just use a note such at this one.

I was going through my photos from this past summer and found a few views that I thought I would share with you....George

On the beach near the pier in Bayfield one can find a nice collection of stone. Susanne and I usually look for some unusual ones. On this day Susanne was looking for stones to make a foot. I decided to make one too....guess which one is mine.

One of the Adirondack chairs positioned on the berm to watch sunsets.

Heading north up the beach from the marina one finds Deer Lodge. They have a nice setup including this beach hut which is a good spot to get a cold one.

One of my favorite pass times is walking the beach looking for beach glass. Some days I find one or two pieces while other days I get a pretty good haul. Here is what I came up with on one of my better days.

A Late September Sail

Trekker out for a mid week sail during September 2013.

The above photo was taken when I was out for a weekday sail alone in varying winds. It began extremely light but by mid afternoon I was sailing at about 3-4 knots. Dave Clements was also out for a sail on his CS27 when he took this photo of me following the coastline. Dave docks across the waterway from me in the lake basin. We have a connection as both of us are retired from the railway...although we both worked for competing companies...thanks Dave.

A Painting A Day 2013

If you like watercolour paintings and in particular ones featuring British Columbia, Canada you might want to check out professional artist Marilyn Timms blog site daily. Not sure how many paintings are available but for now one is being added daily. The link is below...George

A Painting A Day 2013

 

New England Photos

Waits River, Vermont, Fall 1998. I have scanned my print of this scene...back then it was all film.

I usually make a trip to New England each fall for a few days just to photograph what I come across while following the back roads. I do have some friends in Vermont which I stop by if in their area. The photo above I took at Waits River, Vt. I actually made a special trip to this location for this photo. It is one of the more photographed locations in Vermont. To get this view with the right lighting one has to arrive in the early to mid morning. As I arrived in town there was two gentleman setting up camera tripods on a driveway up on a hill. It made finding the right location for the photo simple. They where two photographers from Boston shooting the scene for an upcoming calendar.

The photo below I took of the Stagecoach Inn in Waterbury, Vermont. Waterbury is just off the freeway near the ski location of Stowe. I decided to spend the night in town which is a very pretty setting. Waterbury is also the home base of Green Mountain Coffee. I took a walk around town taking a group of night photos. There was some nice reflexions as it had been raining earlier....I was shooting slide film on this occasion and one had to bracket the shots and hope some turn out well when you get home and have them processed....today you just check the viewing screen.

This fall I will be in the Berkshire mountains located in Massachusetts during early November with my friend from Sarina, Don Janes. Don has a really nice group of Canon camera's and lens. Don and I both worked on the CNR railway as engineman and we travel well together looking for interesting views to photograph. We also check out and photograph the local trains running in the area we visit. I will share a few views with you once I return.....George

Stage Coach Inn, Waterbury, Vermont Fall 1991. Once again a scan of my slide.

Looking across the street at the three story Stagecoach Inn in Waterbury, Vermont. The building is still an inn today.

A typical scene one sees on the back roads of Vermont. One of three covered bridges on a back road in Northfield Falls, Vermont, Sept. 2012. All three are within a quarter mile of each other. I decided to walk between the three. There was a couple with their older children and dog also walking between the bridges on this particular Saturday. As I turned around to get a photo of the bridge they were just starting through.....kind of adds to the scene.

Vermonter's reuse almost everything adding to the charm of the state. Here a second mailbox has been added to cover the original. I'm not sure which one is the best shape though.

Thanksgiving Weekend

The sailboats are out at Grand Bend. A great looking Thanksgiving Monday at the lake.

This was a busy weekend around here. First I hauled my boat on Friday, Sunday was turkey dinner at Danielle and Kyle's home.....17 of us plus 4 grandchildren.....not everyone could make it.....Monday back to the lake to wash and cover my boat. This weekend also was the haul out for the GBYC at Grand Bend.....an early one for the club this year. After I got my sailboat in order on Monday I took a walk down on the beach. The water was warmer than in June as I walked barefoot along the shoreline, just shorts and tee shirt. There was a few sailboat out for a sail still including Bill Morrison GBYC member and dock neighbour this year. Talked to Bill for a bit when he got in...what a great weekend for being outdoors...George

Grandchild number three, Kingston is seen checking out a pumpkin.

Mark Crompton gets an early start at dinner. Mark's power boat came out today (Tuesday).

Our daughter and son-in-law, Danielle and Kyle our hosts for Thanksgiving this year. Kyle did a great job preparing the food. We all do help out since it was such a large gang.

Haul-Out

The lake basin in Bayfield on Friday morning. There will be two less boats on the floating docks before the day is over.

Yesterday (Friday) was haul-out for Brad and I.  We had some great warm weather and the day went smoothly. Kind of sad the season is over but it was a longer one than most due to the weather. Once I was done with my boat for the day I took a walk on the beach. The water was still warm enough to walk in the water barefoot. There was five sailboats out sailing in a light breeze and one sailboat just motoring about without its mast. Probably a last trip out on the water before haul out...George

Surf Cottage

These photos are of a Surfer Cottage in Newport Beach, California...some beach inspiration I found on a cottage stye blog...George

End of the DayI

I took this photos of two GBYC sailboats approaching the pier at Grand Bend during July, 2010. It was a wonderful day for sailing or just sitting on the beach. On that day five sailboats from the GBYC fleet had taken a group of about 20 children from Big Brothers and Sisters out for a sail. A first experience for many. They all gathered for pizza after the outing. As you can see one of the GBYC fleet is still seen out sailing...taking in a fine summer sunset. The lead boat coming in is named Vegas owned by a US couple Ted and Kathy from Michigan. They docked at the GBYC for that season. Funny thing is Ted has never been to Vegas....George

BVI Yacht Sales Blog

If you have visited BVI and ever thought of purchasing a boat down there you might want to check out the blog below. They have a listing of what is available...I believe there is no tax on boat purchases...George

 BVI Yacht Sales Blog

California Coastline -Early Morning

I took this photo during a walk not to long after daybreak our last day in California during a June 2011 visit. With the time change between here and there of 3 hours, a 6 am walk on the beach feels to me like a 9 am walk...I had breakfast at about 5 am California time most day. This particular morning there was not the morning misty as it had been all week. This was actually the first time I could see LA from our hotel location on Sunset Beach (aka Huntington Beach). An early morning cruise ship is departing from Long Beach off in the distance. A fisherman has set up his poles along the beach hoping for a catch. This might be a common morning sight other times of the year when the mist is not present...George

Heritage Sailboat at Annapolis

One of the heritage boat on display at the 2011 Annapolis boat show. Note the full dingy dock in the background.

Visiting the Annapolis Sailboat Show - 2011

One can see many flags and banners on display when you look up at the show.

With the Annapolis boat show being held in less than a week. I thought I would comment on my visit to the show in 2011. I actually wrote this article for the GBYC Soundings newsletter back in 2012, but I have added more photos and better comments here.

Brad and I walking the docks early in the day.

I sadly missed the chores of hosting our family's Thanksgiving dinner for a group of almost 20 to attend the Annapolis Sailboat show in 2011. I met up with my friend Brad and his wife Jill the day before at the hotel we picked to stay at about 10 miles out of town. The day we attended the show was sunny and very warm. A shorts and tee shirt day. We arrived at the gates just as they opened. I was surprised and startled to hear a cannon go off just as if you were starting a race. They also shot off the cannon to end the show...we where still there. We spent most of the day boarding boats that we only see in magazines, and well over our budget. By the end of the day a $300,000 boat seemed dirt-cheap. My favourite, if I had to pick one, was the Outbound 46' which would never fit into my slip but would make a great live aboard home with a reasonable price tag.

My choice for a dream boat was the Outbound 46'.

A closer look at the Outbound.

The one time Capitol building of the USA (1783-1784) can be seen in the background of the Annapolis boat show.

For lunch one must try the crab cakes which are famous in Maryland. A Pusser's Painkiller or two was needed to wash it all down and readily available at many location. Might need a bunch of these if by chance you purchased a boat. Near the end of the day we sat in on one of the guest speakers to rest our feet. The topic was cruising in the Bahamas which I found really interesting. I wish I had arrived early enough to participate in the whole presentation. That evening Brad, Jill and I went for dinner at a location one of Brad's sailor buddy's mentioned as a must have to try. We had dinner at Cantler's which is on the waterfront a short drive from the boat show. In the spring issue of Coastal Living, Cantler's was rated as one of the top seafood locations on the east coast. The place was packed and the atmosphere was great. Pretty much all sailors. I did talk to a group of guys at the next table. One has the same boat as mine a Pearson 33-2. He wanted to know how my reefing worked as he wanted to hook up a system on his...lucky enough I had some photos of mine on my camera that I shared with him over a couple of beers. The meal was great and an all night affair...can't wait till I get back to Annapolis again...maybe next fall...George

Crab cakes was the choice of the day at Annapolis.

Pain Killers are in abundance throughout the show.

Jill's meal at Cantler's...check out the size of those onion rings.

Un-boardable...unfortunately not all the boats where open for viewing.

Not everyone arrived by car...the dingy dock at the Sailboat show.

If money was not a problem one could select a boat with a little more room up at the bow.