September in Grand Bend

Hard to believe it was warm enough yesterday to swim at the Bend.

It was hard to believe it was fall while at the beach in Grand Bend yesterday. We had taken Nate and Nicole for a Sunday ride to a Twin Pines near Thedford for some fruit wine tasting and pumpkin picking. One done there we decided to have a drink at the beach in Grand Bend.....so Gator's was our next stop. We also did some shopping and walked the beach. The water was warm enough for me to walk in it but it appears it was good enough for many to still swim. Hard to believe swimming at the Bend on Sept. 28th....hope the rest of the fall stays this way......George

Although not as full as a summer Sunday it was a great day to be at the beach. We saw 3-4 sailboats ghosting out on the lake in light winds from the GBYC. The river entrance was reportedly to still be 7 feet a lot better from the 3 feet of two years ago.

Nate and Nicole at Gator's waiting for wings and nacho's.

Susanne and I enjoying a warm sunny day at the Bend. Hey I even had my GB tee shirt on.

Last stay over at the Lake

Our last lakeside sunset of the season happened a week ago Wednesday......and it did not disappoint us.

Last Wednesday was the final time Susanne and I stayed over at the lake. It was a really nice lazy day for us as it has been a three ring circus at home lately. Ruby and I took a walk before calling it a night including a nice sunset. This Wednesday I was up hauling the cushions home and winterizing the boat......it comes out next Wednesday......George

Bayfield's Old Sailor

A new version is currently underway.

If you have walked the main street in Bayfield you would have seen this old wooden carved sailor along the way. It has been in poor shape for years......it had to have it's boots cut off at one point so it would be able to keep standing. In the village there is a wood carving business that has taken on the project of making a copy of the original. One can see it at the south end of town along Hwy 21......George

Red and Blue

The next two photo view what one sees at different times of the evening. One is about 20 minutes after the sun has set and the other about an hour after sunset......enjoy.....George

A Red Sky

Looking Down the River - 2010

A great Grand Bend sunset.....I took this photo at my boat when I got back from watching another great sunset on the beach......some days it gets better as time goes on.....this one sure did......George

Blue Hour 2013

There seems to be on occasion a period well after sunset that one gets a blue colouring to your photos...this is one that I took one evening hand held in the Bayfield lakefront basin. It would have been a lot clearer if I had set my camera down on a table or used a tripod, but it looked kind of neat as is anyway...George

Key West Pies Showdown

For me places to visit always includes food...such as sites seen in Diners & Dives. These two locations I noted in the Food Network Magazine, May 2014......it was a showdown of two pie joints....check them out if in Key West.....George

Blue Haven 729 Thomas St. serves a meringue on top of his pies that is six inches tall. Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe has two location in Key West and offers a famous nationwide version of a tart custard inside a graham cracker crust with whipped cream. His shops also offer other Key lime-themed products.

Sites to see in Orlando

About 60 million people visit Orlando every year, but few venture beyond the theme parks. Here are a few places in town that the Food Network Magazine suggests one should visit......George

Tasty Tuesdays in the Milk District......Food trucks are a big deal in Orlando and the gather weekly in downtown's Milk District 2424-2432 East Robinson St.  6:30-10pm.

East End Market......Part food hall, part event space and part farmers market.....located in the Audubon Park area 3201 Corrine Dr.  eastendmkt.com.

Orlando Brewing......20 kinds of beer from pale ale to dark stout with samples on site....1301 Atlanta Ave.
orlandobrewing.com

Lu Lu's Ice Cream Shop.......Cold treats in a small yellow cottage with a white picket fence.....many local ingredients..1111 South Orlando Ave.

Little Vietnam......Orlando is home to one of Florida's largest Vietnamese population and one can find some nice food in the Mills 50 District. mills50.org.

Winter Park Farmers Market......The city of Winter Park is 15 minutes north of Orlando and has a Saturday farmer market at a former train depot. 200 West New England Ave. 0700 - 1300.

Another Grandchild

On Thursday Susanne and I became grandparents once again with the arrival of our 5th grandchild, which is our 4th grandson. All the best to Devin and Michelle with William Alexander.......George

Lake Superior Fact

Here is an interesting tid bit about Lake Superior....there is enough water in Lake Superior to submerge all of North and South America in 1 foot of water....it also has 10% of the world's fresh water.....George

Paddling through the Reeds

Great looking photo but maybe not that great of an idea.

The view above I found in Paddling Buyers Guide 2014. It looks like a neat idea to paddle through the reeds......Brad's and I had a far different experience this summer up North doing the same thing. We decided to kayak from Keyhole to Thomas Bay a distance of about 2 miles. The adventure started out well but about half way there the wind kicked up causing some waves we had to head into. We decided to follow the shore line and travel through some of the smaller bays that are connected by narrow shallow waterways full of reeds and weeds. To our surprise as we came out of the tall grasses in the next bay we and the kayaks were covered in almost every kind of bug found in the North Channel.....and most of them had their whole family along. It took sometime to get rid of all the unwanted guests. It was back out to the open waters after that......George

Brad and I are about to leave Keyhole for an adventure to Thomas Bay.