Meeko is always up for a road trip. He will often hop into the van before we even get a chance to pack it. He's like a space marker. "Don't forget me!"
We spent nine days with family (cousin time!), reading, walking, cooking and swimming. We visited the lovely Wednesday farmers' market in Gravenhurst. Always a treat.
Meeko swam in the the lake and then swam some more.
We saw some forest creatures--several deer and two sweet fawns (in the photo above). I got a fabulous photo of a toad. Who would have thought that a photo of a toad in a rusty old wheelbarrow could be so beautiful?
I did a bit of painting while I was there. There's something wonderful about painting on a screen porch while listening to soft music and accompanying waves. Chloé made a video of me. I didn't realize what she was doing. I'm very camera shy and probably wouldn't have cooperated if I knew what she was up to. Then she posted it on my Instagram account. The rascal! You can see it here. I'm not looking particularly glamorous but I am definitely deep in the painting 'zone'. At the end of the video, you will hear a steam whistle. Meeko barks every time he hears it--even when I play the video. :) It's the whistle of the historic Segwun steamship that is North America's oldest operating steamship. It tours Lake Muskoka on a daily basis during the summer months.
I'm always amazed how much a garden can change when you are away even for a short time. It looks great thanks to our wonderful neighbours who water my flowers when we are on vacation. The garden is definitely in the billowy midsummer curve towards fall. I came back to hydrangeas blossoming and echinacea is in full bloom.
We have another short trip planned before the girls go back to school. When I was young, we would never go back to school in Ontario until after Labour Day. In Quebec, schools start in late August. I can never quite get used to that.
Hope you all had a beautiful July. I'll leave you with some photos of my mid-summer garden.
The photos in this blog post were all taken with my iPad. I did the mosaics with a cool little app called 'Picstitch'.
You have a lovely garden. Thanks for the app tip for creating photo mosaics.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol! My daughter found that app. It works well!
DeleteWhat on earth is that gorgeous plant in the lower left photo? It is exquisite! Meeko looks so cute! Off to see your video.
ReplyDeleteIt's oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Do you know the crazy thing? It didn't bloom at all for over ten years. Last year, it had a few blooms and this year, it's gorgeous. A real test of patience! :)
DeleteNice pics, and I always love to see Meeko! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tina. Meeko thinks I should post photos of him more often!
DeleteI love your summer garden, Kathleen ! And I loved seeing you in action on IG !! :) What a treat !
ReplyDeleteI too wonder where July has gone !!
Have a glorious weekend !
xoxo
Dear Kathleen - wonderful pictures...I am impressed with the frog - at first it almost looked like a painting. Glad you had fun on your vacation...sounds like somewhere I would love to go. Have a great week.
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