Orillia

I am holding Vera as she howls into the darkness of the night. I have known that as we approach Ontario and Stoney Creek feelings of grief, anger, and loss following her dad's death last October were likely to surface. Much of the day has been spent at Curtis and Jess's house, going through old photos and the assorted ephemera left over from clearing out her dad's flat. It is always strange seeing someone's life reduced to a collection of objects, and difficult to determine what has sufficient memories attached so that it should be kept. In the end it is a couple of dozen photos from the thousands available, and a pair of candlesticks. Also two photo albums Vera had put together to keep her dad updated with her life, before he stopped talking to her. Vera and Curtis had spent hours exchanging stories and anecdotes, in some ways in was like a much delayed wake and hopefully part of the long healing journey Vera is on

But rewind back to our arrival. We are staying in an old three bedroom house less than half a mile from downtown Orillia. The house is full of character, the only downside being a very shabby and worn out bathroom.

But this is more than compensated for by the spacious rooms, smelling of old wood and with interesting artwork; a grand front porch with comfy seats and wooden decking

There is a nice garden in the back, visited by this Eastern Cotton tail bunny

and birdfeeders visited by lots of Black Headed Chickadees, and an occasional Blue Jay, a golden yellow goldfinch, and a bright red Northern Cardinal

The birds drop lots of seeds from the feeders, which provide a feeding opportunity for chipmonks

There is a walnut tree in the garden. The fruit casing resembles and smells of lime.

The local black squirrels collect the walnuts, and take them away for processing. There is a constant soundtrack of squirrel teeth rasping on walnut casings, which is accompanied by the incessant chirruping of cicadas

Most of our time is spent with Curtis, Jess, and their two daughters Rachel and Sabrina.

Rachel and Sabrina awaiting the arrival of the Couchiching Express in our local park

The two girls have really grown in the three years since our last visit, and it's delightful to watch them playing together: lots of cooperative and imaginative play. It's reassuring to know such things are still possible in this technological age. We don't see a lot of Jess, who is busy working: from her home office she is leading an international team involved in the redevelopment of a large area of industrial wasteland in Toronto

It's also great to see them fully immersed in their surroundings. Kayaking by the lakeshore, I am on lifeguard duty on a pedalo

Saturday is Ribfest.

This is a competitive event between a number of different BBQing teams to win the coveted status of best judged food.

These are large scale operations, the smoker ovens are built into articulated lorry trailers and produce big quantities of food, mainly ribs, to feed the hungry crowds

The results are drop-off-the-bone tender. I have some cornbread to accompany my ribs but most people at the event just seem to feast on meat

There is also a great little funfair,

mainly aimed at smaller children

but also larger kids. Rachel is my girl on the Harvest Swirl. This is a bit like a waltzer ride, but you can control the spinning of your own car using a wheel in the centre

Ice cream

Rachel 'wins' a large frog by shooting over three stacked cups with a single shot. We are convinced the game is rigged. Rachel's free shot was paid for by a stranger who left money 'for the next kid that comes along'. Curtis is now under pressure to pay $30 to try and win something for his other daughter. He nearly succumbs, only saved by not having the cash on his person and the timely reappearance of Jess to inject some sanity into the situation

A great day out

On Sunday Curtis hosts his own mini-ribfest, cooking this leg of lamb on the barbecue. My contribution to the meal is some mint sauce made with mint growing wild on the shore of Lake Simco

We supply a bottle of red from the liquor store in Orillia. They no longer stock US wine

Curtis travels over the lake with Rachel to pick us up, and it is a great way to travel. I have a go at driving the boat, until Vera insists that Curtis takes back control. The small waves cause big jolts to the fast boat and Vera doesn't trust that I entirely know what I'm doing. She's probably right

So a most wonderful time over four days with the Jenkins family, they have been the best hosts. Hopefully we will be able to return the hospitality when the travel over to Europe 

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