March Break

Great weather greeted March Break in southwestern Ontario...  Shelly is pretty happy about that.

The three of us started the week in Toronto.  We hit up the big smoke for a change of scenery and pace.  It was also a chance to visit with a different clan of folk too as our paths crossed with Kites, Coates and Erin, Emily, and that Drew Barisdale feller too.  Seeing such great people was definitely the highlight of our three days and two nights there, but we also got in the sights, had some patio time and just basically hung out.

On Wednesday and Thursday I had some help from Thuss and we threw some tires around out at the farm...  I like to think I am a good helper and can work mostly like a Japanese beaver, but Jeff Thuss definitely takes first place prize in what a good worker deals with during a shift....  We sorted and organized a few hundred tires to be crushed at another time and loaded up about 1200 pounds of scrap steel...  With the help of my dad, we added a few hundred more pounds of scrap and I brought it it to Secondary Recycling in Goderich to be taken care of - I think the fellers there have missed me and were glad to see me...  Anyhow, the farm is sort of getting cleaned up bit by small bit.

And finally, finally....  The KTM = After feeling like I've but in a few days of work and family time, I just naturally figured it was Drew and KTM time.  So I charged up the battery, flipped the ignition, and the 90 horsepower started to rumble out the two exhausts.  I just ripped around Huron County, for the most part, hitting as many of the gravel roads as possible.  I guess I put on a few hundred kilometres...  Nothing crazy.  It needs a big service to tweak it up - Another new rear tire, but man do I love this bike.

And today, a 23 degree centigrade day in March, Shelly and I hit the Maitland for a 7 mile paddle or so.  We left Molly in the capable care of Connie.  We put our scow in the water at high noon and leisurely made our way to Benmiller in a bit over 2 hours - There is enough water, but it isn't ragging.  It was an absolutely great day to be out.  We saw hundreds of ducks and geese, but no other wildlife to speak of.  Well, there were about 6 to 10 different hawks and perhaps we saw a pair of bald eagles too....  It would be nice to get a few huge down-pours of rain which would extend the canoe season in our area for a few extra weeks - hopefully to the May long weekend.  However time will tell.