NORTH SHORE FISHERIES STOCKING

A full day of fish stocking yesterday and the black flies were out in full force!!  There was Ron D. and Ron W. Ginny, Gerry, Rejean and myself for our group but many more from the North Shore Fisheries organization from Elliot Lake and Blind River.  We bucketed our fish to the lakes and streams whereas the helicopter took them to lakes that would have taken hours to reach.
We stocked Brown Trout, Rainbows and Brookies but their locations are secret.  The fish need a while to get used to their new homes and to start eating what they should be eating so that they taste good to us.  If you caught them now they wouldn't taste too good.  So let them be for a while.
Rejean got to stock his spot he has been asking for for years.  This year they put it on the list for Rainbows.  He was very happy.
The North Shore Fisheries is the organization I volunteer for.  Help is needed for lake studies and for stocking.  It is very rewarding work knowing that we are helping the tourist industry in our area and also keeping the lakes and rivers and streams stocked with healthy fish for your fishing pleasure.

The last picture is of the Jacuzzi - locals will know where that is.  It is flowing like crazy!!

A WEDDING TO REMEMBER

We celebrated the marriage of Matthew and Nicole this weekend in Windsor.  What a great day it was!!  The wedding party and family arrived on a city bus.  Far better than a limo - it held everyone and they had it for the whole day.  The procession was led by children of the wedding party and it was so cute.  Everyone was laughing and the kids were perfect.  The pastor was an uncle to the bride so everything was very relaxed and flowed between the serious and humorous.  The pastor commented that you would never know they had rehersed the ceremony only two days before.  But it was perfect and suited the bride and groom perfectly.

And then there was the reception!!!!!  Held at the Caboto Club in Windsor.  It was rip roaring fun.  The food was typical Caboto food - delicious and plentiful.  There were 219 people filling the room.  And the bar was open!!  I think some people just parked themselves at the bar and didn't move all night.  The two bartenders were amazing - they kept the drinks flowing all night long and poured some very generous shots of Fireball for me.  The Mother of the Bride, Chris, enjoys Fireball too so I searched until I found her and shared some shots with her.  We are now Sisters of the Fireball.  Her turn searching me out came later but they had run out of Fireball so we drank something else.  I don't know what it was but it was good.
My nephew Steve is a professional photographer who does a lot of weddings.  He said it was the youngest crowd he has seen at a wedding and the bartenders had never seen such drinking at a wedding before.  Something to be proud of I am sure.
Matthew just graduated from Michigan State University last week from the College of Osteopathic Medicine so he invited a "few" of his classmates so if you needed a doctor...
The dance floor never emptied all night long.  Matthew even got in a dance with his great grandmother who was seated in a walker.  At Last played as he gently rolled her around on her chair around the dance floor - I don't think there was a dry eye in the place after that.
Pierre offered to be our designated driver so I could enjoy a few drinks and not have to worry about how I was getting home.  I am usually the designated driver and I must say it enhanced my enjoyment of the evening a lot.

It was a beautiful day to watch two people surrounded by people who love them start their lives in such a loving way.  I wish them nothing but joy in their lives together.

A WONDERFUL WEEKEND

We helped out at the reversal dinner held at the Walkerville Brewery on Thursday evening.  We spent Thursday afternoon helping to prepare food for the 30 invited guests - a Mexican feast.  We slipped into the building at 6pm and by 7pm when the guests arrived the place had been transformed into a beautiful venue with candles twinkling on the tables set with vases of fresh daisies on wooden cookies.  There was a desert station with cupcakes and sweets made by Anne - the mother of the groom.
Anne and James served the chicken and beef enchiladas and Mexican rice and re fried beans.  I had prepared "the salad from hell" that afternoon - tons of chopping and a lime based dressing that I had to make twice.  I had a cold so nothing tasted right to me.  But in the end everyone said it was good - I will take their word for it.  Lots of snacks laid out around the room and the bar was open.
Walkerville Brewery is an amazing venue for this type of party.  The bartender (I wish I had got her name) was so friendly and helpful.  She was busy pulling drafts for everyone and served all their own craft beers.  I had seen their website and noticed a bottle of Scotch Ale with a Scotty dog on the table.  I asked for a taste and it was delicious but they were out of the bottles.  She saw how disappointed I was that I couldn't purchase one and looked around until she found a bottle for me - no charge!!!
The night was a success and everyone had a wonderful time.

A LITTLE DECORATING

Got my chairs and tables in today and we washed every window inside and out - there are a lot of windows.  I do need another rug tho.  I will have to keep my eye open at Walmart for the same one.  I also put up my Canada Goose my sister Joanne bought me about 30 years ago.  He has flown in the house for the last 16 years and now has a new home in the sun room.  High enough so that the boys can't grab it and pull it down.  Unless they climb on the chair arms...
We had cocktails in the sunroom before dinner and it was perfect.  A bit windy out and chilly but nice and warm in the sun room.
I am going to like this room a lot!!!

LET THERE BE BUGS

We had been talking about it for a few years and decided this was the year.  It is a SunSpace modular enclosure  panels out of Toronto and we used C B Home Installations from Sault St Marie.  Jody and Kevin worked on it for two days and they did an amazing job.  We are very happy with the results.  The windows open from either side and they open and close so smoothly.  Apparently they are on wheels and there is some weight to them - very good quality.
I was worried  about the view but it is not compromised in the least.  I have my chairs and tables from last year that will fit just fine in the room - I did buy some rugs from Walmart but after seeing how long it is I may have to go buy one more.  And I want a rug at the door into the room.  I have my flowers to go in front and my solar lights - I couldn't wait for them to be placed before I took these pictures - besides, it is still too cold for my flowers yet but they are coming.
Once I get everything in place I will take a few more pictures of the finished product.

I love it!!!

SAM IS VERY HAPPY

Well we got Sam and his Mom moved into his new house last weekend.  Sam is one happy fellow with his new back yard that looks onto a green space.  So many new smells and adventures are in his future.  His Mom will get a fence built right away so he can go outside without being tied up.  I think he is most happy about the grass as his old back yard wasn't really grassy.  There are tons of trails and lakes and beaches around there and lots of new friends to make.  There is a dog next door and a dog across the street he has seen. On our first little walk we saw two small dogs that barked at him from their back yard.  Sam just looked at them.  Another dog walked by when Sam was out in the front and they saw each other.  The other dog was very excited and I had to put Sam in the house so he could walk by with his Mom.
Sam's Mom is having his new house painted and soon it will be all finished including some new ceiling fans and new lights over the sink.  Sam's "grandpa and grandma" are helping too.  It is a big job for just Sam and his Mom.

Sam is very happy!!!

SMELT AND PERCH

The smelt are running in Thessalon so the guys brought home "some".  They had a cleaning station set up in my kitchen and in no time they had them all cleaned and put in the fridge until we can pack them up and freeze them.  My whole upstairs smelled like fish!!
The hunters also brought up some perch which we had for dinner tonite.  It was delicious!  I can't remember when I last had such a good feed of perch.  There was 1 piece left - everyone was stuffed.  Rejean made his famous beer batter for it and I made some wild rice and cole slaw.  No roomful desert!!