Growing roots in Prince Edward County

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Who knew that when we booked a seasonal site at Bay Meadows in Consecon (Prince Edward County) that we would totally fall in love with the area? PEC, as it is known around here, is an amalgamation of several towns/cities, most of them located along Lake Ontario. Is it because living near water brings the best in people that everyone we meet is sooooo nice? I think it has a positive effect on most. So living here is very pleasant to say the least.

As most of you know, we are having the worst summer EVER! Thank God for the unending bird songs that keep us entertained every day although it is sometimes frustrating to hear the birds but not see them. I have spotted some interesting birds right out of my window. For example, a Northern Flicker which I had never seen before, just happened to be on the lawn. I shot the picture through the window screen.

                                   


I also saw a beautiful young cardinal in the large tree in front of our trailer. Cardinals have a very special meaning for me. They are said to appear when a departed loved one wants to manifest their presence. When my dear cousin passed away (she was the older sister I never had), Glen and I were walking along Lake Ontario in Burlington when a cardinal landed on a bench. It then flew to the ground where it lingered for a while (making sure we could see him). It was weird since cardinals are normally but a fleeting blur of red that can't be easily photographed or seen. I turned to Glen and said very confidently: "my cousin passed away, the cardinal is a sign." About 10 minutes later her brother called me to tell me the sad news. Since then, when I see a cardinal that seems to want my attention, I say hi to my cousin and thank her for visiting. Am I crazy? Maybe. But it gives me joy to think that she is still around and travels along with me.

We have also witnessed young Canada Goose families strutting by the water in the bay and have watched the babies grow from cute little fluff balls to miniature replicas of their parents. There is also a pair of swans that had 6 babies but are down to only one. A woman whose house is right by the water told me she saw a snapping turtle bite and eat a small cygnet. So sad...

The water has been very high this year and it doesn't seem to subside very fast. Our lovely long beach is practically non-existent and to top it all off, a pair of Piping Plovers decided to nest on the best piece of beach we have and the authorities have completely barred off that area from the public as these birds are on the endangered list and are quite rare. We got to see one of them the day before they put up fences and barricades and were lucky enough to get a few pictures. I really hope to get to see and photograph babies but it will be pure chance as we can't get near the nest at all.

We have explored the area a little more than last fall when we spent 1 1/2 month here and have discovered some treasures. First and foremost, a very small general store in Consecon sells wine and beer! Yeah! Seriously, we went to our local library which is housed in a 200-year-old church building. A large stain-glass window still presides over the building behind where the altar would be. It is now a nice sitting area with comfortable chairs. Of course, the librarians are super nice and we can even borrow an internet hub for 7 days and get super good internet! Wow! Also, our friend told us about Point Petre and the Bird Observation station where they band migratory birds in the spring and Sawhett owls in the fall. It's a beautiful area where many different bird species can be seen.

Yellow Warbler

Rufus-sided Towhee

Common Merganser pair

I have also started painting on wood that we find on the beach. It's turned out to be quite original and my paintings are now in three stores in the area. All three store owners liked my work and thought it should sell well. One of them asked for more when I brought the three pieces I had left. I am painting mostly birds (I have no idea why) and am painting in a very different style than I did before. It's like someone else takes over when I paint. I never quite know how it's going to turn out until it's finished and I step back and think: "it's not bad at all".

I have also gathered my courage and joined aqua fitness on weekday mornings. It's a one-hour workout that leaves me feeling refreshed and ready to attack the day. I'm also playing darts on Friday nights. I remember playing darts with my brother in the basement of our home in Hull and that is the only time I played. Well, the darts don't go where I'm actually aiming but they seem to land in good enough sections of the board that I achieve good scores. It's a lot of fun and everyone is very encouraging.

We have a friend who lives 25 minutes from here. It's really nice to spend some time with her and do other things than hiking with the dog. We have changed our mailing address to be at her place as it's more convenient for us to pick it up there. Send me an email if you want our new address.

We're still farther away from my family than I wished we would be but we would never find a better place closer at this price level.

As we're gearing to go back to Florida again this winter, Glen found work to beef up our finances a little bit and pay some bills that popped up (like new brakes on the truck). He's working night shifts which are a bit of a disturbance of my schedule but he likes it as we can still do things together in the afternoon and he can enjoy the nice weather when it's here. The rain has been pretty consistent so we had to get loads of gravel to fill in the hole we had at the door that kept our carpet wet and smelly. It's much better now. We also acquired for a very good price, some patio stones from neighbours who have sold their house and are leaving at the end of the month. So we built a nice patio where we will put the table, chairs, and umbrella we're also getting from them. It's starting to look like we live here!

It is nice to not be traveling so much but I'm sure once fall comes upon us we'll be ready to move south again.