FINALLY! Lots of fun plus a bit of drama, makes for an interesting (almost) year.
June, 2015
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| Celebrating Yve's birthday in Midland |
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| Linda, first one in the 69F water June 29th |
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| Yves had to be bet $50 before he'd swim |
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| Then it was Gramps turn….but no Grams... |
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| How proud they were…and so they should be! |
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| Sunset anchored off Beausoleil Island |
Second week of July and time for the grandsons to board
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Grandaughter Avery has a turn at the wheel, closely
watched by another Grandmother, Margaret, Maggie's Mom |
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| Matt and Ben on the bow as we head out for a bit of a spin |
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| John takes a turn at the wheel and loves being Captain |
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| Most of the boys out on deck |
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| Margaret, Tina, Avery and Maggie |
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| Penetanguishene Paddlewheeler tour boat |
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| Back in port, we have a birthday dinner for Ben's 12th |
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| Soccer themed birthday cake |
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| Sean tests what it's like being a big brother |
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After the parents and grandparents leave, we head out to Beausoleil,
our first anchorage on our trip north |
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Along the way, we encounter friends Claudette and John, owners
of Jade V, heading back to port |
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2nd day - Annual lunch at Henry's on San Souci Island. We find
satisfied diners taking off in our wake |
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Matt handles the bow line. That's the owner Paul, waiting on the
dock for the perfect throw. |
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Ben throws the stern line and Paul helps Bob get
TULAW in to the dock |
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| Massassauga Park anchorage for the night |
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| A welcome visitor |
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Matt's cooking dinner and modelling (in his own
unique way) the new Chef gear |
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| Next morning - Ben's on breakfast duty |
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| While Sean catches up on some Shakespeare |
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| First catch of the season |
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| Ben catches a big guy and is so, so happy! |
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Sean's turn! Grandma only cooked 4 meals the
entire time. Love our galley slaves!! |
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| I believe I only did dishes one time…Bonus! |
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| Another perfect anchorage. |
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| No one there but us! |
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Ben seems to be waiting for the phone call that
never came, in Parry Sound |
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| Yummy nacho's by Chef Sean |
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We stood off while 60 boats from the Parkbridge family of
marina's cruised past, taking part in the 2015 Regatta |
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Anchored in Echo Bay, a dinghy broke loose and the boys went out
to tow it back to the owner |
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| Crazy dive action! |
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Longuissa - one of our favourite anchorages and where
we saw four loon together. ….a rare sight |
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| Morning coffee after shopping at the Midland Farmers Market |
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Matt enjoys a bit of quiet time in his creative gladiator
helmet |
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| Sean and Ben do a long swim while we ride alongside in the dinghy |
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Ben gets permission to take the dinghy out and
it's some time later that he realizes that Grandpa
has him tied to the boat |
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| My little onboard garden of herbs. Loved it! |
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Back at the dock and awaiting the arrival of the parents for
the trip home |
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The next day, Bob and I head out to one of our favourite
anchorages. Much busier now! |
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Exploring various inlets, we discover these young
explorers who have just managed to shoot some rapids
and remain upright |
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| A gorgeous old wooden Muskoka yacht |
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| Perfect reflection |
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| And a perfect bright full moon |
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Back in Penetang, we attended the weekend Champlain Days celebration
at Rotary Park…500 years since Champlain discovered Penetang and
made nice with the local aboriginal leaders |
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| Happy Anniversary Peter and Rachel!! |
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Shocked to discover this big cruise ship in Midland. It travels
most waters of Quebec and Ontario |
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| Back in Bolton, we celebrate Tina's 50th (although she looks half that!) |
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Back up the road to Penetang and the next day we cycle
to Victoria Harbour and back |
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| A picnic lunch at the halfway point |
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The next day we are joined by ex-boaters and dear friends, Ron
and Cathy for 5 days anchoring |
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| The lovely Cathy…another galley slave |
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| Gorgeous sailboat beside us |
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| Fisher-people Cathy and Bob while Ron and I sit out back and drink! |
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| Cathy and I choose the lazy kayaking experience |
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We assess the rapids to determine if we could manage
but decide it might not be a great idea |
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| So we just play in the lower rapids |
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| Then get towed back to the mother ship |
Cathy and Ron left the next day and the following day, Bob saw an optometrist in Midland because he had some blurriness in his right eye. He thought it was a bit of infection and it was beginning to spread. The optometrist did some testing and sent us directly to an opthamologist in Emergency at the hospital in Barrie. The opthamologist did more testing and sent us to St. Michaels Hospital in downtown Toronto with orders that if we weren't there in 3 hours, he or St. Michael's would be calling us to determine where we were. By the time we arrived at the eye clinic in the hospital and Bob was seen at 1 a.m., Bob had lost all vision in his right eye. We booked a room at the Sheraton City Hall Hotel and waited two days until the retina specialist was in his office on Monday morning. To take our mind off things, we did what we love to do, explore our city.
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Free transport, created for the Pan Am Game tourists
and residents. Pretty cute! |
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| Something new; a terrific food market alongside Union Station |
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Newly completed Front Street. It took a few years
and is worth the wait! |
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| Kinky Boots had just opened |
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| The "TORONTO" sign was new |
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Rachel sent us this adorable photo of Cortes and their new baby Mexican
rescued dog "Lu". Sweet! |
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Back in the city a week later for the surgery, we again check into
the hotel and spend time the day before surgery, attending the
various street celebrations |
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| This dude played with swords on top of a 15 foot pole |
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| Part of a very intricate two person costume |
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| New Ryerson campus |
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| Kensington Market - Art on the street |
Up bright and early (4 a.m.) on Monday morning, we walk to St. Michaels for Bob's surgery. After 2 1/2 hours (Bob was awake for it, had watched a video on it the day before and understood everything that was going on), the surgeon called me as I waited in the Family Lounge (very nice too…if you have to be in a hospital) and said he was pleased. He didn't know how much vision Bob would be left with, but knew he would have some. A tear in his left eye retina was repaired with laser surgery. His recovery instructions were strict, as was administration of drops and drugs and the only position he was allowed to sleep in for a week. Thankfully, it is the way he sleeps anyway (laying on his left side). Back to the boat for the recovery!
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| Right after surgery |
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| Cheers! To a successful operation |
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Steve, Tina and Sean came to visit during the recovery period and
went out for a spin. Sean's got the driving mastered! |
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Unable to get out of the marina or do much of anything at all,
I would find Bob gazing at the sunsets or out over the lake. A one-eyed gaze
mind you….his patch was something to behold. |
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| A couple of weeks later, we head to The Explorers for a fabulous Tastings Dinner |
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I win a very special bottle of Verjus, simply because I paid attention
to what Rob was saying and answered a test question correctly.
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Still unable to risk taking the boat out, and Bob still staring out at the water, I decide we should take the van and head to the interior of Algonquin Park. It was an amazing 10 days of solitude (there were a few campers, but not many this late in September), walking, gentle kayaking and watching the wildlife. At our second camp, 80 kms into the interior of the park, we counted 17 loon all together, right in front of our campsite. The park ranger told us they have up to 30 young loon gather prior to their trip south. Their parents have already gone south (just like the rest of we snowbirds) while the juveniles stay a bit longer to gain strength to make the trip. Once they head out however, they travel alone.
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Kiosk Park, at the north end of Algonquin. Storm clouds
gathered and we had quite a bit of rain |
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| Ah, but when the sun came out, it was glorious! |
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Achray, our second campground, 70 kms into the park on the eastern (Ottawa
Valley) side. A perfect little oasis |
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| One beautiful neighbour kept knocking us up! |
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| This is where Tom Thomson painted his famous "Jack Pine" |
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| A day spent kayaking Barron Canyon Gorgeous! |
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The reflection was so crisp it seemed that we were looking
100 feet into the depths |
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| Lunch stop on a little island |
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| The canyon we just kayaked, but this time from the top |
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| Neighbours in a great older van |
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The exact spot where Tom painted "Jack Pine"
The tree is long gone so we just used our imaginations |
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The last sunset at the marina. Steve and Tina came
to help us move our vehicles and boat contents home.
We were so grateful! |
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| TULAW hauled out and headed to the shed to get her winter coat |
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| All snug, she heads to her winter spot overlooking the bay |
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Mom and her last remaining cousin Ruth at 87
and Mom at almost 97. We had a celebratory dinner
at Valley Vista with Ruth's son David and his wife Judy |
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Back row: Bob, me, Wayne, Ev, Judy and David
Front row: Mom and Ruth |
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Back home, the park trees are showing off their fall
colours |
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| A beauty on the sidewalk |
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With fall comes hockey and reunion with our
grands. How Avery has grown |
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Grandpa and the youngest of our grand-girls, watching
Avery's brother on the ice |
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| Out for a Thai meal after hockey |
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Back at the Habkirk house, the kids model their Hallowe'en costumes.
Avery had had enough of the silliness and protested. My! She
has a really, really loud voice!!! |
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Ben and Matthew decide they will wear the costumes they wore 5 years
ago. We don't recall them fitting quite like that then. |
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| Avery's first school picture |
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Bob still can't drive, so we spent a lot of time walking the local trails in Toronto
Beautiful!! |
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| And the colours become even more fabulous |
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| Almost done! Park beside our house. |
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| Someone left a glove, with a bit of a message! |
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In Victoria, Rachel has a one woman Art show.
A tremendous success! |
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After 10 months of relatively good health, Mom
is once again in hospital in November |
We spent November in hospital rooms and doctors offices. I was diagnosed with skin cancer on my nose and placed on a cancellation list for Mohs Method surgery. Bob had an appointment with the surgeon who told him that his vision might continue to improve (he still wasn't driving) and to return in February for a final assessment. Life was hectic. Mom left hospital the last week of November and was back in hospital, in Toronto this time, which was more convenient for me, and we placed her on a wait list for crisis placement in a long term facility in Aurora or Newmarket. Life was a bit crazy.
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Our only social outing for some time was a fabulous escape
from the stress. Friends Natasha and Yuri, invited us for dinner
and surprised us with the other guests; their son Yuri (Junior), his
partner Jaqueline and Yuri's famous accordion teacher, Branko.
It was a music filled night and we left with Branko's CD and
wonderful memories. Played the CD at high volume as we
drove home. |
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| Out with my sweet friend Jen, for her birthday dinner |
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| Christmas lights appear in the neighbourhood |
Our friends Yves and Linda come from Ottawa to spend a week with us. We have so much fun spending the day at the One of a Kind Show, preparing and eating great food, going to the movies….the usual fun time with our friends.
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| December 13th - Sean becomes a teen! |
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December 24th, Mom is transferred from hospital
to our first choice of long term care homes. She
arrives on a gurney, accompanied by Bob. It was
an insane day at the home, as staff went on holidays
and part-time staff took over. Mom wasn't good.
Two weeks later, and to the surprise of Aurora Resthaven staff,
Mom is up in a wheelchair and beginning to understand that
she had moved to a new home. |
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Christmas dinners/celebrations for us in 2015
were the Robson Christmas (without Mom) at Steve and Tina's
and Bob was transported by Jenn and Marcin, to
the Habkirk family dinner in Ingersoll. We spent a quiet
Christmas together at home. |
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I love unusual Christmas decorations and adore
these crazy/wonderful decorations from Linda and Yves |
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And my Venetian glass gondola Santa from my good friend Sylvia
in Halifax…collected on her travels to Italy last year. |
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Mom's amazing physiotherapist Sundar (from Mysore India where
Rachel was doing more yoga training in January/February 2016)
motivates our tough little Mom to "get moving!" 88 lbs and
now 4'5", the little bird is determined to do everything asked of her and
to make it to 100 years of age. Bless her! |
January, 2016
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Warren, Bob and me at the Toronto Boat Show in January. Such
a great time….always!!! |
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| I like this million dollar baby! |
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| Wow! |
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Deja "View"! Our room overlooking City Hall for the Boat Show, and the very busy
rink…in spite of the warm weather. Skating in the rain
isn't necessarily the worst thing we can do. |
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| Mom's Birthday |
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No flame allowed, but Mom really enjoyed her
cupcake-cake and her musical candle |
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As you can see, I had my surgery (6 hours from start to finish but
not "under the knife" all that time) and can really celebrate
Mom's 97th birthday. |
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| Beautiful bouquet from Jan and Elliot |
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| A lovely afternoon with our dear friend and caregiver, Susanne |
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Tara and Tom bring Mom a pretty pink teddy bear
to add to her collection |
March, 2016
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On an unusually warm pre-spring day, Sara (caregiver) and I
take Mom outside wrapped in a blanket and notice a red-tailed hawk
in the tree overhead. |
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Bob's birthday March 3rd. A quiet day at home
and the next day, a celebratory dinner at Jenn and Marcin's |
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Fabulous gardens created inside the Energy Centre for the Canada Blooms Show.
The smells, running water and tall trees take us to
a wonderful early spring |
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| That's an award trophy! Cool hey? |
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| Gazebo created out of pallets |
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| Coolest! |
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| Wine cellar |
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| Jenn's Birthday - #41 on St. Patrick's Day |
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Irish Dancers at Aurora Resthaven. The wee girl
beside Mom is 93 years younger than Mom.
She loved the music and the young dancers. |
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| Sean's teams Championship game |
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| And they won! |
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| How it looks when they win |
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Proud Dad in the background (the big guy)
waiting for the awards presentation |
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| Well done Sean! |
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| When you play well, you get to be the hockey stick collector |
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| Father and son |
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| Celebrating Susanne's 60th Birthday |
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Easter weekend; we load the bikes into the van and head
to one of the most wonderful park systems in Toronto - Sunnybrook Park
for a ride as far as we can manage. A fantastic weekend! |
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| Rest stop at Sunnybrook Stables |
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| Such a cute minature pony! |
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| Under the rail system |
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Rachel's painting, a thank you for Chartwell Valley
Vista from the family, for the love and care they gave Mom |
Staff at Valley Vista were touched and many memories
of Mom were exchanged. They told us how much they
miss Mom and the family. This is Jeff, Activities Director,
and General Manager, Lucy
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| Mom at the Chartwell Aurora Easter celebration |
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April 4th - Happy 51st Steve!!!
Below: Steve at 3 years
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April 4th - Rachel opens her new yoga studio
in Victoria. www.mysorevictoria.com |
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| At the end of the first week, we have a very, very happy entrepreneur |
Bob is now driving, with 20/60 vision in his right eye and perfect vision in his left. Life is pretty good and it's almost boating season! My, my…how time flies.
Random photo's:
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| Avery is quite the little charmer. |
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| And a bit of a clown |
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| Stop that Avery! It's Ben and Matt's job! |
