Buckhorn Part II
Well, it's been an exciting week. I came back to Toronto on Wednesday to see Vik, and drove back up on Friday morning with Laurence and Amy, who had just got back from Europe. As a matter of fact, the hiking trip with Vik's lab-mates on Thursday had been cancelled due to rain, so I used the day to buy some RAM down at Chinatown, then I picked up L&A at the airport. It's been a while since I was in Terminal 3 (since they built the new Terminal 1), but it was all vaguely familiar.
Up in Buckhorn, more wildlife was spotted, including three otters swimming together, diving and surfacing again. It rained a lot, but was still warmer than earlier in the week. I went canoeing with Amy, and swimming twice more. On Saturday evening, my mother and Denise (a Toronto singer who comes up with her family and spends 5 days there) gave a benefit concert for the Rural Outreach Centre, a shelter for women abused and in crisis. Also playing were "Lighthouse Ministries" whose music was supposed to be uplifting, but I found it excessive. You can't deal with 45 straight minutes of uplifting song after uplifting song!
I made the requisite appearance at church this morning. It was full of the usual quavery old ladies, although the organ didn't sound as wheezy as I remember. After arriving back at the cottage, I decided to check out the new winery that's opened up there (drinking after church: a good combination). I drove up (about 10 minutes out of town) to Kawartha Country Wines, and tasted about 7 or 8 fruit wines: Peach, Apricot, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Apple and Cranberry, Blackcurrant and Pumpkin (which tasted nothing like pumpkin.) All were made from fermented real fruit, not just cheap white wine with fruit flavouring like those Wild Vines wines. I only tasted one small sip of each since I was driving, and came home with a bottle each of Peach (which is actually a dry wine), Rhubarb and Strawberry (both medium-sweet.)
Driving home to Toronto this evening, I discovered yet another car problem. My engine started overheating after only 7 km of driving. I nursed it another 10 clicks then stopped at an Esso station, where the friendly attendant diagnosed it as a complete lack of coolant. I must have sprung a leak, which is funny because my thermostat was replaced 2 months ago along with a complete refill of coolant. Either there's a leak in some of the tubing, or there's a faulty connection, possibly related to the repair. We refilled the coolant, which has lasted all the way home. Now another awkward-to-schedule trip to the repair shop is pending, because I need my car all day every weekday, and I'll be away this weekend. Plus it's a long weekend and they may not be working at the dealership.
Up in Buckhorn, more wildlife was spotted, including three otters swimming together, diving and surfacing again. It rained a lot, but was still warmer than earlier in the week. I went canoeing with Amy, and swimming twice more. On Saturday evening, my mother and Denise (a Toronto singer who comes up with her family and spends 5 days there) gave a benefit concert for the Rural Outreach Centre, a shelter for women abused and in crisis. Also playing were "Lighthouse Ministries" whose music was supposed to be uplifting, but I found it excessive. You can't deal with 45 straight minutes of uplifting song after uplifting song!
I made the requisite appearance at church this morning. It was full of the usual quavery old ladies, although the organ didn't sound as wheezy as I remember. After arriving back at the cottage, I decided to check out the new winery that's opened up there (drinking after church: a good combination). I drove up (about 10 minutes out of town) to Kawartha Country Wines, and tasted about 7 or 8 fruit wines: Peach, Apricot, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Apple and Cranberry, Blackcurrant and Pumpkin (which tasted nothing like pumpkin.) All were made from fermented real fruit, not just cheap white wine with fruit flavouring like those Wild Vines wines. I only tasted one small sip of each since I was driving, and came home with a bottle each of Peach (which is actually a dry wine), Rhubarb and Strawberry (both medium-sweet.)
Driving home to Toronto this evening, I discovered yet another car problem. My engine started overheating after only 7 km of driving. I nursed it another 10 clicks then stopped at an Esso station, where the friendly attendant diagnosed it as a complete lack of coolant. I must have sprung a leak, which is funny because my thermostat was replaced 2 months ago along with a complete refill of coolant. Either there's a leak in some of the tubing, or there's a faulty connection, possibly related to the repair. We refilled the coolant, which has lasted all the way home. Now another awkward-to-schedule trip to the repair shop is pending, because I need my car all day every weekday, and I'll be away this weekend. Plus it's a long weekend and they may not be working at the dealership.