This winter of 2010/11 was one of many changes - First off I drove to Mexico with my 2 sisters instead of my husband, that was the biggest change, or so I thought until we got to my casa on the west coast of Mexico, near Guayabitos in the state of Nayarit. Not one problem did we have, and actually had the US Customs Officer laughing when we told him we didn't need directions to the Buffalo airport as we were driving to Mexico, with 3 dogs and a cat! He wished us luck and sent us on our way. While Iwas confident upon our arrival 5 days later, that I could rehook up the generator, hotwater tank, propane, and reposition the fridge and stove, there ended up being a couple of problems that 3 tired, sweaty, and thirsty female drivers couldn't deal with upon our hot and humid afternoon arrival. So, we did the next best thing - left Blanca the cat in the casa with all her paraphanelia, dropped the 3 dogs off at an understanding and very dog tolerant friends' place, and we got a hotel room!

The hotel had air conditioning, a pool, the internet, and best of all a little store across the street that sold all manner of ice cold (bien fria!) beverages.

The generator had to be fixed and that took 2 days. In the meantime the propane was giving me some problems - a quick internet call to my brotherinlaw the propane guru had me sticking a piece of high tech propane accessory (a piece of wire with a little kink at the end of it) into the propane line about 2 feet since there are little mud waspy type bugs that builds its nests in these kinds of places (who knew???). Another problem solved.

The electrical tape that David had used to cover over all the openings, water/propane, had all broken down during the summer's heat and humidity and was now all over me. I then found out that the orange oil organic cleanser I had brought down the year before was perfect for removing the sticky black gunk from me as well as the braided waterlines and propane fittings.

My sisters helped me out during the daytime but the casa really was not fit for company so we found them a lovely room overlooking the beach in Guayabitos. The hard work Barb did on one of the larger windows was immediately destroyed after Blanca (who's name should now be Little Miss Murder!) used her nightime wanderings to find and maim a gecko who promptly crawled all over the window and its white frame and I did not realize it until the sun had baked the blood onto the vinyl!

So, that was my trial by fire (that southern sun was hot!) my first week in Mexico. Oh yah, the weeds were, I kid you not, 12 feet high! The only redeeming features of them was the incredible number of beautiful butterflies flitting about the bright orange flowers of these weeds, and the sound of many happy bees visiting these same blossoms. As a surprise for David when he arrived about 10 days after me, was that I had managed to clear an area in the yard to park the truck. All the weeds had to be pulled by hand, then piled up to let them dry, and then one lights them up! The true Mexican way of getting rid of a plethora of stuff one doesn't want around one's property.

The girls spend their last night in Mexico in Puerto Vallarta at a quaint mexican posada near the beach in old town. The laugh was on them though as the place was filled with young and partying Mexicans! Not much sleep was had as the busy pool was just outside their hotel door. Adios hermanas!

Winter in Mexico is the dry season. We had not one drop of rain for 5 months! The weather was cooler than normal, but as we didn't have to shovel snow we were not complaining, just saying... We put up the pool anyway, and enjoyed it pretty much every day.

My weeks were filled with yoga and painting and photographing birds. The hummingbirds were so numerous at times that the 2 feeders we had put up were being emptied twice a day! While at home in the north I see maybe one species of the little flying jewels, down south there must have been at least 8 though it was hard to tell as many were juveniles.

This is my first post all the long winter, and now it is spring again. The internet service, we ended up getting rid of the usb stick and subscribing to a service which put an antenna on our roof, was not the greatest, and it was just too frustrating to write online only to have it disappear too frequently. So, please bear with me friends as I get back in the saddle, so to speak, as I manage to compose my thoughts and then my fingers over the next several weeks.

Please return frequently for photo and art updates. There will be many! Today I posted several of my award winning photos from last summer's Kinmount Fair photography contest.

Hasta pronto!

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN ON THE 3RD

Well, Spring sprang and here I am again in lovely Victoria County, Somerville Twp. And, its also now Summer! A lovely return trip from Mexico, which included buying a new generator that came complete with alternative fuel options and a remote ON/OFF fob. We got to see beautiful parts of the U.S. of A. which was a really nice bonus. My favourite was Kentucky, with a close 2nd being West Virginia (where we got the generator).

Now here on the 3RD, the baby turtles have staggered from the lawn (giggle!) to the pond, the frogs have had nightly sing alongs almost since the night of our return, and the geese, the gander especially, have attacked not only the truck but the car too! Such fierce parents! Certainly can't fault them for that, actually have to admire them for their tenacity since with the way geese flock up with other parents and babies they are not just protecting their own, they also protect other goslings. Hmmm, a lesson there I am sure for the rest of us so called civilized humans!

It is just a couple of days away from 'CANADA DAY' so thought I would post a photo or 2 of our quintessentially Canadian animal, the beaver! I just took these this morning near my house. There are several of them and they are industriously attempting to overflow the swamp. Just as tenacious as they are, are the people in charge of keeping the roadway clear for vehicle and horse traffic (there is a Boarding facility for horseback riders nearby). The beavers want to dam up the culvert but they are constantly being disappointed with the removal of all their hard work.

I want to say how happy I am to be a Canadian, and to have the constitutional right to be able to have a place like a social network where I can say exactly what I want, how I want, whether its good, bad, or ugly!
Now, back to saying how wonderful things are around here; got the screened in porch finished just before bug season - we are all loving it! And, I have a place to hang potted flowers, and humming bird feeders. I couldn't resist a pot of pansies and their lovely little faces greet me each morning, and then my darling cousin Jeanette bought me the most gorgeous red hibiscus which gives me a new blossom every couple of days - what a great way to always remind me of her!

Girlfriend Sue brought me an iris as a hostess gift. It is lovely too!

This plant flowered with the largest orange/peach blossoms that I have ever seen. A big rainstorm tragically knocked down the flower stock but all was not lost as I trimmed the bottom of the stock and put it into a vase in the house where it bloomed continuously for more than a week. Then the peonies bloomed - their scent is heavenly...

so I brought them into the house as well.

While inspecting those lovelies, another lovely was found! A butterfly had just emerged from its chrysalis and while it was letting its wings stretch out I took a bunch of photos of it doing so.

Business is also blooming - for that we are grateful, and busy! Paintbrushes have been wielded continuously since we got home, seems it is the year for change/renewal of colour.

With that note, I am off to now paint our guestroom.

Cheers! Tosia
PS - the saddle remark in the title... I am starting to get into riding my horse again, after more than 5 years... I can't describe how much this makes me smile.

I was finally settled in at Casa Vista Pacifica, and then it started to rain! Recalling that this is the tropics, we kept having tropical downpours which resulted in a lot of muddy side roads (of which we are on) and a lot of mildew and mold. There was also a leak in the roof which required several buckets being placed strategically!

Guess I should back up a bit with my timeline...

We packed up the truck, but David wanted to spend time on our property for the first 2 days of the Deer Hunt (saw tracks!), we then winterized and closed up the house and headed for the Border on November 4th. We were able to get to our place in 3 nights, which put us at Casa Vista Pacifica on Saturday just before siesta usually closes up the shops and businesses. A good thing too since we had to buy a new hot water tank!

Once the keys were found, the doors and windows opened, all the dishes etc washed and replaced into and onto cupboards, bed and bedding aired and made up, we were ready for a beverage and a bite to eat then bed! So good to be home!

David began early the next morning with the weed cutting and burning. He had three machetes on the go! I swear he drank gallons of water that first day alone. The humidity was high as well which didn't help with the burning of the weed piles. Then, the windows all had to be washed and the screens put back up. I keep telling myself we really did want big windows for The View but were we ever cursing having them those first couple of days.

Every day we would drive into town for supplies and for the all important checking of the email. We were waiting for the ok to start a renovation job that was taking forever for the paperwork to be finalized and David said we could wait in Mexico just as easy... who was I to argue? After 2 weeks the wait was over - David flew back to Ontario, missed his first flight (that's a whole other story!), got on the next one 3 hours later, at no charge, and has been there ever since.

While David was gone I vowed to cut down more weeds, put up the pool, wash the truck at home, clean more windows (the dreaded upstairs ones), slash the sides of the roadway etc etc.
Got weeds cleared from the pool area and cleaned out my flowers and shrubs from last year. Killed lots of scorpions and even one Black Widow spider. Saved 2 little snakes from the clutches of Blanca and Bob (cat and dog), released lots of moths and butterflies that kept coming inside through the wide open doors and windows (yeay, no mosquitoes!). Visited with friends in town for happy hour and dinner several times. While washing the truck at home I got 'chiggered' again. Man, do they itch! While having happy and dinner in town I got bit by mosquitoes. Three days later I came down with Dengue Fever. The only good thing about that was it was the mild form. The rain started the same day that the fever and chills and aches and misery came upon me. I couldn't have left the mountain even if I had been capable of driving! Thank goodness that my cel phone worked and I could keep in touch with friends who even offered to drive up to get me but I toughed it out. Bobbi and Blanca kept me warm and company that first miserable night. Couldn't believe I had to have on sweatshirt and pants, 2 blankets and a hot drink! This is where the story began, with the rain and drips. Enough of that. I recovered and am feeling much better.

Friends have gone to Copper Canyon for a week and I am housesitting for them in town. The dogs and Blanca the cat and I are readjusting to living in amongst people and cars and noise and firecrackers and buses and music and garbage all over again. But, its a nice change, a nice place, and a needed break from the mountain! Oh yeah, forgot to mention the generator going out on me up there too! It was an oil thing but got it straightened out with a phonecall to friend Charlie. Thanks Charlie for the logical and concise words of wisdom! Yuck though with all the spewed oil. While we enjoy living off the grid, its really good to have electricity on demand every now and then!

The long awaited first day of Painting Class was just this past week. I was thrilled to see dear and familiar faces once again. We have our Annual Christmas Show and Sale this Sunday already! Then, there is going to be a Mermaid themed Show at the local Gallery to which we have been invited to participate in. I have started several pieces for that and will post photos of the finished ones soon.

I am now into week 3 of waiting for my internet stick so I don't have to come down into town for emailing and writing in by Blog. The hoops to get this well advertised product is amazing. I won't jinx myself so suffice to say that the Manana mentality is alive and well down here still!

I am signing out here with wishes to everyone for a save and not too frustrating start to the winter season. Hear its a good one!
Hasta Luego Muchachos!

A Fall Day

What a beautiful day friend Andrea and I picked to spend photographing the lovely Fall colours that are surrounding us here in Victoria County. We packed a picnic (which we had at the Piers on Balsam Lake - the Trent Canal entrance from Mitchell Lake), we crossed a couple of fences, walked through a bit of mud, laughed a lot and just generally enjoyed rediscovering what an incredibly lovely area of the world (yes, that much!) that we live in. We also dropped off glass bottles to friend and fellow Studio Tour participant Heather Salzman for her to melt into fun gifts. More on that when I get them back.

Andrea couldn't believe the little enclaves of beauty that I showed her. The Dam near Victoria Road village (drains from Mitchell Lake at the east end). The Quarry which is flooded, near the Hydro station/Trent Canal near the Kirkfield Liftlocks. Old log farmhouses, shallow creeks with rushing waters, ponds with turtles basking in the sun (probably last day for that!), the causeway over Mitchell Lake and the High Level Bridge and the parkette by it, the Cemetery atop Pine Hill overlooking Kirkfield, Vasser's Hills across the lake (gorgeous colour!) where we used to Ski Doo from the Shallamar when we were kids, the old highway road that winds along the west side of Balsam Lake near Balsam Lake Provincial Park with its historical drystack limestone fence.

The end of our day was just as spectacular as the beginning - the Piers where we had our picnic lunch.We at on the concrete with Andy's mom's old quilt to cushion us against the cold. We were entertained for a couple minutes with the passage of the "Kawartha Spirit" tour boat cruising the Trent Severn Waterway which offers tours at this time of year to view the Fall Colours. What a great day for the few people who chose this mode to see them.

Following are photos from the day.

The last 2 photos are: The 3rd Conc, and then the end of the trail; our little cute cabin in the woods.

A picture of me with my art! Thanks again Andy!

The art of June Kenner with a customer looking it over while having brunch.

Hosts Sara and Kevin provided complimentary Mexican hot chocolate and a tasty humus and crackers for Touring folk to snack on as they wandered the Cafe and viewed the many different articles available for purchase.

VICTORIA COUNTY STUDIO TOUR

THIS weekend is the start of our local Tour. I am situated at a very "happening" venue, namely Harmony Cafe which is located just south of Kinmount on hwy 121.

The first day saw many eatery clientele, which also meant' many extra eyes perusing the art hanging on the walls.

Myself, and June Kenner - non objective artist in oils, have a large wall hung with our pieces, and I am at a table with my trusty laptop and miscellaneous smaller pieces that are bagged and available for purchase, photos, art prints, and notecards.

Thanks to girlfriend Andrea of Pandybear's Bed and Breakfast for taking the photos for me!

It was a great first day boost to have extra "girl power" to get me on my way.