Hangin' with the Italians

Unfortunately a Top-Up Day

My little 1982 Alfa Romeo Spider had a great day today. She got to tour some of the beautiful Ontario back roads with 25 other pure-bred Italians. Of course, I am taking about Italian Alfa Romeo automobiles, but I will admit, I did notice a few Italians drivers behind the wheels of some of these beautiful Italian vehicles. 

I brought my sports car to Toronto with me in the hope of joining some of the interesting events I had been reading about on the Toronto Alfa Romeo Club Facebook page. It took me a while locate and connect with the club, but I finally joined the club, and got an invitation to their final outing of the year, The 8the annual “Fall Colours Drive”.

A line of Alfa Romeos

Now although I can walk or take transit for most things I need here in Toronto, the city is so big that in order to get to places where you can actually drive your car without traffic, stop lights and skyscrapers blocking the views of Ontario’s fall foliage, you need to drive an hour just to leave the cityscapes for the countryside, so we left the downtown and drove north to meet up at a bakery where the parking lot slowly filled with not only Alfa Romeos, but also a group of Porsche enthusiasts who were trying to fit on one last drive of the season. 

Lots of Spiders in attendance

After breakfast and a lot of car talk, the 26 club members fired up their Italian cars and formed a train of Italian vintage workmanship along with a few modern Alfas. The club president lead us through the Ontario countryside so we could enjoy the fall colours as well as the nice twisty roads. The tour lasted about two hours including two stops for photos and breaks, and ended up at a country restaurant for lunch. 

Me and my Spider

The day dawned with sunshine and clear skies, but “Showers” were forecast, and we left with hopes of a good day. Unfortunately the “Showers” arrived and really never left, and was serious rain at times. My little car is not used to being driven in the rain, but she performed admirably; the little-used wipers did actually clear the windshield, and the convertible top kept most of the rain off the passengers. 

The day was cool and wet, but still was very enjoyable, but I am looking forward to springtime and warmer top-down drives next year.

Old Cars & Trucks

An old tow truck

I like finding old cars and trucks that have been abandoned and left to rust back into the earth. When I find these old “diamonds in the rust” I like to  photograph them for posterity. On my computer, I have over 700 photos of old cars and trucks, and although a lot of them are cars from car shows and gatherings, there are many rusted relics I have found in fields and forests. 

On the train trip across the country, it was interesting to see the old vehicles along the way, especially across the prairies. Many of the vehicles I saw had been parked in the “back 40” out of sight from the highways and byways, but the train often crosses the out of the way sections of the farms. Even as we passed through towns and cities the old cars and trucks were parked behind businesses and homes next to the train tracks. I recall as a very young boy watching my grandfather (Schnare) sawing firewood using his old 1930’s sedan which had been relegated to the back of the house beside the train tracks with a saw blade attached to the drive wheel, and walking the Rails to Trails there I still see an old car frame hiding in the trees. 

A hidden beauty!

The other day as we drove back to my daughter’s house from Sioux Lookout, I spotted an old turquoise hulk hiding in the weeds behind a deserted garage. I had earlier found an old tow truck at a working garage, but this looked like a real find. “Stop” I said “Photo App!”. The faded “No Trespassing” sign was mostly on the deserted property next door, so I went along beside the old garage to have a look. I think it is a 58 Chevy, a backwards step from the beautiful 55, 56 & 57 models in my opinion, but still an interesting find. The car looked mostly intact except for a lot of missing chrome, but there hidden behind the garage and alongside a more modern (Boring) truck was a very rusty GMC from the 50’s. Certainly glad I was looking out for old cars!

So I have a few more photos to add to my collection. 

On The Road Again, Again!

On The Road Again!

After over two years of COVID-19 imposed Maritime isolation, we finally reached the 14 day safety date after our second vaccine ‘jab’, and decided to venture once more out into the world beyond our nice safe Maritime Provinces zone to go visit our children in Ontario. Our son and his partner had donned multiple masks and face shields to escape their pandemic hot spot in Toronto and come to the relative safety of Nova Scotia last summer, but we had not seen our daughter and her husband for two years, so we were really looking forward to all getting together at our son’s new condo in Toronto. 

We really did not know what to expect leaving the province, but none of the provinces we traveled through had any border restrictions, although we did notice a line-up of people coming back into New Brunswick from Quebec, so expect to be stopped and quizzed on our vaccinations on our way home again. 

The first thing we noticed was that although there were lots of trucks on the roads, traffic in general was light and the drive was pleasant all the way. The lack of licence plates from other provinces and states was very obvious, most people were still sticking to their home provinces. Other than a U-Haul trailer with a Nevada plate towed by a car from Ontario I noticed no foreign vehicles at all. 

We stopped in Levis Quebec for the first night, and stayed at a motel owned by a couple from Venezuela. It was hard not to feel sorry for them as their motel was barely a quarter full and they had shut down the restaurant because of COVID. But they were happy to be here in Canada and not in their native country where they would have had to deal with not only COVID, but also a corrupt government and a large criminal element. 

Quebec City from across the River

Then we tried to find a place for dinner. A quick search on TripAdvisor gave a list of the 10 best restaurants in Levis, QC. However after a closer search, we found that nothing was open on Wednesday, except the chains or the fast food joints, and we wanted someplace interesting. However bouncing between the TripAdvisor site and the actual restaurant websites showed many different opinions of hours and days. One spot we were interested in showed it open on Wednesday on TripAdvisor, but the actual website said it was only open for take-out. Frustrated and confused we decided to get in the car and drive downtown and see what was there, and if we had to get fish & chips to go and sit on the bank of the St. Lawrence to eat dinner it would have to do. Locating the restaurant (Actually a very cool gastro-pub), we found a parking lot full of cars, and people out on a patio enjoying cool beverages. Obviously someone forgot to update the website. Not only were they open, they had really improved their menu and we ended up having a delicious dinner and excellent drinks. 

A rainy drive through Ontario

The following day, we drove through the rest go Quebec and into Ontario, arriving in Toronto happy to be able to connect with our children once more. 

So, our first real road trip revealed that although things are defiantly not back to “Normal”, things are improving and we may be on the road to recovery.   

The Optimistic Ontarian

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Derek's Fireworks over the Lake

Alisha's fiancé Derek loves fireworks, and he has become quite an accomplished pyrotechnist. His firework shows have become very popular among his family, and he always puts on a spectacular Canada Day show at the family cottage outside Thunder Bay. Since we were visiting, we received an invite to the event this year. In fact although we had intended to head home sooner, we were told in no uncertain terms that we HAD to stay for the Canada Day show.

The weather has been pretty good for the entire trip, and although there has been some rainy days, they really haven't spoiled our vacation. However, the weather forecast for the Canada Day weekend did not look promising, with rain predicted for most of the weekend. Determined to have a good fireworks show, Derek decided he would set them off on Saturday if it was a good day rather then waiting for Sunday and hoping for a break in the forecast rain.

Arriving at the cottage with a car full of fireworks and a table built especially to safely mount the various rockets, cherry bombs and massive firework cakes on a floating dock out in the lake, Derek was informed that the show was scheduled for Sunday, because guests had been invited and could not come on Saturday. When he expressed concern about the rain, his father assured Derek that the forecast called for rain all afternoon, but clearing by 5:00 pm. Now coming from Nova Scotia where even Cindy Day rarely gets the forecast that accurate, I had to share Derek's concern, but his dad was confident.

Sunday dawned with cloud and dark skies on the horizon, and by noon it was raining; “See, just like the forecast said.” was Derek's dad, David's optimistic response.

The Fireworks Table

By 2:00 pm, it was no longer raining, it was pouring, but David checked his phone and reassured us that it was still supposed to clear by 6:00 pm.

At 4:00 pm, the driveway was washing away, the downspouts could not longer handle the deluge of rain, and you needed both a raincoat and an umbrella to go outside. “Don't worry”, David assured us, “The weather forecast is saying it will clear by 7:00 pm.”

It was still raining at 6:00 pm, but not so hard, and perhaps the skies to the west might be a bit brighter. “Yup, we're good, clearing is expected by 8:00 pm” David claimed when everyone pointed out the continuing rain.

Well, David was right. By 8:00 pm, the rain had stopped, and Derek hurried outside to quickly get everything organized and set up. By 9:00 pm, there was actually some blue skies, and they towed the now almost prepared floating dock out into the lake for Derek to complete final preparations.

At precisely 10:00 pm, under a beautiful darkening blue sky, Derek set off an amazing 20 minute firework show. Everyone agreed that it was his best show ever, and David's optimism proved as accurate as the weather forecast.

Ready to go - rain stopped

High Beach

Finding High Beach

Kejick Bay is actually an island. It used to be a Bay until the lake was flooded. As I walk around the community It seems to be mostly sand. I have yet so see any solid rock anywhere. I think I discovered the entire island is composed of sand.

There are two nice sand beaches the community use. Yes, in tropical Northern Ontario it seems that although they have a brutal winter, they also have a nice hot summer and people are already swimming in the lake here. The main beach is called “low Beach”, and it is a regular sort of beach, with sand and driftwood. You get to it down a short road/path off the road into the community.

The other beach, as you might have guessed, is called “High Beach”. I had heard about this spot, and Alisha had insisted that I had to go see High Beach; it was pretty amazing. So, on a morning with no chores to do – the boat was in the water, and Derek was doing drywall (Not my best skill), Alisha dropped me off at a path leading into the forest, pointing up a hill. Her only instruction was “Don't go

down to the lake, or you won't get back up.”. Confusing instructions since I thought I was supposed to go see this beach.

The path was a well worn but twisting route through a forest of mature red pine trees. After a couple of minutes, I came out into a clearing in the forest with tall pine trees and a sandy beach. Walking to the edge of the clearing, I peered down at Lac Seul. I was standing on a beautiful sandy beach 100 feet above the lake. A steeply sloping incline led down to the shore of the lake. I now knew why she warned me not to go down to the lake. Climbing up a 100 foot sand dune would have been a difficult task.

As you walk around the community there is sand everywhere, but the community is on a lake so you do not think so much about it, but standing on sand 100 feet high you cannot help but be awed by how this island was formed. This area must have been part of an ocean or a desert at one time and all this sand was deposited here over eons many many years ago.

Alisha was right, High Beach really was amazing. As I stood in the sand overlooking the spectacular views out over the lake, I had to agree that this is definitely a “Must see” location in Kejick Bay. Later the same day I got to see the same sight from a boat out on the lake as we searched out a good fishing spot, and it was as spectacular from that viewpoint.

Messing about in Boats

launching the boat

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Remember that quote from “Wind In the Willows” about “Messing about in boats”? Kejick Bay is on a large lake and everyone has a boat. Well almost everyone; Alisha & Derek did not have a boat . . . YET.

When we arrived Derek was pleased to show me a boat with a 20 hp Johnson outboard on it. Nice, except the outboard did not work, and the boat had not been in the water for years, and designed for a motor controlled with a wheel and remote forward controls, while the outboard was a simple tiller model.

This looks like it needs work

The outboard was purchased in an “As-is” condition and was not pumping water, so needed a rebuild. Fortunately I have a friend who can fix anything on speed-dial, and he gave me advice on what was likely needing repair. I pulled everything apart discovering a seriously damaged water pump so with a new impeller and a couple hours cleaning up the housing, I was able to rebuild everything and get it back together. A few more adjustments and a big garbage can of water proved

everything was working as it should.

The boat was a good solid aluminum 14 foot model, but the wooden transom was in bad shape and was not going to hold the motor. A morning in the front yard had all the rusted screws extracted and the rotten wood thrown on the fire-pit. New plywood was cut and attached with nice shiny bolts and screws, and the rebuilt motor fitted. It all looked good.

Now this is a good working boat.

Now if only we could find a car and a trailer that would fit together to get the boat to the lake. After a borrowed trailer, and trailer ball, we got the boat to 'Archie's Landing” and into the water. Derek took a quick celebratory lap around the causeway bay and proved everything was working as expected before coming back to take us out for a ride.

Yes, here I am once more “messing about in boats . . . .”

The confident chief engineer - he knows the engine is GOOD!

The passengers - not so much!

Kejick Bay

Welcome to Kejick (By Road)

In 1929, Ontario Hydro built a Dam and raised the level of Lac Seul to create a reservoir to generate hydro power. This flooded Kekick Bay and created an island. There was a Native community on this piece of land, and this cut them off from the mainland. In the last few years a causeway has been built connecting Kejick to the mainland once again. According to Wikipedia, there is a population of 400 living in Kejick Bay now. This is where Alisha lives and works as Principal of the school in the community, and it where I am now visiting. The people living here are of the Lac Seul first nation group and consist of three separate communities, Kejick Bay, Whitefish Bay and Frenchman's Head. The Lac Seul First Nation is part of the Ojibwa First Nation, and has an area of just over 100 square miles.

The community of Kejick itself is on an island in the middle of Lac Seul, so it is a beautiful setting with a lake surrounding it. I was surprised with the weather, I know they have harsh winters and Alisha has complained about the amount of snow and the freezing temperatures in the long brutal winter, but right now when I am visiting it is down-right tropical with temperatures warmer than at home. Yesterday it was 33º C, and even today in the rain it is still 23º C.

When you reach the causeway, the road road changes to gravel, and the soil is sandy, so it is

Or By Boat.

impossible to keep things clean. I was reminded of Cairo, where the dust and sand gets into everything; it is like that here. Alisha had her car detailed on one of her trips to Winnipeg and was appalled at how quickly it reverted to a dusty dirty mess once she was back here.

The town itself has one convenience store that also sells gas. When Alisha first arrived the store sold chips and pop, but she is pleased that they now carry many more healthy groceries. There is Alisha's K-9 school, a community centre, an outdoor rink, one church a band office and a health centre. There are two well used beaches and boat docks everywhere. The community is patrolled by the Lac Seul Police force, and has fire hydrants, but no fire department. In fact the second night we were here Derek was called to help fight a house fire. They had a good 2” fire hose but someone had left the actual nozzle in Frenchman's Head even though they tried they could not save the house.

That is a little about the community of Kejick Bay. Although somewhat isolated, they are an open and friendly community and I have been made to feel at home. Most community members know Alisha, so when I am introduced to anyone they smile and welcome me to their community, and as I walk around the streets, the people wave with a friendly greeting and the dogs all wag their tails as they stop for a pat or a scritch.

The Ferry

The Complex (Community Centre)

The Health Ctntre

Alisha's House (The Teachery)

The Dogs of Kejick

Oh, I'm sorry did you need this truck?

Although I think I am slightly allergic, I love dogs, and discovered that I do not have to actually own a dog to enjoy them. I have friends who seem to be willing to lend me their dogs and that works great. Kejick Bay has some great dogs, and sitting around a fire one night I got to meet a lot of them.

When Alisha first moved to Kejick she was concerned about the number of seemingly feral dogs wandering the neighbourhood, but fortunately she met a dog named Bear who convinced her the dogs of Kejick were okay. With a name that suited him, bear was a big dog, but Alisha discovered he was really a big teddy bear, and I heard about him through e-mail and facebook. She also discovered that the people in the community have made a conscious decision to only allow dogs that get along with people.

Now that I am in Kejick I have started to meet these amazing dogs. First I met “Drea” who was a rescue from a fly in community. Although she was supposed to be wary of men, all it took was one dog treat and she was my friend. Than I met “Nibbles”, who looked like the “not so friendly” Egyptian street dogs, but was an amazing friendly dog, and he also became my friend. Nibbles is the alpha dog in the neighbourhood, and every other dog except Buddy (more about her later) cow-tow to him even though he is almost 10 years old. When Nibbles barks and takes of on a tear, every other dog follows. Who names their dog “Nibbles” when he is the Alpha dog? Obviously his name among his dog friends in his pack is something “Butch”or “Killer”. It's a good thing dogs don't actually understand our language.

Hey mister . . . pet me please! (not Buddy)

I had heard about “Buddy”. She was the talk of the firepit when people realized I was a “dog person”. I was told she was really not a dog, she was half wolf. Apparently one of her owner actually had her DNA tested and sure enough she is half wolf. One night sitting around the fire someone noticed her walking by, and called to her. Although the Kejick dogs seem almost feral and wild, they have names and answer to them. Hearing her name, Buddy and a couple other dogs running with her immediately turned and trotted over to our firepit. She brought “Magic” with her along with “Surviver”. Buddy is a massive dog of almost pure white and she does look like a wolf, but she is gentle as a puppy. Her tail wags and she demands your attention, but then a 120 lb wolf/dog does get your attention. Nibbles does not like her however and was not happy with her intruding on our gathering, but with Buddy's size and heritage, she literally does not care. No one messes with Buddy and she knows it, even if “She” cannot be Alpha dog, she is in a category of her own.

Alisha tells me that the people of Kejic will not allow any dog that even growls at a child to live in the community and dogs that do not get along with people get shot. It sounds cruel, but the dogs of Kejick are amazing; they are friendly and love people. I saw a little two year old baby toddle over and maul a dog laying in the sand outside the school. She pulled his ears. Stuck her hand in his mouth and twisted his paw, but he just lay there. Yes, I have come to like the dogs of Kejick Bay.

These are all the pictures I have of the dogs, but I will add more when I get them. 

Fishing

Kejick Island Ferry

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When I was four or five my father took me fishing. We lived in a fishing community, so he took me out in a boat and we fished . . . . After a while he asked me how I liked fishing? I replied “Dad to be serious, it's boring . . . .”. “Oh, good, I'm not real fond of it either, but I thought I should at least introduce you to it”, he replied. We never fished again. Like my dad, I felt it was my fatherly duty to at least introduce my son to fishing, so I took him out once – I don't think I succeeded in turning him into an angler. . .

Fishing from the Ferry

Years later my good friend Jim asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him. Jim always asks me to do stuff with him and I appreciate it, so I said I'd go. I discovered that fishing was still boring. I didn't catch anything; didn't even get a nibble. I am told it is not about catching fish, it's about being out in a boat, being on a lake, being with nature, relaxing . . . . . some sort of fishing zen, philosophy thing. I guess I just do not get it . . .

Well, here in Kejick, fishing is big. The lake is huge and complicated, and there are lots of fish, even big fish. On the drive here we frequently saw fishing resorts and lodges, so the fishing must be good. Derek threatened to take me fishing and finally I agreed.

Someone was catching fish

On the way into Kekick there is a deserted ferry that once was used to ferry workers machinery and materials to and from a mine. I thought it had been the ferry to Kejick Island, but Alisha tells me that when Kejick Bay became an island, the only way back and forth was by boat in the summer or snowmobile in winter and occasionally an ice road. the deserted ferry has become a convenient place to fish. It's a boat, and it is out in the water, but you can walk onto it and easily get to deep enough water to fish, so we went there one afternoon to fish. A couple of people did catch fish but not me. I got bored and went to take photos of and old boat washed up on the shore down the lake.

Determined to convert me, Derek insisted we would have better luck at his favourite spot. Plus here we would really be out in a boat. Fishing poles, life jackets, tackle box, minnow bucket, net, gas can, we headed out. Under the causeway bridge to a spot that “We were guaranteed to catch our limit in 20 minutes”.

A rare photo . . . me with fish

Well, we were out for more than 20 minutes, but I can report that I actually did pull out four fish, and a couple were good sized, but I threw three back and Derek promised to cook our catch up so I can sample the Kejick Bay fish. And really, it almost wasn't boring.

I'd rather go take photos of this cool old boat

Fishing . . . . it's a zen thing . . . . .