Tale of a Tail

This evening, the hydro was out for about an hour, probably due to high winds.

I lit some candles and put one of them on the coffee table. Lucy walked by a little too close and her tail caught fire. It quickly went out - she wasn't even aware of it, but we were left with the smell of burnt fur. Brendan was annoyed that the power outage cut into his viewing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Here's the damage to the tail.

And here's Lucy, after the lights came back on.

In a couple of days, I will put on some more pictures of Christian. The past two times when I have been looking after him, I have been too busy to take any pictures!

Christian's First Birthday

On Sunday, Christian had his first Birthday Party.

But the cleanup was a chore!

Christian at almost one year old

I went to help Colleen get her university assignment ready last night. Christian and I entertained each other while Colleen wrote.

Getting ready for Halloween

Here's Cara visiting the Jack-o-Lantern

Ted's New Phone

Ted finally signed up with Bell. Here I am making a restaurant reservation.

My Little Pumpkin

Today Christian helped me pick out my Halloween pumpkin.

At the Carousel

Colleen sent me this picture of herself and Christian on the Carousel at Port Dalousie. I love the look on his face!

Grimsby Beach

Last Sunday, we walked around Grimsby Beach, the now almost hidden remains of a Methodist Church camp in the late 19th and early 20th century. Here are two of the colourful cottages that still remain.

I'm a Big Boy now!

Here's Christian at almost 10 months.

Queen West, Toronto

Today we went to Toronto to see Brendan and Amie's townhouse. Here is the Real Estate picture of it.








Then we went to the "Art Crawl" in Trinity Bellwoods Park nearby.

Here is an example of some of the "art"

Greek Festival

Yesterday evening, we went to the Greek Festival in St. Catharines. Hundreds of people were enjoying Greek dishes such as Souvlaki and Gyros. Here is some lamb being cooked on a barbecue.

Marshville Heritage Festival

These "blacksmiths" were having fun, but didn't know what they were making.

Christian is getting big

What a nice smile!

Jim Bradley's Barbecue

Here's Jim talking to some of the 700 or more people that came to his annual barbecue last night.

Winona Peach Festival

On Sunday, we went to the Winona Peach Festival. Here are Mr. and Mrs. Peach, who have been around for years!

Frances and John

At the Beacon for dinner.

Heather's Wedding

My niece, Heather was married last weekend to Scott Fisch. The wedding was outdoors at the University of Guelph.







Their dog, Briscoe, was the "Best Dog"

Here are Frances, Michael and myself

Reception with the Premier

Here's Dalton McGuinty with Ted and Jim Bradley. The reception was held outdoors at Inniskillin Winery. The wines and hors d'oeuvres were excellent.

Here I am with Ken Knox, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and Don Ziraldo, host of the event.

Christian in his Exersaucer

Canal Days in Port Colborne

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Canal Days in Port Colborne. Here is one of the several tall ships that were anchored there. This ship,

the St. Lawrence II, out of Kingston, trains teenage sailors.

There were lots of people there!

Weekend in Boston

On July 20 we went to Boston. On Sunday, the Red Sox beat the White Sox at Fenway Park.

Here is a home run in the fifth inning that sent three players home.

Ted at the Frog Pond in Boston Common.

Sunday concert at Ancaster

We took our picnic supper to Fieldcote Park. I have just jumped into the picture on the timer mode.

Then we enjoyed the concert by the Fado Blues group with Catarina Cardeal and Mike Siracusa.

Water Baby

Here's Christian having his first swim in the pool at Grandparents Tophens' house.

Family

Here is Christian and his family at Leslie and Isaac's place on July 4

New Deck, next stage

Rick finished my deck last week. Now I just have to paint the shed and the furniture and re-cover the cushions.

My new Patio

Here's Rick this morning, with a Tonka truck full of nails finishing my deck. When I came home from work tonight, he had put up the fence and the canopy and started the planters. More pictures to follow.

Supper Club

Here are Eb and Margie having some appetizers before our Monday dinner at my place. We take turns hosting these weekly dinners.

Blue Jays Game

On Sunday, Ted and I joined his family for brunch and a ballgame in Toronto. We had good seats in the shade. The Jays lost, but we enjoyed the experience.

Empire Sandy

On Sunday, we went on a "Tall Ship" cruise of the Welland Canal. Because of traffic problems on the Canal, we only got as far as the first lock and the first bridge, but we enjoyed beautiful weather and a delicious lunch.

A Real Cutie!

Christian is now six and a half months old

Prince of Wales

On Monday, Colleen and I went to have "Tea" at the Prince of Wales in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Very elegant!

Royal Botanical Gardens

On Sunday, we went to the Royal Botanical Gardens to see the Iris and Peony display.

The flowers were upstaged by the snapping turtles who had crawled up from a nearby swamp to lay their eggs in the soft garden beds .

Celebration for Jim Bradley

On Friday night, Ted and I attended a very special dinner recognizing Jim Bradley's thirty years of service to the community. Here is the archway of hockey and lacrosse sticks, plus oars and other sports equipment that he walked through to get to our table.

I can sit up now!

Here's Christian at six months sitting up on his own.

New York City

Statue of Libery




















St. Patrick's Cathedral reflected in highrise





Naked Cowboy in Times Square












Me and Tom Selleck.

Shopping for "Designer" bags in Canal Street