Sunday, August 29, 2010

28. August 2010 - Cobble Hill Fair


Following a Saturday afternoon whim, I finished up a couple of kilometers 'down the road' at the small, but nevertheless very popular, Cobble Hill Fair. Throngs of people, line ups of concessions, tents filled with crafters, demonstrations by the local Fire Department, blacksmith, 4H competitions.....all bathed in the warmth of a sunny, summery Saturday in the country.

Border collies showed off their skills herding a quartet of docile sheep...I was waiting for BABE to show up and perform the shepherding piglet trick

The stalls in the miniature horse barn were about the size of a dog kennel. But then, the miniature equines are just about Newfoundland dog size. Their woolly coats are shaved off to show their pert little bodies, the manes are trimmed, and their whiskers clipped off. One could see, there are actually small horses underneath all that abundant hair.


Girls, girls, girls....it seems that anything to do with horses has slowly moved from a male dominated sport to a female past time. Horses seem to have taken on the role of pretty, well groomed pets to scores of pretty, well groomed girls.
The ancient art of horsemanship as per Alexander the Great, Pluvinel, the Spanish Riding School, the Cadre Noir and all the heroic Cavalries seem to have been forgotten. Not a boy to be found anywhere near a horse. Where have all the knights in shining armor mounted on wild chargers gone? Its the age of horse show amazons....

Pork tenderloin in the making

Portrait at an Exhibition

Marlene Dietrich, eat your heart out....the latest leg fashions are here

Proud Llama gazing at passersby

And another one.....none of them spit, though

Tough to get both ears through the fence

Beef beauty parlour. Here they are washed, combed, blow dried, manicured, oiled, clipped....even their noses are de-drooled before they are lead into the ring for their beauty contest.

Coated white sheep

Coated black sheep

Reading up on barn management in between 4H competitions

Portrait at an Exhibition

Cat woman in the making

Practising wood turning under the watchful eye of a master

The blacksmith at his portable forge

SPCA tent occupant

Face painting tents each had a line up 20 deep

Anything goes

New urban chicken coops a la Martha Stewart. They are are just big enough to put on a balcony or a small back yard, roomy enough for three to four hens, and bingo: fresh eggs for breakfast

Prize winning sunflower

Zucchini man....

...and his cabbage dog

Spider boy....looking for a bat mobile


Empty milk carton

Full milk carton



Horse whisperers

Tresses in the barn

Found anything yet???

Hay waggon

200 grams of dog meat on the paw

The mane event



and the pony event

Lots to see, junk food indulgence fest, smell of dry grass and hay, country sounds and smells, families enjoying the last hot leisurely days of summer before school starts up again.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

23 - 25 August 2010 - Sturdies on Galiano Island


Sidney, the old boat dog of Karkovia climbing his personal boarding ladder, beautifully turned into a paw friendly device with padded steps and a gentle incline.


Millennium Dragon swinging gently at her mooring


Happy Birthday to me at the Galiano Inn in Sturdies Bay


Another intricate detail in the large mural which graces the reception room of the Galiano Inn



Sturdies Bay totem pole


Good bread, cookies...and good ice cream as well
Prolonging the return home to Maple Bay as long as possible. Weather is beautifully warm. Duty and other endeavours are waiting....and they can keep on waiting for a few more sunny summery days.

Monday, August 23, 2010

16 to 23 August 2010 - Wallace Island, Conover Cove


Wallace Island Automobile Club


Dock dogs and their owners

A very unusual moment - not a single boat at the public dock, at least for about 15 minutes. Everyone had left, and for a few rare moments, Millennium Dragon was the only boat in the entire Cove.



The main population, and almost the only one, is made up of abundant raccoon families. If they are not scrounging the shorelines for clams, crabs and other 'organic' food, they are brazenly invading the boat dock. They are so daring, that they even climb on any boat that has anything remotely edible either in the cockpit or the cabin below. The whole bunch climbs in, and sits down to lunch. During the night, it is strictly batten down the hatches. That is the only way to get a good nights sleep. These critters have learned how to enter hatches, zippered enclosures etc, and even have been known to join sleeping kids in their sleeping bags. A few droppings and growls later, boaters have learned to lock everything. Raccoons now just climb on the boats, leave behind their tiny muddy footprints and leave again, all the time chattering and purring to each other.
Sunset in Princess Cove on Wallace Island

Sunset in Conover Cove on Wallace Island

Panther Point on Wallace Island. Just about here, a ship called 'Panther' ran aground on the hidden reefs a few decades ago. Nothing left of the wreck, except the name of the Point.

The Coast Guard, visiting in tiny Conover Cove.


It was so hot, that boaters enjoyed a few dips in the waters of the Cove - about 61-65 Celsius.


As there is no texting and no i-pods, kids think of other endeavours. This girl constructed a rather comfortable raft with umbrella, Canadian flag, easy chair, snacks and her dog for company. She spent three hours constructing it (with dad's help) and two days enjoying her endless cruises in the cove.

Cruisers auxiliary engine mounted on the stern of this powerboat. One hopes, that no unexpected salty wave over the stern gives this little scooter a fatal dunking.


Pedal Power on the stern of this boat from Bellingham, Washington.


Master architect and contractor of a tree house, somewhere in the woods around the cove. He worked - together with every other kid in the Cove - for hours, gathering driftwood and hammering away, so much, that one wished for union interference. No quitting time at 5 pm for this crew, they laboured until the sun set, their stomachs started to growl and a healthy appetite drove them back 'home'.


Cruising with kids creates quite a bit of colourful laundry...