Dateline: 2019 December 31st Toronto, Ontario
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| The view from Balzacs, my go-to coffee destination There's always something new here. This is a Bear |
This trips travelling map: Toronto
Just another year, Family,
January - December
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| Statutory hairy guy, in the snow at the front of the house |
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| High Park, early January. Of course you will see a herd of Llamas here. This is Toronto |
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| About 10 below, waking past the pool. The "Dino Park" as exhaustively used when the kids were kids |
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The Ontario Place footpath. Delightfully deserted in March |
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| Statutory hairy guy, in the snow at the back of the house |
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| Margaret birthday, again, still going strong and cogent well into here 80's |
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| Hudson. The next generation drops in for a few hours |
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| Family dining. Ish (Istvan) and probably my Guinness stew |
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| Aiden and his half nephew? |
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| Hudson, Skyler, Ilge and Edie. The gene pool expands (but not mine) |
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| Proud Grandma. April 10th, 2019 |
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| Ben, Ilges first son (now 49), Hudson (#1 son) and Skyler (#1 wife) |
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| James and Holly, Newts daughter. and likely beau We whip up an entertainment at short notice |
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| Heading into Ontario Place. It's always deserted in winter But.... The washrooms are heated, and always open |
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| It's time to say goodbye to what was once the family heirloom A member of a big Canadian pop group buys it |
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| I've decided to be a sailor so I buy this book as recommended at a sailors seminar and bring it on my trip. It's almost incomprehensible |
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| Ilge comes back in June, I head down to Club Shem Paradisio for a few weeks and head back to Toronto on his birthday, July 4th |
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The crab apple tree is in dire need I've been worried about it for a few years |
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| I put on my black hat and pronounce sentence |
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| I dig the hole It's a sweaty day |
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| Jacob, one of Aidens school mates sorts it all out |
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| And then Junior arrives, end of July |
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| There's a Mo Mo fest at the local "Little Tibet" in Parkdale We eventually work out it's much cheaper to get them by the dozen at each store. Really good grub |
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| Speaking of faking it, I'm still able to go out on the club cruising program and bring guests One where I brought guests ended in disaster with part of the dock destroyed and after a wind blew up, the jib was shredded. No one came out ahead and we all departed on grumpy terms |
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| National Sailing Club looking toward Toronto. I joined just for the view Turned out to be my real summer home this year |
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| This year, I'm brave enough to fake it in the racing crowd I apply for the crew bank program again. So far it's been rubbish I totally luck out with Ian and his crew on Lindyhop We have a real blast and a great laugh together |
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| Luckily (again), I have the basic concepts of sailing by now, but actually racing is an order above just going out on a cruise. I love it immediately Of course, everyone else on board has been sailing since they were 7 |
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| I'm totally green. They don't mind After the first race night, Ian invites me to join the team He tells me I'm last in the pack so I get the shit stuff I tell him my dream is end the season as rail meat (a nautical racing term) Adrenaline city. I'm home, MkII. Ian, skipper and Javier, main & tactician |
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| Plus, as a bonus, later that week, I get a call from some guy I filled out a form last year, so I've snagged a summer gig with another sailing group I'm hopeless, with very little knowledge, but every skipper I sail with is happy enough to take me or anyone as it turns out. But that's another story |
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| As a member of National, I can bring guests out on cruises Kayla has asked to go out with Ish. It's a disaster |
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| It's just the 3 of us and skipper Bruce A very exciting, and for some, expensive evenings entertainment We were not invited back.... |
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| Heading out to sail with a group. We all head out on the water taxi Luckily, my first National cruise last year used the water taxi (it was an awful introduction with an obnoxious skipper) so I at least looked as if I knew what I was doing |
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| It was a sailing season like no other for me. A 40 ft yacht is a whole new deal compared to trapezing on a 17 ft job like I had in Nairobi |
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| Hot town! Summer in the city. Dedicated revellers at Ontario Place |
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| Summer daze as ever |
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| Now I'm racing, cruising and some days I'm out sailing with different skippers different groups or purposes twice a day Finally, a life |
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| September 24th. It all went by so fast. One of the boats is hauled out and I'm bereft of a regular home on the water for 2019 My raison d'etre of the year is out for the year |
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As the sun sets on my sailing circa 2019 after my last race |
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| The Ontario Place lookout is usually on my way in or back, sometimes both There's usually a good shot here |
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| Must be Canada. Such patience and deference by cyclists at a traffic light |
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| Life returns to the usual rhythm |
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| Aiden wants a bunk queen bed for his apartment I was going to buy one for him, but found a single template and we built it together. A huge double queen bunk bed |
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| And the regular activities resume again (look familiar?) |
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| And while we're at it, it's time to make a cat proof plant cupboard (I know) |
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I want to go to the timeshare meeting Vermont, so drop into Karin & Urmas in Sleepy Hollow NY Theatre culture |
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| And where should we head to after? Juniors retirement cottage in New York. We drive from Vermont, they drive from Boston Just for the night. Go figure Kayla has an outrageous shouting match with our hostess who lets a bottle of wine get the better of her |
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| Richard with his best friends |
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Richard, as ever, will give you everything |
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| Uh Oh! looks like we all need to loose some weight |
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| Back for the remains of Fall (still pretty here) |
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| Monica, one of Ilge's cousins daughters or something is in a choral concert at Hart House. I sneak in It's not particularly good, but a fun break from the world |
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| Jim's world famous Guinness beef stew redux |
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| At least I got a seat. Everyone else was stuck at home November 17th |
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| In my never ending search to make myself more useful as crew, I take a first aid course. |
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| I pass, but only just I'm now fully licensed to call 911 in a medical emergency December 7th |
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| Kayla has inherited another (very shy) cat Bea(?) |
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| I stay up late to listen to the UK election What a HORROR show! Boris by a mile |
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| I guess I'm cooking something here. No one died |
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| It was obviously something extensive, excessive or just edible |
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| Still biking, High Park with Snow, at sunset |
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| Once again, I fix Moe's Christmas accoutrement And model it |
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| Christmas dinner, usual suspects, usual excesses, For me, more than usual aggravation regarding how useless the concept of "gifts" are unless you have a lot of insecurities |
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| Sorting the dross |
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| So, the time rolls around yet again to have all your mates, and kids mates over and do whatever "celebration" means The usual excess of wrote exchanges continues Count me out. Bah! Humbug! |
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| Now, the "Yankee Swap" is fun, mainly because of the total lack of excess |
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And so the year ends. I've had some fun this year, but sincerely hope next year is better |
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| The year ends pretty much like usual I'm hunched over my light box finalising (finally! after 7 years) trying to sort and catalogue my past in photo's, negative and slides |
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| Conclusive evidence, or grist for the mill. Kenya shots C1980 |
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