2023 January 1st - December 31st Toronto and environs - Home
Dateline: 2023 December 31st Toronto, Ontario
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| I've beaten Ian into submission. Here we are double handing for two weekend races at Port Credit, we are not quite last, but loved it |
Just another year, family, friends etc
The usual crap
January - December 2023
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| It's new years day, so Eggs Benny as usual |
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Absent friends |
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| We have all had Covid over Christmas and new year, so all social cancelled I finally loose my cough |
| We hear of the death of Val, our long term friend and social cohort. Appallingly, we all agree that it was the only humanitarian option left for her |
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| My annual Christmas gift. From me, to me, again |
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| It's a glorious sunny day mid January |
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| Frigid environmental austerity |
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| It's the Toronto boatshow I help Ian and Linda spend his money |
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| What do you expect? |
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| So what else can I do |
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| It's winter, again, in Toronto |
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| Mid February, no chance of X country skiing yet |
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| February heat wave at the Distillery |
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| My favourite respite, this time on my bike |
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| 3 days later, my favourite respite, skiing |
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| Still searching for the worlds best Ramen This was not it |
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| On a sunny day |
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| It's about -8, probably -15 windchill I'm much warmer after I change into a dry T shirt |
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| It's still a magic event |
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| At my age, this will become life threatening one day! |
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| And a week later, wet snow, |
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| Bali offers to make us Paneer, our favourite from our times in India |
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| foliage threatening stuff |
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| Next day, I'm off to Buffalo to pick up Richard My swag of body butters |
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| Somehow, he's talked his wife into allowing him to travel, not just to Australia, but with me to Australia! |
Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji here
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| Back in Toronto to fix up the boat. It was launched yesterday as I returned. Lets hope that it's my new home |
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| It's good to be back |
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| More to the point, it's good to be back and have a purpose again |
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| I slip back into my well worn groove |
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| I've tuned up my trusty steed and off on my regular jaunt around town Complete with great memories curtesy of Marcel Proust |
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| The boat is coming along, no racing yet |
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| There's nothing wrong with this retirement thing |
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| You just need to adapt Luckily, as the epithet goes, I have form |
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| Sea trials, but on the lake |
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| It's early in the season, and we are almost crewless. We pick up a few crewbankers, plus an overbearing "expert" who pisses me off |
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| We assemble for the Commodores salute. It's really just community |
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| It's really just about our community |
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Mosann in her foul weather matching outfit for her first race of the season |
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| Being without well informed crew, I get to be Main dude most of the season I learn so much |
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This is it! I've cajoled Ian into this double handed summer gig out of Port Credit |
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| Two sleepover nights at Port Credit marina |
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| At my pole position on Main. Love it and I'm having such a blast this season |
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| Life has far more benefits than non benefits |
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| And yet, in the middle of all this excess It's Val's celebration of life at Rus' house Massive turnout, as ever, I stand and bear witness to what Val meant, and still means to me, and probably many who did not speak out |
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| We're out and away. I give my hat to Ian for sun protection. It didn't work |
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| We share the wealth on our way home to National Ian is dreadfully sun burnt |
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| It's the middle of June The sun is brutal Ian gets dreadful sunburn |
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| What did I say about retirement? |
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| Summer Solstice Life and Toronto in full swing |
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| Tasteful graffiti on the Don Valley trek |
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| Thoughts of what I could have been if I'd stayed in Chaddleworth and did not travel |
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| Never cross my mind Anymore...... |
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| Ah yes..... The shed The little tree I planted about 8 years ago is encroaching on it. It needs moving |
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| The new crew has gelled into a team |
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| There's a big race that we cancel due to it pissing down that night. We have all the stuff we brought for BBQ the next night |
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As Jon is out, I slum it on Jib tonight |
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| We're still, mostly following the rest of the fleet, but not always anymore |
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| Team Lindy Hop, Tuesday edition |
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| Lest we forget folks It's more luck than talent that defines where we all end up |
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| Still life with winches |
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| Can you believe it? I have some kind of buy in |
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| First task, move it. My Pharaonic innovations worked a treat |
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| What a life Where else would I rather be? |
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| It's August and we're now well into 3 races per week, so my biking is down to 2 |
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| But, Lowes is on my route |
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| It's way up on Danforth near Victoria park station and I mind shop for the new shed |
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| I do all the laying myself Idiot! Hernia inducer It was the big one wat did it I set the spare chairs in here and I'm amazed at how nookish this patio is. I'll make the new shed movable and set this up as my man nook |
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| I've got a pile of concrete blocks and lots of gravel for the base My secret diabolical plan is to make my new shed so it also can be moved like this one was |
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| We're still grabbing crewbank, but that's just as a professional courtesy We are sailing 3 times a week (no more double handed or regatta's though) As Jon, the regular main sheet dude is only there maybe once every 2 weeks I become mainman. We start winning races! |
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Rick, the new crew guy who know more about sailing than we do |
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| I'm still the regular Main guy, so I don't have much time for taking onboard pix this season |
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| Oh gOD! Now I need to build the damn thing |
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| I know, a very familiar shot |
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| Nature, as ever gives back if you let it |
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| Last sail of the summer season Crew night for helming, Ian on crew stuff |
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Being on main pretty much every sail now, There's hardly any chance for action racing shots any more |
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| Hence, sunset end of race stuff |
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| Tommy Thompson's swans hangout area Mid September |
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| Old and bits of new Maybe putting these sides together did it for me |
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| And suddenly, its Fall again. Temperatures falling and the sun ending early |
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| I've avoided the back path to the lighthouse so far this year as it was way overgrown. First & last |
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| Now I'm preparing for winter. It's all fitted into my master plan so far |
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| No, it's still a popular attraction for me |
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| Most fellow bickers back at work, and all the sails still in the harbour |
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| Fall colours can mean only one thing |
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| But not the centre of raucous planning and plotting like it was with Ron around |
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| More and deeper fall colours |
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| Colours of spinach and eggs Yes, it was delicious! |
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| Oh dear, reverse engineering launch |
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| My creation is all, and maybe more than I hoped |
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| But I still keep the faith when all else desert |
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| As it nestles in for the winter month |
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| Thanksgiving. I notice that we are missing more and more attendees |
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| A few final checks and fixes |
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| And haulout begins |
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| And the final motor to the hard |
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| And it's all over bar the awards celebrations! |
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| And here's the rewards Best new skipper? Yep! Jim Smith. What a laugh |
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| Ian is delighted at winning something Finally! Must be the new Main guy....... |
And Just Like That, I'm off to Paraguay and points south until December 8th
And, yet again, I climb into my bed to contemplate the known year behind me and the unknow year ahead of me
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| Life, for nature anyway |
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| Has shut down for winter |
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| This year we can actually have a Christmas event |
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| And see old mates again |
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| More old mates (biblically speaking) in NY The cavalry is here, you can relax now. You can leave any time you need to |
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| As I'm here to pick up Annie and Gary Maybe just in time... |
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| Local art at the heritage centre, somewhere in Vermont |
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A celebration of, well just being I guess Safe at last |
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| OK everyone, pretend that you are having a good time and really want to be here No one died! |
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| To round the year off, a salute to absent, hmmm antagonists anonymous Annie would not release the original |
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| And New Years Eve with a Korean BBQ Absolute chaos that as ever, just worked |
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| New Years Eve detritus |
As ever, the moment is all I have, and to use the moment, even if it is all I have, is knowing this to be the only truth, to live life to the fullest in this and every moment still left to me.
Your correspondent