CITY:
Ah, renters! So often an unpleasant surprise. Susan can try again - more carefully.

I have been in Ontario. R and I left on Weds morning at 11!! This gave us time to stop again at the home of one friend who has died as I keep trying to contact her husband. Again, he was not there but R had the opportunity to have a good look at their wonderful earth home, off the grid. Now he has a clue what I am talking about.

Then we were able to stop at the beautifully restored "Old School House Tea room" for early supper, then to the nearby Gallery - of antiques and all manner of interesting stuff. I really wanted a small table but there was no room in the car. When we came back by on Sunday, it was gone. Oh, well.

We took a winding dirt road from there, past the octagonal stack wall house that I covered for the newspaper when it was built - and just loved it, and through lovely woods back to the main road, in time to get to the Weds night concert and visit with folks and walk around the park and see the hay bale structure being built there! And finally to our friends where we spent our nights - and not much else. We had busy days.

Early Thurs am, we drove back to town for R to go on a field trip looking for minerals. I thought I would have to just hang out in town but he got a ride with a retired geologist and I went to visit friends in various places. I went back to collect him at 4 but did not find him until after 5. He was having a grand time looking at rocks/minerals in the (hockey) arena and forgot to meet me. Then we went to the other segment of the show at the curling club and I sat and chatted with a friend who happened to be there. Then we went to my fav eatery for a terrific meal and back to the house via a scenic route. All the routes up there are scenic!

Fri was a trip to Algonquin Park to the logging museum (outdoors) and the "visitors' centre" - film, dioramas, history and natural history and ... back to town to get a charger for his phone and poked about town. Walked forever to a restaurant for fish and chips AND forever back again to go to the Art show opening at the gallery, then to a play nearby. I dashed back to the gallery during intermission and after the play. Had I known there was an opening I would have gotten tickets for a different night!

Sat we were out at 7 to set up at the Maynooth Farm market, next to our hosts. I sold enough pots to pay the gas for the trip and the woman in charge of the gift shop at the Gallery came by to encourage me to do a group of pots for the shop. Saw a couple people I had not seen in at least 20 years! And more.

Then lunch at a little cafe where a very special friend was working. I showed R the beautiful old hotel building, now a hostel, then visited the library, chatted outdoors with another friend while R did the antique shops in this tiny village. We went back to my fav eatery for another great meal then to my friend's antique shop to return the borrowed table (for the market) and give R a chance to see her shop and meet two more of my fav people.

Sunday, we managed to have a conversation with our hosts, mainly about "Dragonfly", a land co-op which is going through a rough period - for several years now!. We considered what could be done, encouraged them to fix the well and to encourage a new young man who seems to be very interested in renewing the concept of community. R and I are interested in helping. I am thinking of "questions, considerations and suggestions" to present to our friends before we visit again so we can work toward a renewal.

We went back into town as I volunteered to help sell reusable water bottles, a project of the Arts Council - instead of selling bottled water. There was fresh spring water for folks that bought a bottle. The event was a BIG craft show in the park, good music in the band shell and I got to see many friends.

Then we went to look at a couple properties for sale: one was virtually derelict; at the other, a man was sitting with his vehicle at the beginning of the driveway, and told R it was NOT for sale and he was just going to stay there and not let anyone see it. R did not figure out exactly what the story was but left the man to his music and smoking. We went to a nearby yard sale and R actually bought a useful object. ( He also bought 6 books and a number of mineral samples during the weekend. And something else I cannot identify.)

Our friends told us about a property for sale behind, and adjacent to, Dragonfly - 200A with house and two ponds, off the grid. Stu posted a link today and it is really marvellous. Next trip (in 3 weeks so I can go to the Gallery volunteers' meeting), we can go visit Dragonfly and look at this property. I suspect R could find a way to buy it if it intrigues him.

More and more, I want to be "home". R understands. I am saying "at least one week a month." The air is clean! It smells so good. Even at our friends' home it was incredibly quiet. I felt so much better there. Coughed less.

My friend with the antique shop sells stuff on E-Bay which means I can learn from her and might be able to do that. She bought 3 mustache cups that R got at an auction last fall! There are about a dozen more of the darn things! Looking at her stock, I realize there are things I could sell instead of giving them to thrift shops!

So, I got lots of exercise, learned stuff, connected with many dear people, got tons of affirmation, and am looking at new possibilities. Being in Quebec is quite tiresome. We are both tired of dealing with French and I cannot volunteer for anything at all.

Back in the city late last night. Today I caught up with emails and FB - feeling rather tired of both and will be cutting back. Made soup and walked to the grocery store for milk and eggs, and yogurt that was still on sale. Tomorrow: to the country to glaze and fire and attend writers' group. Thinking of writing something to submit to the newspaper "back home".