There are a lot of things to tell you about that have happened in a relatively short time.

Renovations: the bathroom renovations are moving smoothly, with only a few more things to be done.  The project is shaping up to be quite attractive.

Fall Colours:  The fall colours were probably at their peak on the Thanksgiving weekend.  There will still trees that were quite green, but as of Monday the leaves started falling, and there are many on the lawn.  This was a view of our driveway and then on the road by our mailbox.  Last night we had our first frost, and today there were brief snow flurries.

Guests:  We had Brian’s sister and brother-in-law up for a visit on the Thanksgiving weekend, and then friends from Ottawa, Hal and Monique Hamilton, for three days this weekend.  I worked with Hal when I started out as a stockbroker.

The Bala Cranberry Festival:  We took the Hamiltons to the Bala Cranberry Festival today.  This is an event in a tiny little town; we tried it last year for the first time, and it was charming.  That weekend was cool and rainy, but this weekend was not.  The place was packed.

A little highway is the main street through town, and the traffic was literally stop-start.  The crowds were huge, and there were all kinds of attractions including many street vendors.

The Bala falls are a beautiful piece of traditional Muskoka scenery with all the rocks and trees.

All kinds of groups were represented, including the local volunteer fire department.  My view was that if my mother could do things with dinosaurs, then I could have all the fun I wanted.

We had seen signs for camel rides, and were laughing.  How ridiculous.  How could this possibly be?  This was before we met Todd.  Monique and I had a rather unique experience.

Tod was from the Bowmanville zoo, maybe a two or three hour drive from Bala.  He had been born in captivity, and now was considered a fairly young camel of 12 years of age, given a normal life expectancy of 30 years.  When he handler was slow in getting started, Tod would nudge his shoulder to indicate he was ready to get going.

On our drive home, Monique noticed two moose very near the road.  I got a hurried picture of one before they moved off.  It was an unique end to a unique day.

Oh, I couldn't resist.  A Thought For The Day from the Bala Cranberry Festival.