Once again this year, getting a site was quite difficult, with all the usual reservation wrangling taking place. As I have said before, when you have two provinces of campers competing for sites in a popular campground there is going to be an overload, and it continues to be difficult every year.
Our site is huge and heavily shaded, but this year it might well be an advantage given the extreme hot temperatures we are experiencing. We also have power, so there is no need for the sun to produce solar. Got the site set up, Barley outside in his little space, then just relaxed.
Walked the beach Friday morning, something we did every morning to start the day, and we were surprised at the number of people already there and set up for the day. The water levels have receded from last year, and the white fine sandy beach is back to the depths we have seen over previous years. One thing we did notice is that there is now the trend to set up shade camps right at the water’s edge. In the past, umbrellas, shade tents, and the like, were always well up from the water edge, with the in between area used for beach fun like frisbee, volleyball, tossing a nerf ball...that sort of thing. Perhaps this is a function of wanting to utilize the flatter areas, but once one group starts, everyone follows, lest someone else sets up in front of them. Kinda like dropping your towel on a beach lounger and claiming it as yours. Bizarre.
 |
| the sand patterns are fascinating |
 |
| taking it all in |
Most everyone, and definitely us included, walked as normal along the water edge. The beach is everyone’s, and hopefully this new trend will be short-lived.
A nice coincidence is that Mark & Angela are camped here as well, and we had a nice dinner and campfire with them, lots of great conversation and chatting about the this summer’s annual rally, and savoured their tasty meal cooked over their open fire.
On Saturday we went to the beach later in the afternoon, and the place was packed. The water was luke warm, and we floated for the longest time, watching all the goings on. Two kids bobbed past us, and from the exchanges, the girl was clearly annoyed at her brother. A great line was soon uttered in exasperation by the little girl...”Why are you being such a butt nugget?”
Having an electrical site, on Sat evening we had the rare treat to fire on a DVD. In our travels if we happen upon used movies, we pick up a few for later viewing, and this one was called “In America”, a story about an Irish immigrant family struggling to survive and adjust to living in NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood. A good movie....
Our friends Lee & Howard came over for lunch on Sunday, and we made Hodge Podge, an old Nova Scotian dish that is a sautéed blend of fresh new crop vegetables. We also added some salmon chunks, which had been locally cold smoked with beets. The salmon on its own was amazing, flavourful and tasty. Lee and Howard introduced us to Sandbanks beach, a lesser used beach on the Lake Ontario side of the Dunes that we have never been to before. If you walk 100 yards past the entrance point, you can literally have the beach to yourself. Again the water was great, with the added bonus of hanging out with our friends.
The whole week was all about chillin’, walking the beach and grabbing a refreshing swim. Wednesday evening we met up our friends Geoff & Joey at the Wampoos Pub, and Jack & Deb came as well. Another couple, Gil & Marie, who Geoff recently sold a house to, were also there. It was a nice evening with lots of interesting conversations. Gil collects and restores old Jaguars, and he had a ton of knowledge about that brand, and the vintage events he races them in. Great fun to hear.
On Thursday, Dale took a walking tour of Picton, which meandered through the streets and provided an insight as to the history and lives of those who lived here through many decades. Peter Lockyer, a highly respected Canadian broadcast journalist and producer who is originally from the County, has a passion for history and as one of his history initiatives has developed these walking tours to give the locals and visitors insight into the stories of the County and the architectural history of Picton. An interesting factoid that resonates today is what was called the ‘Barley Days’, which spanned from 1860-1890 where the County’s most lucrative crop was barley which was shipped to NY state for the American brewing industry, but it all ended when the McKinley tariff was applied. Now where have we heard that before????
 |
| Picton Public Library...funded by Carnegie foundation |
 |
| WW1 Armoury built in 1913 to store weapons and as a respite place for soldiers |
 |
| John A. MacDonald as a young Lawyer working in Picton, whom eventually was one of the fathers of Confederation & Canada's 1st Prime Minister |
 |
| Typical main street Picton |
 |
| Housing built in late 1800's for canning workers |
 |
| Gothic revival home in heart of Picton...now under restoration |
 |
| Regent Theatre originally a vaudeville theatre & then turned movie house...now hosts movies and art events |
Friday turned out to be an overcast rainy day, perfect for hopping in the car and doing a back roads tour of The County. We made a huge loop around The Adolphus Reach peninsula, stopped at the Wampoos Winery and had a tasting at the tasting bar, then made our way via country roads all the way back to the village of Wellington.
 |
| Ian??? |
Dropped into a very funky little store called ‘The General’ which is an eclectic mix of edgy retail, coffee bar, and a panini grill. We picked up a few used DVD’s, and two massive butter tarts for dessert.
 |
| what it looks like when someone takes the primo centre pieces |
Made a last trip to the beach Saturday afternoon, as the weather had cleared and it turned into a perfect day. Lots of people doing the same as us, so we wandered a little further down the beach, losing most of the crowd as we went. It was a great way to close out the week.
Tough to pull up stakes, but some things you gotta do. We enjoyed over a great week in one of our favourite parks.
Until next year Sandbanks!!!
0 comments:
Post a Comment