Daytripping Issue - Summer 2020

Lake Huron
The
Daytripper
R.B abrics
F
Quilter Guild
• Fabrics for... fashion, upholstery,
Members: outdoors, draperies & quilting
20% off Quilt Fabric
• Quilting, serging & sewing classes
10% off Quilt Notions
ons • Quilting & sewing notions
Full line of sewing machines, sergers & software
• Enjoy Our Own Farm Raised Pork
and Free Run Chickens (drug/additive free)
• Fresh Eggs from our free run laying hens
• Ontario Dry Aged Carcass Beef (aged minimum 21 days)
Mrs. D’s
Canned Goods
available
here!
25
www.rmeats.com
Did you notice the maps that show where you are in SW Ontario?
745 St. Clair • CHATHAM • N7L 0E9 www.rbfabrics.com
CURRENT HOURS:
(HWY 40, NORTH EDGE OF CITY) 519-351-7693
Mon-Fri 9:30-5, Sat 10-2
11652 LONGWOODS ROAD, KENT BRIDGE • 519-352-5226
5226
I stop to watch Lake Erie’s
waves crash and dispel their
strength before pulling back
for another strike—over and
over again. This rhythm runs
the length of the path that
dissects two very different
bodies of water at McGeachy
Pond Conservation Area. To
me, the waves often seem
more intense here. Maybe
it’s because of the contrast
of the other side of the path,
where swans and geese
lazily ply a serene pond.
Whatever the reasoning,
I enjoy hanging out with
Erie. The lake is like a
childhood pal I never totally
lost touch with.
While I observe nature, my mind
resonates with distant childish laughter.
Vague images—the earliest I remember
of our lake—accompany the trill. My
carefree child-self splashes and frolics
with her daddy in gentler waves at
the nearby family beach in Erieau.
Those memories, I’m sure, are in good
company. Many families spend broiling
summer days hanging out on the sand
and revelling in H 2
O glory. I remember
we children would eventually be dragged
out of the water for picnic sustenance,
which we hastily gulped down—only
to be forced to wait the recommended
half hour, lest we cramp up, to dunk
ourselves once again.
Some visits didn’t involve beach fun.
My parents loved Sunday drives. Erieau
generally ended up as only a side blip
on the route radar. We’d drive through
the village and then move on. At the
time, I didn’t understand what the point
was, though I seem to recall Dad liked to
ROESCH MEATS
Come To The Country
Where It All Begins!
• Breakfast &
Lunch Take Out
• Outstanding
Deli Subs!
Mon-Fri 8am-6pm
Sat 8am-5pm
Authorized
Dealer
SALES &
SERVICE
QUALITY FOOD WITH A HOME TOUCH!
www.kentbridgecountrymarket.com
Erie—
Never Far Away
Story and photo by Cheryl Smyth, Blenheim
Cheryl and her mom in the mid-80s
on the Lake Erie shore.
check out any havoc foul weather may
have caused.
Once the teen version of myself
emerged—moody like the lake at
times, I didn’t want to be stuck with
my parents. The cherished driver’s
license offered my adolescent spirit the
freedom it craved. I could grab a car
whenever the mood struck—well, when
I was able to wrestle one of my parents’
cars from them, that is. Typically, that
was only when I needed it to go slog
away at corn detassling or other equally
grueling field work. After long, hot
days, however, the obliging vehicle
often steered me to Erieau to hang
out with my fellow crewmates where
we abandoned ourselves in the lake’s
cleansing refreshment.
As a young adult with my own set of
wheels, I often fit in beach time before
my afternoon work shifts. I became
pals with a Floridian transplant. She
was all about the beach, but not about
Smoked pork chops, sausages, deli meats
Wild game processing
~
Gluten, lactose & sugar free products ~
ALL PROCESSING DONE ON-SITE!
DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOUR COOLER!
Hwy. #2/Longwoods Rd.
River Line
Social distancing practiced at our store
according to government guidelines.
Open Tues-Fri 9-5 • Sat 9-3 • Closed Sun/Mon
Northwood
10910 Northwood Line at Mull Rd.
Fairview
Just East of CHATHAM • 519-351-7711
Hwy. #401
CHATHAM
Hwy. #40
Mull Rd.
Mull Rd.
Kent Bridge Rd.
96 Main Street West
Ridgetown • 519-674-0702
getting out of bed in the
mornings to go. The simple
enticement, “Let’s go to the
beach!” got her moving.
Those summer days were
filled with bronzing our
pre-wrinkled bodies and
gawking at brawny guys
playing Frisbee—when they
weren’t gawking back.
Other like-minded
comrades often joined us
when they could. One trip
included an infrequent
friend, who slathered herself
in baby oil and then kept
rolling off the blanket. She
was surprised I wasn’t happy
to allow her sand-plastered
body into my still pristine
vehicle for the ride home.
I lived in London for a number of
years. Though farther from Lake Erie,
I discovered alternate waterfronts at
Ports Stanley and Bruce. By this time, in
my new found passion for photography
and nature, seeking picture possibilities
replaced lazy days of sun worshipping.
I eventually moved back and I
continue to wield my camera on the
shorelines I grew up with. Having
discovered kilometres of hidden
beaches between communities helps
me avoid their summer population
explosions.
McGeachy seems to be an
unfrequented gem. Back in the present,
while I gaze at the spirited waves there,
a couple of geese flying overhead startle
me from my reverie. As they join their
feathered friends on the pond, I move
on leaving my ruminations to be drawn
out to the watery expanse with the next
set of dispelled waves.
WEDDING
T RADITIONS
SHOP
NY
LOCAL
French Bakery - where everything is made from scratch with love...
OPEN FRIDAY EVENINGS & OUR SPECIAL DAYS
Cherryfest
Applefest
July 18 August 22
Everything BBQ Food • Fun Everything
CHERRY! Door Prizes APPLES!!
Served on the Terrace 10am-2pm
14226 TALBOT TRAIL, PALMYRA
519.674.2888
Hwy #3, just 8 km East of Morpeth
OPEN: Wednesday to Saturday 10-3
Friday Night
PIZZA 5-7PM
(Order by Thurs.)
PICK-UP ONLY
Pizza • Panzerotti
Apple Dessert Pizza
Masks & Physical Distancing Please
Updates: www.jojoparadisebnb.com
Around the World
VENEZUELA - It is considered
good luck if the newlyweds can
sneak out of the party undetected.
It’s also good luck for the first guest
that figures out that they’ve
disappeared.
IRELAND - When the bride and
groom are dancing, the bride is
supposed to always keep one foot
on the floor. Folklore says if she
doesn’t, evil fairies will come and
sweep her away.
INDIA - It is common, right before
the wedding, for Indian women to
get together with their closest
friends and sit together while the
bride gets intricately painted with
a henna tattoo.
FRENCH POLYNESIA - After the
wedding, the relatives of the bride
lay side by side, face down on the
ground, while the bride and groom
walk over them.
PERU - The wedding cake is full of
ribbons attached to charms, one
of which is a fake wedding ring.
During the reception, the single
women do a “cake pull,” each
grabbing a ribbon. The single lady
who pulls the fake ring is said to be
the next to get married.
HOME DECOR LADIES WEAR
GIFTS BOOKS BIRD FEEDERS
Enjoy a butter tart,
ice-cream
or chilled cider
on our deck
overlooking our
Perennial Gardens.
DISCOVER RURAL AT CRAZY 8 BARN & GARDEN!
www.crazy8barn.com
MI
ONTARIO
THE BEST BUTTER TARTS!
Page 8
“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag
SUMMER 2020