I've been going to Becker's Berry Patch every summer for the past 10 years or so. The season lasts for only 3-4 weeks so I try and get a couple of visits in. This year due to a really cool summer and lots of rain, the strawberries were the best ever - deep red, big, fat and juicy!!
And this year was special as I had my own personal berry picker with me:
We met Norma, she used to work at Callander Public Library and is now working at the North Bay Library. Look at all the strawberries she picked!
It wasn't long before we were ready to board the truck and head back home:
A good morning's work Liam! And here's your reward: a yummy strawberry milkshake:
And seeing as we're on the topic of fruit…… because it's the way my mind works…..
later on that week, I headed out on one of my favourite local walks:
The Cranberry Trail, very conveniently located in Callander.
But first, a little preparation…….
My bear bells ! I carry these whenever I go for a walk along the trail, just in case I meet up with these guys:
And no, I'm not exaggerating at all. I've seen black bears and cubs not far from here. I have a healthy respect for Mother Nature and, after all, they were here first and this is their home.
So, prepared with my bells and also with my friend, Liane:
We met when I worked in Labour and Delivery at St. Joseph's Hospital in North Bay. She oriented me to the unit and was great to work with. We also had lots of laughs and got into trouble together! Two summers ago we did a road trip to Quebec and had a really good time. This summer we may just head to Wakefield in Quebec again. She loves to walk too.
And it's always good to have someone with you….. just in case the bear bells don't work!
Two screams are louder than one!!
The trail is really well planned out with rest areas and information boards about the local flora and fauna:
The trillium flower is Ontario's floral emblem and grows wild in forests across North America. It can take a trillium plant up to 11 years to produce it's first flower. Although it's not against the law to pick a blooming trillium, it's a practice that is frowned upon.
See, I wasn't kidding about the bears! These are (supposedly) bear- proof garbage cans.
Lots of wild flowers
One thing I should also mention, we forgot to do this at the beginning of our walk:
Spray ourselves with fly dope and yes, they are my legs:-)
Pretty soon we were doing the happy dance:
The blackflies and mosquitoes were driving us crazy! It was a VERY hot day and just perfect for the
little buggers to swarm around us.
The mosquitoes one learns to live with but the black flies are another story, the Canadians even have songs about them:
They bite before you even know they've landed on you! They are a considerable problem on the Canadian Shield, especially near rivers and streams. That's where black fly larvae find the running water necessary to complete their life cycle and become adults. In some areas, livestock, like cattle, have died from swarms of black flies. To the human population, the black fly bite can be painful, itchy, can cause numbness but can also theoretically transmit blood borne pathogens.
This is a black fly bite I got on my arm when gardening a few weeks ago
And the same bite two days later! Ahhhhhh…..
But never fear, self-treatment with massive doses of Vit. C did the trick and there was no need for antibiotics. Which was just as well, as, even worse than the black flies are these:
And I got bitten twice!! The Cranberry Trail was swarming with horseflies!
These really are painful and the bites take even longer to heal, often causing a massive cellulitis and even warranting IV antibiotics at times.
Which is the reason why, in Canada, any window that opens, has a very fine mesh fly screen to keep all these little pests out!
But, undeterred, we continued:
And this was our reward at the end of the trail:
And a very lucky person's private island getaway:
And, on the way home:
The cranberry bog!
This is what it will look like in the fall:
And yes, anyone can pick them, as long as you have a pair of hip waders!
The viewing platform overlooking the cranberry bogs.
Great walk, pesky bugs and we'll do it again in the fall when it's cooler and fewer bugs around!
Meanwhile, what have I been reading?
I actually met Giles Blunt in North Bay when he was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. He was born and bred in North Bay, lived in New York and is now back in Toronto. He writes crime/detective genre books and what I like about them is that he uses North Bay as a background for his stories. He calls his city, Algonquin Bay. I try and guess the places he's writing about. Not bad for a quick and easy read!
Another murder mystery, this time by a British author. An easy summertime read.
The true story of a Canadian woman who gets captured and held for ransom along with a male friend
in Somalia for over a year. I read this because it was recommended by a friend but also because Amanda Lindhout is from Alberta and the places she grew up in are familiar to me.
An interesting read. I must admit it was compelling reading but…… something just didn't quite ring true. The book was extremely well written - Sara Corbett-the co author, writes for the New York Times Magazine but…. I'll let you judge for yourselves!
And….. what have I been watching on the big screen? Well, we can't be cerebral all the time:
Great movie…. funny, light hearted and worth seeing! I just have one comment:
Talk soon
Zoe
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