Since I became unemployed at the beginning of June, I have been looking for ways to maintain my momentum and routine while deciding what to do next in terms of employment. One of the things which I have been doing is helping out at Java Jive, the local coffee shop, in various ways, such as setting up the patio first thing in the morning and publishing a newsletter for them.
When I was there recently, I was introduced to Bob, a wonderful, kind, and jovial guy, who is the innkeeper of a beautiful B&B, called the Wild Swan, located in the small town ofMinden, Ontario. Eugene had been there for a couple of days several weeks ago and just raved about it upon his return. Bob became aware of my employment plight and asked if I would be interested in helping him with a small painting project at his B&B. The opportunity to get out of the city for a couple of days was most tempting, so without hesitation I said yes.
At 9 am on the morning of Wednesday, June 10, I arrived at Java Jive to catch my ride to Minden. A few minutes later, Bob arrived in his white van with the Wild Swan logo. A few minutes after that, we were on our way.
Along the way, I informed Bob that we needed to make a short pit stop at Hartley Woods, where my friends Marcel and Helen live. Helen had been in touch with me a few days before to explain that she was having some serious email issues. Since I knew that the route we would be driving would take us in proximity to Hartley Woods, I thought that I would take advantage of the opportunity to visit her and see what I could do. For Bob, it wasn't a problem at all.
Once we arrived, I introduced Bob to Helen. While they chatted, I set to work and tried to resolve Helen’s email issues. I had to race against the clock because Bob had to be back in Minden before noon to meet with a local artist, Robert Alt. Because of this, I was only able to solve part of the problem. But before leaving I assured her that I would drop in on my way back to Toronto to complete what I had started.
Minutes before noon, we arrived at his B&B, the Wild Swan, which Bob has owned and operated since 2004. This beautiful house, originally built in 1905, has a rich history. Part of that history includes its celebrity connections. The room in which I stayed, called the Riverview so named because it overlooks the Gull River which winds its way through the heart of Minden, was graced by the presence of Angeline Jolie in 2005.
Soon after arriving, I was itching to experiment with the Jelly Lens, which Blair had picked up for me while he was in France. So with iPhone and Jelly lens in hand, I ventured outside to see what I could record. Some results of this experiment appear in a couple of images below. Additional Jelly lens photos can be found on my Flickr site.
While I was expecting to do work on Wednesday, such was not the case. The day turned out to be a day of leisure. That afternoon Bob and I visited his old farmstead, which has been in his family since the days of his great great grandparents. Here he introduced me to his cousin, George, a retired high school math teacher with a passion for birds and the local wildlife in general, who now resides on that property. The outside of his house was adorned with birdfeeders which attracts all sorts of birds, including hummingbirds and blue jays. The grounds were populated by cameras enclosed in special boxes which monitored and recorded the local wildlife. While I was there, George turned on one of the cameras from his computer station to reveal a family of red squirrels, a mother and four of her offspring vying for a teat.
Later, Bob took me on a small tour of the farmstead. As we walked around, we realised how prolific and ferocious the mosquitoes and deer flies were. In spite of these annoyances, I managed to get some great photos of an ancient GMC truck which has been rusting away on the property for many years. A couple of images of this truck appear below.
After the small tour, we sat down with George for a while, drank some tea and chatted a bit. Finally, it was time to go. We said our goodbyes and then drove back to the B&B.
Almost as soon as we had arrived back at the B&B, Bob's friend, Sally, called him to find out if he wanted to play cards that night. He asked me if I wanted to come along, but initially I said no. All the fresh air and exercise had made me a bit tired. I really wasn't inclined to venture anywhere else that day.
Early that evening Bob prepared a simple and delicious dinner for us from the fabulous Wild Swan kitchen. It consisted of ribs, potatoes and mixed vegetables. After dinner we simply relaxed and watched a bit of TV.
Around mid evening Sally called back to see if we were still interested in dropping by. Bob asked me again. I reluctantly agreed.
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When we got back to the B&B, we watched the last half of CSI New York. By 11pm, the day finally caught up to me and I went upstairs to my room. Within minutes of climbing into the big comfy bed, I drifted off into a very sound sleep.
Next morning I awoke around 5 am to the first light of dawn. From my bed and through the large windows, I could see a thick veil of mist shrouding the landscape. The farthest I could see were the silhouettes of the two tall cedar trees which stood like sentinels on either side of the walkway leading to the house. It was an eerily beautiful scene.
At about 9 am that morning I set to work on getting the porch ready for painting. First, Rob and I removed all the furniture and plants from the porch and placed them on the lawn. Next, I used the orbital sander to smooth out the rough spots and then we applied primer to those areas. Finally, Rob and I painted the edges around the porch and then I used the roller to complete the painting job. That evening, with the paint now completely dry, we put all the furniture and plants back on the porch.
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