After Door County and the last blog, our August started off with Denise and Jason’s wedding.   It was a small affair which allowed everyone there to connect.  Denise was a beautiful bride and the ceremony was touching, officiated by Jason’s sister.  A good time was had by all.

The weekend after their wedding was Irishfest in Milwaukee.  Always a staple of our summer, we had a fun 3 days.  Jeff and Donna joined us, and also Jeff VW.   In addition we had a chance to spend some time with treasured old friends Judy and Pres, Allan, Noel and JoAnn, and Mary and John.   Jeff and Donna stay at the same hotel as us so we spent our festival hours together and included some meals downtown.   We heard a lot of great music and tasted a bunch of food and beer.  The Sunday mass is still not as well attended as it was pre-covid but it was an inspiring start to the festivals last day.  The final show on Sunday is called the Scattering, with most of the musicians still in the park taking the stage and giving us a great jam session.   It made us want to stay until the very last moment.

On Monday after breakfast we headed back to Oshkosh to unpack and pack.   On Wednesday we left on a trip to Canada.   We had last crossed the border in 2019 and it was time to head North again,,,.  Well, a lot East too.     Things have changed now so we had to create an ArriveCan account on line and download our passport and vaccination material.   And then within 72 hours of crossing you need to log back in and give a day and approximate time.   It worked will and crossing the border was a couple of questions and on our way into town.  We crossed the bridge at Sault Ste Marie and stayed overnight there.   Then the next rainy day we headed out for less than a 6 hour drive to Tamagami Ontario.  It was great to see Ron and Verna again.  They treated us well and overfed us.    But how can we complain about Verna’s cooking and homemade poutine.  And breakfasts and pork chops, and wild blueberry pie.    While there we also spent some hours with Bob and Sandi, other Florida friends from Canada.  We had a wonderful afternoon sharing the lake view and some cocktails!

On Monday we headed to Paris, but didn’t have to leave Canada.   West of Toronto and about the right amount of hours in the car, it is a quant little town and we had boutique hotel called the Arlington.  https://www.arlingtonhotel.ca/   We stayed in the Sigmund Freud room, because I am so brainy.   There was a nice pub across the street for dinner and that evening and the next morning we had some walking in the downtown, and spent some American dollars.  Then on Tuesday it was off to Chatham Ontario.  We checked into another fun boutique hotel, the Retro.  Again a large room and the whole hotel was interestingly decorated.  https://www.retrosuites.com/  

Once we checked in we were joined by another Florida/Canada connection, Joy and Paul.  They gave us much more than we were expecting as they took us on a tour of the area including a brewery lunch on Lake Erie, another brewery, and dinner.   A fun day, and some beer to bring home!   The next day after checking out we went to Joy and Paul’s to also see Joy’s parents Wayne and Elaine (with a bonus  of Joy and Paul’s daughter Jocelyn and her new daughter).   Wayne and Elaine were owners in Snug Harbor before my Uncle Clyde and were good friends to him and Milly and to us.  So it was great to see them again as Covid has kept them home.

After that it was on to Sterling Heights Michigan.   Another easy border crossing made it a simple day.  Then time with MJ and John.  Of course, some more eating and drinking is involved.   Then we will be back off to Oshkosh.   We have noticed the colors in the trees starting to change and some days a touch of fall is  in the air.   Summer is winding down, it has gone so quickly.  But we still have September in Wisconsin.   And to start October a trip to Washington Island, a celebration of Janet and Steve’s 50^th anniversary and my cousin Diane’s wedding!  So there’s lots to do yet, as well as planning our trip south.  We hope you are enjoying your days.