By Boat to Christian Island

On our 50 minute trip (+/-) we encounter a Sailing Regatta.

Our Captain and His First Mate.

Due to their close relationship they have things well under control.

Sometimes it may happen that personal relations 

are more important than steering the boat.

Collingwood

is a town of about 20,000 inhabitants. Summer and Winter there are another 10,000 tourists. so this makes it a busy little community. In times gone by it was also an important transit harbour....
Collingwood lies on Georgian Bay, which forms part of Lake Huron, which, with its almost 60,000 sq.km. forms the second largest of the 5 Great Lakes of North America.
The following pictures are by no means a good study of this town, just a few snapshots taken during a stroll through the Saturday Country Market.

Surrounding farmers display and sell their produce

each Saturday during the morning hours.

All food items are guaranteed to have been locally grown.

Doreen and Andy examining some local "Maple Syrup"

On four strategic locations the town placed a piano each

and invites anybody to demonstrate their skill.

And now for the drone

It is an old saying that:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND BOYS
IS THE PRICE OF THEIR TOYS !

And here is Andy's latest toy:

Not only can "the Wizard of Oz" direct the flight of the drone

with a joystick, but he can also manipulate the camera attached

"The Wizard" at the controls. 

Flying High

and higher

until you almost loose sight of the darn thing.

and with the skill of the wizard

the drone is brought back to a soft landing.

Come to think of it: 

I should not have called him 'the Wizard of Oz'

because his magic was built on fraud.

Andy's magic is built on science and reality.

The Boat

I  have never yet been on my annual visit to Toronto, that I did not visit my old, young friend Andy.
The friendship is old and relaxed, although at 70, Andy is 15 years younger than I am. Doreen is just a lovely young chick. But I feel comfortable in their home and their company.
Yesterday we went to the harbor where Andy's boat is at anchor to remove the covers, since today we shall embark upon an excursion to 'Christian Island'.
After dinner, Andy showed me and demonstrated the prowess of his latest acquisition. A drone.

A small part of the back patio. 

Maybe I shall show you the rest of it 

and the rest of their house tomorrow.

Andy at the marina's gate to his boat.

The Boat !

At Andy's and Doreen's place !

I  have never yet been on my annual visit to Toronto, that I did not visit my old, young friend Andy.
The friendship is old and relaxed, although at 70, Andy is 15 years younger than I am. Doreen is just a lovely young chick. But I feel comfortable in their home and their company.
Yesterday we went to the harbor where Andy's boat is at anchor to remove the covers, since today we shall embark upon an excursion to 'Christian Island'.
After dinner, Andy showed me and demonstrated the prowess of his latest acquisition. A drone.

A small part of the back patio. 

Maybe I shall show you the rest of it 

and the rest of their house tomorrow.

Andy at the marina's gate to his boat.

The Boat !

Back to A.P.

When one re-examines the whole crop of pictures taken, there is always one or the other, which probably should have been posted.
Here are some of them which may, or may not, find your liking.

"A Bridge Too Far"

This bridge connects the main area to some of the cottages.

(It only looks rickety.. it's actually quite sturdy.)

and it isn't "too far"

These "Day Lillies" grow in abundance 

and reflect beautifully in the water, 

when close to the shore line.

For about one half hour it poured in buckets.

After the rain,  blue sky re-appeared .

Some of the Best from the Algonquin Series:

It's always the same: I venture forth into the world in various places and photograph what I see and what interests me. Then I come home and watch this day's crop on the larger screen of my lap top.
And there always is this "this is the best" feeling. But I am never ever certain about the ultimate 'Best'.
So get these and make up your own mind:

I love the absolute random arrangement of the Lillie-Pads, 

which (what a contradiction in terms) form a beautiful order in Nature.

Day-Lillies do not grow under water,

but their imprecise reflection could be the inspiration 

of a modern painting. 

(Not of the phony kind)

As usual, my ignorance of the plant life is abysmal.

I think, however, that the white little balls on the left, 

may form into the fluffy stuff.

Why do I like this rather mundane picture ?

Just some "Muskoka Chairs" and overturned canoes.

I love it for two reasons:

1.) The typical random, orderless appearance and

2.) The three dimensional depth. One can almost walk into this image.

It rained a little during the night at 'Little Joe Lake'

or is this just heavy dew clinging to the fishing rods, carelessly left out overnight ?

The Russians are coming, The Russians are coming:

Many years ago, this was a very funny movie. I could no longer explain the plot to you. I only remember that it was funny.
Well, I don"t know what the Russians are up to now.
I get almost one hundred hits a day from there. I cannot believe that there are that many Russians interested in Algonquin Park, specifically  my Sandhill Cranes or the frog on a Lillie-pad.
It must be "the Frog" ..  it is, after all, an amphibian, can hop around on land, is an excellent swimmer and can hold his breath for an awful long time...  maybe Mr.Putin is after my frog .. one never knows with this man.
Maybe he wants to learn how to hold his breath until Mr. Trump is finally eliminated from the Presidency of the U.S.A. But then, Mr. Putin does not like Hillary either, since she spoke of him in not very complimentary terms. So what is a man in Moscow to do ? Maybe he wants to hide under a Lillie-pad, until the whole thing blows over. He is, however, not a man who would hide under a Lillie pad.
I fear Mr. Putin is up to no good...  100 hits a day... on MY BLOG...?
Okay, Vladimir, here is a Bronx Cheer for you.

from
Bertstravel

and then again: a not-so-rare sighting

If the Sandhill Crane is a rare sighting, the pictures below show you a Not-So-Rare-Sighting:

On the pad of a Pond Lily, a Frog catches some rays.

A truly rare sighting in A.P.

We were on our way back. This time with the current and, although the wind had shifted and again blew into our faces, it was now a mild breeze and paddling was now a true pleasure.
Passing one of the few places where you might land, leave the canoe and stretch your legs a bit, I saw a flash of light brown in the underbrush. We stopped and I noted a red splotch on a long light brown neck.
There they were:
Three Sandhill Cranes:
In all my many many visits to this paradise of  nature I had never seen Sandhills.
But there they were. Leisurely stepping from one bush to the next, then out in the open, constantly foraging:
Have a look:

For spotting this bird, John gave me the title of 'Eagle Eye'

An Adult Pair and a Juvenile

Waterlilies, and more waterlilies.

John and I had taken the water taxi the whole length of Lake Opeongo. There we had to lift our canoe over a beaver dam and then we paddled up river all along the "Hailstorm Creek Marsh".
The wind and the slight current were against us, so for a while it was hard work. But is was surely worth while. We paddled through huge expanses of Water Lilies ... never before have I seen that many of these beautiful water flowers in one place. My camera  got a good work out in long shots and close-up work.

From the narrow open water channel, right to the distant shore

water lilies, almost as far as the eye can reach.

a little rain in the very early morning.

raindrops still sitting on the leaves