Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent and I had a short back yard chat with the Gallys when we stopped by to exchange outdoor gear and gawk at their 800 lb gazebo that flew into their neighbour's yard in last week's storm. Yikes!

Then we continued to Collingwood Harbour for a protected Georgian Bay paddle. 'Bent loves boats so we checked out a couple of yacht clubs.







Things are not looking good for the Hen and Chicken Trail, which I ran with Coach LD a couple of winters ago. There were some puddles to hop in the past. Now it's a paddling route. (The trail used to connect to that bridge.)

'Bent and I went exploring to see whether we could find a good way into Pretty River Valley Provincial Park from the northeast corner of the park. It is possible to follow Side Road 6 up the escarpment but the road passes through a yucky pond. (Thank you, Mr. Beaver.) A local Hummer tour company takes tourists down the road and through the pond.

We did find dry-footed routes around each side of the pond although they involved some bushwhacking, likely some trespassing and a big dose of poison ivy at the end. Nope.

'Bent and I haven't been out paddling this year so we took AdventureDog and a picnic lunch out to the Beaver River. We paddled upstream from Heathcote then turned around. There was one large group but otherwise we didn't see many other paddlers. It was peaceful, beautiful and *different* - which is a big deal these days. We're pretty sure we saw a bald eagle. We also had a great close-up view of an oriole and a bunch of red-winged blackbirds. I'm not sure who was smiling more about being back on the water: 'Bent or AdventureDog.

Later in the day, we dropped off a few things for the Millers. Because of our "no locals" rule this weekend, we just had a short back yard chat. We met wee Heath Miller in person, which was pretty awesome. (Photos are blown up. Sadly, we weren't that close.)





Then we took the pooches for a walk around Thornbury Harbour.





And we got educated.



Then we got takeout from our favourite restaurant up here, Crow Bar. They haven't forgotten how to cook. I hope they can hang in there. They have a small, crowded space with regular live music - not the best thing for the next couple of years, unfortunately.

After 3 months of sticking around home, 'Bent and I made the trip to Tree Hugger ABC in Collingwood today. Mr. Gally has been checking on the condo for us but I expected we'd find some expired food in the fridge and musty laundry in the hamper. When we left after a great ski weekend on March 15, we had no idea that we would be gone until summer. Things actually weren't too bad.

We were so appreciative just to see new views on our drive. The little things have come to mean more - one of the few positive sides of the pandemic.

However, the Town of Collingwood is still asking people not to make day trips or visit their second homes up here. We've stayed away when most people haven't. There are no known active cases here so I understand their concerns about out-of-towners.

Our compromise for this weekend is that we will avoid interacting with locals. We bought gas before we left. We don't plan to go into shops or sit on the newly opened restaurant patios. We turned down invitations to hike with friends or meet them for back yard drinks. But it occurred to me that the Tarnos are *not* locals, even though we see them up here. Their Covid risk is probably similar to ours. So we arranged to meet them for distanced BYO drinks on their deck around sunset. It was my first in-person social get-together with friends since the shutdown. It was really chilly but it was so nice to have a conversation without a computer screen in the middle. As Ontario's case numbers go down, I look forward to more of those.

Zoom Boot Camp led by Mrs. Gally with Browner and a couple of Mrs. G's other friends. Sweat fest on a hot day, even in the basement! Mrs. G. now has Zoom Pro so she can keep the class going for as long as she wants. Nice to see friendly faces.

So I said, “You’ll have to keep them leashed in the yard in the mornings until the skunk moves out.”

“Nah, they’ve learned their lesson,” he said.



What a sad-looking AdventureDog. :(

Today I was Patient #1 at the Elm Tree Dental Clinic after their 3-month closure: the guinea pig. It is definitely not business as usual. They are purposely limiting the number of appointments (only 3 patients today), and there are many new and enhanced protocols in place to keep patients and staff safe.

This is the new entrance to the clinic with Covid screening being done in the old garage to reduce the risk of an infected person entering the clinic. I'm guessing people kept their horses in here when this building was a hotel back in the late 1800s. Who could have imagined this?



Physical distancing requires space, and outdoor settings are safer than indoor ones. This is the clinic's new back yard gazebo, which will soon have tent walls with bug netting covered by a rainproof layer. There are lots of possible uses for an outdoor room during a pandemic. (Sadly, they won't be able to sit together around that table for lunch anymore.)



The guidelines allow Ontario dentists to use their judgement about which treatments are appropriate for which patients at this stage of the pandemic. Each office will reflect different decisions on that. 'Bent plans to take things slowly and not worry about making it financially viable for a while. Vulnerable people are still supposed to stay home so they should only get dental work if they have an emergency. Some treatments are riskier (mostly to the health care provider) than others so they may not be offered in the short term.



In spite of the weirdness of the new normal, 'Bent looked visibly relieved to be back in his comfort zone - fixing teeth instead of applying for government wage subsidies or trying to source N95 masks. I'm happy for him and for his staff, who have been working hard to get ready.



Sadly, the clinic's two canine employees are still on long term leave while the pandemic continues, and they were *seriously* miffed to be left at home!