 After stopping in Bath for a quick visit with Bird and Cindy (and finding GR there on his way south),
we continued on to spend our fist night with Jim and Deb. We found them comfortably living in the
basement of their farmhouse.
It was so comfortable there and we were having such a great visit that we were easily talked into spending 2 nights with them. We enjoyed a tour of their property, meeting the "ladies" (their three pet chickens), and even helping a bit with Jim's first few batches of maple syrup. 
We started taking pictures of everyone we visited at Deb and Jim's, the first one being on the property in the middle of the big birch clump. 
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After leaving the Caudill/Bellville's, we crossed the state for a quick visit with the Merica's. Stealing a bit of time
between basketball and soccer, we got in a pretty good visit, and met a couple of boys who've never been to Wart Lake!
And after a short drive to Bellaire, we spent the evening with the Wilks. Strange not being on Wart, but a really nice visit nonetheless.
Then, it was a nice drive up the lakeshore, across the big bridge - and a stop for a visit with the Clymers.
Penny entertained us until Mark came home. A nice dinner and a night in a twin bed later, it was off to da Soo to meet up with the rest of the Wart Lake Regulars.
A great lunch fortified us for the trip
across the river - and on to CANADA, eh?
It was strange at the border not telling the nice Canadian Customs man that we were going to Wart Lake, and after a brief stop to try and visit Chris Nelson - who wasn't home, it was on the road - East!Our first afternoon we made it as far as North Bay, where we spent our first night in a motel. It was almost wierd having dinner with just the two of us, but it was probably stranger to not see any snow this far north at this
time of year. We did pass some frozen lakes, but almost no snow.
Following the Rand McNally, and stopping to ask directions JUST ONCE - we drove
into the Cooper compound near Dacre, Ontario. We just weren't prepared for it - and we also surprised Rudy and Lois! The great little round house that Rudy built was so great.
Part "Algoma" and part art gallery it was a neat place to visit. The shop/studio, with Chris and Laura's apartment overhead housed the electrical system - enough power to run two households
and a pretty complete woodshop would make anyone on Wart Lake jealous.
With an open, gravity feed water system, using the kitchen range waterjacket to heat the hot water tank, propane
fridges and freezer, along with the solar power they are totally self-sufficient. On a small pond that they stock with rainbow trout it just couldn't be a nicer place to live.
And, after a huge spaghetti dinner, were entertained by Rudy and Lois. 
The next morning we snapped another quick picture and hit the road. We were headed for Toronto. Stopping for lunch, we made a quick call to David McEown to let him know that we were headed his way. With some good directions, we drove right to his house. Another bout of looking through what seemed to be 
dozens of paintings, and a nice dinner in a really nice restaurant made it a great visit. Barb seemed to enjoy the "shopping". The painting
on the right - Renewal, especially caught her eye. I'll need a few more "web site" credits and maybe she'll get it.
It seems amazing that the part of Canada that we know and enjoy so much played such a huge role in defining a significant part of Canadian art.
Leaving there, we headed east towards Detroit and home. Amazing as it was, we left Toronto in freezing rain - just a day ahead of a snowstorm. This whole trip was taken because there wasn't enough snow to go to camp, and now we were running to beat the snow! One more night on the road (in Dayton, OH) and we arrived home to find the grass too long and the trees budding out. We had such a great trip, and enjoyed visiting so many people, that it was really hard to miss the Wart Lake trip. And yet...I still feel a calling.  October Morning, Wartz Lake A.Y. Jackson, 1920 |
