The Bolls in Algonquin

This weekend, Bolls drove from Texas, Washington and Montreal to spend a weekend together in Algonquin Park. Our weekend started with an early morning departure from the Park to meet Steve and Pei Chin on the U.S. side of the border. Driving through the Park at 6:30 a.m., we enjoyed scenery like this all along the way.

A Real Texas smoker!

An exciting part of the weekend was the arrival and subsequent baptism of my birthday present from Steve and Pei Chin - a Brinkmann Smoker –driven all the way from Texas. I could hardly wait to get it unpacked and smoking and so once it was installed, I loaded it up with 6 racks of Pork Ribs. Mmmm, mmmmm good!!!

7 Bolls in a boat

Meanwhile, there were many activities to be packed into the weekend, starting off with a morning boat ride to get to a hearty breakfast for all at Canoe Lake.

Things to do, places to see

The weather co-operated on Saturday and was perfect for fishing and canoe rides. It's a good thing somebody got some exercise, because we also spent a fair amount of time doing something else we all love - eating! There were the ribs, a 4 lb. smoked meat brisket from Schwarz’s in Montreal, two fabulous rhubarb pies provided by Marilyn Smith at Bartlett’s, 3 barbecued chickens, various cookies, crackers, chips and salsa, and big breakfasts at Canoe lake!

Tourists

The Brothers Boll took every opportunity to document the weekend, while Ian was less impressed with the scenery. Between the three families, there are many, many pictures of the weekend!

Busy Kids

Ian caught many fish, including one not seen here, but big enough for his breakfast on
Sunday morning. Leah went solo in the kayak and became an expert on the boat knot.

Margaritaville

For the grown ups there were margaritas on the Poop Deck, and time spent sharing family photos, chatting and relaxing together.

Family Singalong

And another great cottage pastime – the family sing along. Steve brought his mandolin and so we gathered round to listen to some pickin’ and to sing a few songs together.

Grosbeaks at mainland

These two grosbeaks were flying around the parking lot. I've seen lots of them around in the winter, but seldom in the summer. I love the bright yellow of the male.
If you want to see more pictures from the weekend, click here. for the full gallery.

Fall Colors in Spring

There is a period in the beginning of the spring when leaves of gold, red, orange and yellow begin to emerge on the trees along with the bright new green. It looks like a soft version of fall and it only lasts for a few weeks. Carolyn took this picture as we were driving through the Park near Tea Lake.

Moose spotting

We had to go to Huntsville to get a part for our gas line and on the drive to and from Hunstville, we saw 9 moose (accompanied by many admirers) along the side of the road. We saw two more on the way out for a weekend total of 11!

In the hand of a giant

On Sunday it was quite breezy and so we decided the Beaver Dam trail would probably be fairly free of blackflies. Along our walk we found this “mini cave” that Carolyn obligingly posed in. I think she looks like she is being held in a giant’s hand.

People of the world

This is a picture of the guest book on the Beaver Dam trail. We were impressed by how many countries were represented on this one page that covered two weeks. Visitors signed in from Arizona, Malta, Austria, Germany, Poland and Holland.

A little on the chilly side

The weather might be described as “variable” this weekend, with hot sun on Saturday, cold and wind on Sunday, and a sunny, warm Monday morning followed by a chilly grey afternoon. I seized the opportunity on Saturday to go for a dip. The water was a cool 58 degrees – not particularly comfortable, but bearable.