Bracebridge Week 1 July 23, 2010 The first of two wonderful summer weeks at the cottage in Bracebridge. View fullsize We were alone at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. View fullsize And our captain took a rather creative flight path to Toronto. View fullsize Opening an assortment of souvenirs, from both Eastern Europe and the Far East. View fullsize He's at the cottage! View fullsize Enjoying the fresh morning lake... for the first time in at least 3 years. View fullsize The cottage, in all its summer glory (but before its new paint job). View fullsize Back in town, the gorgeous view from Chris's balcony. View fullsize She has a clear shot of the lush public park across the river. View fullsize And many beautiful pots of plants. View fullsize Colby doesn't look too pleased to have been dognapped by Aunt Naomi. View fullsize She did give me kisses though! Until she realized who I really was. View fullsize A shot with Granny, where Chris's love seat used to be. View fullsize "Help! Get me down from here!" View fullsize Relaxing on the deck... but not too close to the wasps' nest. View fullsize "Mika, would you put that camera away already?" View fullsize And that's about as deep as he'd go into the lake. View fullsize Laughing at the souvenirs from Thailand. View fullsize Gorilla Cheese! View fullsize Colby's more attuned to the goings-on at the table than is Chris. View fullsize Granny's prehistoric camera that we found behind the TV. View fullsize Mum's enjoying the view from the deck, too. View fullsize Looking through all the photos from Beijing. [See 'Beijing 1 Day'] View fullsize Totally and completely pooped. View fullsize Loons! In fact, the only loon siting of the summer. View fullsize Having a relaxing nap on the deck. Think of the splinters as therapeutic acupuncture. View fullsize Delicious Dinner Dumplings. View fullsize And colorful salads to boot. View fullsize Off to afternoon tea! View fullsize On the left, we have the cover of The Economist for the week of July 10th - 16th 2010. On the right, we have a drawing that I did in Summer 2001. I daresay something fishy's going on. View fullsize A beautiful, misty morning down on McKay Lake. View fullsize The sun was out, and the mist was blowing across the glassy still water. View fullsize The lake's as reflective as a mirror. View fullsize Clouds in the lake. View fullsize Tall trees stand guard around the cottage. View fullsize We knocked, but no one was home. View fullsize One of Granny's beautiful day lilies -- that had to be cut and brought inside after it was tromped on by the painters. View fullsize Another arrangement Granny made with flowers cut from her garden. View fullsize Morning dew on a lily whose day has yet to come. View fullsize Aha! Found the missing resident from 5 photos ago. Out for a morning stroll. View fullsize More picture-perfect dew balls. View fullsize Annual lunch at Huntsville's famous fish-and-chips joint. View fullsize Apparently the local Red Hat Society enjoys the same tastes in fine dining. View fullsize Granny's gonna eat all this! View fullsize For us, the vegetarian version of fish & chips -- scrambled eggs and homefries! View fullsize Like a kid in a quaint 50s candy shop. View fullsize Three generations of smiles. Ice cream is ageless. View fullsize Some Greedy Gus just couldn't make up his mind! View fullsize Granny's serpent-like detachable jaw busts out when a cone is in sight. View fullsize The Asians, relaxing in downtown Huntsville. View fullsize Suavely posing with their gins and tonic. View fullsize Who's gonna push whom into the water first? View fullsize Perfect pillow clouds make a picturesque afternoon over the lake. View fullsize Posing in our matching water shoes. Before you think it's cute -- 3 other cottage residents bought pairs, too. View fullsize Action shot of the delectable French Toast dinner. View fullsize Colby wants to take part in the breakfast-for-dinner action, too. View fullsize Gravenhurst's lakeside farmer's market is just as picturesque as any place in Muskoka. View fullsize Fresh Ontario strawberries match the growers' corporate t-shirts. View fullsize Beautiful local blue berries -- perfect for pies and pancakes. View fullsize Green and yellow beans -- to be used in Authentic Thai Cuisine (TM) later in the week. View fullsize Part of the famers' market gang. Colby enjoyed it as much as anyone. View fullsize Colorful zucchini make a fun seasonal photo. View fullsize The ice cream gang reunites, this time enjoying ice cream made with local Muskoka flavors. View fullsize Colby's got a bout of the afternoon sleepies. View fullsize Choosing the windiest afternoon posible to take a paddle to the (other) Tomczak's cottage. View fullsize Taking a brief break after battling across one particularly windy stretch. View fullsize Peace, dude. We finally made it! (Why is their cottage at the furthest possible point from Granny's cottage?) View fullsize The brothers relax with a cola and matching leg positions. View fullsize Someone's getting tall! (And I don't mean me.) View fullsize Blue skies, blue waters and a big red canoe. View fullsize Dinner at a restaurant fit for the king on Chris's beautiful balcony. View fullsize Quite literally taking Colby for a walk, after she refused to walk down the slope herself. View fullsize The sun sets over Bracebridge's famous falls. View fullsize She's happy now that she's on flat ground (and in the hands of someone other than Mika)! View fullsize The moon is out, but the sun's not quitting yet. View fullsize Ain't much water coming over the falls this year... because it's all in McKay Lake! View fullsize Fresh bread glows in the early morning sunlight. View fullsize Suddenly transported to Grandpa's veranda! View fullsize The flowers and I intentionally coordinated our outfits. View fullsize Grandpa has a laugh at the creature from Thailand who came to visit. View fullsize Henry swung by, too. Everyone likes a sunny morning on Grandpa's front porch. View fullsize What a happy family. 3 generations and 235 years of life represented in this photo. View fullsize The Asians frame Grandpa's doorway nicely. View fullsize How come his son's head looks so much larger? View fullsize Next stop: a visit to 765 to see how the renovations are progressing. View fullsize The contractor's pup was extremely personable. View fullsize Quite novel to see the 3-D plans for the room in which you're standing! View fullsize The house has seen better days -- but it won't be recognizable come December! View fullsize Forget renovation decisions. Playing with dogs is more my speed. View fullsize Tandoori cheese at a delicious Indian lunch. View fullsize I could tell it would be delicious, even before biting in. View fullsize Lots of boats on The Lake, as we take an afternoon stroll along the lakeshore. View fullsize No shortage of seagulls in this city. View fullsize Sunbathers came out to the closest thing there is to a beach on this warm afternoon. View fullsize Lake Ontario: where the shore is straight, but the water is slanted. View fullsize The easy way to combat poison ivy. View fullsize Picturesque Grenadier Pond, even on an overcast day. View fullsize A ducky friend and his 2-D twin. View fullsize Get it? View fullsize These two picked a real romantic getaway. Enough goose poop for a whole honeymoon. View fullsize Posing with the famous maple leaf. View fullsize Spot the foreign species! View fullsize A bug local to High Park. View fullsize Stopping mid-stroll for some giant cones at The Grenadier's ice cream hut. View fullsize A black squirrel enjoys his pick of the litter. View fullsize The playground to which Grandpa used to take me. The swings have been there for generations. View fullsize A late afternoon visit with Grandma in her beautiful condo. View fullsize "Who are you?" View fullsize The Thai water buffalo makes friends with the Swedish horse. View fullsize Showing off her very long, very scenic balcony. View fullsize It's a balcony to be proud of! View fullsize Houses down below actually belong to the condo complex. View fullsize One of the many, many, many vanity plates we saw during our two weeks. This one is seasonal. View fullsize Quick dinner at Harvey's, with its ever-lasting veggie burgers. View fullsize Back in Bracebridge, Granny gives us a tour of her new home at The Villa. View fullsize A beautiful floral arrangement distinguishes her door from the rest. View fullsize Her spacious bedroom and kitchenette. View fullsize No shortage of plants or natural light. View fullsize A restaurant-like dining room that feels really homey and comfortable. View fullsize A mindbending return to Scrabble. View fullsize Here comes the Authentic Thai Cuisine (TM)! View fullsize The makings for the stir friend basil dish. View fullsize Mmm, stir fried (farmers market) green beans in a red curry paste. We haven't cooked in so many years! View fullsize "Chicken" pad grapow -- literally stir-fried basil. View fullsize And creamy green curry. View fullsize Unsuspecting diners are still happy before their meal. View fullsize Granny seems to like it! It's nothing like what they serve at The Villa, she says. Wonder why.
![Looking through all the photos from Beijing. [See 'Beijing 1 Day']](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57a5b670e6f2e1f140d28fbd/1481780509182-NW9E8T0LV39FDATYL9S3/22.jpg)
