Family Affair

When I heard the Cameron family reunion was taking place in Gananoque, the epicenter of the world famous "Thousand Islands", my cortex was flooded with fond memories of youth and jubilation. Since the town I grew up in was a big yawn I spent weekends in my early 20's with "Davey" in T.I. We traveled 5 hours away from home most summer weekends to Alex. Bay, New York where we found plenty of mischief harboring untold stories of debauchery. While the physical landscape is unchanged, I am, so my visit was vastly different from the good ol' days. The Thousand Islands are located in the St. Lawrence Seaway dividing the US and Canada east of Lake Ontario. There are 1086 islands within about a 50 mile stretch. Most are privately owned - some large enough to house a small city including a fire department and some too small for nary a tree. I've visited a fair number of places in the world and this stretch of heaven is one of the most spectacular I've seen, especially in autumn when the leaves are changing. Gan is a quaint little tourist town easily explored by mountain bike (lots of off-road trails) but don't miss the boat trip 'round the isles. There are plenty of charming B&Bs to make a holiday on the river unforgettable. I've said for a long time that T.I. is a definite contender for my retirement.

(One of my favorite things in life is bagpipes. I can hear the faintest note in the distance and will bear through almost anything to find and listen to them - poison ivy in every nook and cranny when I was 6).

Gan is not too far outside of Canada's beautiful capitol city, Ottawa. I had never been even though I grew up in the vicinity. These images do not depict how looming the Parliament building truly is. And it's setting against the Rideau backdrop is breathtaking. In winter the canal freezes over and skaters replace boats. This photo shows working mechanical locks that join the canal with the river.


A train trip west connects me to the rest of my family where I got to spend time with the whole brood including my grandparents. While not at all restful it was a relaxing week of much needed family time.