Calabogie Nights (on a Saturday afternoon)

But first, a couple of small outdoor projects.

To begin, Christine has recreated Stonehenge at Crow Lake.

It's not QUITE as spectacular, but it's a bit more practical.  The concrete slab comes from the area under the dock and the logs are from the dead trees that were cut down when we bought the place (just over two years ago now.  Wow).  They're too big to burn as is, and it would have been a monstrous job to cut them, so here, prop up some concrete for a while.

Smaller version around front (actually, Christine considers THAT one to be Stonehenge, I include the larger "table" without approval).

As the wood pile diminishes, we swipe an idea from the cottage area that we visited near North Bay between 2009 and 2012.

Get it?!  Flower bed!

The headboard was left behind by the previous owners.  It belonged to the bed in the guest bedroom, which was replaced early own during our ownership (the bed, not the room).  We kept the headboard (is that the right term?  It's not a board...) and I believe that even at the time the plan was to use it in this way, so we're now following through.  The stack of boards along the front are leftovers from the picnic table, and the short logs attached to them were from the burn pile, each split in two by my pappy.

And speaking of my dad...

He's been racing for years, and I'd never gone to watch him.  He was doing so again so in relatively-close Calabogie on a Saturday last month, so Christine and I planned to go, spend the afternoon out there, and head back to the cottage for the night.

Calabogie Motorsports Park is a little chaotic when you don't know your way around, but it doesn't take long to figure things out.  Armed with crew credentials (which tickles me, being that I don't even drive), we got to watch qualifying from just behind the wall around the track, but found higher ground for the race itself.

Christine is all business back there.

Offices, merchandise store, washrooms, etc.

Vintage car race. 

Leading the pack!

Side benefit: The trip took us through the town of Balderson.  You can't beat a town named, however indirectly, after cheese.  You also can't help but return a week or two later and buy maple cheese there, along with a great many other tasty treats.

We didn't visit the town of Calabogie itself so that's probably an excursion for some time next year, whether there's a race on or not.  This wasn't on my mind when I said earlier in the year that I wanted to check out events nearby during the cottage season, but it was a fun change of pace.  Vrooom!!