The secret is out...

Conditions at 515 am: 16' and overcast (the weather says rain, but it's not here!)
Expected later: 21' and a mix of sun and cloud

I hadn't wanted to say anything because I wanted it to be a surprise but you know me...
On Tuesday night, Bernie and Richard came over and worked quite a long time, in mosquito infested, cool weather,  to put the wandering shelter back together and in place. I can't begin to express my gratitude to the two of them. I consider myself to be so very fortunate to have met great friends such as these. I know that Lloyd truly appreciates it as well.  I told him on the phone this morning and his immediate response was "then there's no need for me to come down". After I expressed suitable disapointment he admitted that he was only kidding. He is really grateful to the two of you. He's also really grateful that he will now have time to go for a bike ride. Once again, a huge thank you to the two of you from the both of us. We promise to feed you both really well on Sunday!

Lloyd will have to secure it better when he comes down and until he gets here, I'm paranoid about every little breeze. But the door is closed and that likely would have made a huge difference on Sunday. With the door open it became like a giant parachute. Wish I'd been there to see it go - it must have been quite a sight.

Our weekend is shaping up quite nicely. It's confirmed at this point there will be ten of us with the possibililty of  five more. So I will prepare for 15 and if some don't make it, then we'll have left overs for Monday. Not a bad thing. So far the weather is looking like it might also cooperate so that's a good thing. I'm looking forward to it - it will be a precursor to the annual BBQ we plan to have once Lloyd gets here. We used to have them in Belwood (okay, we had two) and they were great - lots of work, but lots of great fun. The first one started out to be a thank you for the folks that had helped us move earlier in the spring and ended up being 100 people. Well, that's how many were invited - 97 of them showed up! But it was a glorious sunny day and we had a great time. The second year we had nice weather up until time to eat and then it started to rain. Fortunately we had rented a couple of  shelters but they were open on the sides. A quick addition of tarps to the sides and we were cozy and comfortable for the entire evening. The second time we had a handful of friends with guitars come out and we stayed listening to live music into the wee hours. It was great and we look forward to having the opportunity to maybe do that again here.

I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized this will be the third time in July that Lloyd and I have seen each other. That's a bit of a record since I moved here. But his next trip in the middle of September will likely be the last until Christmas. But the time does go pretty quickly when you're busy and that's certainly the case here. Next week, Meghan(1) will be here and we plan to get together to try our hand at Macarons. Next weekend I'm going to Halifax to see my friend Nancy, from Guelph who will be there visiting her brother and sister. The weekend after, James will be here and I have all sorts of activities lined up for him while he's here. I'm really looking forward to that, and then the following weekend the rest of his family arrives. Then not long after that, summer will be over - but sometimes it feels like it hasn't really started yet!

Well, got to run - lots to do!
Before I go, I'm going to share with you a recipe I'm going to use on Sunday. It's a salad recipe that's quite unique and it came from Jana's mother-in-law, Cathy. I think of her and George whenever I use this recipe.

Napa Cabbage Salad
2 packages Raman Soup Noodles, slightly crushed (just the noodles)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 small, or 1 large head of napa cabbage, chopped medium

Dressing:
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tbsp soya sauce
salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan with melted butter, lightly saute until toasted golden brown, the noodles, almonds and sesame seeds.
Let cool thoroughly. (this step can be done the night before)

Combine dressing ingredients thoroughly and let stand for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavours to blend (you could also do this the night before)

Just before serving, combine cabbage, noodle mixture and green onions with enough dressing to mosten.

Enjoy!