The Cottage

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to spend a couple of days relaxing up at "the cottage" with my cast and crew. A spacious, modern, winterized home on the shore of Lake Simco, "the cottage" is owned by the aunt and uncle of the MD of my current show and was a perfect destination for a little get away for the members of our production company. Seven of us were able to make the trip, and a great time was had by all. Our MD proved to be a wonderful host, and an incredible chef, making all of our meals from scratch.
I was the first to brave the waters of Lake Simco, swimming right off the dock. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the temperature, considering that is was mid September. At one point two locals actually canoed past by me, as I stood chest deep in the frigid water and looked at me like I was nuckin' futs.
Watching theatre folk be sportific is always entertaining, and the impromptu volleyball game we had was no exception. We spent more time chasing the ball through the hedgerow into the neighbours yard than actually playing volleyball.
Yours truely hit the booze a little hard on day 2, I may have started with a cold beer at 8am, and graduated to a gin ceasar by 11am, and double fisting beergaritas by 1pm. Long story short I put myself to bed by 6pm, where I stayed until 7am on day 3. Lesson learned...when pacing oneself on an all day bender it is important to take breaks for food, and the occasional glass of water.
Despite my inherent stupidity, I had a great time bonding with my cast, and it was a much needed release from the stress and pressure of a very busy summer season.

Port Blake Conservation Area has a beautiful beach

My quest to find a better beach took me to Grand Bend today. Let me be honest, I am not, and never have been a fan of the main beach here in Grand Bend for anything other than people watching. It is just too crowded with dippy young tourists, who, while they may provide eye candy and the occasional laugh, tend to clutter up the beach with stupid, and nobody needs that. Plus, the entry to the water is marred with a swath of rocks and small stones. I prefer soft sandy beaches that gently gradually slope to the waters edge. Icing sugar sand that would do the Dominican's rum soaked beaches proud are what I am after. I know it's alot to ask, especially from Southwest Ontario, but I have high standards for my beaches, and that is never going to change.

My ultimate destination today was the beach at Port Blake Conservation Area. Located just north of Grand Bend, the entrance to Port Blake can be found just before the Waterworks Treatment Plant on Highway 21. As a tip, continue past the conservation area entrance, and park on Waterworks Road (The west terminus of Highway 83) to save yourself the $5 parking fee.

Pristine and clean, this beach is way better, and less densely populated than the main beach. It is also worth mentioning that the sand is much better quality, soft, and smooth as opposed to large grained and coarse, it is one of the best beaches I have found in a while. With the added bonus of picnic pavilions, BBQ pits, and public washrooms, this beach is a great hidden treasure, and one that I am shocked that I hadn't discovered until now.

Kitchener/Waterloo Ribfest And Craft Beer Show...Take 2

Okay, for those of you that missed this years live tweet of the Kitchener/Waterloo Ribfest and Craft Beer Show, here is the live stream in all its glory. I may fix a few spelling errors, since I am a little more sober now...but for the most part, this is exactly how it first appeared.
The Big Day has arrived! Kitchener Ribfest and Craft Beershow! I will be live tweeting the event again this year, starting around noon!
Last year I won the sexy Broil King BBQ from 107.5 Dave FM...Who knows what could happen this year at Kitchener Ribfest and Craft Beer Show.
It has officially started! We are in a cab enroute to K/W Ribfest and Craft Beer Show.
It is on! We have arrived at K/W Ribfest!
Wristbands acquired! First beer of the day, Muskoka Brewery Summer Weiss. Light and crisp. A perfect start to the day.
Beer #2 Muskoka Brewery Cream Ale. Nutty with a smooth finish. High Tide just took the stage.
Beer #3 Steam whistle Pilsner. Hard to go wrong.
Kat, Charles, and I are in line for some Boss Hog's ribs. #perfectday
Beer #4 Nichol Brook Headstock IPA. A tart start with a delicious finish. A great patio beer.
Boss Hog's Ribs were delicious. Next stop, more beer.
Just saw a guy in a Boston Pizza Rib Camo shirt. Had a great char. #Respect #howawesomeisthat
Sent Charles on a beer run for Beer #5 Nichol Brook Naughty Neighbor APA. A nice crisp beer with nutty undertones.
Beer #6 Stone Hammer Pilsner. Fresh and Light, another perfect summer beer.
Sunshine, good friends, great food, cold beer - K/W Ribfest is a hit!
Jessica is a lady. 'Nuff said.
Beer #7 Wellington Brewery Trailhead Lager. Another crisp, clean, nutty, delicious beer.
I am now officially entered in the @DaveFM draw for a new patio set/deck/ and BBQ. Come on Golden Horse Shoe!
Kat Just brought me Beer #8 Big Rock Grasshopper Wheat Ale. Delicious, smooth, and clean.
Charles is waxing poetic on Beer Brewing...Amazing. Beer #9 Lake of Bays Crosswinds IPA. A nutty aftertaste with a hint of awesome.
Beer #10 Flying Monkey Stereophonic Wheat Beer. A solid take on a favorite style. Flying Monkey Brewery deserves full credit for this.
Charles and Jess are fetching ribs from Blazing' Big Rig while Kat and I hold down the fort. Also Alec @gobowash just arrived to join the fun.
Apparently it is Stereovision, not Stereophonic. My bad. My apologies to Flying Monkey.
Blazin Big Rig Ribs were great. Now for more beer.
Beer #11 Waterloo Brewery Pilsner. Crisp, clean, and tasty.
And the ring comes off! Damn! #Hailstorm, #Infidelity.
Beer #12 Big Rock IPA. Even better than the Grasshopper Wheat Ale. Rich and full bodied with just a hint of a nutty finish.
Beer #13 Double Trouble Brewing Prison Break Breakout Pilsner. They brew out of Guelph and have a fantastic beer.
@gobowash is now also live tweeting today's fesrivities. The City Boys from Guelph just finished their first set
. Beer #14 Amsterdamn Blonde poured my a brunette. An Amsrerdamn good beer. #kwbeerfest #perfect day, Beer #15 Flying Monkey, Smashbomb IPA. - Petrfectday.
The Batman beer utility belt is in the works. TM.
Beer #16 Stonehammer Dark Ale. Rich and Dark with a hint of chocolate undertones.
Next on the agenda, the Pepsi taste challenge! WHAT! That isn't beer...
Beer #16 Muskoka Brewery Twice as Mad as Tom IPA. A heavy IPA, with a full bodied flavour. Not for the weak hearted.
(It was at this point in the day I got a couple of different instant messages, one from as far as Halifax, informing me that I had listed two Beer #16's, so I corrected the count.)
Beer #18 Mill Street Belgian Wit. Best in Show. Hands down. Fantastic.
Thank you Lindsey McCormick for keeping me honest...18 beers deep.
In line for ribs from Kentucky Smokehouse. May be slightly hammered...hard to tell ;)
Kentucky Smokehouse "Our ribs are more tender than your mama's love.". Wow. Just Wow.
Boss Hog's takes a clean sweep. KWbeerfest.
Beer #19 Nichol Brook Bolshevik Bastard. Dark and creamy. Not my usual style, but a solid beer.
Just want to thank everyone that made it out to K/W Beer fest today. #aperfectday.
Beer #20! Lake of Bays River walker. A clean fresh taste for my penultimate beer.
Ribs from Kentucky Smokehouse were delicious, but Boss Hog's takes the cake, er, trophy.
Beer #21 is the Amsterdam Pilsner. Surprisingly, it tastes like beer. I think...;)
(This takes us right to 6pm, the end of the festival. At this point we walked back to a friends place to continue the party. I would like to assure everyone that no one in our party was driving.)
#106 Strange Street...the party continues.
#hashtag has worn out its welcome. #hashtag. Hilarity
What an awesome day with amazing people. For the rest of you, mark it in your calendar for next year. #kwribfest
#ohnoyoudidnt
#tacofarm World's best name for a lesbian bar ;)
#takeyourpantsoff...
-Thus ended our day, with all of us being safely delivered home by the worlds best designated driver. High points of the day included having multiple tweets re-tweeted by the breweries, and Impact Events Group, who organized the event. We all had a blast, and can't wait to do it again next year.

So, I am obviously not very urban...

If you look very closely at the photo above, you will see a very pale woman suntanning on the peak of an ashphalt roof. It just so happens that this is the view that greated me out the backdoor of the theatre I am currently working at. My two immediate questions for her would be: "What the Fuck are you doing?"Quickly followed by "Jesus Christ, aren't those shingles HOT?". Don't get me wrong, I am all for a little natural colour in the Summer, but this seems extreme. I mean, does she not have access to a back yard? Or a public park or beach? How desperate must she be for that tan to decide that laying on a bath towel on the peak or her ashphalt roof is the best way to achieve it. I am not sure if you can tell, but she has actually lugged 4 bricks up onto the roof with her to help keep the towel from blowing away. Since there is no antenna tower on the house, we all assumed that she has a ladder in the back-yard for easy access. It seems like a pile of work to go through for the sake of skin cancer. I just don't get it. I may be a hick from the sticks but city folk are weird.

Why I love the beach at Sararas Road

When I was roughly seventeen years old I was introduced to a private beach 10.2km North of Grand Bend by a young lady that I was seeing at the time.  Up until that point in my life, all of my beach time had been spent on the beautiful white sand beachs of Ipperwash, 20 min south of Grand Bend, where my family has had a trailer for at least 30 years.  When you are raised 20 min from a great public beach, and also have a swimming pool in your back yard, there isn't alot of reasons to go looking for a new swimming hole.
The concept of a private beach changed all that for me.  While not technically private, it is far enough removed from the zoo that is the main beach at the Bend that it sees very little tourist traffic.
Located right on Highway 21 between Grand Bend and St. Joseph, the rocky beach at Sararas Road can be found at the bottom of a 40' cliff, well away from the eyes of passing motorists and day-trippers.  The most other people I have ever encountered at Sararas Road could easily be counted on two hands.  Hard to believe when you consider that the main Beach at Grand Bend can see upwards of 80,000 people on a long weekend in the Summer.
Since I have been lucky enough to work in the Grand Bend area for the last 12 years, the beach at Sararas Road has been the site of many wonderful afternoons and evenings spent basking in the summer sun, soaking up the rays and having a blast with my friends and Co workers.  The other draw? Besides being off the radar for tourists, unlike the other beaches in the area, the water at Sararas Road is virtually always crystal clear, and in late July/August, I swear that it is 5-9 degrees warmer than any of the other local beaches.
Some of my fondest memories of this beach involve late night, post show bonfires with the ever evolving gang from the Huron Country Playhouse.  Smores have been roasted, beverages consumed, and many a rendition of brown eyed girl butchered over the wrong 3 chords on a countles number of guitars. Trips to this beach have become a tradition with Playhouse Staff over the years, so much so that I especially enjoy introducing new employees to it each and every season.  Someone has to carry on the tradition once I'm gone...not that I'm going anywhere anytime soon.  One year we even planned an official Drayton Entertainment Social Comitee Day Trip down to this beach where 30+ of my coworkers drove down from Kitchener/Waterloo to spend the day at this specific beach.
Last week we had another opportunity to plan another imprompto trip to the beach at Sararas Road, and it was glorious.  I was the first to arrive at 2pm since my show had been cancelled, but I was soon joined by the rest of the gang.  All told there were  5 Stage Managers, 3 actors, 1 Costume Designer, 3 Technicians, and a Dresser in attendance.  A great blend of old friends and new friends, I couldn't have asked for better company. 
It was about 32 degrees in the sun plus humidity, and the crystal clear water was reminiscent of soaking in a bath tub.  Incredible.  As always, we came prepared with a selection of beverages, tall boys that you dare not drink on the local public beaches, and everyone did there own thing for the afternoon.  Some of the ladies brought books, while the rest of us frolicked in the water and on the sand.  Personally, I hardly left the water all afternoon, and thanks to copious amounts of sunscreen, I didnt burn.  This time ;)  We called it quits as the sun began to set, sinking into Lake Huron in a glorious display that lit up the July sky with a brilliant wash of pink, orange and red.  It was a day I won't soon forget.
A perfect Summer day.