My Town Monday: Killbear Provincial Park

I'm still in Canada with Child #3 and Child #4. So, more My Town Mondays from the Great White North!

We spent this past weekend in Killbear Provincial Park with a host of people. I saw people/relatives I hadn't seen in many many moons. Child #3 and Child #4 met people/relatives for the first time. Of course, the children amused and delighted everyone.

Killbear is located on a peninsula which juts out into Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. The Huron legend of Kitchikewana explains how this area was formed. Apparently, the giant, Kitchikewana, when thwarted in love, had a huge temper tantrum. (I think most of us can relate to this!) He "dug his fingers deep into the ground and threw the dirt in a fit of rage. The handfuls of dirt were scattered and the 30,000 Islands were created, and the five finger marks in the ground became the five bays: Midland Bay, Penetang Bay, Hog Bay, Sturgeon Bay, and Matchedash Bay. Kitchikewana, heartbroken and tired lay down at the base of the islands and fell asleep forever." (Yes, yes, there is a certain fatigue that goes along with heartbreak!) (http://www.cqsb.qc.ca/svs/434/fnkitchi.htm)

Killbear is BEAUTIFUL. I enjoyed scrambling over the Canadian Shield (Precambrian rock more than 570 million years old that coves 2/3 of Ontario ) with Child #3. Especially because it's the same rock formation I played on during childhood summers. Funny the things that tug at your heartstrings. Like ancient rocks. Canoeing and swimming and digging in the sand was also fun.

Thank you to my very fun cousin for arranging this rustic getaway. And for scaring away the black bear early one morning before he got away with more than a tub of cream cheese and a bag of apples. I'm not even joking! And to my aunt for the delicious birthday cake.

To be completely honest and whiney for a paragraph, I'm pretty happy to be back in the city. I'm done with mosquitos and tent insomnia and stumbling to unlit outdoor bathrooms at three in the morning (why did I have that last glass of wine?) and dirt in my tea and wasps in my fruit and flyaway hair. I 'm probably more a candidate for Camp Marriott! Okay. End of whine. Because hanging out with everyone was great.

In Toronto today for a very EXCITING time. It's my BIRTHDAY and I'm spending part of it with RANDOM HOUSE CANADA (signing ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) and visiting a couple of bookstores)!!! Blog post and pics to come.

Please visit Travis Erwin's blog for his My Town Monday and for links to other participants.

In breaking news--Child #3 and Child #4 and I are having so much fun that we've extended our stay in Canada! INDEFINITELY! (Just kidding about the indefinite part, DH (darling husband), Child #1 and Child #2)


Info from: http://www.gov.on.ca/ont/portal/!ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/7_0_A/.s/7_0_252/_s.7_0_A/7_0_252/_l/en?docid=004195; http://www.cqsb.qc.ca/svs/434/fnkitchi.htm; Wikipedia