Yesterday’s weather on the South Channel was the polar opposite from Monday’s. It was overcast all day, with rumblings of thunder that finally let loose in impressive fashion as we were treated to a classic full-blown Georgian Bay electrical storm. There was lots of thunder and lightning, which I fully enjoyed, but Ian and Courage the dog weren’t too sure of. It all culminated with a torrential downpour that more than thoroughly soaked the place and cooled things right down. During the storm we had several flickers of our lights, but this time Ontario Hydro won out and the power stayed on.

Today the weather was iffy, with the sun working to poke through overcast skies. The temperature was pleasant and there was a slight breeze, which is a far cry from the torrid weather back in New York. Kiera, Ian, Courage, and I went in to town around noon to do errands and pick up the rest of the Topping Crew; my mom, wife, sister, and nephew, and Mom’s two dogs Sounder and Parker. We timed things perfectly and met up in Sobey’s parking lot, where I pulled in right next to Mom who was waiting with the dogs at the car. She was more than happy to see us.

Mom has been a bit apprehensive about returning to the cottage. However, soon after we arrived at the island she found herself relieved at how quickly she got caught up in the beauty of the area and rediscovering the joy of just being here. This is still a very difficult time for our family, with each of trying to find our way through process of coping with our loss. This trip promises to be especially emotional, because Mom brought half of Pop’s ashes with her and we are planning on scattering them tomorrow if the weather cooperates. We will be taking a shore lunch to enjoy on Mineral Island, and Mom has a special tree in mind that Pop used to sit on where we will spread some of the ashes. We will also scatter some in the channel off our dock and inter some on our property. Although we are all grieving over our loss, we are upbeat about honoring Pop’s wishes and moving closer to some kind of closure. Pop would be proud.