Island Thaw

Last weekend John and I had arranged to help our friends Q and H hang pictures in their Ward's Island home.

 Toronto was experiencing a January thaw so the harbour was shrouded in fog

 and the ice was beginning to break up.

 At the mainland dock we were fascinated by the eccentric devices that Wards Island residents create to carry supplies to their homes

 and by the colourful costumes of some of the passengers as we boarded the Onigara ferry boat to Wards Island.

 It began to rain as we landed on the Wards Island dock. Note the gleaming ice between us and the yacht club.

Delightful snacks greeted us at our destination.

 We got right to work. Here I tested positioning a painting right over the stove under the critical eye of Q and H .

 The yummy root vegetables went into the oven while we worked.

Nancy Woodruff's watercolour landscapes went up next

 with one of her large drawings and a seascape by H's great grandfather.

H and I made some adjustments to the frames.

 H caught John holding the wall position whilst measuring the distance for the next nail.

By the time most of the pictures were up Q served a delicious dinner of baked salmon, roasted root vegetables and green beans followed by a lemon tart for dessert.

 When we headed home, John caught this shot of the treacherous ice and puddles along the path back to the dock

and this night-shot of the cityscape across the harbour.