(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Things have been quite busy since returning from our road trip to Southwestern Ontario.  We managed to get out for a day trip to Perth but otherwise have been staying close to home.

The end of the summer travel season is a time to pause and consider what adventures lie ahead.  Music certainly seems to be at the forefront, with 5 major concerts between now and April. This October, I’ll be traveling out of town to attend one of those “bucket list” concerts that I honestly thought I’d never get to see. Stay tuned for my report on that!

I have already set aside some time in early 2016 for skiing. The dates have been chosen but the destination is still very much a work in progress. One thing is certain: given the “candidates” that are in the running, it will be a spectacular setting.

As for the shorter term, the plans are for more local travel…and hopefully to burn through some more of the frequent flyer points and other rewards that I accumulated during my big year of travel. Some of those points will expire soon and I will need to do something with them.  I’ve often entertained the notion of going on a low-cost last-minute trip and, if my schedule allows it,  I might be able to do that this fall.

Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more difficult to take advantage of most frequent flyer programs.  With blackout periods, “service” fees, and nasty itineraries involving 18-hour layovers between one-hour flights, some of these “rewards” seem illusory.   I prefer to use my points on travel but may well be forced to cash them in for gift cards if I can’t make the logistics work for me.

Regardless of whether I can squeeze in some last-minute trips, I will still be posting on this blog.  However, the posts will likely not be as frequent for the next few months.

The pictures from today’s blog are from the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials.  This annual event was held earlier this month just east of the city at Grass Creek Park.  I had never attended before and will admit to some skepticism about the event.  However, it was actually fascinating to see the border collies herding the reluctant sheep.  It is amazing what these dogs can do.

As our family once had a majestic (and bilingual) German Shepherd, I was also very interested in seeing the police dog demonstration put on by the Kingston Police at the Sheep Dog Trials.  The police dogs are actually German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois crosses but the characteristic intelligence and determination of the German Shepherd was very much in evidence.

Other dog events included an agility competition and “dock diving”.   There were many dog lovers at this event and it was also fun just to look at the other dogs in attendance.  We were briefly tempted to import a Shepherd from Belgium after seeing the puppy pictured above!

I’ll be back soon with more travel writing and photos!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I do a lot of walking (and eating) when I travel, so I try to stay in peak travelling condition by being very physically active when I am in Kingston.  Hockey lasts all year, while soccer has just started and curling will end this week.  I supplement these sports with brisk walks in and around the city. 

Today’s post contains some photos from my local wanderings.  A favourite local destination is Lemoine Point, which is also home to an increasing number of wild animals.  

We used to see deer from time to time but they are now almost an everyday occurrence.  All of the deer in this post were spotted on the same trail, at approximately the same time of day. 

When Lemoine Point is too wet or muddy, there  is a (mostly paved) waterfront trail between Lake Ontario Park and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour.  It is a good place to cool off, as the wind really keeps the temperature down.

Running north from the built-up part of the city is the K&P Trail.  The most interesting part of this former railway is the long climb between Jackson Mills Road and Cordukes Road.  We walked the entire trail between Kingston and Harrowsmith last fall and are walking north of Harrowsmith this spring.   

Next Tuesday, I’ll be leaving on a lengthy (almost three weeks) overseas trip .   As always, I won’t specifically identify my destinations in advance on this blog.  One interesting aspect will be the use of two different alphabets, as well as at least four different languages (in name, if not necessarily in substance).  While there, I hope to see some professional soccer, as two of the countries I’ll be visiting will be participating in this year’s World Cup and two others narrowly missed qualifying.  However, the most important thing will be experiencing a beautiful region with a tragic recent past.