So, how to tell of an OS meet up? It is hard to capture the full sense of meeting with someone we all know through the wierd and wonderful world that is OS. On Monday, I had the opportunity to meet with Myriad, our resident pagan. (did I get that right Myriad?)

I was on my annual Bass Opening Weekend trip where, as the only girl, I have to deal with testosterone so intense, I almost have to shave by the end of day one. Well, in truth, it is not so bad. But our host is a lifelong confirmed bachelor, and I am often the first female to visit the cottage each season. That means I have to do a few things to make cooking in his smaller than galley sized kitchen doable. I also learn to close my eyes to much...especially after 10 years of opening weekends. 

The upside this year was a chance to meet Myriad. We set this in motion a few months ago, and the planets aligned to see that it happened. Another bit of OS kismet was that I had a Chicken Mole wrap in a restaurant down the street from Myriad's place just a day before. Chicken Mole was a recipe posted by Robin Sneed last week or so. It sounded fabulous, and indeed, it was. That it became part of my OS meet up weekend was perfect.

First, after a couple of days of cottage life, I had to get cleaned up to meet another OSer--not always an easy task in cottage country.  Let me tell you, even though there is hot water in this outdoor shower, the air was cold after a few days of rain. And, our bachelor friend has long given up on the idea of a curtain. Being a weekday when most of the neighbours were in the city, I had a little extra privacy, but I still had to do the cover me and keep me warm dance on the way back inside.

Once cleaned up, I had to wend my way from one part of cottage country north to Myriad's magic porch. This old church has been converted to an antique store. As best as I can tell, it is mostly open on the whim of the owner. Earlier in the weekend, we had some discussion over whether Bolingbroke was the name of King Henry the 4th. I still haven't googled the answer on that one yet.

Of course, even though Kerry et al refuse to acknowledge Canada Day, even in the wee towns of Ontario, meek Canadians celebrate. This woman had little flags placed all around the front of her corner property. Very patriotic.

Heading north, I passed by the Tay River that tormented me early that morning and denied me, for the first time, either the first or the largest bass of bass opening weekend. ~sigh~ Alas, my reputation is ruined, and those men will torment me with being skunked for years. We keep the details in the cottage log book, so I will have to read about it years from now.

Finally, after a little over 30 minutes of driving through some of Ontario's most beautiful countryside, I found my way to Myriad's magic porch and garden. I followed her sage advice from travelling in Italy; "straight ahead" through many turns in the road.

Myriad was a gracious hostess and greeted me with a chilled glass of Riesling and a selection of cheeses and fruits to nibble on. Her cats sensed the presence of a fellow cat lover and soon took up roosts all around us. One lovely gray cat tried to become one with my lap and purred through most of my visit while continually repositioning herself.

Below is the wall of the porch that Myriad built.

The red section below...I believe red faces west. Correction, red faces south.

We were sitting in the green section most of the time. The blue section on the other side gives one the impression of being underwater. I have to say the glass collections were entrancing.

Out in the garden, I found a wonderful collection of statues and artsy objects. These, along with the ancient log structures, give the garden a magical and inviting feel. I love this old woman by the barn.

Also by the barn, the one armed lady; another victim of winter. See the logs behind her. These are at least 12 to 18 inches and harken back to earlier times when really big trees dominated the landscape. My own log house, built 30 or so years ago, has only 8 inch logs. In the area where Myriad lives, there are many beautiful old log homes and structures still standing.

Another angle of the barn.

Finally, the outdoor shower under a canopy of wild grape vines and a peek at the outside of the porch that Myriad built.

So, now I've given you a peek at the surroundings. We had a lovely visit for a couple of hours. We talked about ALL of you in our ruthlessly competitive Canadian manner. In truth, we sort of marveled at the wonder that is OS, and I found out more about Myriad's fascinating life.

Before I left, and before we killed the bottle of wine, her daughter stopped by to take a picture of us together near the last of the peonies.

Thanks for the hospitality Myriad!!