On Saturday the 1st we motored the 30 km from our KOA in Thunder Bay northwest of the town to our friends Mike and Mary Ellen. We had met them in the campground in Meaford where they had been seasonal residents like us for the past several years. One of the reasons for our route was to get over to Thunder Bay and see them and their property as Mike had been begged to come back here to work at the old job he thought he had retired from. Her mom is still in Meaford at the nursing home there.

First of all it is quite remote. While Thunder Bay is one of the northernmost cities in North America, leaving there and going another 30 km into the forest is remote indeed.

Here they are in front of some of the thousands of birch trees that populate their 36 acres. The timing again was perfect as the woods here are a brilliant yellow. We walked down some established trails through the property in the late afternoon and it was gorgeous. The temp was about 65 degrees with a slight breeze.

Mary Ellen hand made a wonderful pizza to our specifications and with the camaraderie was a great evening. After dinner we chatted a bit and here is Mike with their African Gray parrot named Chicken. Neat bird and very friendly with Mike but apparently that's it and we didn't get too chummy with her.

And Mary Ellen tending to the goldfish. As winter approaches they take the fish out of the pond and put them into a tank in the house for the duration. Being this remote it apparently gets quite snowy and pretty cold for several months ... already feel the chill in the air as Fall is here. Also on their property are moose, wolves, bear, and most other northern woodland critters that we can only see on TV .... cool.

And the last shot here is of the dog, Blue, who waits patiently for Chicken to toss her scraps when the bird is done eating enough herself (pizza of course).

All in all a great evening with some good friends who just happen to live at the top of the world.