Filthy Clean in Wasaga

We have run the 5K Foamfest for the past eight years.  They are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and we were early adopters.  It has been hosted at Dagmar Ski Resort a few times, once at a conservation area in the GTA, at Horseshoe Valley in Barrie, and this year's race was the best yet, right on the beach at Wasaga.  Although walking and running on sand was difficult, being able to jump in Lake Huron whenever we were hot more than made up for it.  The concept of the run is that you have fun[; become foamy, muddy and wet; and encounter 21 obstacles along the five kilometre trail.  Everyone takes it at their own pace and it is always a good time.

We are staying in Kimberley, about 50 minutes from Wasaga Beach, in a converted school house built over 100 years ago.  The space is charming and rustic and the surroundings are beautiful.  There is a pond on the adjacent property where the puppies took a swim.  I could hear frogs croaking, ducks quacking and geese honking while there.  It was very rural and peaceful.  Last night when I walked the dogs, the big dipper was so clear in the sky is almost jumped out at me.  There is no ambient light and there were no clouds in the sky so the stars were bright.  The moon was full and shining.  It was a lovely night.

We ate on the patio at The Iron Skillet in Collingwood last night and it was delicious.  Today we swam in the lake during and after the Foamfest, then enjoyed a great meal at Boston Pizza.  Currently the girls and I are relaxing at the airbnb while the boys, their girlfriends and Daddy are enjoying the beach in Collingwood.  This part of the world is pretty, with promontories from which the vista stretches for miles, old dirt roads that run straight for as far as the eye can see, ski runs, beaches with sand like flour, and a very relaxed, charming vibe.

Our family loves to eat, and there was a live edge table gracing the schoolhouse dining room that we used this morning.  There is a typewriter, a radio, an old fashioned phone, a stuffed hawk, a gorgeous fireplace, and a lovely yard.  The dogs enjoyed running around with the kids on the front lawn.  There were two large majestic hawks circling so we could not leave the little dogs alone outside.  There was also a turkey vulture sitting on a hay bale this morning during my walk.

You get a sense of the promontory we are on when you see the view from the front porch.  There are older trees providing shade and the house is on the corner of two sideroads, so very quiet and peaceful.  The lack of traffic and the slow pace of life here is welcome on the weekend.  Although the community of Wasaga Beach was rocking this weekend due to the Foamfest in addition to the general lure of the world's longest freshwater beach, there are spots that are quiet and beautiful everywhere you look.

Both of my sons indicated they could live in Collingwood given the amenities, the stunning scenery, and the relaxed beach vibe.  The Foamfest chose well this year.