Bittersweet is the perfect word to describe our impending departure from Collingwood. We’re very excited to board our plane to Berlin on July 2nd, but feeling somewhat melancholy about the fact that this is probably our last stay in Collingwood, which was our very first temporary home after selling everything at the end of July 2018.

Since then, we’ve spent part of each year here, including an unplanned extended stay during Covid, when we lived in 4 different condos to get us through the 20 months of travel restrictions that spanned the time between March 2020 and December 2021. We chose Collingwood originally to be close to son #2 and his family; now that they’re being posted to British Columbia, we’ll likely head west too – when we’re not travelling the world.

Collingwood has been wonderful. Beyond being only 20 minutes from our grandsons (when gathering rules allowed us to visit them) it’s a town with almost everything we look for in a place to stay, except perhaps big city theatre.

Our first summer here we discovered a wealth of outdoor entertainment: movies and music on the waterfront, jazz and blues at the old train station, the Elvis festival, Shakespeare in the park, an art crawl, community theatre, and more. All those things recurred each year until Covid, and all except Elvis are back this summer (although we’ll be in Europe while they’re taking place).

We’ve loved the proximity to Wasaga Beach, and our many afternoons and evenings enjoying the longest freshwater beach on the continent, followed by ice cream at Grandma’s Beach Treats…. and at Sunset Point, and Discovery Harbour, and… you get the picture.

We’ve enjoyed sharing the area’s highlights with friends who’ve come to visit: the giant Inukshuk at Sunset Point, the town’s museum, the Awen Gathering Place, the nearby restaurants and wineries of Blue Mountains. Episode 27 – Exploring The Hood – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

We’ve walked the trails and boardwalks, enjoying the wildlife and birds. This year, there are 28 swans making their home in the small bay near the Collingwood Terminals – not quite outnumbering the ubiquitous and often obnoxious Canada Geese, but definitely holding their own. In addition to those waterfowl, Ted has captured great photos of several kinds of ducks; large and snowy egrets; blue, green, and black-hooded herons; cranes, cormorants, plovers, orioles, and countless songbirds, as well as beavers, groundhogs, Episode 102 – Groundhog Day – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure muskrats, squirrels, and rabbits … plus a few turtles!

We’ve taken lots of pictures of the Collingwood Terminals, and will be watching from afar as the town decides their fate. In the 1970’s, when my family came to Collingwood en route to Wasaga Beach, the terminals were still in operation, as was the Collingwood Shipyards, which remain now only as the moniker of the housing development on their former lands. Episode 103 – DUCK! – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

On our walks, we’ve been wowed by the wildflowers, Episode 28 – Summer Glory: Wildflowers and Song – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and chilled by the snow and ice, Episode 72 – Back to Collingwood – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure but we’ve also been enriched by the acquaintances we’ve made and the opportunities for community involvement that we’ve had. Episode 33 – Winter is coming, we are going. – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

We’ve celebrated wonderful Thanksgivings here with our family. Episode 104 – Why COVID 19 can’t ruin Thanksgiving – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. We’ve been fortunate to stay in some accommodations large enough to host our family and friends – especially in the lovely townhouse that had a dining table able to seat 10 people comfortably (thanks Carm & Dom!). Our grandsons enjoyed sleepovers when we had extra bedrooms, swimming when we had access to condo pools (thanks Helen!), playing in the park at Sunset Point, and lots of nature walks.

We’ve been incredibly moved by the town’s annual Remembrance Day ceremonies. Episode 32 : Remembrance Day 2019 – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Episode 6.1 – Saying Goodbye to Collingwood – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

We’ve also used Collingwood, which has strong ties to Canadian Indigenous communities, as the jumping off point to re-explore some of Ontario’s earliest history. Episode 133

It’s been a great experience all round. No one really knows what the future holds, and whether we’ll someday return, but for now we’re grateful to have had wonderful times here and our farewell is definitely a fond one.