Let's see - what magic can I perform tonight?

How about I paint the sky pink and blue and see how many more of these people I can hook. Summer 2009 in the Bend - thanks Heidi and Meg.

Grand Bend is Magic - she will cast a spell on you

If you can't take the heat - don't get in her kitchen because GB will cast a spell on you. She will have you eating out of the palm of her hand and you too will "miss grand bend". Thanks for the jpeg tiff.

Mother Nature at her best - the dunes

A few kilometers north of the main beach you get a good look at the (6000 year-old) dunes that guard the beach for mother nature on this beautiful September morning walk.

Sundays at the beach

Sundays at the beach usually means more families and the sail boats. That same weekend this was the view from the beach on this day in September 2009, with a pretty light crowd. There is always a beautiful contrast in colours between the changing blue of the water and sky, the umbrellas and the white sails of the boats (click to enlarge)

"Inexplicable Avalanche" of Votes for Grand Bend

Hmmm - let's see if we can maybe explain them. Let's start at this little gazebo overlooking the river and south beach and further south of that the Pinery Provincial Park. New gazebo, new boardwalk, new trees, 6000 year-old dunes behind that gorgeous beach. Sparkling blue water, blue sky and not a care in the world - Grand Bend ... to be continued.

(click to enlarge and get a better look)

The little town that could - GB

Jonathan Livingston says nominate Grand Bend, the little town that could. I think we had a surprisingly good day yesterday. Let's see if we can get some momentum to get us up the hill today. Click on the CBC link to the right and write in Grand Bend. Go Bend.

Time for another sunset

I think this was the only good weekend in June. Just another sunset in the Bend - ho hum. Well if you've never been, you wouldn't understand. Beach Patrol were off duty at this point.

Time for Nominations - GB GB GB GB

It's time for nominations - if you want Grand Bend you will have to write it in. Go Bend. Go Tide - oops wrong movie. Just click on the CBC 2 link below, choose Ontario and input Grand Bend. Everyone loves an underdog.

The Grand Bend Strip (also the name of our newspaper)

The strip on Grand Bend is part of the charm of our little paradise. It's full of character - from the restaurants and pubs to the unique little shops. The food is great and there are plenty of value in the shops. No trip to the Bend would be complete without a stop at Archie's Surf Shop.

Let's talk about the music in the Bend

Maybe every town has a wealth of musical talent just waiting to bust out but somehow we got way more than our share. Every year there are free concerts like this one last year on Canada Day featuring many great local groups. I think the youngest ones here were only 8 years old but Vintage Moments just before the fireworks helped to average out the ages a bit. If you would rather a cozy setting try the Oakwood Pub or Gables or White Caps or Colonial or the River Bend or Paddington's. They are all within 300 meters of each other and offer up a wide variety of local talent.

Footprints in the sand

Morning walks on the beach are a must but they are always special when our footprints are the first ones in the sand. Some mornings are so serene I can't even turn on my ipod. What makes Grand Bend special? How about mornings like this.

Did I mention the beach?

That's our blue beach designation flag along with the green flag for safe swimming this day. The blue beach designation means a lot of requirements have to be met. One of those requirements involves those snow fences which don't look too pretty right now but they are protecting freshly planted dune grasses that will mature to protect our beach for centuries. Don't worry, there is still plenty of room on our beautiful big beach. (click on the image to enlarge).

How could I forget the sunsets?

How could I forget the sunsets when I am mentioning what's special about our Bend? Every one is different but always beautiful.

What makes it special?

Well, the beach, the lake, the town, the people, the music ... did I mention the beach.

The end of another summer

Well it's officially over (the summer of 2009 in the Bend). We are hoping for a nice fall and short winter to make up for the poor weather this past summer. On the bright side our new blue beach designation and beach enhancements were very well done and make us proud. Brian (Dale) finally released that first CD which is now available on i-tunes. I am looking forward to promoting our favourite spot on CBC 2's songquest.