Black and White and Red all Over

I asked the Becka if she knew any "black and white and red all over" jokes and she just looked at me strangely. I remember plenty of "knock-knock" jokes and black and white and red riddles from my childhood, probably when I was in that wonderful seven to eleven year old age group.

What is black and white and red all over?

A newspaper, or
An embarrassed penguin, or
A zebra with a rash, or
A sunburned skunk, or...

I could go on and on but you get the general idea.

We had a couple of dull days on Manitoulin Island as the weather changed frequently. On this particular day a cold front approached from the west creating drizzle, fog and lots of chilly air. We drove to South Baymouth where the ferry from Tobermory docks several times a day in the summer. The Chi-cheemaun was arriving and we watched vehicles and people disembark from the boat after the ninety minute crossing. Colour pictures were so dull as to be completely uninspiring so I chose red on the colour select setting of my camera for some bright accents. (I had used yellow in New York City on another dull day)

The summer I was seventeen, Grandma and I drove from her home north of Toronto up the Bruce Peninsula to Tobermory. She wanted to take me on the ferry to the Island but it was not to be. We waited two days as strong winds across Lake Huron delayed any crossings. Now we drive around the lake to Sudbury and then south through Espanola, crossing the only bridge to Manitoulin at Little Current. Perhaps we will take the ferry sometime, but I do not care for rough or foggy waters.


We walked around the docks and the breakwater at South Baymouth up to the lighthouse which flashed across the foggy bay. When we came back to the little town, the streets were empty. Over the next four hours, bikes and cars and trucks would trickle in to wait for the next ferry.

The weather kept us indoors that evening and we watched The Scarlet and the Black on the little TV and portable DVD player we had packed. It is one of my favourite Gregory Peck movies and is a very inspiring story based on J.P.Gallagher's book, "The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican".

The black and white and red theme of the day continued.

The skies finally cleared and the moon shone on the water. Black and white, but not red all over this time.

Beautiful nevertheless!