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H°^ €L t LovlA^ She and husband of 30 years, Ron -- they were high school sweethearts in Manotick -- purchased a home on the bay near Point Anne and it looks like this could be permanent roots in the Quinte neigh- bourhood. They have a 1979 Silverton 27 foot cabin cruiser and love the water. "That's something my husband and I share," Hare said. Her two older brothers and mom and dad had a cottage in the Rideau Lakes and waterskiing was a Hare pastime. "The big family hobby was boating." Ron and Laura bought the cottage from her parents but when the Hares moved to Peterborough, the distance meant little time for the Rideau Lakes. They sold it, but managed to get waterfront here. "We bought it last year (2004)," Laura said. It is a wonderful spot, but things don't always turn out as planned. Ron and one of the boys worked on the Silverton and finally, it was ready for its maiden voyage on the Bay of Quinte. Laura got her book, got in her hammock and looked forward to a restful afternoon. Then, "big, bad noises" emanated from the boat. It was the crankshaft. Now the boat has a new engine and the couple celebrated in grand style this past June, which marked 30 years of marriage. They spent their honeymoon on Laura's dad's boat on the Rideau Lakes, and went on their own boat for their 30th wedding anniversary. Reading is another passion, with a lean- ing toward fiction. "I must have 20 books piled up by the bed," she said. That comes in handy as executive director of the Alzheimer Society, since one of the largest fundrais- ers is the sale of books. There are books everywhere in the soci- ety's headquarters at the Bay View Mall. There is one treasure, a book that dates back to the mid 1700s and deals with vari- ous topics, including how to the rights of, and how to treat, bastards. The latter refers to the many children fathered by kings and princes in those days through mistresses and other women. Singing is a favourite pastime for Laura, as well. She used to sing in church choirs and has found another outlet in Belleville. "I joined the Belleville Choral Society the first year were were here." She is also a volunteer with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She did not have a dog at home, but the family overcame her reluctance and the result was the adoption of Jessica, a terrier mix, from the humane society. "We called her the one-of-a-kind wonder- hound." Jessica and Laura became attached. I "She was my dog." Laura and Ron still had the cottage at the time and Jessica turned into a fine retriever during those summer days. "We called it (the cottage) The Land of Sticks and Frisbees." But at age 13, illness claimed Jessica, and Laura hasn't been able to adopt anoth- er dog, yet. "It hurts so bad when she got sick and we had to put her down." January is Alzheimer Awareness Month and the annual Manulife Walk for Memories is set for Jan. 15 at the Kindness Court at the Quinte Mall. Sign-in starts at 111:30 a.m. and the event begins at 1 p.m. ! and ends at 3 p.m. There will also be an open house Jan. 6, and it will be the first one held in the new office at the Bay View Mall -- the society moved from another spot in the mall, Nov. 4 There are about 150 volunteers in the local Alzheimer Society, with a paid-up membership of about 110. More volunteers are needed, particularly someone to take away discarded books once a week to a nearby recycling facility. If you would like to volunteer, take part in the walk or find out more about the Alzheimer Society, call 962-0892, or go to www.walkformemories.ca. Contact Barry Ellsworth at: newsroom@intelligencer.ca t