Left Robbie, the cat, this morning. He is a fine fellow but we will not be getting a cat any time soon. Had a wonderful after church lunch with friends from church and then we were off to Belleville. Tomorrow Prince Edward County and Sandbanks Park--what a great day of playing in the water. Sandbanks is so shallow--you can walk forever and the water is clear and soothing.. I did have a woggle which makes being in the water more fun for me. We did a bit of reading and then had a lovely dinner with a wonderful sunset before returning to Belleville.
On to Niagara Falls: Arrived at the Embassy Suites and there were Arleigh and Dave. This was the beginning of four days that just couldn't have been better. We settled in on the 32nd floor and were off to the Falls. Our room window faced the Falls so we could see and hear them. There is a funicular which we used to go down and up from the hotel to the Falls. The next day the ponchos began: We wore blue to Niagara's Fury. a film on the formation of the Falls, yellow behind the Falls and red on the Hornblower (which was formerly "The Maid of the Mist"). So it rained and snowed on us, we got a little wet behind the Falls and swallowed a bit of the Falls on the boat ride and had the best time. Then a lovely dinner at the Keg and to bed. Our last morning, we went on the White Water Walk which was a boardwalk along the Niagara River viewing the white water rapids.
We stopped at Laura Secord's house on the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake and had an interesting tour and ice cream. Please note she didn't serve it in 1812 but the company who is using her name spent a pile to make the exhibit. We had a meal at the Irish Pub--the highlight being corn-beef and sauerkraut rolls and sticky toffee pudding. We walked Queen Street by the clock tower-interesting shops. We went to "Engaged" which was hilarious. Arleigh navigated and Dave drove us to a park where we could see the CN Tower and the skyline of Toronto across Lake Ontario. What a wonderful four days. Oh, we also had beer and wine flights which is a great way to taste four kinds of beer or wine.
On to TO, A & D to an anniversary party and us to meet Kendra. What a great couple to spend travel with. Kendra met us at the check-in at Massey College. Being in the res made us feel like students again. The down side was ac only in the common areas, the up-side was we had a fan. So we headed to Queen's Park for a tour--our guide seemed to have memorized the script with no expression or enthusiasm in her voice. We knew there was life in her soul when she answered our questions. She neglected to mention that the house was being refurbished so we thought maybe our Premier sat on the first scaffolding and the opposition on the second. We walked and walked and walked until I had blisters on two toes. Next day, we had a huge breakfast in a room like Hogwarts and headed to the market, and on to the CBC building to explore and watch some of the Olympics. Our lunch date at the CN Tower was at 15h00. Having lunch or dinner at the 360 Restaurant is the best way to see the view and not wait in lines forever. Kendra stepped onto the glass floor, I never feel comfortable doing that. We walked around in the Harbour front and then took a street car back to Massey College in time to see Bolt win gold and De Grasse win bronze. A couple of students came to the TV room to watch. At 17, one had been the carrier and helper to Donovan Bailey in Atlanta. Cool, what people get to do.
So this morning we had a wonderful breakfast and conversation with Kendra (she is a delight.) and then we drove to Carriage Hills to a time share. It is great but the highlight is there is a washer and dryer. We connected with Grant, Sheryl and Claire on FT and watched a bit of Olympics. Tuesday, it was raining when we got up and it rained all day. Yay. We are happy to eat popcorn and watch the Canadian women play soccer-- they won the bronze medal on Friday.
On day 3, George got a muscle spasm in his back and was in a great deal of pain. He used ice and heat and resting and is much better today on day 4. He is using the broom handle to help him when walking. I tell him he looks like Rafiki from Lion King. We will have pizza for dinner today because they deliver. On Friday, we went to the pool and the hot tub, Rafiki is much better but must still be careful. Saturday is our last here, so we drove to Orillia and visited the Leacock museum and enjoyed sitting at Lake Couchiching . There was a wedding happening and the bride was doing last minute stuff including feeding her 10 month old daughter.
We had the best dinner at Horseshoe Valley Steak House--yum--even sticky toffee pudding.
Then back to Carriage Hills and the pool and hot tub. Great discussion in the hot tub about USA politics and poutine. On our way to Burlington, we stopped at a Flea Market--one lady was giving out yummy nectarines. George bought a CD of Enya for $1--sadly, we found the case empty when we tried to play it. We did buy yummy strudel and a peach pie for dinner with Frank and Brenda. They have a new sun room, very nice. We had a lovely lunch, strolled by the water front and visited a favourite book store. We watched a bit of "Grace and Frankie", very funny. It was hard to say good bye.
George is still having some twinges in his back so I continue to help him with his socks. We stopped in Belleville and connected with friends from BC who were on a road trip. We did a bit of shopping before we left for Linda and Larry's. Great to see them, Linda always has some great books to share. We had a tour of a new rec centre and a delightful dinner at Strathmere--lots of laughs and excellent food, including soybeans. And then we were off to Ottawa for a couple of appointments and then the train to Quebec City. On the train, there was a family of five with five screens. I forgot that QC is uphill both ways when I suggested we walk to our hotel. My poor old heart was a pounding and then we were on the third floor! Our hotel was Le Clos St. Louis which was so old and lovely after we got the door open. It is billed as the most romantic hotel!
Saturday, I was so weary, I had to go back to bed after breakfast. I might have slept all day if the cleaning staff hadn't knocked on the door. George went off to explore. We went to a restaurant and sat in the window and had Italian food and then the concert....."The show must go on" and it did--Celine was amazing--so much energy. It was mostly in French, including a lengthy monologue which ended with the moral about remembering the child within. George and I were not sitting together--my seat from 11 from the stage and George was 22 from the stage. A couple of fellows beside me had bought VIP seats--$400 plus--which included a bag of treasures. Two of them became mine--one was a large photo of Celine and the other a bag that could be for bowling shoes or wine! I felt so fortunate to be at her concert--she is as wonderful as ever. She is truly loved in Quebec--this was her sixth concert in QC, she had also been in Montreal and Paris. What a treasure.
We walked on the Plains of Abraham towards the Musee de Beaux des Arts--enjoyed a poke around there. The train left at 14h00--we arrived to our place at Lansdowne by 21h30. Our hostess was out of town--she operates the Fred Astaire Dance Studio. We picked up one of her employees who showed us the ropes of the Air B&B. Today, the painter came at 8:30 and we asked him to come back later. Had a stroll around and coffee at Aroma.
This evening Grant came for dinner--what a fine young man. We had a delightful time and will see him again on Saturday. He showed us how to download podcasts on my Mini so we will be able to listen to them in the car using a gadget that Sheryl and Neil gave us. We will have many miles to go to Oak Island on September 8.
Wednesday was a celebration of my W5 group of 5 women who got together to do something about Harper and his government. The Liberals fixed that so now we just have lunch together and it was super--food was great and company superb. Must do it again. Yay. Then in the evening we met W & B for Chinese food and then went to the Sound and Light Show on the Hill. It had too much war remembrances for me but singing O Canada at the end was very special.
Thursday, September 1, was the day to see a cardiologist--my regular one was away. Anyway, since my pounding heart of QC, I was nervous about this appointment. However, the ECG showed no change in my Atrial Fibrillation and that my valves were doing their jobs. I was DELIGHTED and we celebrated with Port, flowers and Lindt chocolate. Yay.
Friday, I took the bus downtown and worked away at my "to do list" with great success. Also I met Karen and we had a lovely time--first with lunch at El Furniture Warehouse on Clarence in the Market and then coffee at Nordstroms. She helped me with my Mini--I also visited with Chris and Paul at the Apple store and now I can unlock it with my thumb print, load ebooks and do podcasts. An afternoon of lemonade and conversation with Inge and then bus to Billings Bridge to meet George and pick up medications and such. We went to the Fury game in the evening--it was in our back yard as this condo backs onto the TD Place field. We had hotdogs and beer and watched them play--not quite the caliber of Ronaldo, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Now we must do something about this carpet whose threads are crawling all over the place. I think they wait until we aren't looking and then move fast. Had brunch with Grant in Mechanicsville and shopped for chairs. We all sat in many chairs but he wasn't ready to make a decision. Then friends came for dinner and brought what Claire calls the Canadian Grandmother dessert--marshmallows, butterscotch chips and peanut butter are the main ingredients. Had a lovely visit.
Lansdowne is a great area--had wonderful coffee, beer at the Craft, take out food from Whole foods. There is a fantastic skate park and play area and lots of places to walk. We are in our final days here. Had a lovely dinner with Grant t the end of Labour Day. Now, a few more gatherings and we will be off to Oak Island. Next on the list is registering the car which also needs an emissions test. This would normally be done in my bd month and the earliest it can be done is September 6.
So the car passed but needed some work on the brakes. In a few hours we will be off to Linda and Larry's for the night and then on to Claire and Noah's on Thursday arriving on Saturday. Staying in one place for three months will be pleasant, and best of all, we get to play with Brienne.
I can hear your voice telling the stories of where and when and who and yummy! xoxo
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