The Last Evening with the Sisters et al

Maybe it is because I never wanted the sisters' reunion to end, maybe it is because I just wanted to sit with each of the sisters and nieces alone and talk about what is important to them and where their lives are.  Those opportunities are so rare.  So I have been procrastinating about finishing up the post about this trip of a lifetime. I give you the last evening in Waterloo.....it was a lovely sunny day, even quite cool, and we were thrilled to find this beautiful table awaiting us when we arrived for dinner at The Kitchen at Bauer Lofts in uptown Waterloo.

 

It was a quiet night there and we delighted in having a lovely location right where we could see into the amazing kitchen, complete with a huge wood fired oven.  The trays of beautiful fresh herbs and other goodies within the chefs' grasp, assured us our meals would be sigh worthy.
First up was the drink order and behold here my lovely huge Mason jar or white sangria.

Deliciousness!

 



Bebo offering a toast with her dark local beer.

Matt and Emmy toasting the table as well.



Ellie and Dad, Jerry, had fun choosing just the perfect pizza. Jerry LOVES pizza.

Margaret, our very generous hostess, and my favorite date, on loan for the evening.



Mother and daughter, properly placed in front of the wine cellar! Notice we both chose the sangria





Beauty.....Anne and Eleanor.

Margaret and I opted for the shortribs and they were perfection sitting on some Yukon gold mashed potatoes, some parsnip puree and an delicious assortment of crisp fresh vegetables.

Anne chose the roasted chicken and it, too, was perfection.



A shared dessert of pear gingerbread, homemade ice cream and some butterscotch flavored brittle. We never finished it all, but the sweet ending coincided with the sweetness of all being together and celebrating the love we share!



We were soon back at Margaret's for our final good-bye, as LM, Anne and I would leave early in the morning in order to drop Anne at the Toronto Airport for her return flight to Florida.



We had to catch these last two photos, Eleanor sitting in what was our paternal Nana's chair.  I am so happy to know it is with Margaret, Nana's namesake, and I know our Nana would love the fact that the chair is now upholstered with leopard print velvet fabric.



 

And, last but not least by any means, Anne had the thrill of sitting in her Nana's favorite chair. The arms are so worn from where my Mum always had her arms. 

We were given the treasure of being loved by some incredibly wonderful women. One of the most joyous moments of the trip was when we all listened to Margaret read letters written by our mother in her early years.

 

Good-byes were said, tears, shed, and we were off to bed..........the story continues as LM and I shared another 6 days of bliss on the road home.

 

Love to all!

A Perfect Day - Breezes, Boats, Birds, and Blooms.

From as far back as I can remember, going to the banks of the Cape Cod Canal has brought peace, calm, and cooling. As a child my parents brought us there for picnics - to this day a peanut butter and grape jelly (homemade in those days) sandwich takes me there at first bite.  With son, Jason, wife Alison and their Teddy, living a stonesthrow from the Canal, it seemed the perfect place to have a lobster salad picnic on a day too hot to do much but seek out a breeze.  With the heavy traffic that usually keeps us confined to home on holidays here, mostly at their destinations, we made the 40 minute drive over the Sagamore Bridge and found the perfect place under a large shade tree, to have our picnic lunch.

While we were enjoying our picnic, Jason and family were at a bike parade and accompanying festivities (Teddy won a blue ribbon!) and they joined us to enjoy the cooling breezes for awhile.

The Canal area is always a great place to birdwatch. This comorant and seagull seemed to be friends and were either on these polls or diving to the water, during all the time we were there. They seemed to talk to each other. We saw goldfinches, kingfishers, and many noisy crows that afternoon.  There was also a privet hedge in full bloom - perfuming the air heavily. The scent of July!

There were some amazing boats passing by. This beautiful old-timer was asea from London.

After a lovely few hours of peace, reading, soft talk, and fascination, we took a short jaunt to visit at Jason's to play with Teddy, prior to an impromptu cookout, and then attending the Sagamore Beach fireworks display.  It turned out to be a fun family day!  Teddy had a great time playing in his tunnel.

 Just like his Dad, he loves his Big Wheel!

 He rode this in the bike parade earlier.

Arriving at the beach prior to the fireworks.  

Cape Cod Bay

Teddy gets ready with his glow toys

LM taking in the sights. 

Many families had bonfires and the entire evening was very festive and fun.



Next thing we knew we were surrounded by fireworks and then festivities began. We truly felt that we'd never seen a better display.  From where we sat, we could see all the way from Plymouth to Provincetown and there were fireworks everywhere you looked in the distance, and above our heads, as well.  Cape Cod bay was alight, and we were in total delight.  A great way to celebrate our nation's birthday. 

Tired Daddy and son..... 

Hope you had a happy 4th, too.

Much love to all!



Happy Independence Day

Happy 4th....I found this photo I took on a visit to the WWII Memorial in May of 2006!  This visit was one of the most moving events of my life.  It is a very beautiful place and there were very few visitors not moved to tears. 

These babies touched my heart so, and I was so grateful that officials allow them to thrive here at this special place.

I thought it most fitting to see a few baby ducks and their parents swimming at the WW II Memorial pool.  New life - renewal.

PEACE!



Despite thick fog, and very soupy air, we are going to one of my favorite places of peace and joy today. I've packed a picnic lunch of lobster salad and chips, along with strawberry shortcake for dessert (made the biscuits this morning, and the strawberries are local), and we are driving over to the banks of the Cape Cod Canal, in hopes that we will find a breeze.  Surely, there will be a steady parade of boat traffic, and a shady spot just for us. We're hoping for a little visit from Teddy, Jason and Alison while along the canal.

I'm especially mindful of our freedoms this day, and also, the wonderful family memories of July 4th's in the past.  The Hingham, parade, visiting with dear friends, and poached salmon, new potatoes, and fresh peas with Nana and Di-Di, my paternal grandparents. We were given such a precious life filled with love and these magic moments.

Day 3 - Elora, Meeting Penny

Sisters' Reunion, continued.  After an exciting day at the quilt auction on Saturday, we wondered if we would all feel like driving out to Elora on Sunday, but we were all ready and up and out early, driving through the beautiful Mennonite farm country to visit a place where we all held some memories of visits in years past.  Elora is a vey old village with many beautiful stone mill buildings and a very popular destination for a day of boutique shopping, walking, and dining.  When we arrived it appeared there was some sort of motorcycle rally taking place. You can read a bit more about Elora at this link.

http://www.fergus-ontario.com/elora-gorge-rock.htm

Beautiful farm land on the way to our destination, and some farmers make their way along in a buggy and on a bike.

In the Epiphany boutique daughter, Anne, found some wonderful shoes....we had a little fun with this and brought the package out to the car and handed it to LM, telling him we'd bought him a gift.  He turned bright red when he opened the shoe box....big laughs all around. Silly girls taking advantage of our trusty chauffeur and helper's good nature.

There are some lovely doorways on the shops lining the old part of town.  It reminded Anne so much of France, where they visit often.  Love the little doggie on the bottom of this door. 

After shopping and some lunch, we were off to see the famous Elora Gorge.  This is a little peek through some rock formations.

We all gathered at "Lover's Leap" for this photo and a kind fellow tourist took this "family"shot: LM, Bebo, Eleanor, Moi, and daughter, Anne.

On the way back to Waterloo, some of us had a very important stop to make.  We were all starved for some kitty-love and our niece, Ellie, invited us to stop by to meet her new baby, Penny, and to have some delicious homemade lemonade and treats. Ellie, Margaret's 2nd daughter, has recently moved back to Waterloo from Toronto, and has found a lovely apartment in a beautiful old building.
As you can see, "Aunt Bebo" was the first to get a big hug from the most beautiful and willing Penny.

We all had a turn but, of course, the big magnetic pull was with the one most dangerous, as we all know his reputation for stealing felines, ahem, LM....I want my cat back!! In case you are not aware, my beloved Ms Graysea went to visit LM for a few days in 2008 and has never been allowed to return home!  It is true love and I cannot force them apart.He tells me she may return home when she jumps in the cat carrier by herself and closes it up. The likelihood of that happening is NIL.

Penny had no idea that she was in danger of being swept away to Cape Cod.

Ellie, Emmy and Matt served us some delicious and refreshing lemonade and treats.

Ellie found Penny when she was quite little, sitting atop of a trash barrel in a snow storm, complete with a little cap of snow between her ears.  She was irresistible in her little pleas for a home. She came to Waterloo and quickly thrived, as you can see.  She is the most relaxed and loving cat for one who had such inauspicious beginnings.  Here, she rests, after all the loving, in a fun box, given her by her aunt Emmy!

Ellie was a most gracious host and we really enjoyed our little interlude with Penny. Soon we were on our way back to our various lodgings to rest and prepare for a delicious and fun evening dining out in Waterloo.

I'm sorry for all the delay in finishing posting the rest of our trip adventures. Summer has arrived with a most oppressive, dark and dank vengeance here, and I am using my energy to work and get through each day.  We have not seen the sun in well over a week and the humidity is at 97%.  Sleeping is elusive as my ancient AC cannot keep up.  The house feels like a swamp.
On the plus side, there are beautiful local strawberries, and a bit of preparing and freezing of said luscious treats, is in process.
Love to all....