Backtracking Vacation, cont.

After our lovely last evening in Waterloo with the sisters, we were up and on the road early (May 27) and headed east across Ontario to bring Anne to catch her flight back to Florida, and, begin the rest of our vacation with a trip back to the 1000 Islands area of Canada and New York. It was a lovely sunny day and we drove toward the sunrise in the massive early morning traffic leading to the city of Toronto. A nervousness in my soul shook me as the time got closer and closer to saying good-bye, once again, to my lovely first born. It happened all too quickly, and soon the departure area was in sight and long hugs were shared before having to speed away and back in to the hectic city traffic.  We could not wait to be off the highway and soon enough were back on the lovely secondary roads of Prince Edward County, Ontario  to retrace our ride through the "path of lilacs" that had lead us toward the sisters.  We once again stopped in Wellington for a delicious breakfast at the Tall Poppy, before setting off to catch a series of ferry rides to take us to Clayton, NY, and the Wooden Boat Inn.  We'd stayed there last Fall on an earlier trip to visit Margaret, and it made the perfect stopping point from which to launch our trip into the spectacular Adirondack Mountains the next morning. It seems when we are out on the road like this that we cannot breathe in enough of our surroundings, new adventures, and each other....so happy.

Along the Prince Edward County roads we encountered this bridge approach and had a few laughs as to where it actually would take us. Sure looked like a bridge to nowhere. Pardon the dirty car windshield. It was a "buggy" trip.



 

Here we go.......

Our view turned out to be a lovely Lake Ontario inlet.

 

All too soon, we were saying good-bye to Prince Edward County, to its lovely farms, vineyards and lilacs we hope to see another day. That area seems to transport us back in time and seem very magical. We'd also love to go back and visit some of the many beautiful wineries. Each time we've been there the timing has been wrong....next time, Prince Edward.
Here we are driving on to the ferry at Kingston, Ontario to take us to Wolfe Island, where we'll next take Horne's Ferry to Cape Vincent, NY.

 



 

After a short drive over remote Wolfe Island and its fascinating wind farms and village, we are in line for our return to the US.

Efficiently parked on the tiny Horne's Ferry, we head across the St. Lawrence River. Calm today compared to our trip last October which had us dipping up and down on huge waves.



Our view from the ferry as we leave Wolfe Island....looking south toward Lake Ontario.



 

After a short wait at customs we were back in NY and drove north to Clayton where we would spend the night. It was such a lovely afternoon, so after an early dinner (I finally had the lake perch dinner I'd been dreaming about) at the delightfully "step back in time" 1000 Islands Inn (they say they are  the original home of 1000 Island dressing), we walked across the street to a nice park where we could walk along the banks of the river.
Below is a view from our dinner table.

 

Loved the colorful Adirondack chairs lined up to enjoy the sunset and evening breezes. 

 

LM was fascinated by this huge anchor that had been pulled from the Seaway many years ago. 

 

Back to the wooden Boat Inn to reminisce about the sisters' reunion and our lovely day of travel, and savor the heavenly feeling of having 4 days alone ahead of us......

 

This is such a sweet, quiet, clean and accommodating place to visit.

A nice spot to enjoy a summer evening. 



Columbine

 

Alas, just one night in Clayton. Leaving town and on our way to breakfast the next morning, we were in front of this very interesting cross between a motorcycle and little car.

 

After a great breakfast at "The Rondette" in Clayton, we were on our way east into the Adirondacks and the anticipation built as we explored the remote back roads leading us into the heart of the Adirondacks.  We drove through miles and miles of Mennonite farms.

The farms were lush and green, and we saw signs for quilts!

We came across this young Mennonite farmer using 6 very sturdy plow horses to work his fields. Quite a site.

This town felt like we were in the 50's. 

Many more trip pictures to come......

We've been having a long heat wave here, and are looking forward to a front that will bring us cool dry air on Saturday evening. It is so unusual on Cape Cod to run the AC for more than a day or so at a time, but the humidity and temperatures not dipping at night have had mine running for more than 2 weeks.  Over at Chez LM and Ms G, they have a new AC unit which has made a huge difference in their very old and damp house.  Now we all sleep peacefully and comfortably when we are together on weekends.
Our life has settled into a peaceful and easy time right now. With Kristi still away, we've had quiet weekends with trips to the Farmers Market, evenings at the beach - here's my usual view of my fisherman -

....and the view from behind us.....we have also been bird watching (a pair of beautiful osprey as they fish for their babies), and cooking simple meals. Kristi's future is in transition right now and I will write more about it once we are sure what will happen. Her mother's estate remains to be settled, and there is a lot of careful consideration to be made.
Meanwhile, from rose and hydrangea cloaked Chatham

 

 

 

 

 I wish you love and peace and cool clear summer days.

 

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.