Song lyrics that say 'Road Trip'

God is great.

Beer is good

and people are crazy

(Billy Currington)

___________________

Ain’t no rhyme or reason

No complicated meaning

Ain’t no need to over think it

Let go, laughing

Life don’t go quite like you planned it

We try so hard to understand it

The irrefutable, indisputable fact is

Yeah, the irrefutable, indisputable, absoluteable, totally beautiful fact is

Pshhhhh, it happens

(Sugarland)

NOTICE

We learned something on this trip and we feel that we really must pass this information on to anyone who may be reading this blog, if only as a public service.

There has been a lot of 'evidence' offered to us, and it is an untruth.

Even though...

...a friend's son swore he saw one in his back yard (we believe the picture offered as proof had been heavily photoshopped).

...my cousin said that they are ALWAYS around

...my sister claims to have one as a pet named Alphonse

...a man said that he had a near miss just scant minutes after we passed the VERY same place

...every province and state indicated their existence and

...many hotels had a 'gottagettagund' variety,

please be advised that

the MOOSE IS A MYTH!

The missing post

Gosh, where did the last week disappear to? We are home and back into the routine of work and cooking and physio and everything else that just seems to take up days. That little taste of retirement--I could handle it!

We left Illinois, and spent the next night here. It was a pretty quiet night, but the place was quite interesting. For one thing, the lady who runs it is a flautist, who used to work for interesting people like this guy. But she has also spent considerable time in Zimbabwe, which holds a particular fascination for me. Her living room is full of great cds, some movies and several pieces of Zimbabwe sculptures and handicrafts, all of which she sells on behalf of the artists. There were some gorgeous pieces, one of which is carved in ironwood--a jaguar about to make his move on a hippo in the water. That piece now resides on our fireplace mantle.

After Ohio, we shopped. Outlet mall shopping is fun! And it is perhaps a little too easy to indulge. Nonetheless, we made the most of it, and I am pleased to say that two/thirds of our Christmas shopping is not only purchased but wrapped.

The only other events really were fighting with the duct tape holding our sunroof on. The heat was so intense that the glue on the tape kept melting away, basically, leaving a funny whistle noise and the potential for the whole entire thing to come right off, taking out whoever or whatever would be in its path. Yeah, that was as fun as it sounds.

And all too soon, yet not soon enough we were home. Our cat missed us, the magic painter was here to transform the guest room, and the hot hot weather has followed us here.

It was a GREAT trip. A really wonderful time, and I hope we take more road trips in the future.

But, it is as always, great to be home too.

one of the longest days

Well, because I didn't sleep last night, we slept in this morning....and because we slept in this morning, we missed breakfast at the hotel...and because we missed breakfast at the hotel, we had to have breakfast at IHOP.

Thank heavens the very sugary lady at IHOP had the great idea of giving us coffee to go!

And because we had breakfast at IHOP, we left very late. And because we left late, we weren't prepared for how long the traffic delays would be. And because of traffic delays we didn't get around to having dinner until about 930.

We had dinner at Jonah's restaurant in Peoria, Illinois. It had the potential to be great. Admittedly, the food was pretty good. But the enjoyment of that was downgraded significantly by the very rushed service. We knew that they were closing soon, but if you are going to let people in the door, offer them a full menu, upgrade their drink order to a full bottle of wine--then for heaven's sake, treat them the same as a guest in a 7. Every bit of the meal was rushed, and (pet peeve coming out here) they couldn't wait until we left to start vacuuming. I hate vacuum harmonics on top of classical music. If we had known it would be like that, we would have ordered completely differently. If they had suggested we could have a more leisurely meal in the lounge, we would have. If they said the kitchen was closing, we would have made different choices. Heck, we play fair in the sandbox.

We paid the same as someone else who had been there earlier...and it wasn't a cheap meal. So rushed was the service that we had salads served before appetizers were finished, main course served before salad was started, and then the laughable offer of dessert. It was so clear that they wanted us out of there...we weren't going to order dessert. Worse still, when we said that--the server made no offer of anything to appease us.

So in my opinion, even if the fish was good (and it wasn't bad...but it wasn't great either), but the service sucks, then the whole thing is a waste of money.

Or, I could be grouchy because I didn't get any sleep last night!

one more thing...

Is there anything as lovely as a deer and two fawn

running across the prairie?

No, not really!

Unless of course you are talking about

a solitary bison on a grassland hill.

And could I capture any of that on film?

Not a chance.

Sleepless in Sioux City

AARGH

It's 3:30 a.m. and I haven't been to sleep yet. I get into a few nights like this. The good news is that it is a driving day tomorrow and I can sleep in the car.

So instead of snoozing, let me remind myself about the day we just had. It started out in the best way. We ate breakfast at Baker's Bakery in Custer, South Dakota. I had seen reviews of this place online, and it was recommended by many. So, we went and I must say that it lived up to the reviews it had. This was one of the best breakfasts we have had on this trip.

It started out with a breakfast burrito--sans green sauce. It was spicy (but not hot), and soooooo good. First we shared the burrito and then we shared the cinnamon bun. I confess that when I took the first bite, I was transported back to a time when I was oh so small, and visiting my grandparents. The bakery in their town made the BEST cinnamon buns, and it had been my intent to visit there for a trip down memory lane. That didn't happen because of my brother's heart attack.

Baker's Bakery made up for all that! This bun was all caramelly nutty bad-for-me goodness, and it is the closest thing I ever had to one from Grandma's house. And because it was so tasty, and not cloyingly sweet, we decided that we would take two donuts for lunch. Oh yeah, it was a real nutritious day! I'm going to have to work on that when I get home or risk my brother's fate.

After indulging, we went looking for animals, with some success. First, we saw a buffalo, who was lumbering along the road. He touched the mirror on my side and he was so close I could have kissed him. I resisted that.

Then we saw a herd of burros. They were intermingled with stupid people. I mean really, the burros look tame, and they were obviously begging for food. But is it wise to stand in the way of one's hind legs just because you want a picture of the baby? One lady actually knelt down to pet the baby, and her backpack kept hitting the burro behind her. She didn't even notice when he stamped his feet. Me? I got out of there. After I took my own picture of the baby. But I have 18x zoom on my camera!

We saw lots of deer and antelope play too, and it was all-in-all a lovely little excursion. It was however, just the beginning of our drive. We had a long way to go.

On the way, we saw this.

And now, here I am, sleepless in Sioux City. It's now 3:43. Just in case you wondered how long it took me to type this.

God Carving Mountains

I am feeling very insignificant lately.

Today we went on a scenic drive that quite frankly took us completely by surprise. It's because we didn't do a lot of research before coming here--our plans have been quite fluid, and there have been a lot of changes. So today we grabbed a map that outlined five scenic drives of the Custer National Park area, and we picked one.

It was beautiful. Lots of trees, some wildlife, a few creeks, a couple of rock formations. But nothing, and I do mean nothing, prepared me for what was to come. We had just approached it through a 'one lane tunnel', and I think that was part of the surprise was because we didn't know it was coming. I can't capture it on film in a way that shows the emotion behind it. This huge cathedral of granite formations met us, in an area that had been cleared to allow perhaps a dozen cars to park and the 'one-lane' traffic to pass through the tunnel.

Logan Pass was stunning. Devil's Tower was ethereal. But the Needle's Eye made me cry.

Good work, God!

Men Carving Mountains

We are in Custer, South Dakota for a few nights. Last night, we went to see the Crazy Horse Memorial, which is quite an interesting sight indeed. I find it fascinating that one family would make this their generational life's project, without federal government aid. At the same time, I find myself wishing that they would accept it, because there is no way this will be finished in my lifetime.

Watching the video about the man behind the vision, and the work that has been done was thought-provoking. The size of the sculpture is a bit incomprehensible to me. Today, we went to Mount Rushmore, which was completed in a relatively few years because of available funding...but I found myself underwhelmed, again because of the size of the project. The four faces of Mount Rushmore are lovely, and we were introduced to them in grand fashion on the spectacular Needle's highway. But all four of them will fit inside the hair of Crazy Horse.

Perhaps the other reason that I am underwhelmed today is just due to all the tourism surrounding the sculptures. Some of it is okay--I like when I have a choice about what I want to see, and I don't really mind paying access fees. But I dislike it when it is commercialized for money's sake alone, and there is a lot of that around here. Need a Rushmore Burger? We can find that for you. A bunch of Lincoln fries? That's here too.

Ugh.

Devil's Tower

In 1977 Steven Spielberg released "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". I remember liking the movie--and the five note musical theme that went with it often comes to mind when strange things occur. Part of the location shooting for that movie took place at Devil's Tower. If I remember correctly, it was when the space ship was landing.

When we awoke this morning, it was to a day that was rainy, dreary, and cold. I was immediately disappointed that we didn't go to the monument last night--because the picture taking would surely have been better. We decided to go anyway.

I was in awe. Perhaps it was because of the rain--everything was so misty and ethereal. There were not a lot of voices to intrude as we walked around the monument. There were huge boulders cast carelessly around the base, almost as if a giant toddler had a temper tantrum and tossed his marbles around his room. It wasn't just boulders, but whole columns that had fallen off the side a hundred or so years ago.

It was crazy amazing!

Mountain pictures

My friend said I should have included some mountains in my pictures of Logan Pass...these are for her :-)

The Mayor's Inn

The Mayor's Inn, in Cody, Wyoming is a fabulous place to stay! We were welcomed so warmly, and treated so well. The proprieters are a great couple; she has filled the inn with lovely little extras, both practical and humourous (we even had a rubber ducky). He is an ex truck-driver with a passion for baking and classic country. Best of all, he is a self-taught EXCELLENT cook! Our first breakfast was fruit and mini-muffins, followed by the best blueberry pancakes (no syrup required), and terrific coffee. Our second breakfast was eggs benedict, cooked perfectly, with homemade hollondaise sauce. We decided to stay there for a dinner as well--he made buffalo medallions that were melt-in-your mouth, and a lovely salmon. The portions were generous, and the lady who served us was hilarious. To finish our dinner, we had dessert--and I have to say that my chocolate cake was SO good that I asked for the recipe. It was ready for me this morning before we left.

The Inn itself has an interesting history; it was moved from it's original location, and then had a colourful past of assorted shops and a pizza parlour. However, no one ever used the inside; they just added on in bits and pieces outside. Then this couple bought it, and it has been lovingly restored to its Victorian roots.

They were also great travel planners. We saw quite a few interesting things--buildings where the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang planned their bank robberies, doors with bullet holes in them, and a lot of Buffalo Bill Cody this and that. There was a fair bit of cheesiness thrown in, but it was all fun.

They sent us on two different scenic routes (one yesterday and one today). We saw the most spectacular sights! Here is one of them...

I can't believe that we are starting the last week of the trip! Tomorrow--we're heading back to 1978. Stay tuned!

followed by...

AARGH.

This was not the best day, though it started out just fine. We saw an osprey nest

and watched the 3 birds for a short while. But after that...

It all started with pulling into a rest stop and realizing that our sunroof wouldn't close. This was problematic because of the heavy rain that was falling. So we had to find a Ford dealership who could help us. We did that by calling Dave and asking him to look it up for us, and send directions, which he did. He found the Brook-Hannah Ford Dealership in Butte Montana.

We pulled into Butte with the realization that we had just missed a hailstorm, and a dandy one at that. The dealership was shovelling out their car bays. We pulled in, and found out that there was a technical service bulletin out on just this problem with our car. But, it was going to take several days for the part to come in. The service guys didn't know how to close the sunroof, and none of us thought that the little blind inside the car (that slides under the sunroof) would keep out the rain.

And then one service guy genius had one more idea. He took apart the back of the car, and removed the motor for the sunroof. Then they were able to manually close it and duct tape the whole thing shut. Woo hoo! But wouldn't you know it, there was a weather warning out for another hail storm, possibly worse than the one that had just gone through, and we could see it coming. So the friendly Ford people suggested that we keep the car inside and wait with them, even though some of them were waiting to go home because the service shop was closed.

We LOVE the Brooks Hannah Ford People!!

The storm passed and we were on our way. For an hour. And then, there was another hail storm to deal with. It resulted in this

and this

and this

We were quite late getting to the B&B, but we were certainly made to feel welcome. A key had been left for us, and clear instructions on where our room was. We walked up the stairs and opened the door to find a gorgeous room, great big huge jacuzzi tub and a stuffed moose to say hello.

The best day so far...

Oh my goodness, what a day! I started out by making french toast with my buddy Brodie, and hugs from dear friends to send us on our way. Today we drove to Montana.

Montana! I'm really liking Montana. It is ruggedly beautiful. At Sue's suggestion, we took the Going to the Sun Highway, and my goodness it was gorgeous. I took more pictures today than the whole rest of the trip. Here is some of what we saw...

We also hit all kinds of weather. At one point, we were so close to an electrical storm that we could hear the static in the sky before it hit. What was strange about this is that we were exactly on the line of the front. The electricity was to the right of us. The sky behind us was rolling and pitch black. In front, it was clear and lovely.

I'll post more later--we have a long drive today. But I love Montana. I need to come back!

Old friends are the best friends...

After the anniversary party, we travelled south to see some people that we love. We were treated to fifteen minutes with one of my all time favourite young women. Oh how she has grown and changed in a year! And, I baked with her brother, and we made a favorite breakfast together, and it was all so good. These friends are so comfortable to be around, and we love them! I vented a wee bit, and now I can see that we are both so much more relaxed. It might have had to do with all the laughing around this...

In any case, I'm grateful. It is just the place we needed to be right now.

We also sought out a coffee place I wanted to visit because I've seen some of their coffee art. I'd advertise for them here, but they weren't too encouraging when I snapped this one, so I'm not going to. The coffee was pretty good...nice and smooth and all...and I appreciate the technique, but I won't travel to this particular one again. Somehow the attitude about the picture interfered with the whole experience.

Tomorrow, we head south again. It's time to start moving back towards home. We have a cat who needs us!

50 years

One of the main reasons for taking this trip is that my parents were celebrating their 50th anniversary. We had a super hot sunny day, that caused us to move the entire grouping of tables to the driveway. Then we had to race to beat the storm that threatened to spoil everything. But, when all is said and done, I think that we surprised them--especially with some guests that they never expected to come.

So, congratulations, Mom and Dad!

And...my brother hopes to open a barbeque restaurant. If he does, you should go. That man really understands pulled pork!

Manitoba Farmers

There are some farms in Manitoba where the farmers have realized that most of us city folk cannot recognize crops. I loved this--they put signs up by all the different crops, visible from the highway, so we could learn. Crop after crop we would see "flax", "canola", "wheat", "barley", "oats"...

But my favorite sign? The one that read "pasture".

And along the way

after leaving Winnipeg, and the wonderful hospitality extended to us, we were presented with these two gifts...

and this

And now we are home.

Things we DID do

We left Minnesota and headed through Wisconsin and North Dakota, towards Winnipeg. On the way, we stopped at a place that Martin remembered as a kid. He remembered there was a great big otter--and there was. It towered over his 6'2 frame, and it was fun to take the picture for his parents.

What he had forgotten was this:

And really, they look silly when they are in the trees!

We spent a good half hour there, watching and photographing the cranes. We also spent some time trying not to get pecked by the geese and their 'teenaged' gosling. It was amazing!

We arrived at Cynthia and J-L's, and were charmed completely by their wee ones. Their daughter is bright as can be (and prints better than some adults I know). Their son is a major flirt. So we had a great supper and enjoyed their hospitality immensely. We like these people, a lot! They gave us so much freedom to come and go.

And come and go we did. One of the reasons for the road trip was to see where each of us grew up. Martin grew up in Winnipeg, and we spent the day looking at his old stomping grounds. There were several great moments, but the best one for me was when he spotted his neighbour--a handsome gent dressed in paint spattered short-shorts, and an equally paint-spattered shirt. His wife came to greet us as well--she didn't recognize him at first, but when she did, the most lovely expression transformed her face from one of total confusion to one of pure and absolute delight. She has alzheimers and so she kept moving between the present and the past...but that moment was completely perfect.

We also drove to the cabin that really does exist on the corner of Alice Lane and Wonderland Street. And we walked the beach which was a delight.

And also? We spent a lot of time watching these--there are a million of them!

Things heard on the phone

"He's going to be on strict bed rest for several days"

"He has pneumonia and a blood clot. Then he had a heart attack"

"He sounds bored"

"He is so tired"

"He's in ICU"

"He went home today"

(Thanks to everyone who read my last post and offered up a prayer for him).

The things we didn't do

We didn't go look at the prairie dog village, or take a leisurely drive to my cousin's, or stay overnight where my mom grew up, or see my cousin's kids.

We aren't going to go to my home town, even though we are only 20 km away from it right now.

My brother had a heart attack. We are going home.

I'll write more about the things we DID do a little later.

and, DARN!

I lost my sunglasses. They've been with me for a long time. I know this because of the sailboat incident and I had them then. I know THAT because I was so surprised that they floated!

Sigh. I hope whoever finds them enjoys them!

The longest day

Today was a really really long day. We didn't sleep as well as we expected to last night, because we had the dumbest bed in the full hotel. It was sloping towards the head, and not only that, the air conditioning fan was so loud that we awoke almost every ten minutes when it came on. The icing on the cake was that the room next to us was apparently empty (how could THAT be?). Either that or the patron was dead. The alarm clock was going before 7, and continued until after we left.

However--and this is important--the hotel manager did his best to make it well, better. He reduced the rate in half (the rate that had already been reduced by a third was reduced by another half). And he bought breakfast, which was actually pretty good. And it helped us today because we had so far to drive.

We drove from Chicago to Wisconsin. There's a lot of toll roads in Chicago! Then we cut diagonally across Wisconsin and came into Minnesota at St. Paul's. We decided to drive through the twin cities so that we could avoid the rush hour tomorrow. It's another long day! But at least at the end of it we get to see some cute kidlets and their parents.

Smoquing!

One of the things we decided to do on this trip was to hit some of the restaurants featured in Drive ins, Diners and Dives--but not all of them (a deep fried fully dressed hamburger? uh uh!!). We watch it on the weekends, and there are only a few that are on our intended route. One of them is called Smoque.

And it was great! Let me just say that these people know how to barbeque, but not only that, I liked their coleslaw....and I don't like anybody's. I also liked their beans, but my favourite? Those Louis Back Ribs. I actually didn't care for their sauce, but then, I haven't found a bbq sauce that I'm crazy about.

If you're ever in Chicago...check it out!

A Shout-Out to the People of Michigan

We have had quite a lovely day. We started out by leaving our hotel armed with granola bars, apples and water, and we drove to the village of Frankenmuth. This little town celebrates its Bavarian heritage, so my German hubby wanted to go see it's beautiful flower-laden downtown. On the way, we saw the biggest Christmas store (scroll to the bottom to see the panoramic tour). I think my friend Gail and my mom would both have stayed there for hours. We needed to get on the road, but even so, our 'let's take a peek' took at least an hour. It was fruitful, as we finally found a star for the tree that we both like, but it was sooo over the top.

While there, we asked the cashier where she would recommend us going for breakfast. She said Satow's, on main street...and then added that it was the drugstore. We were a bit surprised, but we have learned to trust the locals. So we found this lovely little building that has a series of murals painted on the outside wall. It is a drugstore, yes--but it is also this very cute eating place. I loved watching two oldtimers at the counter, engaged in conversation, and shifting their weight on the swivel stools. We had a great, affordable breakfast too. As a little Bavarian town, of course the sausage was homemade. They even had stollen!

We travelled right down to the south westernmost corner of Michigan, spent an hour in Indiana as we made our way around the bottom of Lake Michigan--a great lake that we never saw! We stopped in Illinois, where we are staying at a lovely resort hotel. Wise and frugal hubby scored a GREAT deal!

We're tired, and have a long day tomorrow. So, good night lone blog reader!

Deals, deals and more deals

This morning we woke up to the beautiful lake, and our beautiful friends, and a gorgeous breakfast. We slept well, we ate well! Afterwards, we drove to St. Jacobs. We started at the farmer's market, where M found landjaeger sausage. He was delighted! And he ate them before I got more than a whiff of them (which truthfully, was probably quite enough). We bought cherries to eat on the way, and our friends filled their cooler with goodies to take home. My find? Stroopwaffels! Who knew that I didn't have to fly to Holland to get them?

After a morning that went by far too quickly, we bid adieu to our friends and continued west. We had a pretty uneventful border crossing, though we are not sure that the red jaguar in the next lane fared as well!

It didn't take us long to realize we were going south when we intended to go west--but after a quick (and much cheaper) tank of gas, we had it all straightened out again. We arrived in Birch Run at a reasonable time, and spent two hours at the outlet mall. It was productive--all the kids birthday and Christmas gifts done, which will be helpful when we take them home this week.

But we are tired, so now we are crashing at the hotel, ready to head out again tomorrow.

Not a bad way to begin!!

Thanks, John and Joelle...we had a beautiful time!

Gearing up for a roadtrip!

Tomorrow we leave for an extended road trip, which will take us around the great lakes, through hubby's home town where we will also check in on Master Jack and Miss Abby; then a quick visit with my cousin, and a look at my home town. We'll go to the cemetery, and then boot it to my parent's place to celebrate their 50th. I started to tell you all about that, but they read this blog, and that would just spoil the surprise. After that, we are going south to see some favorite kids (and their parents), and then we are going to drive around some parks. We expect to see some cowboy country, and some badlands country, maybe a few animals along the way, and stay in some bed and breakfasts. It's been a while since we had a long holiday, and we are both in the mood to head out!

Yesterday we washed the cat. She is all cuddly and mushy today, having quickly forgiven me (whew). I'm just curious if she'll be as forgiving in a month. We haven't told her yet that she has to spend it with a DOG.

An iconic moment

After our huttopia adventures, we spent the weekend at the Montreal Jazz Festival. We saw two concerts.

Eliane Elias was okay. I found her constant flipping-of-the-hair thing, to be a distraction. But in her defense, she is a beautiful Latino woman who clearly loves great clothes and great shoes and has the rhythm to make it all work for her. So if she wants to flip her sexy long blonde locks every other minute, she has the right to do it. My husband and my friend loved it. Maybe I was just jealous--she looked great. And she is a terrific jazz pianist. Her singing didn't move me, but then it didn't have to. It was wonderful to hang out and just listen for awhile.

Dave Brubeck was a whole other story. This was the first time in my life that I watched an artist get a standing ovation just for coming on the stage, and I really appreciated that. I found out afterwards that he had been quite ill, so dragging his 88 year old bones on stage really was an accomplishment. But that wasn't why he was applauded with such fervor. He is really talented, and I have to say that I loved every minute of the concert. If his name doesn't seem familiar, take a listen to this...and you will realize that you knew him all along.

The absolute highlight for me however, was something that sounded a lot like this. It isn't just that I enjoy the song, but I loved how this guy interpreted it, and just what he made his instrument do. It was 'wow' terrific, and as a sometime-flautist myself, I could appreciate his tone, technique and talent.

I'm going to be listening to a lot more Dave Brubeck and Bobby Militello after this!

It rained. And rained. And when it was done raining, it rained.

Last week was our annual camping trip with Dave. This year, we all admitted we were getting older (and yet no one said a word). We decided not to sleep on the ground. Under the auspices of 'trying out a tent trailer', and failing--we then turned to huttopia camping.

I have to say, this was really great. Even though it rained.

It's been my experience this week that few people know what a huttopia is. Think cabin, made of canvas. All the camping stuff that we normally lug around was already there--with the exception of food and sleeping bags. It had a stove, and a fridge, and electricity. I especially enjoyed the sleeping area, divided by black canvas into two bedrooms. The black part is important for it allowed us all to catch a regular 8 hours rather than waking up with the birds at 4 a.m. Okay, I'm lying a little. The birds still sang, rather it rained or not. I love that, and I hate that at the same time. But at least if the room is dark, it's a lot easier to pretend that it isn't 4 in the morning.

That darned rain though was problematic. First, it invited all the bugs to come to the trio buffet. In fact, if I had to assign one phrase to the week, it was this..."it doesn't itch. It really doesn't itch. HONEST, IT DOESN'T ITCH!!!"

Second, the rain was a direct cause of a three hour detour. The day started out innocently enough--I chose a new hiking trail, but we had to drive to get there. It promised a lovely walk, close to nature (translate that to mean bugs), where the birds were (bugs), etc. etc. We had to take a secondary road, that barely existed thanks to the rain, to get there. And since, upon arriving, we realized that it may have been simpler to just come in the other way, we decided to go back to our huttopia haven that direction instead. BAD IDEA. You see, an hour or so into the drive, the road was washed out. Gone, completely impassable. You'd think that it wouldn't be so difficult to put up a sign oh...anywhere before we got to the 'thou shalt return' point. So we had to drive back the hour, take a detour for an hour, and then drive the original hour back to camp. Boy, was I popular. I wasn't going to choose the hike again!

Third, the rain really interfered with such traditions as roasting marshmallows and cooking sausages and singing campfire songs and such. You need to be able to keep the fire going to really make those things fun. And...well, there was our huttopia just waiting nice and dry, so in fact, we had one fire, upon which we dutifully grilled (er, braised) steaks. That was that!

Still, it was a great week. We went to the mineral spas twice. We were treated to the requisite amount of creature sightings (deer, birds, chipmunks and squirrels, and a fox). We played numerous games of kuuduk and cribbage. I got to ride a motorcycle, which was way cool. We went in the paddle boats, and we watched a loon go fishing. Pictures to come later!

We tried something new, and it was a grand success. Except that it was monsoon season.

More on our weekend

We're back at home now, but the weekend was grand.  Some things I forgot to mention while the kids were pushing me away....

• It wasn't a parliament of owls, a gaggle of geese or a murder of crows--but there sure were a lot of wild turkeys on the road.  
• On the way out, it was foggy as could be.  I wish we could have stopped by the river, just outside of town (but there are signs everywhere saying that you can't).  There is an ice-fishing village of perhaps a hundred little huts, some of them brightly coloured, which peeked out ever so gently through the mist.  It is an image that will stick with me.
• We couldn't go to the spa on Saturday because there was a waiting list.  Let me say that I was very surprised by that.  I thought it would just be us going to hang out in the cold winter air.  Apparently, it's busier in winter than in summer.  I decided that we would return on Sunday morning, right at the start of their day.  It was still busy, but in spite of that, it was a perfect afternoon.  I read a whole entire book, and I had two cycles in the Finnish sauna followed by the ice cold waterfall.  We found spaces in the zero gravity room right by the window, where we could look out on trees, snow and the occasional deer.  We both took a nap in those chairs.  We also spent time in two different whirlpools, and a relaxing room that looked out on the deer feeder.   It was perfect.
• The only problem was that we had to drive home afterwards.  I was so ready to sleep for hours.  When we got back, I actually fell asleep before 9, and only woke up once until 7.  Since the car accident in December, this is the first time that I had that kind of rest.  
• My birthday dinner was so much fun!  We went to the La Savoy restaurant in the Village. While I think the restaurant is a wee bit overpriced, so is every other restaurant in the Village.  Every other aspect of the place was grand.  It's tiny and homey, with hand painted wooden dividers that sit on the tables, effectively changing them from seating two to four or six or eight.  The wait staff offer great suggestions, and are charming and fun to be around.  At this restaurant you can have fondue, raclette or pierrades.  While I love the raclette cheese it is so very rich that we only have the appetizer portion.  The cheese is melted over potatoes, and bits of dark smoked meat.   However, if you were to have raclette as the meal, it would look like this.  It's fun to watch people scrape the cheese to their plate.  And it smells so good.  The people who are cooking on the pierrade, a grill stone placed over a heating element, are also filling the air with succulent scents.  But in our case, we went for fondue.  At home, we have fondue with broth, and we like it very much.  So much in fact that we fondue a dozen times during the year.  Here, we had an oil fondue.  We fondued big chunks of chicken that we dipped into cream, and then into breadcrumbs.  The best chicken ever!  We also had steak cubes to fondue, and the sides were green salad (as much as we wanted), potatoes, rice pilaf, bread (no shortage of carbs here!), then three old dipping sauces and two hot ones.  In addition, they serve a little kir cocktail as their welcome, and offer a very nice selection of wines.  We had a big Bordeaux that worked brilliantly with the cheese and the chicken.  It's the type of meal that makes you linger for a long time, and just enjoy the company that you're keeping.  And MY company...was also perfect. 

Well that's it.  I'm older, not necessarily wiser, and grateful for all my blessings....which include my friends.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Birthday to Me

I love birthdays, especially my own. I think it is because I have been blessed with more than certain people thought I deserved. My favorite things are when I hear a shy voice sing happy birthday to me, and just the chance to celebrate life in general. It's so great!

Today, we are spending my birthday here; we are about half an hour away from heading over there. I'm so excited, because the whole day will be spent being warm, getting cold, resting, reading, and doing it all over again. This particular place is quiet and comfortable, and there are some gravity defying chairs that are perfect for settling down with my book. Surprising to me is that I actually remembered to bring them along!

We are also staying at the ski hill at Tremblant. Yesterday, my actual birthday, treated us to a flash freeze, and I am grateful that we made it here before that hit (though we only had about fifteen minutes to spare). The wind came up and things swirled all around. It was a little frightening. Our hotel room was upgraded to a suite, which of course is hard to handle. It has a king size bed, a fireplace, two tvs and a perfect bathroom (meaning of course that the shower functions beautifully and the tub is nice and deep). So, life is good all around!

Unfortunately, there are a couple of kids who want the computer, and they are stepping closer and closer until I am ready to move on. That`s about to happen. Besides that, a cappucino just got delivered, so I`m going to go sit by the window and look out on the lake.

Yup, my life is so very very rough!

A Day or Two in Toronto

I came to Toronto by train--a mode of travel I particularly like for that trip.  It gives me a chance to read quietly, gin and tonic close at hand.  Very often I don't have a seat-mate, and that is my favorite time.  It isn't that I'm anti-social, it's that I like the space.  It's much easier to avoid spilling my drink if it's sitting on the table next to me rather than the scrunchy one in front of me. 

I also love the whistle.  Every time I hear it I am transported back through time to the days when we lived close to the tracks.  The train came through my little town--fittingly named after a senior engineer for the trains--and the tracks were basically across a farmer's field.  That melancholy minor chord was a part of our nightly existence.  

The best time was when the circus came through because the train cars were brightly painted.  I remember that Dad would wake us up to take us closer to the tracks.  We would hike across the farmer's field, and feel the air rush by as the train did.  I marveled at the painted cars and always hoped that the clown or the ring master would be waving at us from the caboose.  

In the future, the train will also make me think of my parents.  They came to visit us this past December, and travelled by train.  As I listened to the snippets of conversation, I realized that Dad would be the one who at some point, would speak to every other person in that car.  The atmosphere on the train is often far more congenial than that on a plane.  

I was in Toronto for a course, which when it began, seemed a total waste of time.  I did learn what I needed to however, for the afternoon went much better.  After that, my favorite part of the day began.  I met with my friend Joelle for a delightful dinner.  She is one of the true gems on this planet; she is thoughtful and refined, gracious and witty, and the most faithful of friends.  It has been a while since it was just the two of us, and while our husbands are always welcome and encouraged to come, I have to admit that it was a treat indeed. 

Afterwords we went to see her son, who shares so many of his mother's traits.  I really like him. He is a musician and a song-writer, deep in his thinking but quick with his teasing, and he knows how to make a mean latte.  The milk was perfect!  

The next day I was hoping to meet another friend but that didn't work out. Instead, I pretended it was already my birthday, and I went shopping at the Eaton Centre.  I wandered in the city-under-the-city for hours.   I didn't find any clothes but I did enjoy my annual complientary-for-your-birthday hand massage at Aveda, and picked up some skin care stuff at Origins.  I was really looking for a binder-portfolio that wasn't black, and while I saw many that were, the fact that I seem to mistake them for my laptop computer is something I can no longer ignore.  

The rail-ride home was uneventful but quite crowded.  And thankfully, there were taxis waiting at the station...a welcome sight since the recent transit strike has kept them very busy.   My cat greeted me as though she was sure I'd left her forever...it's good to be back.  

Five years

Every year, we take turns planning our anniversary.  The other person is always surprised.   Martin planned the first one, and it really set the bar high.  It was his turn to plan again, and I have no idea how I am going to top this one!

One good thing about a January anniversary is that, unless you like skiing, it's off-season

 everywhere.  Lots of great deals or extra special touches are available for the off-season shopper!  This weekend, we were the only guests at the Claramount Inn in Picton.  We had a suite, which was both charming and amusing; the king size bed was so large that we needed steps to get into it, but the chairs were so short that we couldn't sit in them without having our knees at our chest.  The tv was hidden in an antique armoire, facing the bed--but it was so low that you couldn't actually see it.  None of that really mattered, since....well, it just didn't matter. 

Picton is a lovely little town in the middle of Prince Edward county,  which in turn is a newer wine growing region in Ontario.  We were quite interested in that, and a good part of our day was spent exploring the area (by car, because as always on our anniversary weekend, it was darned cold).  We came home with a case and a half of wine for our collection, including one that we will save for our anniversary in two years (next year's wine was purchased last year, and this year's wine was purchased last year as well). It's becoming a new tradition, trying to find a wine to put away for a year, so that we are reminded again of the year before.  It is always fascinating to ask the merchants why they picked a particular name for the wine, and this year one of our favorites was from the Grange--a wine called Trumpours Mill.  It was to honour the family who originally held the plot of land. 

We ate very VERY well.  Some of the more memorable things included a cheddar and apple cider soup (local cheddar, local cider!) from the Waring House (Amelia's Garden Dining Room)  and the eggs benedict by which all other eggs benny should be measured.  For breakfast both days, we were the only guests in the little dining room which has a mere ten tables.  We had 'Clara's blend' coffee, and we were served by the wonderful Candace.  For me, the most amazing moment involved salad (and those of you who know me well will realize how improbable that is).  This salad was inspired.  It was savory, and sweet and bitter, and balanced; it was neither overdressed or underdressed, and it was quite simply, perfection.  I actually asked for the recipe.  And I was turned down very politely, but you see, Chef Lili makes her own mustard...required for the dressing.  We spoke to Chef Lili later (because you see, she made breakfast too) and she was explaining about the mustard but she was also kind enough to offer me a few hints in making salad dressing. 

I hope I remember it. 

I can't imagine how I couldn't!  We had the best time!