Local explorations
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Cassoulet at Thirty Bench
My Mom and I generally have a weekly visit. It revolves around a walk. Her love for walking has rubbed off on me. A day walking in nature is a good day, and over the years she has hiked a large portion of the 900 km Bruce Trail. For over 20 years she organized a weekly hiking group which involved scouting out trails and leading her group of 10-12 ladies on the hike. It seems to be in her DNA to always be looking out for new trail options. In her eyes she has “slowed down” since turning 80 but you wouldn’t know it walking beside her. We have covered…
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Une belle visite à Québec
In early December my husband and I travelled to Québec City to visit my mother-in-law. Temperatures were in the -20 range, snow covered everything, and trees were iced. The frigid weather made hot chocolate breaks all the more delightful. And a roaring fire all the more cozy! The wintery weather adds to the charm, non? Québec City is quite charming. We had a lovely time wandering the historic streets lined with inviting cafés and shops. Snow and ice completely blanketed the Plains of Abraham. Still, we staked out a good vantage point on the famed plateau and pondered how the French did not see the British soldiers advancing from the…
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Stratford in sound, movement and flavours
We are sitting at the small counter at El Cactus Taco Shop in Stratford. The decor is bright and fun like the neon set of wings on the wall. The service is cheerful. It’s a contrast to the grey outside. Pouring rain. I resist the Mezcal Negroni artfully scrawled on the chalkboard menu and order the Agua Fresca instead, a blend of watermelon and blueberry juice. I need to stay sharp for the theatre. This is the reason we are in Stratford of course. Yet the intriguing flavour combinations in this little taco shop hint at another reason to enjoy a visit to Stratford. We are off to a great…
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Chasing waterfalls
I love hikes. It’s tail wagging fun. My family takes me on many. Sometimes I encounter squirrels to chase. Bunnies here and there. I like that a lot. I can be speedy when I have something to chase. Sticks are good too. Here’s something new I learned that are super fun to chase. Waterfalls! We took a short car ride to get to this hike. I am not so crazy about car rides. Except when my whole family is together. If only one person is in the car I am in trouble. We are going somewhere where they poke and prod me or where they cut my hair. Either way,…
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Boulders and big rocks at Niagara Glen
My Spanish teacher is quite interested in Canadian nature. I have been showing him photos, like our cottage scenery or the Niagara escarpment, to discuss in class. It’s helpful to learn vocabulary about nature. It seems there are a variety of coastal related words in Spanish, like la cala (cove), la orila (shore), el litoral and la costa (both meaning coast), cabo (cape) but not so many for rock formations. As I was trying to describe the landscape of Niagara Glen I learned there is no Spanish equivalent for boulder. The best translation for a boulder is una roca grande. A big rock. There are certainly a lot of big…
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Southampton on Lake Huron
Last week my husband and I were on High Street in Southampton. It’s a pretty little street with a few boutiques shops, a bakery and some restaurants. It ends at the clear blue waters of Lake Huron. We were standing outside a historic stone building reading the posted restaurant menu. The door opened and we heard the happy chatter of voices from within. Out came two elderly women wearing red straw hats. One of the women looked as us and declared: “The food is good.” Funny. It was the second time this happened. Earlier in the day, in neighbouring Port Elgin, Ted (a local resident) confirmed “The food is good”…
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An imaginary train ride across Europe
It’s fun to put on a travel mindset and explore at home. It’s been far too long since my tour of Europe in Bronte. Time to unpack my imaginary Eurail pass and map out a route. Why not visit a few countries? It’s so tempting. Distances are short. No border crossings. Like the model train set at the Royal Botanical Gardens (cover photo), I am talking about destinations within the Oakville and Burlington area. We may need to pack our imagination, but the food along this route is real. And tasty. Our first stop is Ola’s Bakery. This traditional Portuguese bakery is located on Speers Road in a nondescript red…
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Road trip to Prince Edward County
There is something different about a road trip with an electric car. There’s the obvious: no fuel. Plus you have to stop at charging stations en route if your destination is further than your range. What I didn’t expect was these charging stops end up as little social stops too. I have noticed, especially at stations with multiple chargers and along the 401 corridor, I inevitability end up talking to other drivers. Most are EV drivers as you swap stories about respective cars and mileages (or to help each other figure out which chargers are working). There are still relatively few EVs on the road in Ontario (about 7.2% of…
