…thanks to Becky B for hosting June squares – roofs
This is Trinity Bellwood United Church on Bloor St. in Toronto. I’ve lived in this city most of my life and this year was the first time I set foot in the place. Actually I’ve been there three times for three different concerts. A wonderful venue for music.
….thanks to Becky B for hosting June Squares – roofs
A sign can certainly add some visual interest to a boring roof. Saw this on my walk along Bloor St. the other morning.
….day 114
It’s been way too long since I last posted some of my art. I finally completed an assignment given by Carla Sonheim last Friday. I had to go outside and collect items from nature and then bring them back and create a design using my found materials. Once that was done I used pencil to quickly draw the design and then oil pastels to add colour.
I quite enjoyed the process and am now ready to produce more daily art studies. I might even put some paint on the canvas that has been sitting on my drawing table for a couple of weeks now.
….and a great way to raise money for Camp Quality
A couple of weeks ago I told you about a fundraiser that I was participating in to raise money to send children with cancer to camp. I had set a goal for myself to raise $500.00 and thanks to all of you who donated I surpassed my goal and raised $515.00.
The event took place at BattL in the east end of the city and I have to say that the staff made the event a very enjoyable and memorable afternoon. We were a little concerned that the event took place on Father’s Day but the organization managed to pull together enough people to form 14 teams and as a surprise cast members from American Gods arrived and formed a team of their own.
My team, The Cormier Clan, consisted of my husband, my two daughters and me. We were instructed on how to throw the axes and the staff made sure that it was a very safe event. Everyone was given an opportunity to practise throwing the axe until we felt somewhat comfortable.
The teams were all mixed up and everyone threw against someone from another team. The staff kept track of the scores and after three rounds they tallied up the scores to figure out who the highest scorer from each team was. That person then competed in the finals to determine which team won the competition.
Our lead scorer was my. husband. For someone who was very hesitant to try this he ended up really enjoying himself and went through two rounds before he was eliminated. In the end the team from American Gods won the whole thing. Here are a few photos of the event (my granddaughter was only there at the beginning and then her father took her to the Aquarium so she would be out of harm’s way).
BULL’S EYE!!!!
…just to prove that Winnie wasn’t there during the throwing of the axes
…..thanks to Cee for hosting the Odd Ball Photo Challenge
In between downpours today I went out in search of some odd ball photos and 100 random shots for another challenge. I haven’t quite reached the goal for the other challenge but the day is still young. As it turns out I stayed out a wee bit too long and came home quite damp.
….disturbing news leaves a bad taste in our mouths
Last week my husband and I took a wonderful trip to Prince Edward County. One of the things that my husband wanted to do was experience the pizza at one of the more famous wineries in the area. On the first day we discovered that the pizza oven was not prepped for baking and we would have to come back the next day. No problem. We would return the next day. In the meantime we sampled some of their excellent wines.
The next day we were so busy that we didn’t make it back and instead had pizza at another winery. It was okay but we’d had better elsewhere. At the end of that day we were talking to one of the locals and they highly recommended the pizza from the winery that we originally wanted to try.
On the day we were leaving my husband decided that we should go back to the first winery before we headed back to Toronto and have lunch there. We weren’t disappointed and enjoyed some of the best pizza we’ve ever eaten. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was very welcoming and comforting. We had no idea that there was anything wrong.
A couple of days ago we heard on the news that the owner of the winery has been accused of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. He admitted that many of the accusations were true but says some weren’t. I feel sad about the situation, not for the owner, but for the victims and the all the wonderful staff and employees at the winery and restaurant. You know that their jobs will be affected by the news. People will stay away and Quebec and the LCBO are withdrawing his wines from their shelves and will not reorder.
Thank you to the staff for giving us a wonderful dining experience. If you are directly affected by the unwanted behaviour of your boss we thank you for your bravery for speaking up and hope that the healing has begun.
Carol and Kevin Cormier
….do you ever dream of owning something way beyond your means?
This past week when we were touring the different wineries in Prince Edward County we came across one of the oldest wineries in the region. By Chadsey’s Cairn Winery produces wines only from locally grown grapes, no blending with Niagara grapes here.
We know nothing about growing grapes or making wine but we know what we like and we loved the wines from this old vineyard. The tasting room is a converted apple house with a walk out deck overlooking vines on the west side of the property.
If we won the lottery and if the whole family was willing to pull up roots and move we’d definitely look into purchasing this place. It’s been on the market for awhile so I think that the owners are looking for the right buyer who would maintain the integrity of the place and continue to produce excellent wine. One can only dream…….
….thanks to Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge
This week my husband and I did a three day road trip to Prince Edward County to take in the sites and sample some amazing homegrown wines. We started at the Montrose Inn where we were treated to luxury accommodations in the beautifully restored Montebello style inn. Our hosts Suzette and Roger and their pastry chef, Sabine, spoiled us to the core.
Many of the wineries also displayed some amazing art and some even had their own art galleries. If you love wine, good food and great art you need to check out Prince Edward County, Ontario (not to be confused with Prince Edward Island).
….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World
If you could choose any person from history to be your imaginary friend, who would it be and why?
This is a tough question. The more I learn about famous people the more I realize that many of them were ruthless and unkind or so narcissistic that they would make terrible friends. I think I would have liked Eleanor Roosevelt. She was politically active and pretty much her own person.
60s, 70s, 80s, 90s: Which decade do you love the most and why?
Another tough question. I loved high school so the 60s hold fond memories of friends, parties and clubs. In the 70s I found my voice. I went to university, moved away from home, travelled to Germany, met my husband and got married. At the end of the 70s I had my first child. In the 80’s my family grew, I went back to teaching and started building our cottage. In the 90s I took on more leadership roles, explored new options in teaching and started to dabble in art. I can’t pick one decade.
When you die, what do you want to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered as a kind, fun loving and creative person who helped others and inspired young people to grow up and be the best person possible.
What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
This week I had my first art showing at the WAAC gallery and met some wonderful artists. I also went to the museum and took in an exhibition on fashion design and architectural design.
On Thursday I drove to Hamilton to visit with my daughter and granddaughter. We took a walk to the Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre. The building used to be the old Customs House where imports coming into Canada were processed before being released into the Canadian market.
My granddaughter loved playing with all the levers, buttons and cranks and climbing up the old staircase.
On Saturday I went to a friend’s 50th birthday party and on Sunday I met my friend Liz at the Trinity St. Paul United Church where we attended a concert of children’s choirs. As you can see it’s been a very busy and joyous week.
….this is an authentic fundraiser
I don’t normally try to enlist people on this site to sponsor good causes but I wanted to ensure people who received emails from me or saw it on my FaceBook page that this is a legitimate cause. With all the spam on the internet I can understand if you thought that this might be a scam. Trust me it’s NOT.
‘Axe Cancer’ supports Camp Quality which is a camp for children with cancer. My son-in-law is Executive Director for Camp Quality in Canada and he constantly tries to find ways to raise money for these camps that are completely run by volunteers all across this country. Camp Quality also runs camps in the U.S.A. and Australia. Here is the link for Camp Quality in Ontario if you’re interested in knowing more about the organization, the history and the members who run it.
Next Sunday, my husband, daughter, son-in-law and I will be throwing axes as a team. I’ve never done anything like this in the past but I know some people who have and they love it.
My initial goal was to raise $150.00 and I raised it to $250.00. Now I think I have to raise it again. To the seven people who have already sponsored me, thank you very much. If you’d like to make a donation here is the link for ‘Axe Canada’.
Mama Cormier 