,,,thanks to Granny Shot It for hosting the Eleven Days of Hallowe’en Challenge
Hallowe’en decorations are everywhere. Not sure if this display at the art show was there to commemorate Hallowe’en or an art piece meant for anytime of year.
…thanks to Nancy Merrill for hosting A Photo a Week Challenge
I’ve chosen pumpkins and gourds for my subject matter this week. Of course I couldn’t keep it to one photo. On our way home from closing the cottage last week we stopped at a local farmer’s pumpkin sale. Not only did he have pumpkins but to be different from Walmart he was also offering a large variety of gourds. Now gourds are not edible but they make for fine decorations inside and outside your home. We really appreciated all the effort he made to make a creative and beautiful displays of his products.
….thanks to Granny Shot It for hosting the Eleven Day Hallowe’en Photo Challenge
….thanks to Granny Shot It for hosting the Eleven Day Hallowe’en Challenge
….and Happy Birthday Onkel Günter, Winnie and Brendan
It’s been a busy weekend. Not only did we celebrate Thanksgiving here in Canada but we had four birthdays in the family on the same weekend. In fact in October we celebrate birthdays for my husband, my father, my granddaughter, my son-in-law and his brother, my father’s brother and my cousin. I’m sure I’ve missed someone.
This weekend our granddaughter turned four. Andrea, our oldest daughter volunteered to host Thanksgiving and the birthday party at her house. I was most grateful for that, especially after spending five hours in emergency with my husband on Friday. Before you become too concerned let me just say that he’s much better and gets better each day. Thankfully I had made my contribution to the dinner the day before.
The other thing that I did before going to Andrea’s for dinner was volunteer at the Inn to help with the outdoor oven for a workshop that was being put on by George Brown College. At the workshop the students were instructed in baking pizza in the wood fired oven. Everyone got to make two pizzas, one to eat and one to take home. I couldn’t stay for the whole event because I had to be at the dinner. After I left they also baked pita bread and a cranberry loaf. Dale manned the oven and took the pizzas out when they were ready.
Dinner at Andrea’s and Josie’s was spectacular but the highlight, especially for Winnie, was celebrating Winnie’s 4th birthday. Seeing all the presents was too much for her so we decided to let her open her gifts before dinner.
All in all it was a wonderful weekend, with way too much food and drink. I gained about six pounds but I’m determined to take it off as quickly as possible.
….celebrating my Dad’s birthday
On Monday my father turned 93. He’s quite amazing. He lives with us but in his own apartment where he does all his own cleaning, laundry and cooks all his meals. He recently acquired a motorized scooter that he uses to get around and do his shopping.
Twice a week he goes to the senior’s centre where he plays cards and he enjoys walking to the lake where he feeds the birds and sits and takes in his surroundings. He speaks to everyone and loves to engage in conversation.
This year our daughter-in-law picked the restaurant because that’s what she wanted for her birthday which was in July. It happened to be a seafood restaurant and my father loves his shrimp so we decided to celebrate both birthdays on the same day. It turned out to be a perfect evening. The food was amazing, the scenery over the marina was serene and the service was delightful. Both the birthday boy and girl were treated to a special dessert on the house.
I love this last photo of my father and me. Just as my daughter was about to take the shot I noticed that my Dad had spilled some food on his sweater and I grabbed his serviette and held it over the spill. In that split second we both burst out laughing over the irony of the situation.
….an art event sponsored by the Toronto Historical Museums
Last weekend I was surrounded by art. On Saturday I spent the day at WAAC downtown, selling used books from our library. It rained off and on so we decided to hold the sale inside the gallery where a beautiful show was on display. It is called ‘Artists Choice’. My only regret is that I didn’t take any photos to share with you.
On Sunday I volunteered to man the chalk mural outside of Montgomery’s Inn. It was only one of many art activities that was taking place at the Inn. Some of the rooms were set up with paper and pencils for patrons to sketch the still life arrangement that had been created for the event and other rooms had brown paper on the tables with crayons for anyone to draw on. One of the highlights at the Inn took place in the Briarly Room where an artist was supervising the painting of the windows to look like stained glass. Adults and children alike enjoyed painting this very large piece.
All in all the Big Draw was a big success at the Inn. On Saturday they had about 80 people show up and on Sunday close to 140 took part in the activities. I spent a good six hours there creating art with chalk on the walls around the patio. Sadly the rain in recent days has washed much of it away but we knew that would happen going into it.
Inside the Inn there were plenty of activities for those who didn’t want to brave the cooler temperatures outside.
…thanks to Nancy Merrill for hosting A Photo a Week Challenge
….thanks to Frank for hosting the Tuesday Photo Challenge
….thanks to Norm for hosting Thursday Doors
This week I celebrated another birthday. They seem to come faster every year. My husband had to make a trip to Hamilton for a quick medical procedure so I went with him. When he was done he surprised me by driving to Ancaster to treat me to a wonderful lunch at the Ancaster Mill. It was a very easy and short trip from the hospital and the scenery along the way was beautiful.
The Ancaster Mill is situated beside a creek, with a large dining room built out overlooking the falls. It is the third oldest building in Ontario and has quite the history. Check it out here. 
The mill is situated on a hill to take advantage of the waterfall so walking from the parking lot to the restaurant can be an issue for people with mobility problems. There is, however, a driveway by the doors to the main entrance where passengers can be dropped off.
Before our lunch we walked around the grounds for a few minutes before heading up the stairs past the mill.
After a very delicious lunch we continued up another set of stairs to check out the new wedding chapel and pergola that was still under construction.
I can’t recommend the mill any more highly for a special occasion or splurge. It’s well worth the drive from anywhere in the Golden Horseshoe area or GTA.
Mama Cormier 