Wordless Wednesday – November 25, 2020
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Category Archives: husband
A Short Visit to Wine Country
…after the shock of losing my Dad and having to deal with the immediate paperwork we decided we needed a break
We were surprised that some of our favourite places outside the city were booked in the middle of the week, even during COVID. Toronto and the Greater Toronto area has more restrictions in place because of higher positive test cases so I guess people were looking for places, like us, to get away to.
We finally found a great old mill that was converted into an inn in the outskirts of St. Catharines. It was very close to all the places we wanted to visit and it had a fantastic restaurant on the premises. The Stone Mill Inn was located in a once very industrial area and my husband immediately recognized it because one of his father’s favourite drinking establishments was just around the corner. That’s a story for another time.
We had dinner at the Italian restaurant in the Inn that evening and were pleased and relieved that the place was not busy. All the safety protocols were in place and the servers all wore masks. The food was fantastic.
We decided to forgo the outlet mall on our first full day of exploring. We headed straight for Niagara-on-the Lake and made our first stop at the Wayne Gretzky Winery. A lot of wineries are now expanding their inventory to include beer and spirits and interestingly enough it was the whiskey here that we preferred. I’m not much of a whisky drinker but I loved the salted caramel whiskey. I guess some people would argue that salted caramel is an abomination to that classic spirit but it was flying off the shelf.
Our next stop was the old town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. We walked down the main street and browsed through some of the stores and of course we had to stop in the local bakery and pick up my husband’s favourite pastry, eccles cakes.
Back to the Inn for another amazing meal and more adventures the next day……..
End of Part 1.
Lost…..
…or just discarded
With so many masks being worn now it’s not surprising to find the odd mask on the ground. I’m sure I’ve lost one or two getting out of the car and parents are probably finding that children lose masks as often as they lose their mittens.
My husband thought it would be fun to photograph these displaced masks and post them on the blog. I agreed but as soon as I did it seemed like lost or discarded masks were not as plentiful as we thought. None the less I’ve been on the lookout and here’s what I’ve found so far.
It looks like masks aren’t the only things that get misplaced.
My Husband’s Abstracts – A Fan of….
…thanks to Jez for hosting A Fan of …. https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2020/11/09/flowering-cacti-fan-of-84/
This week I’m a fan of my husband’s abstract paintings. Back in August he finally started painting again after a 45 year hiatus. He was primarily painting with acrylics but yesterday he started to experiment with watercolour. Here are his first attempts in this new medium.
This last photo is the first painting in a frame under glass. This one has already been slated as a gift to one of the nurses at MacMaster Hospital in Hamilton.
Repurposing an Old Church
….some of the bigger ones in Toronto are being converted into condos
It’s not unusual for old churches that are no longer in use to be sold and converted into something else. Last week when we were in Niagara-on-the-Lake we came across a church that was repurposed into a brew pub. Craft beers have become very popular in the last ten years so it wasn’t surprising to see another one pop up in the heart of wine country.
The Silversmith Brewing Company was founded by two friends who purchased the old church in 2012. St. John’s Anglican church was built in 1894. It stayed that way until 1954 when it was deconsecrated. Trinity Lutheran church used the building from 1955 until about 1965. That would be the last time the building was used for religious service. From 1965 to 2012 it was a private residence and an antique shop (twice).
The pub serves a variety of craft beers but they are specially known for their dark beers. You can order flights of beer so that you can try a variety of them before deciding on your favourite. The food menu is limited but the fried chicken sandwich was outstanding. The next time you’re on your way to Niagara-on-the-Lake stop in Virgil and enjoy a glass of beer with your lunch before heading out to do some serious wine tasting.
Always Clowning Around
…one reason why we’re still together after 45 years
Making Time for Art Has Been Difficult
….instead I’ve been encouraging my husband to start painting
My husband studied art when I first met him and his first job was as a graphic designer. Over the years he contemplated making art as a hobby but life always seemed to get in the way. In the last two weeks after years of encouragement from me he finally picked up a paint brush and started painting. He’s hooked and there’s no stopping him.
To facilitate his painting I made room for him on my art table in my studio. I gave him my acrylic paints and when he ran out of canvases I gave him mine. Right now I’m looking at a mess and am waiting for him to clean so I can work on my own art. He’s actually been pretty good about cleaning up after he finishes a painting but for some reason he’s forgotten this time.
Before his journey started I did manage to complete a couple of assignments from Carla Sonheim’s on-line class that featured six different artists.
Celebrating 45 Years of Love and Friendship
….our wedding day feels like it happened yesterday and not 45 years ago
This time last year we celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary in the hospital when Kevin was admitted for pneumonia. I was so pleased that his cough wasn’t COVID related or pneumonia and that he was well enough to go out for an early dinner today.
Yesterday Kevin took me clothes shopping to buy a new dress for our anniversary dinner. He planned to take me to one our favourite restaurants along the Port Credit River but because of COVID he couldn’t make reservations and we had take our chances and hope we could get in. We decided on an early dinner but even at 4:00 there was a one hour wait. We decided to check out an Italian restaurant up the street.
Posta was open and readily accepted our request for a table for two on the patio. The service and the food were excellent and the view was fantastic. We now have a new favourite restaurant to frequent for special occasions.
August Photo a Day Challenge – Abstract
….thanks to City Sonnet for hosting the https://citysonnet.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/august-photo-a-day-challenge-3/
I adore abstract painting. Yesterday I paid a visit to the AGO. I spent most of my time viewing the Diane Arbus Photography show but I did walk through the modern art section and took this photo of a Joyce Wieland abstract painting.
In a past post I told you about my husband’s renewed love of painting. There are days that he makes up to three paintings. Now that he’s starting to work on larger canvases he can only manage on painting before exhaustion takes over. Here are some more of his recent abstract pieces.
Art Nurtures the Soul
….encouraging my husband to pick up a paint brush
When I met my husband he was an artist. He studied art at college and his first full time job was as a graphic designer. When computers started to take over his chosen profession he changed careers and he abandoned art in order to put a roof over our heads and food on the table. We both worked until I took five years off to raise the kids. When they were in school full time I went back to teaching and my husband became a financial planner.
Over the years I started to pick up paint brushes and drawing pencils and took many classes and on-line art classes to learn everything I could about art techniques and practices. I love it. I tried to encourage my husband to start his art journey again. He wanted to but he was hesitant to start.
Well he finally started last week and I can’t stop him. The only reason he didn’t make another painting today was because he ran out of canvases. In total he has already completed 15 paintings. He’s experimenting with colour and techniques of laying down paint. I can’t tell you how much this has lifted his spirit. We’ve just finished renovating our garage so that he can use it as a summer studio to make larger works of art.
Here are a few of his completed pieces.
Mama Cormier 