The Food in France

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Mama Cormier

…..we’re on a culinary adventure

Before venturing out on this trip I lost 12 pounds. I’ve been walking anywhere from 10 000 to 16 000 steps every day. Both these things are good because the food here is amazing. There are cafés everywhere and boulangeries and patisseries on every street.

Right below our apartment there are at least five outdoor restaurants and across the street there are five more.

The market is about a ten minute walk from our place and it takes us through a lovely treed boulevard.

We’ve quickly learned that a lot of shops and/or vendors here don’t open on Monday and Tuesday, especially smaller places. Larger main stream stores are open all the time. Here are just a few delights from the market.

Sunday Trees From Paris

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Mama Cormier

…..April 10, 2022

From the Rue de Furstemberg. Described by Henry Miller as jolly in the summer and more malevolent than in winter ……”the black tree-trunks glinting in the rain and the candelabrum presiding in a sinister way Ike an evil dwarf”.

The Greenhouse at Centennial Park is Open Again

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…with a few COVID precautions in place

It was wonderful to be able to walk through the greenhouse again and take in all the beautiful flowers. Right now Poinsettias are the feature flower in honour of the Christmas season. As you walk in you are greeted by a maiden of succulents and as you exit there is a second maiden all decked out in succulents.

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The greenhouse on the north side is where the poinsettia display is housed. There are so many wonderful varieties and colours and in between there are whimsical birdhouses.

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The Griswold’s Live in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…and I don’t think they’re finished decorating

While visiting this quaint town on the Niagara River we discovered this home during the day on one of our walks. The decorations were pretty amazing and we saw a work table and power tools on the driveway indicating that the homeowner was still busy setting up lights and decorations.

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Later that afternoon, after the sun had gone down we were driving back to our hotel when we came up to the same house but now the lights were on. What a spectacular sight. I’m not sure that my photos do it justice.

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Pull Up a Seat – October 16, 2021

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to XingFu Mama for hosting Pull Up a Seat https://xingfumama.blog/2021/10/15/pull-up-a-seat-photo-challenge-2021-week-42/

Going for a walk through the Lady Eaton Drumlin in Peterborough, next to the university, was beautiful and very much uphill until it was time to come back down. Thank goodness for some rest spots. Although a bit wonky and worn they did the trick.

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Water, Water Everywhere – Beamer Falls

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2021/04/26/reflections-2-water-water-everywhere-75/

Last week after we walked through Grimsby Beach Village we got back in the car and drove for a short distance up the Niagara Escarpment to the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area.

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The trail from the parking lot led us to a section of the Bruce Trail which brought us to the edge of the escarpment. From there we had a great view of the town of Grimsby, the highway and Lake Ontario.

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We continued hiking west to find the Beamer Waterfall. This area was similar to other parts of the Bruce Trail that we’ve been on. After awhile we could hear the falls but we had to literally walk out onto a road and go around the barriers to see it properly. Luckily the area was dry and we didn’t have to worry about slipping.

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Another beautiful day for a hike and when we find a waterfall it’s alway a bonus.

Thursday Doors – A Whole Community of Painted Gingerbread Houses

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Dan for hosting Thursday Doors https://nofacilities.com/2021/04/29/glastonbury-doors/

Grimsby Beach Village is well known for it’s Painted Ladies or Gingerbread Houses. The community was originally a Methodist Bible Camp in the 1800s and when the tents came down they were replaced with modest cottages. In 1909 the camp went bankrupt. It was purchased by a developer who converted the area into an amusement park.

In the 1920s 30 of the cottages burned down and tourists went elsewhere. It was taken over by a Cottagers’ Association but over the years the remaining cottages suffered from disrepair. Fast forward to 1986 when a handyman Ed Giernat, purchased one of the 150-year old homes and decided to add gingerbread and other decorative trim moulding and paint his house orange, green, blue and white. Now dozens of “painted ladies” houses adorn the streets of Grimsby Beach because of Ed’s vision and his willingness to help others fix-up their homes. ( data re history came from Everyday Tourist https://everydaytourist.ca/wandering-canada/southern-ontario-road-trip-grimsby-beachs-painted-ladies)

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Bright Colours in the Village of Grimsby Beach

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Becky B for hosting BrightSquare https://beckybofwinchester.com/2021/04/24/bright-square-24/

Yesterday my husband and I did a short road trip to the Grimsby Beach Village. This area next to Lake Ontario was originally a Methodist Camp in the 1800s and people came from all over Ontario and New York to spend part of their summers here.

In the early 1900s the tents were replaced with cabins and a couple of hotels were built to accommodate the growing number of tourists.