Back in Toronto

Carl had to go back to work, poor lamb, so Alice took us on an adventure to downtown TO!! First of all, the subway....all one long car now, not separate cars!!










Haven't ridden a Toronto subway for a gazzillion years either......kinda fun!!!











Alice took us to Maple Leaf Gardens, once the famous hockey rink, and now - a Loblaws grocery store!!!!  Huge place, with areas to buy cooked food for lunch, too, which we did.......












Lots of specialty areas, and a Joe Fresh clothing store on the top floor.......















Check out the size of this place......wow!!!!












This is the WALL OF CHEESE........holy crap, that is a lot of cheese..........











Huge fish, meat and fresh produce sections.......












and a 2 story bakery - all the baking is done in a glassed in area on the second floor - air conditioned, of course......we got some great caraway rye bread before we left.










Pretty unassuming, but this is the infamous Centre Ice....where all the action was for so many years. We felt there should at least be a puck imbedded in the floor or something.........









Back to fleeces........and enjoying the big city!!!













The only dogs we saw downtown......no need for animal rescue in this store..........













When they sold the building, they left one wall of stone and block to show the orignal stairs, etc - and mounted a big display of the old seats.....in the blue maple leaf design of the Toronto Maple Leafs......our old home team which has gone to hell since we left 40 years ago.

Bev and Mick's

Mick made us a great breakfast and I took some shots of the hacienda on the lake












Very private back yard with green space behind that......










The Bunkie...all you Ontario cottage people will know what this is.....extra sleeping when you have a small cottage and lots of visitors........












The giant hot tub, where we all enjoyed the full moon the night before..........












The back patio.............











a little Mayan culture to remind us all of PM........














ditto......everyone has to have one of these fabulous lights from PM.....










Outdoor dining room, where we had burgers on the barby for lunch the day we arrived..........












the side yard.........














that blue is Georgian Bay across the road from the cottage......









and more bay through the trees in the front yard.

Birthdays and weekend in Collingwood, Ont.

May 4 was sister Tina's birthday....so we all went to dinner at Moxie's!

















Camera doesn't do night shots very well......but you get the picture. Carl, Tina, Alice, Miki, me and Tina's hubby Laine.










Saturday we drove up to Collinwood, where Mick and Bev (also friends from PM) live in the summer months. It was May 5 - Cinco de Mayo - a Mexican celebration day, so how perfect..!











Lovely cottage with a view of Georgian Bay........











Pergula arch to the back yard.....and hot tub!















and we had to go for a walk along the shore....where yours truly put my feet in Georgina Bay for the first time in 47 years.......man, that water is cold......!!!
















I spent every summer of my childhood on a family island in these waters, so very fond memories. Also, I learned to ski at Blue Mountain in my teens...right behind Bev and Mick's house......












It looks colder than it was....Carl and Alice walk the shore......









The rocky shale shoreline has its own special beauty........












and just at sunset, the Supermoon rose..........














from the lakeshore, we could just see the yellow ball rising......











oh for a decent lens.....never mind - it was still amazing to see...

























and after this incredible dinner of Bev's magic ribs, we watched the moon from the hot tub in the back yard.........

Back to Canada.....Toronto, Ontario.

We arrived to Carl and Alice and then Dan and Carolyn at the house, with munchies, wine and lots of love and laughs. Next day, drove down to Lake Ontario, and walked along the Scarborough bluffs.....













It was cloudy and cool.....16 degrees...but the lake was pretty.........





T






The bluffs are always spectacular....












and there were lots of people out walking dogs and enjoying the air.............













Dark sand, dark water.....a far cry from the white sand and warm turquoise seas we are used to......















fun to see big Scotch pine trees and smell that lovely pine scent.....














Soon it was down to 12 degrees, and we were COLD......!!!!!~!~










So we headed into the marina restaurant, where we could see a boat house community on one side........













and the marina on the other.....hot soup and hot chocolate were the order of the day........









but at least the tulips and daffodils were out looking spring like..........