We recently visited Almonte, a 40-minute drive from Ottawa. The beautiful stone buildings that remain - like this former postal and customs office - attest to the town's former prosperity.
Once a producer of textiles, Almonte, Ontario is now most remembered as the childhood home of James Nasmith, inventor of basketball.
(Reading bits of its history online, I was surprised to discover that its name is of Mexican origin!)
Almonte's raging river, originally harnessed to power textile manufacturing, still contributes to Ontario's electrical grid.
We wandered the streets of old, historic Almonte, discovering vintage and antique shops...
...as well as this textile store that sells quilting supplies.
We stopped at a cafe in a renovated textile mill beside the river.
There, surrounded by paintings overflowing from the gallery upstairs, Terry and I enjoyed a soup-and-sandwich lunch: Croque monsieur, parsnip-pear soup...
... a delicious club sandwich...
...coffee and dessert.
We then headed home through the peaceful countryside.
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