A Wonderful Park

Last weekend, I was introduced to a wonderful park near Almonte, Ontario.

It's called the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area.

(Though I don't remember seeing a mill...)

It reminded me of a bird sanctuary I used to bike to when I was a child living in Red Deer, Alberta.

Like the bird sanctuary, the conservation area was full of trees and trails...

A perfect place for biking and hiking. This place is bigger than the bird sanctuary of my childhood. It also had a museum that's open in summer...

(I may write about it in another post.)

There were also some log cabins that reminded me of my mother's early teaching years in Alberta's Peace River Country. Some of the children she taught lived in simple log houses like these.

My grandchildren had a lot of fun sailing leaf "boats" down a stream: Whose boat will sail farther?!

So much to do! Why has it taken me so long to discover this wonderful outdoor space?!

Leaf Time

Mid October...

After a hot, dry summer, a lot of leaves and pine needles have fallen...

But - in our neighborhood - a lot are still up on branches.

To Terry's chagrin, there's more raking to come!

Grandpa - Grandson Chess

Terry recently played a very competitive game of chess... with our five-year-old grandson.

They both played their best...

The audience was spellbound... (Well, maybe not the sister, who was doing her homework.)

Terry was very impressed - and commented afterwards that next time he might not be lucky enough to win.

A Day Trip to ... Bakeries!

Trips to see our daughter in Southern Ontario  often include visits to bakeries and coffee shops.

Our last visit included a few "tried and true" favourites...

"Detour Coffee" in Dundas.

And "With the Grain Bakery" in Guelph.

Also a new one in Oakville... in an industrial park, near a GO Train station.

The available baked goods are displayed on the counter.

So hard to choose! We bought 6 different pastries, enough to share with friends we were planning to visit. They were all delicious! 

Definitely a winner!

Finally...!

My virtual walk from Chicago to Santa Monica California, along Route 66, is moving along - and I'm passing through Flagstaff, AZ - a place I actually visited in September 2019 - en route to the Grand Canyon, with my younger son and his family!

Here's a photo I took at the time of the Arizona scenery. It's strange when reality and "virtual reality" actually meet!

In the photo above, we're eating lunch outdoors at a popular burger restaurant - in Flagstaff.

We also visited the Lowell observatory, marked in the map above.

That's where I got Terry this souvenir shirt.

(I think that Pluto, formerly considered a planet, was first viewed through the telescope at the Lowell Observatory.) 

Fun to remember the details!

Back to Steel Cut Oats

Cooler mornings have me thinking of warm  breakfast food - like porridge ... and steel cut oats, a type of cooked oats that I don't remember my mother cooking.

Steel cut oats are hard little nuggets of oats that  need to be cooked with more water and for a longer time than any rolled oats I've cooked ("minute oats," for example).

The ratio of water (and milk) to steel cut oats is 4 cups of liquid to 1cup of steel cut oats, simmered for about 20 minutes. This makes a large quantity that can be warmed up as needed.

I add a chopped apple, 1/3 cup of raisins and  some cinnamon as it cooks. That way, I don't need to sweeten it later - and I even enjoy it cold.

Feeling Thankful!

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving Day!

I'm feeling very thankful...

That I live in a peaceful, democratic country... 

That I still enjoy good health - and have access to good doctors (for FREE!)

That I have interesting things to do... like take nature walks ... and people I love and enjoy - to spend my time with!

What more could I ask for?!