September Day Trip to Almonte

The weather was warmish - no rain in the forecast.

The perfect time to visit small-town Ontario...

Where should we go?

What about Almonte...? 

Maybe we can stay for lunch!

In Almonte, we usually walk along one or two of the trails beside the Mississippi River...

(Not the same river as the mighty Mississippi in the USA - but both names originate from the same native Indian word.)

In spring the river runs high - but today the water is low... A part of the dam is being repaired...

Nearby, we stop for Cuban-style lunch from a food truck.

I've never eaten here before...

It's usually busy when we walk by. The weather wasn't very Cuban - but the tables were! And there was a steady stream of customers...

Another walk along a different river path. Then a stop at one of Terry's favorite bakeries - Baker Bob's ...

But alas! They were out of his two favorites: carrot cake and almond croissants...

Another stop at a quilt shop... I've never been here before.

Amazingly, the small town of Almonte has two quilt fabric shops a block apart. This one sells wool as well. It's been around for 17 years!

Next time I'll plan to stop in at the second one.

It's nice to see small-town businesses survive and thrive...

A little more walking along historic main street...

Then a slow drive home through the countryside.

Going for a drive is a real treat. I comment that before long, we'll be house-bounds because of the snow...

But that's awhile off...

Right now we can enjoy warm September weather - not too hot and not too cold.

Beautiful Butterflies ... and Flowers

My neighbor Mary, who has a beautiful flower garden as well as a vegetable garden, shared some amazing butterfly photos that she and her daughter recently took. Monarch butterflies have been in the neighborhood all summer - and they're still here... (I hope that means that our warm weather will continue for a while!) 

Here are their three butterfly close-ups...together with Mary's comments:

The first picture is one that Kim took on her phone. The monarch seems to be perfectly fitting the curve of the Cimicifuga plant.  This plant is a perennial can grow up to 150 cm (about 6 feet) and only starts blooming in September.  It also attracts numerous bees

The second was taken through our front window.  This monarch is perched on a Tithonia or Mexican sunflower.  This plant is considered an annual in Canada.  I bought the seeds last year and was impressed by how the butterflies gravitated to it.  So I bought more seeds this year and planted them in various locations around the yard. This plant can also grow up to 150 cm (about 6 feet).  We can sit on the couch and watch them land.  A real treat.

The third picture is not a monarch, but I believe it is called a ‘Painted Lady’ butterfly.  Most notably, they are slightly smaller than the monarch and have white spots at the tip of the wings.  Their bodies are more moth-like.

Mary's photos have inspired me to hunt for Mexican sunflower seeds - and maybe even a Cimicifuga!

Late September Flowers...

September is the end of flowering season in our garden... But it's not quite over yet!

Our most beautiful blooms right now are the Japanese Anemones...

The bees love them!There is one perched on the flower bottom right.

(The article I have linked to above, about Japanese Anemones, is from a British newspaper. Their climate is milder than ours in Ottawa.)

I should really divide this plant - it has done well over the years, and it's spreading. Terry complains that it is encroaching on the grass...

But where would I put it? Would it damage the plant to split the roots? These are questions that hold me back...

I also love the sedum Autumn Joy which is currently in bloom. I often plant them near hostas.

A few brown-eyed Susans are still in bloom, but they won't last long...

We also have a few late blooming phlox, mainly in the back yard - some two-toned, some bright pink... When we moved to this house, there was a small perennial garden in the back yard. But all the flowers bloomed in July. Over the years, I've added  earlier and later blooming ones..

It's time to cut back the dead stems from the summer, which I really want to do... But I'm looking for a perfect day: not too warm, and a little breezy - to keep flying insects at bay...

What Will a Three-Year-Old Remember?!

One of the things that makes travel memorable is sharing the experience with others.

Our Grand Canyon vacation was the first time I've taken a trip with my three-year-old granddaughter. Though she probably won't remember much about it, in the grand scheme of things, I will remember...

Her independence - as she insisted on pulling a suitcase  through the airport - just like the rest of us...

Her resourcefulness in finding "toys" to play with - like this sponge that became a pretend piece of bread.

The fish crackers she poured into a glass to make her own fish pond - after watching the koi fish in a pond at the mall.

(Later, when her fish began to disintegrate in the water, I suggested making fish ice cubes - which later "swam" down the drain...!)

Our enjoyment riding on a train...

Fun looking through a telescope... (I remember doing that as a child...)

Special fun at the end of the day, with mom and dad in the hotel pool.

Will she remember helping a flight attendant serve water on the flight back to Toronto?

Or that final nap on the plane?

Probably not - but her parents and I will remember how much fun we had because she was there!

Enjoying the World ... From Above

I took a course in physical geography during my first year at university. The course taught us about land formations - and weather...

It made me look at rivers, hills, deltas - and even the sky in a different way.

I still think of that course, whenever I fly in a plane on a clear day - looking down at the land formations below.

I only wish all planes had maps - as some do - so I can see where I am...

It's so beautiful - I wish I knew where this is!

Cactus Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

On our return to Phoenix - to fly back to Toronto - our family thought it would be interesting to visit the extensive cactus collection at Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden.

It was conveniently located near our hotel - and near the airport...

We headed over, but the heat outdoors got the best of us.

Again it felt too hot to walk outdoors for several hours.

We were told that the main loop was a 45 minute walk - and there were other interesting garden loops as well.

So we enjoyed the plants at the entrance...

... promising ourselves that we'd return to see the rest of the cactus garden...

... if we ever came back in cooler weather!

A Fun Mall

Our five-day trip to Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon was full of serendipity - wonderful surprises...

None more so than the mall we discovered our first evening in Flagstaff...

We had headed downtown for supper...

Discovered an outdoor cafe...

Saturday evening - there was also outdoor music in a downtown square...

The mall next to the restaurant...  had a koi fish pond in the basement - where children could feed the fish...

We just happened upon it!

This became Ivy's favorite Flagstaff place...

(We came back a second time to feed the fish just before leaving Flagstaff to return to Canada...)

Such fun!

Flagstaff's Lowell Observatory

One of our travel surprises in Flagstaff, Arizona, was visiting the Lowell Observatory - built 125 years ago...

I didn't even know that Flagstaff was home to this famous observatory, where Pluto was originally seen.

We took a tour that showed us the original telescope...

And told the story of how the observatory was built - by the Lowell family of Lowell, Massechusetts.

So interesting!

This was an outdoor telescope - that was later dismantled.

Glad my son happened to find out about it!

(Our Grand Canyon trip was full of surprises!)

Food Memories...

It's always nice to find excellent places to eat when you're traveling.

This can be hard, as you're always passing through...

But we did luck out on this trip.

Not sure how my son discovered this coffee place - a former service station and garage, now used to roast coffee beans: Matador Coffee

But once we discovered it, we came back again and again.

Another great place to eat was a diner recommended by the front desk guy at our hotel. When asked where the best burger in Flagstaff could be found, he quickly replied: Mama Burger.

After we ate there, whenever we asked Ivy what she wanted to eat, she always replied: Mama Burger...

Our most-memorable meal in Flagstaff was at a steakhouse found in an RV park...

Black Barts Steakhouse - with its singing waiters... We found it by googling: best steakhouse in Flagstaff.

Ivy was enthralled!

The music was great...

And so was the food!