O Canada!

Happy Canada Day to our neighbors/friends to the north!



Scenes from Niagra-On-the Lake, Ontario.










(technically, this one is showing the U.S.--that's Fort Niagra in New York across the way!)

Waterworks Park

Just across the river from where we were staying in St. Thomas was a local park--Waterworks Park. It was lovely!











There were picnic spots and what appeared to be a splash pad area in this park as well. School was not out for the summer yet in the area, so the splash pad was not running. A very lovely park to spend some time nonetheless!

I Spy

Things we spotted along the roadways of our trip.


Two of my favorites in one spot!


Clarkes Restaurant in Almyre proudly displays the fact that they have air conditioning! (Note: the town is in the midst of Amish and Mennonite settlers...so perhaps this explains things a bit.)


London Calling!

A plethora of great British pubs!


(Best fish & chips I've EVER eaten!!) Photos by DD


(First time I've had bangers & mash....but not the last!) Photo by DD


(Also serving the local brew from Railway City Brewery! I had the Iron Spike Copper Ale, while DH had the Seasonal Roundhaus Pilsner.)

St. Thomas Visitor's Center & Travel Information (photo by DD)


Also the site of the life-sized statue of Jumbo the Elephant.

Ports of Call, Part Two

I only shot a few photos when we stopped at Port Bruce. (Mostly because we ended up having lunch at a lakeside sandwhich shoppe and everyone was busy enjoying the food!)



Across the street from the lighthouse in Port Burwell (photo of said lighthouse in previous post!) there is a maritime museum. Only a block away (off the main street) is Port Burwell's public library which is housed in a historic little building. Here are a few scenes from Port Burwell.

Ports of Call

While in Ontario, we enjoyed some day trips to three port villages on the northern shore of Lake Erie. Today I am introducing Port Stanley. We visited Port Stanley twice. The beach was awesome! Also enjoyed a wonderful ice cream parlour and snapping shots of some of the historic buildings in town. The church here is a sister to the Old St. Thomas Church--and also built in the early 1800s. Enjoy!














(See photo below for explanation of this building!)

Great Lakes

Four of the five Great Lakes comprising a portion of the border between the United States and Canada.

At Lake Michigan we saw the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. (It was 100*F that day.)





Then, it turned cold when we hit the shores of Lake Huron. Also, VERY windy, especially on the Canadian side which was getting the brunt of it.


(Spot the ship?)



This was our second visit to Lake Erie. (The first was ten years ago, 2001.)


The beach at Port Stanley, Ontario is wonderful! You won't even care that you got sun burned!

And finally, Lake Ontario--the most elusive of the Great Lakes for those of us living west of the Mississippi River!

Back From the Brink

We took our vacation early this year.



I am happy to report that none of us went over Niagra Falls.
(These are the Canadian Falls, also known as the Horseshoe Falls.)

We enjoyed our week in Ontario. Our neighbors to the north are wonderful people who provide terrific hospitality! (Despite every Canadian's reaction to hearing we had chosen St. Thomas as our destination being, "Why'd ya' pick St. Thomas?" accompanied by quizzical looks.)

We visited 4 of the 5 Great Lakes on this trip. (Now I can say I've seen...and had my feet in...all of the Great Lakes!)

I did some letterboxing and geocaching. (You should see my caching Souvenirs page!)

Enjoyed the best fish & chips of my entire life at Chaucer's Pub in London.
Had bangers & mash at The Waltzing Weasel Pub (also in London).
Visited an the Old St. Thomas Anglican Church built between 1882 and 1824 which bears the seal of Queen Victoria.

More pictures to come in the days ahead.

WI Says Hi

We're back from our vacation in neighboring Wisconsin. Spent a few days in Door County, which is the little "thumb" peninsula of Wisconsin surrounded by Green Bay on the west and Lake Michigan on the east. It's a very scenic place with a ton to see and do. Here are some photo highlights of the trip!


Madison, the state capitol


Green Bay


Vince Lombardi







Peninsula State Park


Pirates!


Supper time! (Fish boil)


Lake Michigan


Cave Point County Park, Lake Michigan


Cana Island Lighthouse, Lake Michigan


Washington Island Ferry pier guardian




Stavekirkje, Washington Island




Maritime Museum on Washington Island


Chippewa Falls - brewery (which is fun to type given the placement of the keys!)


Next time: a bit about my fiber finds from Door County and Washington Island.