Saturday, March 07, 2026

Trips Little and Big

Our scions have been enjoying somewhat opulent weekends. Last weekend, Shauna and three friends took over a grand, heritage b&b on the eastern side of Toronto. Sue hitched a ride to visit her sister, Heather, who lives in the region. This weekend, Danica and her friend are staying on the 31st floor of the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto overlooking Lake Ontario. Sue and I dropped them off at the train station in Smiths Falls yesterday. They are making a big weekend out of attending a concert tonight.

After leaving the kids at the station, Sue and I stopped at the greenhouse down there on our little portion of the adventure. While they are still close to two months away from the busy spring season, it was pleasant to wander about for a few minutes with Sue looking for her daily photo. I managed to get two photographs that I liked well enough. I didn't stop to note their names.


Working backwards: the day before, on another little trip, the boys and I went up to Almonte for our coffee outing. Nick had a photo in mind, but that didn't eventuate. Still, the coffee was good enough in the OVC, or Ottawa Valley Coffee. The first is a candid of Nick with guitars hanging in the background. Then, Bob wanted a more formal pose with the guitars. The Nick photo turned out better in my opinion, but Nick probably got a better shot from his angle.



It's rainy here today, which is much more appreciated than snow at this time of year. For the first time in forever, we left the car out overnight to absorb somewhat of a washing from the rain. With semi melts going on, we've been splashing through a lot of puddles. I washed the car once but re-splashed it in record-breaking time, and even if the rain cleaned it a bit overnight, we'll be forced to drive through more puddles before long. It simply cannot be helped.



20 comments:

  1. It is sunny here right now but the rain is supposed to come.

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  2. It's raining here today too. 'And I made my small contribution to cleaning the grit off the garage floor, always a big job.

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  3. Gray, but no rain here and no snow to melt. Your family is doing so many interesting activities. I love coffee dates--I just had one today although the Sbux didn't have those cool guitars.

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  4. I like the photos and it rained over an inch last night in a downpour with lightening and thunder. That's okay my car got a bit of a rinse. I can wash it in town and have it turn gravel brown by the time I get home on 2 miles of sloppy gravel roads.

    I think a visit to a greenhouse would be something I'd love. Actually I should do a botanicals garden visit! You have great ideas!

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  5. I sometimes stop at a local nursery just to oggle the plants, but have never considered going and taking pictures. Great idea, they have so many lovely plants, trees, and flowers!

    It’s sunny and warm here, bah. We need rain.

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  6. A lovely mix of family outings, small adventures, and welcome spring rain

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  7. The plants are fun to see. Great pictures. Glad you had a nice outing.

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  8. Lovely photos, John. It is raining 🌧 here in Montreal today.

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  9. Lots of activity going on in your neighbor hood. Enjoy

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  10. The plant with round veiny leaves looks like a peperomia. I used to have one. My dog ate it.

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  11. This is a very nice post. Love the garden photos. No rain here and about 57° F. Have a nice evening.

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  12. Cool travels all around…while capturing guitars, friends, family and plants! Yes to rain cleaning off cars, and melting some of your winter snows. I hope that springtime will be coming soon…in actuality rather than various calendars.

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  13. It’s turned mild here too. At least it’s not snow!

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  14. Photo of Nick definitely better. Sounds as if everyone's having fun out there.

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  15. Visiting a greenhouse in winter is always a life-affirming treat.

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  16. It's warming here and the snow is melting fast. Looking forward to this week and more mild temps.

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  17. We had one heck of a thunder storm. Did you get it there? I am happy with the rain, although the mud is horrible! I am less happy that it is supposed to snow Thursday!😡

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  18. I hear you on washing the car with the rain -- all good, until you have to go out AFTER the rain! It sounds like all are out having fun. I'm glad Sue's back to you. The gardens look good.

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  19. You think you have problems? You should see the 'gravel' (more like mud)road to our place. JG washed the car; I thought he was nuts.
    Glad your progeny had a fine time and glad Cuppa got to see her sister. Both of them awe me with their creative talents and how they put them to use. As do you, but I tell you that often.

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  20. Yes, I try to time the washing of my car to our our rainy days. But sometimes it simply cannot be helped. Thanks for taking us for coffee with you

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