The Beauty Around Us

Day 3 of a Midweek Getaway (and Back Home)

We ate breakfast at home the morning of Friday, April 19th. Bob, Sandy and I had cereal. Jim had a plate of ham and cheese.

We spent the morning, relaxing at the condo, waiting for the rain to stop.

About 12:30 pm in the afternoon we went for a walk from Jim and Sandy’s condo to Waterloo Park and back, a distance of approximately 1.7 miles.

Leaving Jim and Sandy’s condominium complex

Jim and Sandy’s condominium complex consists of two condominium buildings. Their condominium building is the one straight ahead.

This colorful passageway is alongside the Button Factory Arts Building, located at 22 Regina St S.

During our walk we visited the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, located at 25 Caroline St N., just steps away from Waterloo Park. Admission is free. This slideshow highlights some of the artwork that we enjoyed, while in the gallery.

Leaving the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, we continued our walk to Waterloo Park. An ION vehicle passed by us several times, while on our walk.

ION Light Rail Transit

Waterloo Park sits on 119 acres in uptown Waterloo. The park has a lake, an animal farm, picnic areas, a splash pad, sports fields, playgrounds and more.

We walked to the Eby Farmstead, which is home to a variety of animals, including llamas, alpaca, donkeys and miniature horses. All we saw at the farmstead were squirrels, as the animals which call Eby Farmstead home do not come out until June.

A Black Squirrel with a Light-colored Tail

A Gray Squirrel with a Light-colored Tail

The black squirrel wanted a treat, but we had nothing for it.

We returned to Silver Lake and walked along the boardwalk.

Waterloo is testing a new way to keep geese away from Silver Lake’s north shoreline.

This coyote is supposed to keep the Canadian Geese away from Silver Lake’s shoreline.

We didn’t see any geese near the coyote; however, there were geese nearby.

Bob is taking a picture of a small waterfall
at the north end of Silver Lake.

This waterfall is in front of Abraham Erb’s Grist Mill.

Silver Lake Waterfall with Grist Mill in the background

The Abraham Erb’s Grist Mill is a replica of the first mill built in Waterloo.

We returned back to Jim and Sandy’s home around 2:45 pm. It was a chilly, but sunny, day. Our walk was pleasant. We enjoyed the art gallery too. Thank you, Jim and Sandy, for showing us some of Uptown Waterloo.

Jim and Sandy in front of their condominium building

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that Jim and Sandy live on the 15th floor of this condominium building. They have an expansive view from their sunroom.

Panoramic View from Jim and Sandy’s 15th Floor Condo

View of the moon
from Jim and Sandy’s 15th Floor Condo

View from Jim and Sandy’s 15th Floor Condo
The tallest building in Kitchener is on the left.

View from Jim and Sandy’s 15th Floor Condo
See the blue H on the dark orange building next to the red building?
That is one of Jim and Sandy’s hospitals.

I was drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the sunroom throughout our stay with Jim and Sandy.

We ate dinner in Kitchener at Metro Restaurant, which is promoted as the “best schnitzel place in town since 1961”. You can guess what we ordered. Each couple shared a Schnitzel dinner. I believe the last time I had a schnitzel dinner was many years ago, in Germany, where it is known as Weiner Schnitzel. Bob doesn’t believe he has ever had Schnitzel. Metro’s Schnitzel dinners were enough to fill up two people easily. Dinner was excellent.

As we did the previous two nights we enjoyed a relaxing evening, conversing with each other and watching several TV shows. This night, though, we had dessert. On our way back to the condo from Metro Restaurant we stopped at the Real Canadian Superstore to pick up dessert — ice cream with toppings. We even had waffle bowls in which to serve the ice cream. Yummy!

———-

We left Waterloo around 9:30 am on the morning of Saturday, April 20th, en route home.

We diverted from our planned route, which would have taken us on King’s Highway 420, commonly referred to as Highway 420, on 4/20/2024. Instead we got off the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and drove through Niagara on the Lake to Niagara Falls and to Chippewa. We stopped for lunch at Tim Hortons in Chippewa. We ordered a pepperoni flatbread pizza.

Flatbread pizza is a new item on the menu. I don’t believe the menu item has hit U.S. locations yet. Lunch was tasty.

From Chippewa we continued on the Niagara River Parkway to Peace Bridge. We arrived at the Peace Bridge at 1:00 pm. It was slow crossing from Canada to the United States on the bridge. The GPS said we were on a 20-minute slowdown at the time. We arrived at the border crossing station at 1:38 pm. So, instead of a 20 minute slowdown, the slowdown was more like 40 minutes!

We returned home around 3:38 pm. It took us about 4 hours to drive to Waterloo on Wednesday. It took us about 6 hours to drive back home on Saturday. It takes longer to go through Niagara on the Lake and Niagara Falls instead of staying on the higher-speed roads like the QEW. I enjoyed the slower-paced driving on Saturday.

Thank you so much, Jim and Sandy, for your hospitality. We enjoyed spending time with both of you.

Day 2 of a Midweek Getaway

We spent several hours out and about on Thursday, April 18th.

Our day began with breakfast at Mel’s Diner in Kitchener (Ontario, Canada).

Mel’s Diner is a familiar breakfast place for Jim and Sandy. Sandy ordered her regular Banana Bread French Toast. She was somewhat disappointed with her choice, as the bananas had brown spots. I can’t recall what Jim and Bob ordered for breakfast. I ordered a Belgian Waffle with strawberry and whipped cream. My waffle was delicious. I was surprised, though, that a small container of syrup accompanied my meal. The menu stated that maple syrup cost an additional $2.50CAD, and I did not order syrup. I learned that REAL maple syrup cost $2.50CAD, but regular syrup (like Aunt Jemima) comes with the meal.

After breakfast we drove to the community of St Jacobs in the township of Woolwich, where we visited the St Jacobs Farmers’ Market.

The market is the largest year-round farmer’s market in Canada. The market is open on Thursdays and Saturdays throughout the year. It features indoor/outdoor food & craft vendors. The main building has two floors.

St Jacobs Farmers’ Market
I took this picture from the second floor
of the main building.

We walked across an open area in which food and produce vendors set up outdoor shop from spring to autumn to another building, where there were additional food and craft vendors.

St Jacobs Farmers’ Market
The mural caught my eye, as we walked to the other building.

Did we buy anything at the Farmers Market? Jim bought raisin butter tarts, and I bought a salamander yard ornament.

Salamander Yard Ornament with Solar Light

We also visited The Mennonite Story, located on the grounds of the Farmers’ Market.

We didn’t pay for a tour, but pictures on the wall gave some insight into the Mennonite Story. I found this attraction interesting, as my 6th great grandfather was Mennonite and emigrated to Pennsylvania from Palatinate.

From St Jacobs Farmers’ Market we drove to a quonset hut in the community of Maryhill in the township of Woolwich, where the Waterloo Region Model Railway Club (WRMRC) meets. Jim is a member of the club. He showed us the very elaborate train layout that models the Canadian Pacific Railway Sudbury Division, as it existed in the 1970s decade.

CPR Sudbury yard
Jim, Sandy and Bob looking at train layout

From Maryhill we drove to the community of Galt in Cambridge, where portions of “The Handmaid’s Tale” was filmed. We walked across Main Street Bridge as far as the Central Presbyterian Church.

Central Presbyterian Church along the Grand River

Jim pointed out The Wall, located along the Grand River, on the opposite side of the river from the church.

The Wall is infamous for being where the bodies of executed people were put on public display in “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Galt-Cambridge plays a huge role in “The Handmaid’s Tale” series, based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s award winning novel. Galt-Cambridge is one of the primary backdrops for the fictional Republic of Gilead.

As we walked back across the bridge, the glass front of the Old Post Office caught my eye.

The Old Post Office
overlooks the Grand River.

I also snapped a picture of the Old Post Office, facing away from the Grand River.

The mix of old and new architecture is something that we saw often, during our stay in the Waterloo Region.

Soon after crossing over Main Street Bridge, we turned left onto Ainslie Street. We walked past Galt City Hall.

Do you see that tree with pink blossoms in the foreground?

While on Ainslie Street, we stopped in Reids Candy & Nut Shop. Bob purchased a chocolate bar that we shared.

We turned left onto Thorne Street and then left onto Water Street. Two alleyways caught my eye on Water Street.

We returned to Jim and Sandy’s home around 4:30 pm.

We ate dinner in. Sandy and I had leftover lasagna from the previous night’s dinner. We split the lasagna into four portions and served it with tossed salad. For dessert we had raisin butter tarts. As we did the previous day we enjoyed a relaxing evening, conversing with each other and watching several TV shows.

Day 1 of a Midweek Getaway

We are back home from a 3-night stay in Waterloo (Ontario, Canada). Why were we in Waterloo? We visited with our friends, Jim and Sandy, who kindly accommodated us in their home.

It is an approximate 4-hour drive from our home in Warren PA to Jim and Sandy’s home. We arrived at Jim and Sandy’s home on Wednesday, April 17th, around 1:30 pm. Before leaving our home, Bob shared our location on Google Maps with Jim. Jim knew when we had arrived near his home, and he and Sandy met us in their parking lot. Jim and Sandy have lived on the 15th floor of their condominium building since November 1, 2020. This was our first time visiting with them at their home.

Later in the afternoon we went sightseeing.

Our first destination was in West Montrose, where we visited the West Montrose Covered Bridge, also known as the “Kissing Bridge”.

The “Kissing Bridge” is one of the oldest covered bridges in Canada
and is the only remaining covered bridge in Ontario.

We parked on the opposite side of the bridge and walked through to this side. The bridge has no pedestrian walkway. It is crossed by cars, horse and buggies and pedestrians alike.

The “Kissing Bridge” is 205 feet long and crosses over the Grand River.

Some scenes for the movie “It” (2017) were filmed around the “Kissing Bridge”.

From West Montrose we drove to Elora, a community in the township of Centre Wellington (Ontario, Canada). It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and its proximity to Elora Gorge. We drove by several of the historic buildings on our way to Victoria Park.

We parked at the James Street entrance
to Victoria Park.

There are lots of cedar trees in Victoria Park.

We enjoyed views of Elnora Gorge from Lovers Leap.

Elora Gorge – Irvine Creek
A bridge carries Wellington Rd 7 over the gorge.

If we ever return to Waterloo, I would like to explore the community of Elora and the Elora Gorge. Elora, with its 19th century limestone architecture looked historical and quite quaint. In Victoria Park there are stairs that lead down to the bottom of Elora Gorge. Walking down to the bottom of Elora Gorge which would be an interesting activity to do. The day we were in this area it was rainy and chilly, not inviting weather to walk around in.

We ate dinner in Waterloo at Ennio’s Pasta House. Bob ordered Spaghetti and Meatballs. Both Sandy and I ordered Lasagna. Jim ordered Carbonara. We all agreed that our meals were delicious.

After dinner, we returned to Jim and Sandy’s home. We enjoyed a relaxing evening, conversing with each other and watching several TV shows.

Not a Bird

The bird seed won’t last long, with Mr Chipmunk around.

Look at those cheeks! Mr Chipmunk is hungry.

We ordered a seed guard for the Birdfy. I saw a review where the seed guard didn’t stop a squirrel from dining on bird seed. The seed guard, though, will keep the seed from scattering. The grackle moves its beak back and forth swiftly, looking for choice bits of seed! If the seed guard doesn’t stop the squirrels and chipmunks from getting bird seed, it might possibly slow them down.

Cardinal at Bird Feeder

Whenever a new bird finds our Birdfy bird feeder, I plan to upload a blog post showing that bird at the feeder.

A Male Northern Cardinal showed up at our bird feeder this morning.

That nut appears a bit more than he can handle. Also, note it is a bit windy outside!

Here are a few still images that have been culled from the video.

Hair standing straight up because of wind

Solar Eclipse

Our hometown, Warren PA, was in the path of this afternoon’s total solar eclipse.

Bob and I hosted an eclipse BBQ

We set up the food and seating for the BBQ on our driveway.
(Photo by Kailey)

Bob grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Accompanying the grilled meat was potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, macaroni salad, chips, chicken dip that our nephew made, and brownies. We were glad that the rain in the morning had quit so that we could have the BBQ outside.

Our nephew Michael, his wife Kailey, and their two youngest children drove to our house from approximately 1 1/2 hours east of here. Bob’s daughter Stacey, her girlfriend Erica and our granddaughters joined us as well. Michael and Kailey had taken the day off work to see the eclipse. Both of their children took the day off school. The schools in Warren were closed for the day.

It was great to have everyone together. We enjoyed the food, the company and the main event — the total solar eclipse.

Watching the “sun getting bitten”,
as stated by our 7-year-old great nephew

The sky wasn’t perfect, but through the cloud cover we still got to experience totality.

When the moon covered the sun, it got cold and dark. Birds started to call out to each other, as they flew from tree to tree. We heard mourning doves cooing to each other.

It looked much later than 3:19 pm in the afternoon.

What a cool experience!

Birdwatching

One of our favorite pastimes is watching birds. Birdwatching is a fun hobby that we can do anywhere, anytime. We can birdwatch through our home or car window, while taking a hike, or anything in-between. We birdwatch purely for fun. We don’t keep a life list of all the different birds that we see, as do some bird enthusiasts. Birdwatching rewards us by the sights and sounds of beautiful and interesting feathered friends.

On April 1 our mailman delivered a new bird feeder.

Delivery of New Bird Feeder

We have taken birdwatching up a notch.

Our new bird feeder is a Birdfy®
AI Smart Bird Feeder with Camera

Bob hung the bird feeder on the pavilion, facing our back yard. The bird feeder has detected only two birds so far – a blue jay and a mourning dove.

Does the Blue Jay know it is on “Candid Camera”?

I get motion detected notifications on my phone (where I have the Birdfy app). I could have downloaded the app onto my iPad; however, I can’t carry the iPad in my pocket, when out and about. I can Airdrop any videos or still images from my phone onto my iPad to view them larger, if desired.

Video of Mourning Dove on Birdfy bird feeder

Each motion detection displays a video and several still images. The still images are culled from the video. The still images are identified via artificial intelligence.

The mourning dove overstayed its welcome. The Birdfy has a siren and a two-way microphone. I used the siren, but the dove didn’t budge. I used the microphone and shouted “go away bird!”. It did :). I haven’t seen it back.

Bob and I expect to receive much enjoyment from our new Birdfy bird feeder.