Saturday, October 22, 2011

My Hosts

     Let me introduce you to my hosts.


Lionel and Isabelle Williams

   My niece's in laws are truly the sweetest, most gentle people I have ever met.  There home is peaceful.  I feel privileged  to know them.  Lionel has a dry sense of humor and he and Laree keep each other in stitches.  Isabelle is kindness personified.





Rob and Laree Williams

          My eldest niece is married to Rob.  Like his parents, Rob is gentle, but slightly more outgoing than they are.  Laree, nicknamed Speedy as a child, is very different in personality than Rob.  They complement each other very well. 




      Life at Casa Williams is quiet and peaceful. The family sits together for meals, and they have real conversations.  The hymn Love at Home comes to mind when describing the Williams family.

There is beauty all around,
When there's love at home.
There is joy in every sound.
When there's love at home.
Peace and plenty here abide.
Smiling sweet on every side.
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there's love at home.


The "Furry" Williams Members

Bear - Chihuahua who thinks he is a vacuum cleaner.  Will eat almost anything!

Elmo -my new best friend.  He comes when I call his name.

Tinkerbell - not social, and I am lucky I got this picture. She was hiding.

Tammy - calmer and larger of the sister dogs.

Buffy - smaller and noisier of the sister dogs. Bear's best friend.

St. Jacob

     Today, the Williams clan took me to the village of St Jacob, about 64 miles southwest of Durham. St Jacob was originally called Jacobstettel which means "town of many Jacobs".  The town was settled by
Mennonites from Pennsylvania after the American Revolution.  Horse-drawn carriages are a common sight.

     Our first stop was to the farmer's market, where we ate true apple fritters made from aplle slices dipped in batter, deep-fried and rolled in cinnamon-sugar. 

deep fryer

paring apples

     We also saw many Mennonites along with Muslims, and a variety of other people speaking a variety of languages.




Mennonite girl waiting for falafel.




     In the main part of the village was Hamel's Broom Shop, where homemade brooms are produced.




      I have a nephew named Jacob, and I thought he would get a kick out of this diner.  We did not have time to visit the Menonite Center.






     On the way home, we stopped to see the world's biggest lawn chair.  My niece, Laree, was able to climb onto it.  I tried, but my legs are too short for the large spaces to climb on.





      It was a fun day.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Waterfalls and Great Lakes

     Today we went sightseeing around the town of Durham, Ontario.

     My eldest niece, Laree, is married to Canadian Rob Williams.  They live in Durham with his parents Lionel and Isabelle Williams - two of the sweetest people I have ever met!

     Durham is a village of about 2500 people and is located about 100 miles north of Toronto in Ontario.  The area is mostly farms, and rural areas.  Rolling hills, forests and farms remind me of the Brabant area of The Netherlands.  It is a very peaceful place, and I can see why Laree loves it here.  It also helps that she has married into a wonderful family.

    This morning we went to visit waterfalls:  Hogg's Falls, Eugenia Falls, and McGowen Falls.

 Swan Pond near Hogg's Falls.






Hogg's Falls
Laree and Me






Eugenia Falls
World War I Memorial

Autum Hiking: Rob, Lionel, and Laree. 



McGowen Falls








     This area of Ontario has a population of Menonites.  A picture I didn't get, and wished I had, was a man plowing with four large Belgian horses side by side.  But I did get a picture of buggies, parked near the Menonite school.


     To the south of Toronto is Lake Ontario.  To the north of Durham is Lake Huron.  We drove to the town of South Hampton on the banks of Lake Huron.  It was a stormy, cold day and made for some dramatic photos.





At  Pioneer Park are Cannons.

White caps on high waves.

Laree's Vice

There is a local chain of restaurants, Tim Horton's Drive Thru, lovingly referred to by the locals as Timmy's.  Laree cannot get enough of this place.  After our visit to Lake Huron, we were in need of liquid warmth, and off we went to Timmy's for hot chocolate, coffee, and donuts.

Laree

Showing the love.


Laree finds gingerbread men, which Rob bought for us.


     While it was a stormy, rainy day, we lucked out as the rain let up whenever we got out of the car.  It was a great day, topped off with a homemade dinner of BBQ pork chops, made by Rob.



My Ripple Effect/Seinfeld Episode Day

I was on my way to Toronto.....and the first action that started the ripple effect happened.

I was checking my luggage at SLC international.  I had done this many times, and everything seemed normal.  The woman had not properly verified my passport and this action started a whole bunch of events for the worst travel day ever!

At the gate, I had to stop, and be reverified.  Because they (Delta crew) were in a hurry to get my on board, I was not allowed to put my passport back in my bag.  On the plane, I was hurrying to get my bag in the overhead   compartment.  I had my passport in my hand, and unknowingly, let it drop behind my bag.  This was my fault, and had it been a Seinfeld episode, there would have been a close-up shot of my passport dropping.  I did not realize me error until I got to JFK airport in NYC.

At the gate to Toronto, I realized my passport was missing.  I went to the Delta gate reps for help.  They dropped my Toronto flight, as I would not make it.  After combing the plane, the cleaning crew said they could not find my passport.  I was forced to cancel my plans, and head back to SLC.  I  could have gone into  Manhattan to passport control to get a temporary passport, but I didn't feel good about that, and the idea of going into Manhattan did not appeal to me at all.

While waiting at the gate to return to SLC,  Delta reps came running up to me with passport in hand.  A flight attendant had found it in the overhead compartment.  I went back, booked another flight to Toronto, got my bag rerouted - or so I thought.

Upon finally arriving in Toronto, I learned that my bag had been sent to SLC.  My entire day was shot.  I called my niece to let her know I was in Canada.  We discussed my problem and we decided that I should cancel my hotel, and she would come and get me.  I had enough clothing to get me through a day, and my meds, but not my c-pap breathing machine for when I sleep.

For the next two hours I wandered Pearson International, as the Toronto airport is called.  I bought a Toronto t-shirt on sale, as I needed an extra shirt.  I exchanged money, and I watched, with fascination, a family waiting for visiting grandparents.

The Saga of Little Stinker


A mother and her two girls, about 3 and 5 yrs, were waiting for grandma and grandpa to arrive.  The eldest girl was named Poppy.  As five year olds do, she was running around the arrivals hall with her little sister following her everywhere.  Poppy would call to her little sister, "Come on, Little Stinker!"  "Mom, Little Stinker won't come!" etc.  My first thought was Little Stinker, as younger sisters will do, would eventually get back at her sister.  My second thought is that parents need to be careful what pet names they give their children!  Mom realized this as the words "Little Stinker" echoed throughout the hall, and everyone turned to watch the three-year-old. She told Poppy to stop calling her little sister by that name, and Poppy innocently, and a bit confused, looked to her mom and said "But, you do!" I had to learn the real name of this child.   I had to wait until the grandparents arrived to learn that her name was/is Beatrice. 


Back to the Bag


Delta had started a search for my bag.  By the time my niece arrived, SLC had already received it, and sent it back to Toronto.  It would arrive 28 hours later to the house.

I have learned many lessons!