Canadian Buffoon's Back to Front Vacation - Update! 05/18 - Falling Down

[Tracy161]

Why am I paying for
aggravation?

I suppose I've paid for worse things... but aggravation ain't good either

Any bets on whether or not
I'll get sick

I have survived
the great pkondz e coli
scare of 2018.

Phew, looks like you've come out on the other side unscathed - thank goodness! But... yikes - that eatery sounded like it hadn't pulled itself together on a couple counts...

 

[franandaj]

They think it may have originated
in California.
But they’re still unsure.

That's what they're saying down here too.

Did you see this? I don't know why it made me think of you....

 

[pkondz]

I suppose I've paid for worse things... but aggravation ain't good either

But now I'm wondering
what those things you
paid for are!

Phew, looks like you've come out on the other side unscathed - thank goodness! But... yikes - that eatery sounded like it hadn't pulled itself together on a couple counts...

I wonder if they stopped
serving romaine afterwards.
I didn't work the next day
so have no idea.

 

[pkondz]

Did you see this? I don't know why it made me think of you....

No! I didn't see that. Funny!

No idea why you'd think of me, though!?

 

[Tracy161]

But now I'm wondering
what those things you
paid for are!

A subscription to an online dating site to get you started

 

[franandaj]

No! I didn't see that. Funny!

No idea why you'd think of me, though!?

Well the dog was Canadian, not from Winnipeg, but one province over. And you have dogs. I thought you would think it was funny.

 

[pkondz]

A subscription to an online dating site to get you started

Oh dear.

 

[pkondz]

Well the dog was Canadian, not from Winnipeg, but one province over. And you have dogs. I thought you would think it was funny.

Actually... I did some research and...
That's Twinkie, and he's from California!
But the new record is held by a Canadian.
(Two provinces over in Alberta. )

Here's Toby.

 

[franandaj]

Actually... I did some research and...
That's Twinkie, and he's from California!
But the new record is held by a Canadian.
(Two provinces over in Alberta. )

Here's Toby.

I guess I posted the wrong video. I meant to post that one, of Toby. I had it on a browser on my phone, but then when I posted it, I re-googled it and evidently got the wrong one. I don't remember where I saw it, maybe on the Daily Show, and then I googled it and meant to post it to your TR since it reminded me of you.

 

[pkondz]

I guess I posted the wrong video. I meant to post that one, of Toby. I had it on a browser on my phone, but then when I posted it, I re-googled it and evidently got the wrong one. I don't remember where I saw it, maybe on the Daily Show, and then I googled it and meant to post it to your TR since it reminded me of you.

Ah!
Okay, we’re on the
same page now.

 

[Steppesister]

They're back.
But I was worried/upset.

Wondering if I should just
dump photobucket anyway.

SmugMug has treated me quite well after I dumped PB.

Soooooo....

Any bets on whether or not
I'll get sick?

I wanted to order some food
at our cafeteria.
"I'll have a breakfast sandwich."
(Like an Egg McMuffin)
"We don't serve breakfast now."
"Okay... (looks at menu)
I'll have the springrolls."
I pay for that and then...
"We don't have any." The cook says.
"Can I get a sandwich?"
The cook points and says
"We have some premade."
I take a look and... they look okay.
I take one.

I take a couple of bites...
mmm... not bad.

Then I stop.

I take it back to the cafeteria
and say. "Is that romaine?"
"Yes." I'm told.
"Don't you know you're supposed
to throw out all romaine in Canada
and the US?" I ask.
"What? No. When did this happen?"



Shouldn't a place serving food know that????


Not happy.

Yes, but have you marked yourself safe on FB?

 

[pkondz]

SmugMug has treated me quite well after I dumped PB.

Ah! That’s another one.

Yes, but have you marked yourself safe on FB?

I wouldn’t even
know how!

 

[pkondz]

I'm heading out for a few days
on business, so better get
an update up.

Wish I could say I was going
somewhere interesting...
But I'm not.

Possibly will be able to be on,
but... may also not be able.

So if you notice a delay in
shout-outs... that's why.

 

[pkondz]

Center of the Universe

How many Torontonians
does it take to change
a lightbulb?

Just one.
But he holds the bulb
and waits for the world
to revolve around him.


I spent almost a week
in Toronto at my sister's place.

I'm not going to break down
every single minute of
every single day.

Suffice to say that I get along
really well with my sister.
And I know that isn't always
the case for some people.
Heck, some of you haven't
even met my sister!


And some people don't get
along with their
siblings/relatives/whatever
either.

So I'm not going to tell you
about all the times we just
sat and yacked til the wee hours
of the night.
Or laughed over a meal.
Or reminisced about
simpler (younger) times.

But, she's a wonderful hostess
and I will share some of the
lovely things she shared with me.


And I'll start with something Good.

My sister had made reservations
for us at the Good Earth Winery,
in the Niagara region.
We set out in the morning
and made a pit stop on the way
at a local fruit and veggie stand.
Everything there was locally grown.
My sister and the owner, Rose, knew
each other by name and chatted while
I drooled over... er... perused
the wares.

I bought a couple of jars of jam
to give as gifts and then we
set out once more.

Not long afterwards we
arrived here:

I'd recently been to a winery
for the first time earlier
this year.
(Details in a much later update.
Back to front, remember?)
But this would be my first time
dining at one.

Not all wineries have restaurants,
but this place did.
As well as a small gift shop
selling bric a brac out back,
(as opposed to the
jams and wines out front...
bought another jam, too)
and a small cooking school.

hmmm.... bric a brac out back.


I think I've told this story before...

Once a small frog hopped into a bank.
It hopped up to a teller and asked for a loan.
"I'm sorry sir." Said the teller.
"But we don't do loans here.
You'll have to see Mrs. Patricia Black
in our loans department."
So the frog hopped over to the loan
department and hopped up on
Mrs. Black's desk.
Mrs. Black looked down her nose
at the small amphibian and asked.
"Do you have any collateral?"
The small frog promptly put
a small crudely carved figurine
on the desk.
Patricia Black sniffed and said.
"What is that supposed to be?
I'm not giving you a loan for that!"
The frog asked to speak with the
loans manager and Mrs. Black agreed.
Moments later the loan manager came over,
and Mrs. Black motioned to the frog and said.
"This frog wants a loan and all he has for
collateral is this... this.... object."
The manager took one look and said...



"It's a knick knack, Patty Black, give the frog a loan."


I know... I know...
This old joke caused an eye roll groan.


We approached the podium
and were seated in a nice
little gazebo-like area.

The morning was warm enough
that we weren't cold,
but there were propane fired
heaters spaced around the room
for when it got colder.

The waitress handed us
menus that were attached
to small wooden boards.

I ordered a stone fruit salad
(Peaches, cherries, frisee,
with raspberry vinaigrette)
and a ratatouille.

Fail on the salad photo,
but got the ratatouille
before it too mysteriously
vanished.
Poof!

Very mysterious.

While we were dining,
a waiter brought a really
good looking burger
to another table.
(Hey, good-looking.
Come here often?
Nom! Nom! Nom!)

We both watched
the burger go by.
Heyyy... that wasn't
on the menu!

When our server came by,
we asked why we didn't
know about the burger.
Perhaps it was a special?

The waitress told us it was
on the menu.
She brought a menu
back to the table.
Nope. Not on there.
She then told us...

To turn it over.

Oh.


Neither one of us thought
to turn the wooden plank
over to see if there
was another paper
on the other side.



Oh well. My ratatouille
was good and I probably
would've ordered it anyway.

That's what I will keep
telling myself.


After lunch, we set out
to visit another winery or two.
We had no set destination
other than to eventually
wind up at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

About twenty minutes later,
my sister quietly cursed
as a traffic light she was
approaching turned red.
Crossing arms came down and...

The road in front of us
began to rise.
A drawbridge! Cool!

Believe it or not,
I'd never actually seen
one in action.
I've driven over many,
but never seen one raised.
And we had front row seats!

I was giddy as a schoolgirl.


uh...


In a very manly, he-man way.


I told my sister that I was
about to knock an item
off my bucket list.
(It really was!)
She laughed and said
she had planned the whole thing.
(No, she had no idea.)

I stepped out of the car
and took a few quick snaps
of the bridge
and the reason for it's raising.

I was very glad to have finally
knocked that one off the list...

And now never want to be
inconvenienced by one again.

Been there,
done that.


We drove on and stopped
at Wayne Gretzky Estates
Winery & Distillery.
Or we tried to.

The large parking lot
was packed with cars,
both parked and searching
for parking, and people
going to and fro.

Neither of us was interested
in fighting with crowds.
We left.

We tried again at
Caroline Cellars,
but we walked in...
And walked out.
Just packed with people.

Nope!


We came to relax and enjoy.
Not be jostled and crammed
in like sardines.


We decided that we'd continue
on to Niagara-on-the-Lake
and find a smaller winery
on the way back.

Ten minutes later, we parked
in town and set off on foot.


I'd been here a few times before,
but it really is a nice place
and I didn't mind returning.

A lot of the homes that you see
along the main road were
built in the 1890s and are
well kept or restored.

The whole area is bedecked
in flowers and there's a
steady stream of tourists,
(ourselves included)
but it doesn't feel so busy
that you can't enjoy yourselves.

We walked along, popping into
whatever shop caught our eye.
Like... the shop where I got
myself some gelato.

Hello! It's gelato! You don't
just walk by, you know!

mmm...
Vanilla cinnamon and dark cherry.
Yes... two scoops. Sue me.


Eventually, we wound our way
back to the car and headed back
towards Toronto.
On the way, we spotted
Small Talk Vineyards and decided
to give it a try.

Once we parked and went inside,
we noticed others with wine flights
and decided that looked like
a good idea.

We walked up and waited
at the serving counter.

And waited...

And waited....


And...


Waited...

The place wasn't very busy,
but for some reason,
the servers/pourers just didn't
seem to notice us.
Finally, my sister said, "Excuse me..."


Nope. Didn't work.


She tried again.
This time she caught the attention
of a young man who asked
what she would like.
He took her order and proceeded
to pour...
And then walked off and never came back.
My sister stood there, with her flight.
looking at me, empty handed, and then
back at the departing back of the server.

We kept waiting.

And waiting...


And...


Waiting...


Eventually, someone...
I'm not even sure if he worked there,
came by and I asked if I could get
a flight.

He seemed confused, but did pour
me my flight.

We looked around for someone to pay,
and found a cashier.
She was busy and we noticed others
were paying later, so we took our drinks
outside and sat to imbibe.

I don't recall exactly what my sister
ordered, but it was similar to my own.
An apple cider, a peach cider,
a Riesling Gewürztraminer and a
Cabernet Sauvignon ice wine.

I actually preffered the peach cider
while I believe she liked the Riesling.
I'd had high hopes for the ice wine,
but it was too cloying.

We sat and waited for a while.
But no one came to either
take our glasses, ask about our tastes,
or to ask for payment.
I looked at her and suggested we leave.
"Without paying?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

I figured we'd already paid with our time, so...


"Yes."


We left.


Yeah, a modern age Bonnie and Clyde.
I expect to be mowed down in
a hail of bullets any minute now.


Now.



Any time...



Nope! Still here.
Guess I'll have to wait
for the inevitable gun play.


Later that evening,
back in Toronto,
she took me to
Greg's Ice Cream,
proclaiming it to be
the best in the city.

I was skeptical, but...
I ordered a dish of
lemon meringue ice cream.

Holy. Cow.
No, really.
It's the only explanation.
The cow that the milk
came from to craft this
ice cream must have been
divinely blessed.

I took one bite and
I thought fireworks
were going off.

Or maybe that was
the gunfire from the
unpaid wine flight.

Ha! Missed me!


Dang that ice cream was good.
I sat there, blissfully eating,
as the world revolved around me.


Speaking of divine,
we went, on Sunday, to
St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica.

It's a beautiful church,
yet seems out of place
somewhat in the heart
of Toronto, surrounded
by high-rise office buildings
and condos.

We did brunch at the
Four Seasons hotel, afterward.
Wow. What a place.
No pics. Sorry.
Google that one.

After brunch, we picked
up a friend of hers
and she asked me
if there was anything
I wanted to see.

I've been to Toronto many
times, so I didn't really
have much of a list.
I did mention that
I'd never seen the half house
and it was nearby.

They both looked at me
with confused expressions.
Ha! Two Torontonians
and I knew about something
in their own town that
they didn't.


In the late 19th century,
a row of six identical homes
was built on St. Patrick St.

In the middle of the 20th century,
companies began buying up
properties... half a unit at a time.
Finally, one owner refused to sell.
They tore down the other half and...

What remained was... half a house.

Afterwards we popped over to
Evergreen Brickworks.
A former quarry and brick factory
that ran for a hundred years
before closing and being
re-imagined as a park
and community and cultural centre.

This was once a massive, ugly
hole in the ground.
Now it's an idyllic place
for a stroll.


Or a sashay.


We arrived too late in the day
to take in the vendors
and their wares,
so instead we zipped over
to Greektown.
My sister and her friend wanted these:

I wasn't particularly
hungry and didn't feel
like eating chicken balls.

Wait... chicken balls...
that's not Greek!

And they weren't
chicken balls,
they were Loukoumades.

What's that, you might ask?
And if you know,
you're probably happily
(or hungrily) nodding your heads.

I didn't know.
I was offered one and,
not really wanting it,
I politely accepted.


Whoa!


A pastry made of deep-fried dough
soaked in honey and cinnamon.

Dang that was good!

Here, try it yourself:
Loukoumades recipe


We had dinner back
at her place and while
she made the main,
her friend made tabbouleh.
First time I had it.
(And it had been on my list
for quite a while.)
Very much liked that!

The rest of the night
was filled with conversation
and friendship.

It was a very good
few days.

And I think that's
a good spot to end
this update.



In case you didn't see it:

Did you see it in this chapter?

Coming up... A bit of solo touring and a date with a John.

Chapter 6. Dear John​

 

[Terra Nova guy]

This old joke caused an eye roll groan.

Ah ha! I knew you could hear an eye roll....

Oh well. My ratatouille
was good and I probably
would've ordered it anyway.

That's what I will keep
telling myself.

I would have a hard time turning down a good burger for anything. We'll have to assume it wasn't a good burger.

We decided that we'd continue
on to Niagara-on-the-Lake
and find a smaller winery
on the way back.

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought those places would be so crowded. I never made it down to wine country, I have only been as far as Niagara Falls. But I'm really not a wine drinker, so it wasn't at the top of my list. Looks like a nice area though.

The road in front of us
began to rise.
A drawbridge! Cool!

I want to say I have seen one of these in action before. I'm just not sure where.
The town where my wife is from, Placentia, has a lift bridge, which is a similar idea but quite a different animal than a draw bridge.

A lot of the homes that you see
along the main road were
built in the 1890s and are
well kept or restored.

I love the look of those older homes. Some where I live have fallen into disrepair over the last 10 years or so and, due to repair/maintenance cost, have just been torn down. Sad really.

Hello! It's gelato! You don't
just walk by, you know!

mmm...
Vanilla cinnamon and dark cherry.
Yes... two scoops. Sue me.

Agreed, you can't just walk past gelato. Cinnamon and cherry...interesting. Not a combination I would have thought of.

I looked at her and suggested we leave.
"Without paying?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

I figured we'd already paid with our time, so...

I think you're justified. I have come close to doing it myself a couple times. You really shouldn't have to work to give a place your money.

What remained was... half a house.

Interesting. I had never heard of that either. With Toronto's real estate prices, I'd bet half a house still costs double what a regular house costs in most cities (maybe except Vancouver).

A pastry made of deep-fried dough
soaked in honey and cinnamon.

This sounds awesome. Why have I not heard of it before?

Did you see it in this chapter?

After an exhaustive search I can say yes, I saw it. All I can say is pew, I'm beat.

 

[MeghanEmily]

How many Torontonians
does it take to change
a lightbulb?

Just one.
But he holds the bulb
and waits for the world
to revolve around him.


I spent almost a week
in Toronto at my sister's place.

My sister had made reservations
for us at the Good Earth Winery,
in the Niagara region.
We set out in the morning
and made a pit stop on the way
at a local fruit and veggie stand.
Everything there was locally grown.
My sister and the owner, Rose, knew
each other by name and chatted while
I drooled over... er... perused
the wares.

Oooh this looked wonderful! I'll make sure to put it on my list for if we find ourselves back in the Niagara region any time soon. One of our servers at a restaurant in Niagara Falls told us that there are some beautiful wineries in the surrounding area within about an hour of the falls/tourist trap.

On that note, there are some lovely little wineries 1-2 hours from Halifax in the Annapolis Valley, for your next Maritime time, which I seem to slowly be planning for you. If you've never been, we recommend Avondale Sky Winery, and I've also heard good things about Planters Ridge. If you drive about an hour from Halifax to Wolfville, you can jump on the Magic Winery Bus and see several of the area wineries in a day.

How interesting is the half house!? Neat. Funny that you knew more than the Torontonians about it. What a nice visit with your sister

 

[mustinjourney]

Actually... I did some research and...
That's Twinkie, and he's from California!
But the new record is held by a Canadian.
(Two provinces over in Alberta. )

Here's Toby.

in the still shot of this video, it looks like the dog is pooping all over the floor!

 

[mustinjourney]

So I'm not going to tell you
about all the times we just
sat and yacked til the wee hours
of the night.

Aren't you a little old to be binge drinking and puking?

"It's a knick knack, Patty Black, give the frog a loan."

Believe it or not,
I'd never actually seen
one in action.
I've driven over many,
but never seen one raised.
And we had front row seats!

I've seen two. One near Mackinac Island and the other in Epcot after Illuminations. That one is NOT cool when trying to get from Africa to Test Track.

Speaking of divine,
we went, on Sunday, to
St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica.

Hopefully you went to confession to cleanse your soul after the thievery.

The rest of the night
was filled with conversation
and friendship.

No yacking. That's good.

did you see it?

Yup -- Marvin did some praying for your sinners!

 

[mustinjourney]

I know some use Google photos,
Flikr and Smugmug.

well -- I finally finished my TR and tried to post the first chapter using google photos, but they didn't appear to work. Now going to try my hand at Flickr. Hopefully that works! Wish me luck.

 

[QueenJen]

The waitress handed us
menus that were attached
to small wooden boards.

sounds interesting-no picture?

Neither one of us thought
to turn the wooden plank
over to see if there
was another paper
on the other side.

I feel like I always look for more on a menu - don't want to miss 'something better'.

The road in front of us
began to rise.
A drawbridge! Cool!

I'm with your sister...ugh...been there done that a few times. I remember it being cool when I saw it as a little kid.

And now never want to be
inconvenienced by one again.

see?

mmm...
Vanilla cinnamon and dark cherry.
Yes... two scoops. Sue me.

Of course! It is rule #4 for gelato...must try more than one flavor...or is that flavour?

We left.

Sometimes, you just have to. I don't think this was a decision that came lightly to you.

Later that evening,
back in Toronto,
she took me to
Greg's Ice Cream,

Gelato and Ice Cream the same day?

Speaking of divine,
we went, on Sunday, to
St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica.

Confession time

Finally, one owner refused to sell.
They tore down the other half and...

Interesting.....looks kinda cool. I wonder if the owners beyond him/her were upset thinking they may get a good payday.

My sister and her friend wanted these:

Yum.

And if you know,
you're probably happily
(or hungrily) nodding your heads.

I didn't know.
I was offered one and,
not really wanting it,
I politely accepted.

This is how I first enjoyed...not really wanting to. So glad I did.