Toronto Part 5- Goodbye Canada Hello New York

On my last morning in Toronto Sarah got up very early, walked to the subway station, took the train to the rental car agency and drove back to pick me up. We were driving back to New York for my flight out of Buffalo the next day.

This is the view as you turn out of Sarah's "Somewhere In Time" neighborhood. You leave the past and see high rise condos immediately.

 I've learned the name "Rogers" is huge in Ontario.

"The Rogers Building, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is part of the corporate campus of Canadian media econglomerate Rogers Communication."

They are Sarah's cell phone carrier.

Thank You Wikipedia. Love their alliteration!

 

 More old with the new!

I took these as we zoomed south on the QEW.

 Awesome architecture! 

More alliteration!

 Queen Elizabeth Way.  Even the freeways sound quaint!

We took a little side trip off of the freeway into the suburb of Brampton to deliver

 a suitcase full of Christmas gifts

from my neighbor to her missionary son.

He is serving in the Toronto Mission and I was happy to help Margaret save a fortune in postage!

After we turned the suitcase over to the missionary office I noticed the place was over-run with Christmas packages that were waiting to be delivered  to the Elders and Sisters.

It was really crazy the the boxes in the photo below were right up front!

Mallory and her family lived in our ward in Tacoma, Washington. She and her sister Emily were friends with my Rachel. My older girls each babysat for the Hutchings family.

I knew that Malory was in the Toronto Mission as well but this was an awesome co-incidence.

It's a small world isn't it?

We picked up a suitcase full of stuff that Elder Rodee no longer needed for me to bring home and headed back out.

We had one more stop to make before we crossed the border back into the States.

There is a lovely little town on the south side of Lake Ontario called "Niagara on the Lake".

She was excited to show it to me and we planned to have our lunch there.

The first thing I saw when we got out of our car was a horse-drawn buggy with a driver in a top hat!

 We walked up and down the town's main road. Every single store front and building was painted brightly with an eye for the details.There were art galleries and antiques stores, theaters, gift shops, and all types of little boutiques. It was so charming! 

I loved every inch of the place and wished we could spend a few days here.

We went into a shop called "Maple Leaf Fudge.

 The smell was heavenly! Sarah bought some treats for later.

The fudge comes highly endorsed!

"Donny O says Maple Leaf Fudge is the only way to go!"

There are ice cream shops in Ontario called "Canada's Best Ice Cream".

Dr. Sarah obligingly posed with the happy healthy Holstein...alliteration!

I got a kick out of some of their T-shirts.

Niagara on the Lake was founded in 1781. It was the original capitol of the Province of Ontario, then called Upper Canada. What a wonderful afternoon! I wish  could visit in the summer and see the streets full of flowers and shoppers. Sarah and her friends have been in late spring and she said it is beautiful.


This is the Prince of Wales Hotel. My cell phone photo is so blurry. Let me show you one from the Internet...

Beautiful! Check out the inside here! It is really luxurious!

We were getting hungry so Sarah took me to a place she had eaten before. The Olde Angel Inn. It was built in 1789 and re-built after the War of 1812. Ooops. I guess our side did some damage. Sorry!
It is an English style pub and the food and atmosphere is wonderful! Low ceilings, exposed beams, Wood and brick everywhere.
were

This menu was full of authentic English food choices. Bangers and Mash, pork pie...my food was so good!

There is a statue of an angel in the ladies room or "wash room" as the Canadians say!

As are most old artsy angels, this one is nude except for a nice leaf conveniently placed. As I was washing my hands I noticed the leaf was hinged. Hmm...

Was there a hidden camera somewhere? Was I going to be on Candid Camera?

I admit it, I peeked.

 I borrowed these pictures from another young lady's blog. Rumor has it that the wash room is haunted. I am glad I didn't know this when I went down the old cellar steps because the restrooms are down on basement level.

 Don't hinge the Angels leaf then!

After lunch we hoped back into the car and headed for the US/Canada border. As Sarah handed our passports over to the border patrol guard I thought how grateful I was to be going back home, but how much I loved Toronto!

Next time I post I will share my photos from our whirlwind tour of Palmyra, NY. Then I will be finished with this trip. Aren't you glad?
 Yes, I have decided after posting all of these photos that a nice camera is in order. How many aprons will I need to sell for that?!

Adventure Time!

Today as I look at blinding whiteness outside and listen to the sound of money being eaten by my furnace, I close my eyes and think that less than 24 hours ago I was here:

...ahhh

It was heavenly warmth and sunshine that is otherwise known as Los Angeles, California. I know that to some of you this is more or less a year-round thing, but for little me, February in Utah County means snow, boots and gloves, thermal jammies and hot cocoa, and hours of yearning for summer.

So, I went on a mid-winter's adventure. I traveled to LA with the BYU Swim Team to attend their conference championships. It was so much fun! May I just say that those kids are a blast to travel with! They are an amazing group of athletic talent and high energy. They are funny and young (I was once!) and they are really good people. More about them later...

We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and by 8:15 the next morning I was on my very first train ride!

 I took the Metrolink train from Montebello to Oceanside where my sweet Diana & Baby Lucas met me! It was such an interesting experience. First of all, a bit intimidating for the first time. I learned I had to switch trains at Los Angeles Central Station and it gave me pause...I told myself if my girls could do this all over Europe not even speaking the language fluently, I can do this! Thankfully my husband prayed someone there to help me, literally. We met a kind woman at the Montebello station name Melanie. She normally took an earlier train but "for some reason" she decided to go to work an hour later. Thank goodness! She was so nice! She showed me where to stand, to get on the train fast because they don't mess around waiting for people, where to sit so I could get off quickly with my big old suitcase full of baby clothes, then she sat with me and visited. When we got to LA if she hadn't been with me I would have panicked. I am sure I would have found the right train eventually, but having her to follow was the best! She was taking the same connection so she just took me under her wing. She got off in Tustin but not without much advice and lots of laughing and smiles. I hope she is blessed for her kindness!  Below is the tunnel we took under the tracks to get to our Oceanside connection. Down underneath it was bustling and there were pillars with platform signs. I thought briefly of running into one with my suitcase to see if I came out on Platform 9 3/4 and the Hogwarts Express!

I think I would love to take a long train trip someday. How relaxing to just sit and read, listening to my favorite Beach Boys, and get somewhere really fast! Before long, the industrialized, graffiti-ed view we had of LA gave way to scenes like this:

What a life!

I want to rent a bungalow and stay here!

Cute cafe...

The closer we got to Oceanside, the closer to the beach the tracks were. It was gorgeous!

I got off of the train in glorious sunshine and was met by this cool dude and his mommy!

 It was so wonderful to see Diana and Lucas, and later Nick. I love these guys so much and to spend the next few days with them was such a gift!

 

It was GRAMMA HEAVEN!!

More later on our fun times!