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 part 2

After Diana showed me around Oceanside she took me back to her home where we rested and visited until Nick came home. That evening I got to help bathe the Grandson and smell his sweet clean-baby smell! This kid makes some funny faces!

Here is the little guy all clean and shiny! He sure has grown since is low weight of 4 lbs ? oz in the NICU.

The next day Diana informed me that every Wednesday is hers and Lucas' outing day. They took me to Balboa Park with the intent of taking advantage of "half-price museum day in the park. It was a glorious warm day so we strolled around a bit before deciding on a museum. We sat by the fountain for awhile and I thought of my family back in Utah and the snow that was falling on them right at that moment. I was so happy to be where I was!

 The architecture is so beautiful in that place and I just loved looking around.

Diana has this "thing" about me taking photos of her so this is how she posed for me at one point!

 She showed me the world's largest botanical structure made entirely of wood. pretty cool!

 We visited the Koi fish for awhile. There are some really big ones in there!

 I enjoyed hearing the bell chime in the tower while Diana was watching for eagles and hawks. She has such a bird-watcher's eye and is really good at spotting them.

 

We never could decide on a museum and honestly, I was so happy to be outside in the sunshine that that's all we did. We found a nice spot in the English garden to eat our lunch then Diana took the baby to see the pretty little fountain.

 She is such a good mother. I am so very proud of how she is taking to motherhood and loving her little guy!

 Even better than the sunshine and the beautiful park was being with this little guy.

He is such a good baby!

 Day 3: We took a little walk to a local pet store. Lucas love the aquariums. Later we ate lunch outside on the balcony. I was so delighted. Little Lucas laid there kicking his feet and smiling at us. I once again felt badly for my Utah gang, but only for a minute!

 Diana was so sweet to let me hold Lucas and feed him every chance I got. We played peek-a-boo with his blanket and I made goofy faces and noises at him until he gave me his big belly laugh. He surely thinks he has the silliest Gramma ever!