Coq au Vin

You might be a little intrigued as to why I entitled this post

 "Coq au Vin"?

Well, with offspring in tow, we started our weekend with a visit to 

The Village of Westport to check out a new winery.......

I know, 'a winery in Westport'????

Let me introduce you to Scheuermann Winery

 It is located at 82 Bedford St, at the end of a gravel road.  We were warmly greeted by the resident chickens....

.......and tasted 3 excellent wines. 

 We were even treated to a Vidal, still in the vat, by the owner Francois.  He is a trained chef and will be serving sharing plates to be enjoyed while sitting in comfortable chairs overlooking 

Westport Sand Lake.

The Riesling paired beautifully with crab cakes...

Our next destination was '66 Gilead Distillery'

in Prince Edward County.  It is located on an old farm, which ironically, also had a welcoming committee.

 The ornate Second Empire house was built in 1874 by a wealthy hops grower, Bert Cooper, during the County’s Barley Days.  Not only do they distill brandy, whiskey, vodka, gin and rum, but leave their maple syrup to age in whiskey barrels.  Yummmmm

  The Hops barn next to the house remains intact

 with it’s drying floors and brick ovens.

 The house serves as the tasting room as well as uses many of its downstairs rooms to showcase items for sale.

Time to head on to Agrarian,

in Bloomfield, for lunch.  The menu changes quite often, 

so there is always something new to try.

 

We sampled the Empire Caramelized Cheddar

 Grilled Cheese on Sourdough...

and a very tasty Wild Leek Ricotta Flatbread

 with Sprouts, Peas and Parmesan

Our last stop for the day was 'By Chadsey's Cairns'.

A lovingly tended Cemetery is at the entrance of the property.

  If only the gravestones could talk.......

We were a little disappointed that the prerequisite chickens 

were not there to greet us!

The vines were just starting to sprout among the twinkling streamers of shiny ribbon hung to scare off the birds.

The property's barn is used as the tasting room

 as old Mr. Chadsey watches over the proceedings.

We are so lucky to live in an area where only an hour's drive takes us to such treats!

Boot 'n Bonnet British Car Club Spring Tour!

As classic British Car enthusiasts, and owners of a few, my 'riding mechanic' and I participate in many club functions.  With the signs of spring in the air, we dusted off our 1969 E type Jaguar and headed out to The 1,000 Islands to meet up with fellow BnB members.  

Our gathering point was Peggy and Paul's beautiful home overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

 An array of different types and models of cars participated, but our hosts have a special spot in their hearts for the MGA!

Homemade shortbread, emblazoned with the MG logo, sustained us before heading out for our country tour.

Always looking for a 'photo opp', we gathered to show off our 'pride and joy', using the 1,000 Islands as our backdrop!

Once underway, the back roads boasted many scenic views.

Our destination was fellow member's car restoration's business:

Classic Automotive Repair 

You should check out Steve's work!

One of the cars that he is working on is a 1931 Cadillac.

This is how it looks now.....

 I hope he takes pictures of the final restoration - I would love to see the difference!

The view from his shop is pretty good too!

It was a wonderful outing with 'like-minded' people showing off their 4 wheeled loves.

Madison's 18th Birthday

As you live your life, time seems to go by slowly.  You enjoy your daily activities; work, fun and family.  Time goes by, but reality comes home to roost when you realize that your second youngest niece is about  to turn 18!  Where did the time go?

 The occasion called for a family reunion with 2 of my sisters in Montreal.  The weather was perfect for a stroll along the lake and a stop for some family pictures.

And no birthday party is complete without a feast

 to share with friends and family

Madi had been begging for a kitten for a number of years, so was thrilled to bits to meet Winnoskee!

Winnee meets his new house mate, "Fritz the dwarf rabbit"....

 ....they both don't seem too sure about it

The following day took us into St Lambert, on the south shore, to visit Fusion Bijoux's 'open house' 

 Established in 1998, Fusion Bijoux offers beautiful, handmade jewellery from Indonesia.  Designer, Roger Brunet, works closely with talented Balinese and Javanese silversmiths, who use increasingly rare ancestral techniques to create unique pieces.

Roger only sells to retail stores, 

but twice a year he opens his studio to the public.

I took advantage of the opportunity to buy a ring and a pair of earings.

Buying jewellery is exhausting, so we had to stop for the traditional Montreal Smoked meat....

 It was lovely enough to eat outside at Kapetan Restaurant which is a St Lambert institution.

Since it was such a sunny warm day, we headed up to the Westmount 'lookout', which boasts a stunning view of Montreal.  Most visitors take in the view from the top of Mount Royal, but this gem of a place offers a different perspective.

Talking about time......the weekend went by way too fast.

 Happy birthday Madison!