Business & Pleasure

I used a recent business conference in Montreal

 to extend my stay and visit with family.

The conference took place at the The Queen Elizabeth Hotel, 

now owned by Fairmont. (Yes, that is the hotel where John Lennon & Yoko did a 'bed in')

The view from my hotel room depicted the charm of Montreal.

One of highlights of the conference was a motivational talk by

Caroline Ouellette, 4 time gold medal Olympian on Canada's National Women's Hockey Team. Her story was inspiring

 One evening I was lucky enough to be invtied out to

 Auberge Saint Gabriel, 

a lovely historic building in Old Montreal.

The chef prepared a special dish for us, Aligot, which hails from France.  It is a mixture of mashed potatoes and Gruyere cheese!  Yummo

I feasted on duck....

After the conference, I headed west to meet up with my nieces at 'Pete's Smoked Meat', for the best Smoked Meat in 'the world' 

(not just my opinion!)

  

The view from my sister Belinda's new home

 Growing up, a family outing we loved 

was to cross over from Hudson to Oka by ferry.....

Belinda and I were headed to Deux Montagne for lunch with my aunt and an old family friend, 

so thought the ferry was a neat way to get there.....

 Arriving at Oka...

 What a good looking group!

 Lunch was a fabulous meal at L'impressionniste Restaurant

Gravlax

salmon

duck confit

escargot in puff pastry

steak

 The weekend's grand finale was a crackling fire

 overlooking a peaceful lake

What a wonderful few days.....

Old cars and Wine

As a member of the Boot n Bonnet car club,

we get to enjoy many lovely outings,

 organized by our dedicated club members. 

On a crisp, but warm fall day, we headed out towards Tweed, Ontario, to visit a little gem of a winery, which reminded me of the story of  'the little engine that could':
Potter Settlement Wines

Despite many years of failed attempts, the Johnson brothers, Sandor & Robin, are winning awards for their efforts and hard work:

 Grape Expectation Article

 Given that they are right at the edge of the Canadian Shield, it is hard to believe that anything grows....

.....but, alas....check out the grapes!

 We were treated to a tour of where all the magic takes place, but were not invited behind 'the big wooden doors', where the temperature controlled nectar was maturing.

The location was peaceful and inviting.....

....and the 'Late Harvest Frontenac Gris' was delicious....

More autumn outings coming up....

Home...but the memories are alive

When I was a teenager, not sure of my path in life, I thought I could take my love of photography and turn it into a living.  Many years later, and a successful business person (not as a photographer), photos still play a big part in my life.

I took well over 1,000 shots while on my overseas vacation, so wanted to share few extras.

Milner Tower overlooking Port Erin Bay, IOM

 Views going over the mountain

'Cow' Art

Storm is a brewing....

I think it tastes better on this side

The chasm at Glen Maye, overgrown with vines

Overlooking the south of the IOM

 

Ramsey shoreline, IOM

Ramsey Beach

Looking south, IOM

 

The Calf of Man

The spires at Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)

West Bay, Dorset, looking west towards Eype (I walked that trail years ago...)

I hope you have enjoyed some of my memories.....Only a year to go until my next visit!

The final days

All good things must come to an end and our UK journey was nearing the finish line.

For our last few days, we visited, shopped, ate and packed.

One last trip we took was to visit Taunton, to walk around the town and stop in at St Mary Magdalene church to capture its beauty.

 I just loved the etched glass door

 The ceiling is one of the finest I have seen in a church

 Even if one is not religious, these stained glass windows are breathtaking

 We stopped at Bills Restaurant for lunch, and for a chain restaurant, it was very good.

Garlic king prawns

Crispy duck salad

Sheppard's pie

Crispy cod burger

 Just so you don't think we are absolute gluttons, stuffing ourselves for each meal, what follows is the next evening farewell pub evening with Aunt Shirley, Christine and David, after packing for our voyage home.

Ham, mushroom and leek pie

Fish pie

A big thank you to everyone who wined, dined, entertained, visited and put us up for 3 weeks.

We will miss you all.