Concours D'elegance, Clayton NY Boat Museum - Part 1

We were recently invited to participate in the 'Concours D'elegance', being hosted at

 The Antique Boat Museum 

in Clayton New York.  

Given that we were bringing a 1957 MGA, 

we decided to come the day before.

Our favourite restaurant  Bella's, has a charming balcony overlooking breathtaking views of The St. Lawrence river, 

so it was a must for dinner.

It's menu is well thought out, with perfectly executed dishes that show off the chef's creatvity.

It was a perfect evening to enjoy the warm sunset and watch the boats glide over the shimmering water.

This year's car show was highlighting British cars, however many different kinds were in attendance.

This one caught everyone's eye!

But, my personal favourites were the Mercedes gullwings!

A bonus to the event was being able to visit the museum and take a trip back in time with the antique boats

I even was invited to take a ride in one! 

The event had many dignitaries, some who even stopped for a pose!

Stay tuned for part 2 - a vist to La Duchesse, the houseboat owed by George C. Boldt.

 

Lunch in Prince Edward County

After varying temperatures in May, the first weekend in June turned out to be a lovely 20 degrees with sunny, clear skies

 and a warm gentle breeze.

The prior week, a welcome rain brought relief to the parched ground and filled giant mushrooms with tiny drinking fountains.

It was time for another road trip to the 'county'!

My favourite part of the trip is taking the ferry across Adolphus Reach

First stop: Bloomfield, with its quaint shops and charming locally owned restaurants

The last time we were at Agrarian for lunch, there were so many choices we wanted to try, that we knew we had to go back to sample something different

I started with a chilly glass of '8 Man English Pale Ale' from one of our local breweries: 

Mackinnon Brewing

...which helped wash down a crispy local perch sandwich

Delicious!

Our next stop was a visit to Domaine Darius to pick up a few bottles of the delicious Port that I had tasted on my last visit.

The gardens had been planted and were starting to burst with colour

I love their use of different mediums to show off their green thumbs!

We ended this glorious weekend with a trip
 up to Chaffey's Locks to visit
The Opinicon Resort, currently being restored to its former glory......

....to enjoy some home make ice cream

While strolling the lock, I noticed a most fascinating tree.....rings of its history were exposed and weathered making it a lovely tableau!

Ah, Welcome June......

Victoria Day Weekend

Prior to enjoying the long Victoria Day Weekend, I spent a few days in Toronto attending a business conference.  It was an opportunity to meet up with colleagues and friends.

The Sheraton Centre downtown is an old hotel but is different in that it offers a bit of serenity amidst all the concrete.

 Prior to starting the conference, I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet the newest member of the family!

Before getting down to business, a sushi dinner out with friends kicked off the event.

After 2 full days of improving my skills, I made it back to town in time to have a cold beer and burger with the 'kids', who came into town for the long weekend.

As it was our son's birthday, his choice of outing for the day

 was a trip to 'the county'.

We started at Vickis Veggies to get our heirloom tomato seedlings.

There were many vendors with lots of local fare.

Once the seedlings were secured in the trunk, we headed off to our favourite lunch spot: the patio at

Lake on the Mountain

We enjoyed tomato basil soup, grilled cheese and pesto mussels!

The birthday boy all smiles with his charming wife!

The day ended with a wonderful vintage Medoc!  Delicious!

A great way to end the holiday weekend!

Will Spring Ever come??

We are a hearty breed, us 'true white north folks', but there comes a point when even 'we' are tired of the cold and white stuff.

We persevere through frigid temperatures, brave the cold and go to extreme lengths to try to enjoy 'summer fare'...

One of the ways to fill the time until outdoor activities can be enjoyed, is to practice and enhance my culinary skills.

First up....grilled salmon and asparagus with roast potatoes.

Followed by a seafood cioppino, chocked full of salmon, scallops, shrimp, halibut and tomatoes!

Finally, a chicken caesar with homemade dressing!

Easter saw a visit from our son M, who brought a lovely bubbly to celebrate his father's retirement.

As M is quite the wine connoisseur, a trip to Prince Edward county, our local wine region, was in order.  We took the the Glenora Ferry across the Bay of Quinte, which acted as an ice breaker, given that the water was still frozen!

 Our first stop was lunch at Agrarian Bistro in Bloomfield.

Homemade corned beef and Barley Days Brewery ale hit the spot.  After lunch, a trip down the stairs at Agrarian, led us to their quaint cheese shop that had all sorts of goodies!

M and his lovely wife, L, tweet about food, 

wine and events in 'the county':

https://twitter.com/countytidings 

We were introduced to a relatively new winery,

Domaine Darius, owned and run by Dave and Joni Gillingham, where we were treated to a taste of 'almost ready' port right from the barrel!  Delicious!  I can hardly wait until it is bottled!

A great finale to the weekend......Montreal bagel, cream cheese and Smoked salmon.

Now, all we need a is a little prolonged sunshine and its warmth to remove the chill of winter!