I am very comfortably ensconced in a Westin hotel in Toronto - great beds by the way, and a double shower. That's a treat! We are here because my cousin's husband is highly allergic to dogs, and while the Tramp is considered hypoallergenic and so is more compatible with sensitive persons than some other breeds, we didn't want to take any chances that G would suffer. And this hotel is literally minutes from their home so it is quite convenient.
So, what did I do yesterday? Turns out it was a day of mostly driving. I hadn't planned it that way, but it was just fine. Here's what happened.
I woke up in my little studio apartment quite early - around 6am. Those of you who know me well will know how unusual that it, but it is true. I think the reason is the different noises of the small town vs the city sounds I am used to. Since Little Falls is in the hills and since the weather was cool I opened the windows and kept the air conditioning off. That was probably a mistake given the decibel levels of the routine sounds of the town (trains blowing their whistles, lots and lots of birds, street cleaning equipment, etc), but it gave me the most delicious air for sleeping. At any rate, since I was up I decided to recheck my route to see if there might be a slower, prettier way to drive. My destination was Toronto, a cousin's home right in the city. Google quickly showed me that driving north, around Lake Erie and then southwest through Kingston would be a beautiful alternative and not too much longer. This route would take me through the 1000 islands region - a place I'd driven through only once before and found beautiful. So I thought it might work out that Tramp and I could find a sweet park to picnic and enjoy the scenery. Google told me that this route would take me just under an hour longer than the more direct route through Buffalo which would actually have me overshooting my destination by driving more west than I wanted to go before crossing into Canada and then backtracking east to Toronto. So, done. I'd drive the long way. It was another beautiful day. I had the time. I had a place along the way to stop and explore. Great. So when I loaded up the car and set the GPS I was a bit surprised when it told me the route would require nearly 7 hours of driving. Now, that's a lot longer than I like to drive in any given day, and was significantly different from Google's estimate. After a moment's hesitation I decided to keep this route anyway since the Lexus GPS is often too conservative in its time estimates - and more importantly I am listening to a book on tape that I LOVE and this would give me more time to hear more of the story. The book is called The Help and it is about life in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 60's. It is the story of the early civil rights movement as experienced by the "colored" maids and young white society women. And it is gripping and funny and very well read. So, as it turns out, I am wanting to spend more time in the car to listen to the progression of the story. I am actually sorry each time I get out of the car. I need to hear what's going to happen next!
On the other hand, my cousins had made dinner reservations for 7:30 and I had planned to go to their home and visit with them a bit before dinner and so I did want to get to Toronto no later than 5PM.
I didn't leave Little Falls until mid-morning. I had a delicious breakfast (part of the B&B) at the adjacent restaurant and listened to a young bride to be talking about last minute arrangements and nerves. I loaded up the car and fitted Tramp into her seat belt harness and off we went. First stop, picnic in the 1000 islands, hopefully around 1:30 or 2PM. The drive was beautiful. Rolling hills and farmlands. Peaceful. Pastoral. Envision a George Seurat painting with a foreground composed of every shade of green imaginable and a sky of blues and whites. That is what it was like. Before I knew it, it was time to clip the Tramp into the seat belt to restrain her as we crossed into Canada. There was NO ONE at this border crossing and we sailed through. My next thought was to find a park. Well, let me simply say GPS let me down. We got off the highway and went looking, and looking, and looking and....Everyplace we went was private property even as GPS announced I had arrived at my park destination. After the loss of maybe another hour I decided I wasn't hungry anyway and we gave up. We got on the 401 and hightailed it to Toronto, arriving at my cousin's home right on time at 5:30.
My cousins live at the end of a cul de sac in a fairly traditional looking suburban home, minutes from downtown Toronto. But walk into this house and there is NOTHING traditional about it. Sleek, modern, open and full of large scale modern art canvases and objects, it is captivating and exciting. From the moment you enter the front door there is a feast for your eyes. Whether you look through the house and glass doors across into the lush green back yard, or look at the striking steel and wood circular stairway, or look on any wall to see the canvases and constructions or look at the comfortable modern furniture (yes, comfortable looking modern furniture, I know that's a contradiction in terms, but) with tabletop objects that are beautiful and intriguing. I could easily spend hours and hours in this home just taking in the art and architecture. But we didn't have that much time and so Tramp and I came to the hotel to check in, shower and dress for dinner.
I'm returning to my cousin's home today and I'll get the name of the restaurant. I am now behind schedule and need to sign off. More about Toronto tomorrow.
I'll have to get that book on tape.
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