GARDEN PARTY August 10

After working up a good appetite on the Bruce Trail the previous day, the hikers and other friends got together for a hearty vegetarian feast on Sunday afternoon. Bulgarian-style stuffed peppers, moussaka, and salad proved the culinary skills and excellent team-work abilities of Kiril and Theo, who produced a substantial meal for 25 people after participating in the previous day’s excursion. Some additional tasty tidbits were provided by other guests, and only the weather was less than co-operative, keeping us indoors for most of the afternoon. An excellent finale for the weekend welcome to Mauro, on his second study/tour at Hallowell Gardens.
 

CRAWFORD LAKE HIKE August 9

As the photos show, our group of 12 found itself for most of the hike in a rainforest-like environment. Red cedars thrive in the moist soil, and many fascinating examples of smaller vegetation cover rocks and fallen trees. As we climbed to the Niagara Escarpment, we could see the turkey vultures that are at home there.

After a break for lunch we toured the reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian village, enjoying a presentation in the main longhouse on the daily life and culture of the original inhabitants, and finished with a stroll through the historically accurate gardens full of flowers and medicinal plants. Thanks to John for his splendid collection of photos. For more information on this excellent destination, see the conservation area website: http://www.conservationhalton.on.ca/crawford.html

Solstice Party (June 22, Toronto)

The Garden Avenue garden party was a great farewell for Ramon, near the end of his month of English immersion and Listening Fitness Training in Picton and Toronto. He is now home in Paraguay, and has more than once expressed his appreciation for having met so many welcoming and informative people while in Canada. He’ll be back.

Fabulous Middle Eastern style food was provided by Khairoun, and many thanks to Ashraf for introducing us to a delicious Egyptian summer beverage. Many thanks are also due to Xinwei and Masami, for doing the washing up.

This small taste of nature inspired some of the participants to organize the next event.

Weekend at Hallowell Gardens (July 11-13, Picton)

As the photos show, more good food and energy was shared by all who could make it. In spite of Saturday’s weather, we visited Lake on the Mountain and the County Cider House in Waupoos on the south shore of the island. Back in Picton we stopped at the Regent Café for Austrian pastries and hot drinks, took in the annual exhibition of works by County artists, then headed back to the house to prepare dinner. 

The rain gave us the opportunity to spend more time indoors than we had expected, and this led to a spontaneous and memorable Colombian dance lesson from Natasha and Elkin (second career possibility?)  Picton residents Fabio and Valeria joined us for dinner. Indian food was on the menu (mango rice with cardamom; red lentil dal; curried cabbage with peas; potato, eggplant and chickpeas with garlic scapes), and many hands were involved in the preparation. Thanks to Khairoun for the splendid recipes, and to Fabio and Valeria for the wine and salad. Over the next hours a lot of intriguing conversation took place, on topics ranging from the present whereabouts of King Simon of Bulgaria, to East Asian medicine and theories of energy flow.  

Sunday was a perfect day for Dunes Beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park, and we made the most of it. The water was a little cool, but as Canadians always say, “It’s warmer once you’re in.” The sun was bright and the sand was golden.

Special thanks to Xinwei and Kiril for so harmoniously working together to organize the cars and passengers  -- the potential for future collaboration should be considered! Thanks to Xinwei and Vivian for their flawless driving, which got everyone to Picton and back safely, contentedly and according to schedule. Credit goes to Masami for capturing everyone’s feelings in her photos.