a peek inside the fishbowl

Looking for a new recipe to try? This one is a keeper, and I’m actually looking forward to the leftovers!

This is a Thai Tofu Quinoa Bowl from Chatelaine. You can grab the recipe right here.

I used slightly less quinoa, and I didn’t have quite enough ginger, but WHOA nelly… is it ever good. It’s light, it’s spicy, it’s got my number. The next time I make it I will make sure I have enough fresh ginger on hand and crank up the heat.

I like the idea of ending summer on a high note, with an extra special day trip or family activity. At the very least the kids will go back to school with something good to write for their “what I did this summer” essays. :)

This past weekend Mark’s parents took the four of us on a Thousand Islands boat tour, and I have to say, everyone needs to hop aboard at least once in their lifetime.

We decided to do the five hour tour (“THE FIVE HOUR TOOOUUUUURRRR”:)

Note: the cruise was nothing like the video above. (Here’s a direct link for mobile users by the way.)

There are a number of different companies that organize boat tours in the 1000 Islands area but we went with Gananoque Boat Line. It’s a pretty easy drive from Ottawa and although the parking/ticket buying/boarding was painless, I do recommend arriving a little early. Seating is first come first served, so if you have a preference in terms of where you’d like to sit you’d be smart to send someone to buy the tickets while you stand in line to get on board.

Once you nab your seats you’re set. We were impatient to get this party started.

My tip to you: make sure you bring a sweater or a windbreaker. It’s all about layering people! It’s a few degrees cooler out on the water and you’ll appreciate it if you happen to find yourself sitting in an open area. (And bring a hairbrush, if your coiffure easily veers towards the Unintentional Windblown Look.)

I found the pace of the tour worked well for me. Five hours may seem daunting, but it actually passes very quickly. There are snacks available for purchase on board (I think I even spied someone with a beer, and yes, there are bathrooms too) and the tour narrative was pretty interesting (there’s talk about shipwrecks and rum runners and such). We further broke up the time taking photos, exploring the three levels of the boat, and just watching the sights pass us by.

There is no shortage of things to see. This is, after all, a 1000 islands tour. I bet you won’t be able to get through this tour without pointing out the window and asking your seat mate, “Can you imagine living there?”

Of course, the grandaddy of all is Boldt Castle, located on one of the U.S. islands. (This is why you need to bring your passport with you.) The story of Boldt Castle is beautiful and sad. Wealthy hotelier George Boldt built the castle for his wife Louise and their two children. She passed away before it was completed and he never returned. The island and the buildings are full of his love for her.

The unfinished castle was abandoned, and sold, and abandoned again, and everything was damaged by weather, time, and vandals. A lot of money has been spent restoring it, although restoring is the wrong word to use here since much it wasn’t even finished in the first place.

One of the most interesting things was seeing the unfinished and damaged parts of the building. These were to be the servants’ quarters on the fourth floor:

The whole thing is hauntingly beautiful. And don’t miss the view from the fourth floor!

Soon it was time to find our kids and grab a bite to eat. We had a surprisingly good fried lunch at the concession stand (although in hindsight, bringing a picnic to eat on the grounds would have been amazing) and then it was time to board again.

The return ride seemed a little quicker, although there was just as much to see on the route back. We were pretty pooped from our exploration of the castle and we swapped notes about the things we saw; the dove cote, and the bowling alley in a MINI CASTLE for the kids (!), the power station, and the underground tunnel. It’s all so fascinating. They seem to have thought of everything, but the story of Boldt has stuck with me. George Boldt thought he had it all, and then he lost the one thing that really mattered. A home is only a home if the people you love are there with you, isn’t it?

For years, we’ve been driving past Silver Springs Farm, which is right on the edge of Bell’s Corners in Ottawa about five minutes from Bayshore Shopping Centre.

I’ve always been intrigued by their roadside signs promising fresh garlic, but every year we somehow missed the small window of opportunity to check it out for ourselves. Well, this is a good news/bad news post because although I am happy to report that THIS WAS THE YEAR we made it there at the right time, but today, Sunday, is the last day of garlic sales.

This is the sight that greets visitors when they turn off the main road:

Here’s why this place is so important.

Silver Springs falls under the domain of the Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OCAPDD), and the garlic harvest is one of the fundraising efforts that supports persons with developmental disabilities. You can read more about Silver Springs history here (it’s actually pretty interesting).

I didn’t mind shelling out a few extra dollars for some fresh garlic ($3.00 for a medium head, $4.00 for a larger one), and if I’d had extra cash I would have bought a raffle ticket or a pretty braid too:

Silver Springs Farm is located at 1701 Robertson Rd. at the corner of Baseline Road and Robertson Road. It might be too late for you to check it out, but if you can, do make the effort to pay a visit next year!