a peek inside the fishbowl

I went out to our back veranda the other day to discover that the girls had removed all of the beer bottle caps that were attached to Mark’s giant magnet. (It’s a 20lb magnet from a radar base that Mark has been holding on to since his bachelor days. Don’t ask.)

They spent a lot of time assembling this masterpiece:

Here’s a closeup:

Goes to show you can make an art project out of almost anything, doesn’t it?

I just hope they aren’t telling their friends at school how much beer we had to drink to get all those bottle caps.

My time at the gym yesterday was particularly grueling. It was made worse because I am in desperate need of new tunes for my wee iPod shuffle. Music keeps me going. It inspires me to run faster, pump harder, and push myself farther than I’d normally go. It is amazing what kind of effect it has on me and how much it improves the quality of my workouts.

The last few tracks I’ve purchased (and I can’t believe I’m admitting this) include:

• Womanizer and Piece of Me by Britney Spears
• Just Dance by Lady Gaga
• Hung up (extended) by Madonna

Clubby/dance music really works for me. These kinds of tunes have a higher BPM and help me forget the pain.:) But I need more! Please help me make my fall playlist. What have you got on your music player that makes your heart beat a little faster?

For the past five years or so we’ve been visiting Upper Canada Village during the winter. This was the year we finally revisited during the warmer months. (We also had freebie passes and wanted to use them before they expired.)

It was Mark’s idea. It was his birthday yesterday and so this particular outing was his choice. And the weather has been so lovely I had to agree. It was the perfect day for a road trip to see how the pioneers lived, worked, and played.

We were all quite taken by the gardens. It was probably the best part of our visit (other than the trip on the river barge, which was great too). We met a great fellow who showed us all his heirloom veggies including a wonderful buttery type of lettuce called Deer Tongue, as well as beans and carrots:

Here’s Sarah, looking for green beans:

There is a lot to see at Upper Canada Village:

Tips for visiting:

• It’s a big space. Bring comfy shoes. And band-aids in case of blisters.
• Check the website ahead of time to see if there are any special events (they often stage old fashioned weddings and funerals).
• If you’re planning to visit, do note that they’re only operating until October 11 (and then again around Christmas, but that’s a different kind of experience).
• You’d be smart to bring water and pack a picnic lunch. There is lots of food available for purchase. I wasn’t too impressed with my $7.00 vegetarian panini: sliced bread with tomato and onion (they basically used the “condiment” veggies to make it.
• There are some sweet little shady places to break bread (and feed the giant carp).

Speaking of which, we stumbled upon what I secretly hoped was a magic storybook carp. The poor fellow was trying to give us a key (photo here!) but was completely out of our reach. We hope that one of the Upper Canada staffers can fish him out (no pun intended) and get the key and figure out what the fish has been keeping it for.

Fish-issues aside, it really is a neat place to visit with kids. It gives us all some much-needed perspective.

You can’t leave a place like Upper Canada Village without poking around the gift shop. We walked away with a 10lb bag of flour (milled on site!), maple candy, kettle corn, and a couple of pressed pennies – which I think is one of the least expensive and most interesting souvenirs you can find. These will be nice additions to our collection:

After an exhausting afternoon of pioneer life we made our way to nearby Crysler Beach, which we discovered was actually closed to the public. We were puzzled. Why couldn’t they keep it open until after Labour Day? Hot and sticky, we walked around the riverbank near the marina (which was open) for a bit before we packed it in and made our way back home.

Dinner was on the rooftop patio of Milagro’s in Westboro. I didn’t realize how pretty it was up there. I think it’s going to require a return visit. Maybe for lunch?

All in all it was a pretty good day. It made me realize I need a new pair of walking shoes. I have an exciting little trip coming up and I’m going to need them … but more on that later. ;)