In February, we got a new puppy, Gaston. He is still learning how to walk on a leash. I took him for a walk to get exercise and to also capture photos of the spring beauty around my neighborhood. Gaston was super happy when we saw his friends, Cooper and Brownie, on the walk. He got to walk/ bounce all the way home with them.
Enjoy photos from our walk.
Last Tuesday into Wednesday, we had an April snow. It seems that every year we have one snow in April. This year it was in late April rather then at the beginning of the month. We got about 1.5 to 2 inches in my area. It took me 5 minutes to unearth my car from the snow because the branches of my maple tree hindered me being able to clean it off completely.
This is me that morning after my drive to work. I had seen the beauty of the sprig snow and was ready for it to melt.
Here are some videos from our healing trip.
When I started this blog, my youngest was five years old and my oldest was almost seven. I always called the youngest the Wee One because he was a tiny little human until recently. He is now taller than me and almost as tall as his dad. My oldest who used to be known as the Imaginative One is now 17 and is the tallest grandkid, something he is proud about.
These photos were taken on Christmas Eve between the rainstorms of that day. Very rarely (ok never) do we dress alike, so these are rare photos.
Near Charleston, there is the largest live oak east of the Mississippi River. The Angel Oak is located on John’s Island. It’s reported to be between 400 and 500 years old.
It’s free to visit but you need to make sure you are following the guidelines especially the one about not touching any of the limbs. They want to make sure the tree continues to survive for future generations to enjoy.
We stopped there the day after Christmas. When we got there, there were people there but it wasn’t too crowded. However by the time we left, the crowd had picked up. I loved the fact I was able to photograph the tree without too many people in the way unlike how it is in the summertime. There are always tons of people milling around because this tree is a must see. During pre-Covid time, you could bring a picnic lunch and eat while enjoying the tree. Now, you have to be masked up, follow the directed signs to the tree, and are not allowed to eat at the picnic tables.
Enjoy my photos of the Angel Oak!
3.5 years ago, I wrote a review about Karen White’s House on Tradd Street series. Romance, Ghosts, and Mystery, Family Secrets, a Mysterious Reporter, and More Ghosts, and A Teenager, More Family Secrets, and a Dollhouse.
We went to Charleston for Christmas week. While there, we visited downtown Charleston and walked around a little bit. One of the places we ended up was at the corner of Meeting and Tradd Street. I had to investigate and find out where the house was located.
I don’t know if this actually 55 Tradd Street because I couldn’t find the house address. It’s either 57 or 55 because on one side is 59 and on the other is 53. I’m going to say it is 55 Tradd Street.
Whether it is 55 Tradd Street or not, it was pretty cool to find a place you’ve read about in a book. It puts a picture in your mind while reading the book.
The coolest part of the whole tour of Fort George was seeing the demonstration on how they put together a musket together. Before the demonstration, they divided the crowds into 2 groups – those who spoke English and those who spoke French.
Then we went to visit the Blacksmith area.
Views from around the fort. As you can see, Youngest was not in the mood for photos. He was a new 14 year old and well he was in that don’t take my photo stage of life. Well, actually a year later, he is still in that phase.
These photos are from the officers’ quarters. As you can see, they had it much nicer than the soldiers’ barracks.
I’ll continue with my tour of Fort George in another post.
A year ago, I traveled to London, Ontario with Youngest. Then we visited Niagara on the Lake before spending time in Niagara Falls.
In Ontario, when you drive on the On-401, they have rest stop areas called On-Routes. The On-Routes are about an 100 km, I believe. When we traveled between Toronto and Detroit, we stopped at all of the On-Routes. So when I was planning the trip last year, I was hoping I would be able to stop at one of those On-Routes.
So what are On-Routes? It’s like the travel plazas on the different toll roads in the United States except it’s on the main highway. There is usually a Tim Hortons, Starbucks, and other food vendors. There is also a convenience store, bathrooms, and a gas station. Free WiFi is offered at the On-Routes.
Here are some of the photos from the On-Route I was able to get to last year. I apologize for the fuzzy photos. As you can see, there is also a microwave and massage chairs for travelers.
After stopping there for my breakfast, I continued on my way to Niagara on the Lake, so we could meet my friend. We were combining 2 trips into one. It was Youngest’s 14th birthday trip and also my EPIC trip with my friend. We only see each other once a year.
We decided to meet up at Fort George which is located just outside Niagara on the Lake.
A difference between attractions like that and ones in the United States is that everything was both in English and French. They had a demonstration on how to use a rifle from the 1700s in both English and French which was interesting.
Once you pay with either Canadian money or American money, you are given a token that you give to the gate master (don’t know the real name of the guy). We waited for my friend because she had trouble getting across the border. Some border patrol people give you the 10th degree while others just ask you the basic questions and then allow you to continue on your journey.
This is in the gift shop. Youngest had fun looking at all of the souvenirs.
Beginning our tour – Fort George was a British fort that protected Canada from the Americans during the War of 1812. There are different buildings that were in the fort when it was in operation. People dress in period clothing which add to the experience.
Inside the soldier’s barracks:
I’ll continue with my tour of Fort George in another post.
One of our favorite places to walk is Oakes Quarry. It’s a reclaimed limestone quarry that has the most interesting landscape.
Last night, the Scouts decided to meet there for a social distance walk / get together after not seeing each other for months. I joined along so that I could take photos.
Instead of staying with them, I took off, walked, and explored without the rest of them.
The quarry is located near an Air Force base. Last night a lot of planes were either coming into the base or leaving the base.
Those ponds disappear when there hasn’t been a lot of rain. I’ve been to the quarry when there has been very little rain. Instead of having those beautiful ponds, it’s dry land.
We had been there a week earlier and had found this stream full of tadpoles. So cool! I went back there last night. There were still tadpoles there but fewer than last week.
I am so fortunate to have this cool park to walk around and explore. You never know what you are going to find when you walk through this park.
Today I was talking to someone about seeing the cast of Boy Meets World while on the Disney College Program. I’ve been binge watching the last season of the show. Can you believe that the last season was 20 years ago?
I don’t have any photos to prove I really saw them. Just my memories and stories.
Anyway, Mom loved Days of Our Lives. She was super excited because one of her favorite actresses, Deidre Hall, was going to be at Disney-MGM Studios. Luckily, I was off the day she came to the Studios.
I got to watch her speak and put her hands in the cement. She had her youngest son, Sully, with her when she was at the Studios.
Did you know that they would not put all of the cement hand prints out in front of the Chinese Theater at Disney-MGM Studios? I tried to find the hand prints of the cast of Boy Meets World 5 years later. That’s when they informed that they didn’t keep all of them.
