Button Shops

I went into two button shops during our stay in Toronto.

I really liked the orange/peach colored buttons.

Both shops had buttons from floor to ceiling.

Drawers filled with buttons.

In both shops a shopper asked for a particular button and neither store had what they wanted. Can you imagine having so many buttons & NOT have what a customer wants?

There was a button that cost $25. I wish I would have taken a photograph of that button.

Wordless Wednesday

Brewery

During our Toronto visit we toured a brewery.

 The workers are shoveling mash out of a copper vat.

A beer in the making.

I don't drink beer and Mick doesn't drink wine. This tour is making up for all the wineries I've brought him to.

I ended up liking the darkest beer, the one I thought I would like the least. I actually think I would even drink a glass of that dark beer.

Mick was very happy we were at a brewery and not a winery.

Times Square Wannabe

Although this looks like Times Square in New York City, it's actually downtown Toronto. It's very similar but on a MUCH smaller scale.

There is a fountain in the middle of the square. 

Another big difference, there are very few people around compared to NYC. It was around 11am on a Tuesday when I took this photo.

I never paid attention to the name of the cab company that has orange & turquoise colored cabs but they really got my attention.  I really like this color combination. Unfortunately, when Mick needed to take a cab to the airport there was not an orange & turquoise cab around.

Brockville, Ontario

I guess Brockville got their name from a Mr. Brock. I actually liked this statue. There is an attitude about it.

Looking down this street I imagined what the streets of San Francisco, a city I want to visit, might look like.

The fountain in front of City Hall.

The best part of Brockville, my visit with the Perkins family. I saw Drew two years ago, first time in 12 years, this visit with his parents was the first time I've seen them in 14 years. The amazing thing was that it didn't seem strange at all.

Drew played spring hockey with Eric back when they were in 7th and 8th grades. It was fun talking about past tournaments and what other teammates are now doing. We've made a plan for Mick & I to meet the Perkins halfway between our house and Brockville for dinner one night. We won't wait another 14 years thou.  

Charge Payments

In Canada when it comes time to pay a restaurant bill the below machine is brought to your table for payment. You swipe your debit or credit card, enter a tip by dollar amount or percentage and finally, the receipt prints off and then another receipt to sign to leave for the restaurant. 

At first I thought that only the particular restaurant I was at used this means of payment, not so. Several times during my four days in Canada I processed my own payment. I really liked this system better than giving my card to a waitress or waiting at a cash register to pay.  I wonder if we have these machines anywhere in the states?

Wordless Wednesday

Open House

We were in Toronto last week at an open house for the company Mick works for. They were celebrating their move to a new office building.

 The decoration on the wall behind us is made of copper.

As you get off the elevator the entire area has a border of zinc ingots.

Each one is stamped with the company name. This was my favorite part of the new office. I also liked the bamboo floor in the dinning/break room.

Mick's co-worker from Flin Flon was also at the open house. Steve spent a lot of time at our house when the mine was operating. So much that outside our family he helped the most with our kitchen/family room renovation. 

Subway Tiles

The three walls around the tub are now tiled, from ceiling to tub, with three inch by six inch white subway tile and grouted in bright white.

It's a tight space and I couldn't get a photo showing the entire area.

It came out just how I envisioned!!

Wordless Wednesday

Flag Day

Mom's goose is prepared for every holiday and Flag Day is no exception.

I hope you all will have your flag out today.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress replaced the British symbols of the Grand Union flag with a new design featuring 13 white stars in a circle on a field of blue and 13 red and white stripes – one for each state. Although it is not certain, this flag may have been made by the Philadelphia seamstress Betty Ross, who was an official flag maker for the Pennsylvania Navy. The number of stars increased as the new states entered the Union, but the number of stripes stopped at 15 and was later returned to 13.

In June 1886 Bernard Cigrand made his first public proposal for the annual observance of the birth of the flag when he wrote an article titled “The Fourteenth of June” in the old Chicago Argus newspaper. Cigrand’s effort to ensure national observance of Flag Day finally came when President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling for a nationwide observance of the event on June 14, 1916. However, Flag Day did not become official until August 1949, when President Harry Truman signed the legislation and proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day. In 1966, Congress also requested that the President issue annually a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as National Flag Week.

The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation to: call on government officials in the USA to display the flag of the United States on all government buildings on Flag Day; and to urge US residents to observe Flag Day as the anniversary of the adoption on June 14, 1777, by the Continental Congress of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States.

From the website Time and Date .

Hens and Chicks

AHHH, Hens and Chicks. They remind my of my childhood. Our house in Collamer always had Hens and Chicks on the porch.

I bought the container at Jo-Ann Fabrics several years ago. I move the container to the basement for the winter and bring it out in the spring. The Hens & Chicks come back year after year.

As much as I like the Hens and Chicks my favorite item on our deck is my Davis Swing Churn. The Churn, my sister-in-law rescued from a home in the Adirondacks. Can you believe someone was going to throw out this rotten churn?

You know the saying, "One person's trash in another person's treasure."

Single Flowered Peony

Until I visited the garden of my 86 year old friend I never even knew that Single Flowered Peonies existed.

The photos do not due the flower justice.

If there is such a thing as heirloom flowers the Single Flowered Peony should be considered an heirloom.

With all this garden talk I'm thinking I'd better get out and weed my gardens this weekend.

Flower Garden

OK, if I was a bird this is the house I would want to live in. It's just the cutest thing. The white flowers are peonies. It was 5pm and very sunny so the flowers got washed out in the photo.

The peonies were at their peak. Mine haven't even bloomed yet, they are shaded by lilac bushes.

I can't remember what these are.

I like the mix of flowers in this garden. A garden tended and cared for by a 86 year old woman.

I hope I'm gardening at 86. Well, I hope I make it to 86!

Wordless Wednesday

Red-headed Woodpecker

I didn't set out to take a photograph of this Red-headed Woodpecker, or any bird for that matter. I was out taking shots of a flower garden. For some reason birds just follow me. : ) Are you all getting tired of all my bird posts?  

I was only standing about 10 feet from this tree. The bird was not even concerned about me, or the owner of the flower garden standing so close.

I'm pretty sure the woodpecker is killing this tree. I think he is after the sap inside of the tree?? My second guess are insects???

You can see the sap running down the bark of the tree.

Can you believe I finally got a good bird photo?

Bathroom Remodel

The area around the tub was tiled this weekend. The tile goes from the tub all the way up to the ceiling.

 I got very small , 1/16 inch, tile spacers. I didn't want large grout space between the tiles.

 I looked at every tile for blemishes. I only found six damaged tiles.

The grout is now drying and will be sealed on Tuesday.  : )

Injured Bird

Keeping up with my bird theme. This is an American Goldfinch that flew into our family room window. It laid on the ground for about four hours. I got no closer than 10 feet to take the photo. I didn't want to give the poor bird a heart attack.

The rest of the flock continued right on eating not concerned.

I called Eric about the injured bird. I wanted to humanly end the birds suffering. I couldn't bring myself to do any of his suggestions. There are many cats in the neighborhood and I was afraid the bird would be taken away by a cat. I was so happy when I looked out just before dark to see the bird gone. I'm convinced it flew off and no cat was involved in the disappearance.

Bad Bird Photos

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird taken through a screen at Porter's house.

A Red-headed Woodpecker taken at Mom's house in Chittenango, standing inside her family room looking
out the open sliding glass door.

American Goldfinch taken through the window in our family room

About a month ago I saw a Baltimore Oriole in our backyard. I read in my Birds of New York Field Guide that they will come to oranges at feeders. 

I got online and read how to make an orange feeder. It's been up for four days but still no Baltimore Oriole.