The Long Way Home

We had a great sleep, the night cooled, the sky was dark and rain was on its way. Rain at night is perfect, we slept with the window open and slept in a little later than usual. The rain was long gone in the morning and the sun was bright. It was going to be another hot one!

I am hoping there has been some rain on the river, preferably at night for everyone up there with guests, but it is still very necessary for our islands.

Breakfast was good, the conversation around us more interesting. From Sigmund Freud to Reincarnation to Brain Surgery we were not sure who our fellow guests were and why they were there. They appeared to be Guest Lecturers who hosted breakfast with “students of age” who paid for the experience. Voices carried and needless to say, there were some interesting points made. Fellow diners like us who were not in the know, just quietly ate, some rolled their eyes. Tony and I both said, “What is going on.” Interesting start to our day.

After our breakfast we walked in the gardens, a calming silent place after the noisy start. It was hard to leave. They are gorgeous, the bees were buzzing and dew drops were glistening, the sun’s reflection creating a multitude of colours.

We had to gather and head out. We decided to stay off the beaten path and make sure we saw every corner of the Eastern Townships. We were so glad we took the extra time to see the Villages to the west, in particular Lac Bromme. I want to go back there. It is nestled in the middle of forest all of a sudden appearing around a curve in the road, at least from the direction we came in, the lake was shimmering. There was a quiet hustle of tourists along the main drag, quaint little shops were busy.

We encountered a couple of detours which added more interest and took us through the wine region. Alas we had a long way to go and with driving we did not stop for tastes. We did have the opportunity to taste Quebec Rosé which was delightful.

Rain waited until we were about to cross into Ontario, heavy at times it made driving a little slower, we could not complain. It was early enough in the day, around 4:00, when we arrived in Ottawa, so decided to keep going and get home to North Bay. The rain stopped. (The above photo was a classic, taking in the warmth with a wish to stay a little longer, maybe have just a little sleep.)

We had a dinner rest in Pembroke for Italian, great homemade pasta and gnocchi at a family run restaurant (Anthony’s). We finally tucked into bed around 11:00, in our own bed....nice.

Tomorrow’s plans are set, a Rotary bbq, then grocery planning, now that’s a topic for this blog. Back to the river on Sunday and I CAN NOT wait to see everyone!