Will at Toronto’s Centre Island

On Friday, June 11, 2010, we picked up Will and went to Toronto’s Centre Island for the day; leaving his parents, Jeremy and Jennifer, alone with his baby brother, six-day-old Benjamin, and hopefully able to catch up on some of their sleep (Benjamin hadn’t quite yet figured out that you’re supposed to sleep at night, a least for a while, and wake up in the morning). Jeremy and Jennifer had taken Will to Centre Island last year when he was a year-and-a-half old, but he didn’t remember the trip at all and was really excited that we were going on this adventure.

It was a short drive from Will’s house to the parking lot, and after a 10 minute ferry ride we disembarked on Centre Island around 11:15 a.m.

Margaret-Ann and Will arrive at Centre Island and take a few minutes to orient themselves and figure out which way to go to reach the rides at Centreville.

Will takes Margaret-Ann for a spin in the old car at Centreville.

The bright red train at Centreville on Toronto’s Centre Island.

Will on board the train at Centreville.

Will and Margaret-Ann navigate the swan boat in one of the lagoons at Centreville.

After the swan boat ride it was time for lunch. We took the bridge over the lagoon to a quiet picnic area on the north end of Centre Island.

Will really enjoyed his turkey wrap for lunch.

As Margaret-Ann and Will finished up lunch, I wandered over to the north end of Centre Island to take a few pictures of the Toronto skyline.

Toronto’s Roger’s Centre, where the Blue Jays play baseball, and the CN Tower.

Shortly after Margaret-Ann and Will joined me, a swan stopped by to preen its feathers.

About the same time, a lake gull took a great interest in Will throwing stones into the lake.

After lunch it was back to Centreville for a few more rides. Margaret-Ann and Will (with his hands up all the way through the ride, just like the “big boys” do it) had a great time sliding down the flume of the log ride.

Margaret-Ann looked a little more relaxed near the end of the log ride.

The temperature was only 23 degrees, but it was a very sunny day. For a treat, Will had a vanilla/raspberry frozen yogurt and really enjoyed it.

After the treat, we wandered through Centreville’s “Far Enough Farm” and had a short rest in a really big chair.

Back at the rides, Margaret-Ann made sure Will was secure on  the carousel. Just before the ride started, Will decided the horse was not for him, and got Margaret-Ann to switch him over to the giraffe.

The carousel was one of Will’s favorite rides, and he went on it twice.

After all the rides, we walked down to a play area near the south beach on Centre Island and watched a three-masted tall ship slowly sail by.

On our way back to the ferry dock, we stopped on a bridge to watch a canoe glide silently through the lagoon.

After a short wait, the ferry arrived at the Centre Island dock to take us back to the mainland.

On board the ferry, I took the opportunity to take one last picture of the Toronto skyline in the fading late afternoon light.

After nearly six hours of walking around Centre Island, Will quickly fell asleep in his car seat on the drive back to his parents’ house.

Jeremy and little Benjamin greeted Will when we returned.

Margaret-Ann gave 6-day-old Benjamin a little rock as we were about to leave, and he waived good-bye to me – at least that’s what I think!

Will really enjoyed his adventure at Centre Island, and is looking forward to his next excellent adventure – and so are Margaret-Ann and John!!!

Another Grandson!!!

The due date for our second grandson (Jeremy, our son, and daughter-in-law Jennifer knew for some time that the next addition was a boy) was June 10th. However, Jenn starting having contractions on Friday, June 4th. Margaret-Ann (who had just returned from visiting her sister in Dallas – good timing!!!) drove down to Toronto to pick up our grandson, Will, and bring him back to Brampton; enabling Jeremy and Jenn to concentrate on more pressing matters. When I asked Will if anything exciting was going on at his house, he said, “no”; but after thinking about it for moment he said, “I think the baby is gong to pop out.”

Well it took a little while – Jeremy took Jenn to the hospital around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 5th – but at 6:21 a.m., 8 pound 10 ounce Benjamin did, in fact, “pop out”. Benjamin, Jenn and Jeremy are all doing fine!!! Jeremy and Jenn again decided on a Celtic/Irish middle name – Fionn (pronounced Fin). Will’s middle name is Eoghain (pronounce Owen).

Will, Margaret-Ann and I drove to the hospital around noon to get our first look at Benjamin.

Will, looking very pleased, and Margaret-Ann see Benjamin for the first time.

 

  Baby Benjamin just wants to sleep after a hard day’s work.

 

  Benjamin has a well deserved rest on his birth day.

 

Will helps Margaret-Ann with his baby brother.

Jeremy, Jenn and Will look pretty happy – Benjamin just looks tired.

 

Will would like to play; Benjamin would like to sleep.

 

Mother and son relaxing.

 

Jeremy looks like he wants to join Benjamin in dreamland.

 

And so another page is turned. Stay tuned as Margaret-Ann and I report on the continuing adventures of Jeremy, Jenn, Will and Benjamin. Welcome aboard Benjamin!!!

Margaret-Ann Does Dallas

I travelled to Dallas, Texas to spend some quality “sister time” with Patti. We spent most of the three weeks at Patti and Jeff’s lake house on Cedar Creek Lake, about an hours’ drive south of Dallas. While in Texas, I also visited my childhood best friend, Bernice, in Houston. True to Texan spring weather, it was hot, hot, hot! The temperature was between 32C and 38C every day! 

 

A great blue heron greeted us, perched atop the boathouse, upon our arrival at the lake house.

 

Many hours were spent reading in the shade … on the deck or in the hammock.

 

Each morning a mother Mallard and her ducklings would swim by the dock and return each evening.

 

Often, the ducks would swim in a row behind their mother.

 

Another bird that perched atop the boathouse almost daily, was the Great White Egret.

 

After arriving back at the lake house from Houston, the wind began to pick up, bending  and snapping off tree branches. Several branches flew past the window and the lake became very rough with 3-4 foot waves crashing up over the seawall and dock! A tornado warning was issued to the nearby town, so Patti and I went into “tornado prep”. Since homes in Texas do not have basements, we went into an interior walk-in-closet, armed with water, pillows and the weather radio! Fortunately, the tornado touched down in some fields in Midlothian, Texas and we were able to emerge from the closet!

 

Ominous looking clouds filled the sky.

 

Calm and peaceful after the storm.

 

The gardenias were blooming at the lake.

 One day, this strange-looking duck/bird swam by. Patti and I were finally able to identify it when we described it to Jeff … he said that it was an American coot. Checking the bird book, we found that he was correct!

 

Geckos!! And here I thought I had seen the last of geckos when I left Tortola!! This little guy kept puffing up his fiery red chin!

 

We took a boat ride across the lake to get a close-up look at this lighthouse. It has been incorporated into a family home, but still flashes its light at night.

 

A huge magnolia tree bloomed the entire time we were at the lake house.

 

My last night at the lake … a beautiful sunset, seen from the Patti and Jeff’s deck.

 

Time for a “sisterly” photo before we left for DFW airport. What a wonderful trip … looking forward to more of the same next year … in Canada!!