2013 Vacation Report #2

Forgot to mention on yesterday's post that Wendy and I visited Fanshawe Pioneer Village on Thanksgiving Day, that was October 14 this year. After we finished at the Village, we stopped and had a bite to eat in London and headed down to Port Stanley. That's the nearest beach to my hometown of St. Thomas. 

 This is Lake Erie. Isn't it gorgeous? 

When you grow up by the Great Lakes, as I did,  you're always puzzled by what passes for a lake in other areas. I'm used to lakes that you can't see the other side of, lakes that actually have tides.
Wendy convinced me that I needed to stick my feet in the water. Remember this was October 14...

And no, the water was not at all cold. So, I convinced her to join me.

And we got an "innocent bystander" to snap our picture. We used to work together, so I emailed a copy of this picture to my colleagues at work back in Alberta. It was an incredibly beautiful day for the middle of October.

Supper was at Mackie's, a place I try to visit every time I'm in Ontario. 

This restaurant has been a beach-side fixture in Port Stanley for over 100 years and is part of my childhood memories. "Famous" for their orangeade and special fry sauce (to use on French fries instead of ketchup), they even sell a veggie burger now. 

Next day, we went to the Aylmer Sales Arena. I could hardly believe the beautiful produce available. 

After 14+ years in Alberta, I had forgotten how long the growing season is in Ontario and hadn't expected there to be so much produce available.

And the prices were really great. Inside the arena was the typical fleamarket stuff, and 

FABRIC! A really large section of fabric. I bought a few yards.
Next, we headed for Paris. Seriously, we visited both London and Paris while on vacation. I even considered a quick trip to Copenhagen, but couldn't fit that in the agenda... Yes, these are all place names in South Western Ontario. 

When we arrived in Paris, we had lunch at 2 Rivers Restaurant. It was a little cold to sit outside, so we ate inside, but they did have a lovely patio overlooking the river (and no, it isn't called the Seine, though the river in London is called the Thames). 

 They also served a very good veggie burger.

My main reason for visiting Paris was that it is the home of Mary Maxim in Canada. 

Most of you crafters will be familiar with the Mary Maxim catalogue, filled with all kinds of supplies and projects for knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, cross-stitch, etc. But not quilting, at least not in the catalogue.

Surprise! The store has a fairly large quilting department. More fabric purchased...
I also bought the Midnight Brites afghan kit, which I've been admiring for several years. 
That's it for today. I'll have one more batch of pictures to share, which can wait till next time.