Friday, June 10, 2022

Downtown

I've been riding around town a fair bit, though the weather has remained cool, often with a strong breeze either off the bay or offshore, so I'm still looking forward to weather that's actually warm.  Never-the-less, I've been downtown for coffee every week, to the library, to the harbour and to the drugstore.  This post is an amalgam of odd pictures from those trips, over several weeks, as I drive down or home again.

This magnificent Magnolia is just around a couple of corners, incredibly beautiful but only for a very short time.

There's another Magnolia I can get closer to, so here is a bit of a closer view.  Some of these petals started to turn brown almost as soon as they opened.

Across the street is a very large Canadian flag flying at a front door.  With Canada Day coming up, after our 'Freedom Convoy', it's hard to know who's being patriotic and who's protesting!  I'll give this gentleman the benefit of the doubt and assume he's being patriotic.

Over the crest of the hill and down we go, the blue water of the bay in the distance, arena on the right and curling club and fairgrounds on the left.

At the bottom of the hill is Bobi's Daycare, a local landmark, and the place where two of my caregivers sent their children in their younger years.

Recently I've favoured a route downtown on Trowbridge Street, past some magnificent historic homes.  This is the biggest of them, perhaps the biggest in Meaford.  It sold just last year, listed for $1.4 million.  The new owners are improving the outdoor landscaping a bit I think.

And did you notice this interesting upstairs door and tiny porch set into the roofline?  Quite a unique bit of architecture.

Eventually I make it to my destination, McGinty's Cafe.  Of course I have to make my way to the back and navigate an uneven bit of gravel parking lot to go up the ramp to their deck and back entrance.  Still it works, and the hospitality is amazing!

Headed home I find this front-end loader working in the parking lot of the arena.  It seemed to be moving gravel from one pile to another, a good way to keep busy if nothing else!

Around one more corner and we come to the little wishing well, built by a home handy-man.  In a breeze the sawyer on top actually draws his saw back and forth.

Not far from that is a ditch filled with tiny Forget-me-nots.

And back onto our own street, these flowers are growing on the sides of the bank leading down to a small stream.  You might think they're wild phlox, but you'd be wrong.  These are Dame's Rocket, an invasive spreading widely and easily told apart because it has four petals; Wild Phlox has five.


13 comments:

  1. Thanks for the closeup of that tiny porch and door! I'd love that to be my room. Glad to hear you're getting out and about when the weather cooperates. :-)

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  2. Great photos and so glad to hear you are enjoying getting out and about.

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  3. A grand mansion, and flowers galore, looks like your season is going ahead full rate. Down here, we have wind, rain, a very small earthquake, further south, younger daughter has snow falling, and they will get the magnificent 4 Celsius maximum if they are lucky. Love those Magnolia flowers.I wish the would last longer.

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  4. That’s a fine looking flag. Right now we are adorned with Pride flags. We’re covert to Canadian flags nearer to months end. At least I assume we will although wife takes care of it all.

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  5. My in-laws had a wishing well like that on their front lawn but it lacked a handy-dandy sawyer.
    That historic house is wonderful and I'd love to see the inside!

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  6. It must be good to be out and about again after your long winter. The magnolia's span of beauty is all too brief, magnificent though it is when at its peak. We have the same problem with our flag; the Union Jack has been hi-jacked by the extreme right in this country - not that we were ever particularly keen on flying the flag over here. I've seen several of those wind-operated models, but never one that actually works. Give my regards to McGinty!

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  7. I am very suspicious of flag waving. Overt expressions of so-called patriotism can so quickly degenerate to jingoism and xenophobia.

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  8. Great flowers all! Even the weeds! I am happy to hear about the ramp at the little coffee shop/cafe...my favorite coffee shop has no handicap accessibility. At least my hairdresser (right behind the coffee shop) does have a ramp. I really enjoyed your post of your outing today...keep on trucking! (that's my own age seeping out, especially for when I would travel around the countryside!)

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  9. The magnolia is spectacular, and that tiny porch is a hidden gem. I do like the sunburst over the window too. But my favorite photo, even with the wires and poles, is the view down to the water. I so wish I could live somewhere near a lake or an ocean.

    You have lots to see on your trips downtown. Enjoy!

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  10. a wonderful ride, seemingly very familiar to you. lot's of pretty sights, the tulip magnolia is gorgeous. why is it all of those flowering trees don't bloom for longer?? wouldn't that be nice!!

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  11. I'm so glad that you are able to get out and about! Sounds like a lot of things to see on your treks.
    I love that old house and the porch. Reminds me of the house i lived in in Rodney. It wasn't brick but siding and I loved its uniqueness.

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  12. The magnolias are beautiful, but it almost always rains right after the flowers open and that knocks the majority of the petals off.

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  13. Pretty flowers. I hope that roof on the big house is in good shape because it would be expensive to redo.

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