Canada, week one

My trip to Canada last month started as it always does, with a dose of jetlag. But I don't know if it was the result of a pleasant flight (did I really just describe a 12 hour flight as "pleasant"? why yes, yes I did. thanks Air Canada and your endless stream of movies and TV shows) or the homeopathic anti-jet lag pills I took, but this time around I had the mildest jet lag ever. The worst I had to deal with was a week of early nights, spontaneous naps and very early mornings, which wasn't bad at all. And I have a feeling that even without jet lag I'd be waking up at 4:00, because that's when our backyard starts to come alive with robins and other birds announcing the coming day.

The early mornings were also a nice for walks in the nearby park, as that's the best time for picturesque fog, dewy flowers and active birds. The birds (and a local beaver) eluded my camera but the snails, which seemed to be everywhere thanks to some very wet weather, obligingly stayed still for me.

That wet weather kept us indoors more than I would have liked, but as a consolation there was lots of good food. Some of the biggest cravings I get in Japan are for simple, humble food like Jamaican hot patties or perogies, shown above.

I also miss Mexican and Tex-mex food, which although available in Tokyo is either prohibitively expensive or not very good. Luckily my brother Greg and his girlfriend Sherry are masters of Mexican cooking and whipped up several excellent meals for us. Above are condiments for quesadillas: mango salsa, sour cream, mild tomato salsa, guacamole, hot salsa and a side dish of (why not?) sauteed gai lan (a rapini-like Chinese green).

These were chicken quesadillas, cooked up on the barbeque and so, so good.

And of course no trip back home is complete without a few big breakfasts.This one was at Cora's, an lovely breakfast chain that originated in Montreal but has happily spread across Canada. Tempted by waffles and omelets, I chose brioche French toast topped with a poached egg, bacon, and mounds of fruit. Yum.

My niece Zoe and nephew Aaron flew up from  for a visit shortly after I arrived and we tried to keep them busy, starting with a trip with my Dad to Belfountain, a local conservation area with some nice and easy hiking trails. The area once belonged to a wealthy and slightly eccentric inventor, who in addition to building a house and trails also put up a fountain topped with a bell (get it?),

 a small and mysterious cave, (called Yellowstone Cave, and said to be modeled after a similar cave in Yellowstone Park, although I don't know if such a cave actually exists),

a miniature Niagara Falls,

and a suspension bridge (also shown in the previous post).

One of the trails is a loop that runs along the West Credit River and takes about an hour to complete, so we had a nice little walk.

There were flowers blooming everywhere, from the exotic yellow lady slipper orchids, below, to mundane but pretty buttercups and brassicas.

We were also lucky enough to see three salamanders, which I think were easter redbacks. Not much wildlife otherwise.

Except for the kids, of course.

See more pictures from Belfountain in my Hikes and Walks album, and all the pictures from my visit in my Canada 2009 album.

Comments

[Audrey]

Long-time viewer, first-time poster.

Wow! Canada looks beautiful! I'm glad you had a good time back home.

Your blog is really interesting, and I've learned a lot about how to be foreign and work/live in Japan from your posts. Thank you!

--Audrey

[Kim]

WELCOME BACK! hahahaha I've been checking every day for pretty much a month, hoping, that you'll resume the blog. Its amazing how entertaining the little morsels can be (especially for me, someone who was an Akabane-er and now is back to AB). Can't wait to read more!

[David]

Katatsumuri - one of the things I remember most about going to Grandma's house. I didn't like them because they were everywhere. But then along came Development and now there are hardly any snails left.

[AC]

Welcome back! I've been eagerly awaiting a new post and here it is. Well worth the wait. Hope to hear more about your trip home.

[Aspasia]

Love the snail photo! I'm going to have to check out this Belfountain place (and Cora's too, for that matter)...

[Amy]

Thanks all for waiting patiently for a post, and for the welcome back.

David, there weren't nearly so many snails when I was a kid, but now there are tons of them. It seems the more developed our area gets, the wilder the park becomes, and now we have things I never saw when I was a kid like bunnies, beavers and berries (Saskatoon berries, to be exact).

Aspasia, Belfountain is pretty but not too much to do except a short hike and a picnic. It's close enough to a few other neat places to make a day trip though: the Forks of the Credit and the Cheltenham Badlands. It's also a lovely area just to drive around, with some lovely houses (and a few monster homes as well).
Cora's is also great, and I like how they pile on the fruit to make you think your giant greasy breakfast is healthy...

[RK]

Okaeri--! I've been waiting for a new post!

Thanks for posting those wonderful pictures. What are the things the "wild kids" put in their mouths, by the way?

[Carlyn]

AMY!!!!
Glad to have you back and posting...but, so glad you had a chance to head home for some rest and relaxation!!!! Beautiful photos and looks as though you had a great time.

[Hanna]

Welcome back! Lovely post about your Canadian adventures (and meals of course)!. Chicken quesadillas, YUM!

[Vardie]

Pierogi ruskie! With a bit of sour cream... Mmmm, it's one of my favourite Polish dishes.

[Tara]

Looks like the trip back home was a blast. I worked in the general store in Belfountain one summer, it was nice to see some pictures of that lovely town on your blog!