Balance is a big concept

When last seen, our intrepid duo were playing with the teenagers, seeing Toronto, knitting everywhere they went and possibly drinking a completely indulgent amount of wine (and beer. No shooters though. We have some self respect.) We had lunch in Yorkville.

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We sat on the granite chesterfield opposite the Four Seasons. We walked through Hazelton Lanes. We went to Yorkville Park. (We didn’t see anybody famous.)

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We went to Tim Hortons and Juno combined tea with some ice to make an iced tea that was acceptable to her.

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(Apparently Canadians don’t know their way around iced tea making very well…which is fair enough. Admittedly, I haven’t been everywhere in Canada and I don’t know everyone, but I believe that everywhere in Canada if you just say “Tea” you will get tea, hot tea, as in “a cuppa tea”. You can definitely get iced tea, but I think it would usually come from a mix or a premade…like snapple.)

We saw the new ROM addition

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Like all good architecture, you either love it or hate it. I love it. I think the contrast of new and old is spectacular.

We went to see the Dream in the Park:

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(There is no photography of the actors allowed, so you will have to make do with this kinneared shot of the stage as we were leaving.)

This is one of my favourite Toronto summer activities, and this year they are doing my favourite play to see under the stars and trees, “A Midsummer Nights Dream”. This years production is hysterically funny, which is closer to how Shakespeare was intended to be seen…low-brow, pop entertainment for the masses. Fantastic. (Runs every night but Monday until Labour Day. Pay-what-you-can, suggested minimum $20…kids under 14 are free.)

We went to the Music Garden…

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If you don’t love the Music Garden you are just not alive. There’s something for everyone.

We walked through Harbourfront….

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We took the ferry to the Island. We walked to Centreville and

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We rode the choo-choo (Even through the very scary tunnel.)

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and we rode the carousel.

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In between these things we knit in the backyard, we played with my family, we played in the stash. My family taught Juno about tofu with tarragon, garlic and mushrooms (she asked for seconds), good Canadian beers (we made sure she got an assortment). Got her Indian style carrot pickle, introduced her to her first cherries…(I know. It’s like she’s been living under a rock.) We tried to leave her with a love of Toronto and an ongoing fondness for our family. I hope it worked. Juno’s flight left, and took a deep breath looked around and remembered that the universe seeks balance…. Ying always has its yang. That much fun was going to have to be balanced…right?

Sure enough. Today is cold, raining and all the bills came in the mail. I have a ton of work to do, the house is trashed from a week of neglect, the laundry is a mountain of linty punishment, we are out of food, I’ve bent a favourite knitting needles quite badly, there is something really smelly in the fridge that I just can not find and I just got back from a nasty dentist appointment.

Total balance. Nice to know that things still work the way I think they do.

On the upside, I get to play with knitters again tomorrow when Rachel H and I will journey to Aurora for the annual yarny fun there. Details are here….Don’t forget to RSVP. Helps them do the chair thing. It’s likely to be a smaller event, which is grand because it means I can really actually talk to knitters. (Sandra says that the yarn shop is going to be open after the talk too. That’s wicked. It’s one of my favourite shops.) Come. Bring a friend. We’ll chill .

120 thoughts on “Balance is a big concept

  1. Nothing worth commenting, except I THINK I’M FIRST to comment…the “comments” head said “0”. Of course, if you would like to share your tofu, tarragon, et al recipe with us (me), that would be lovely, but no pressure and not expected.

  2. Hey, at least you don’t have to feel guilty about wanting to turn on the air conditioner.
    Is Juno related to my husband? He will quiz waiters severely on what kind of iced tea is available and, if it’s from mix, insist on making his own by pouring hot tea over ice.

  3. 1. It’s yin not ying. I hate to be picky but I teach a Chinese martial art and know these things.
    2. You’re so right about the universe balancing itself. I’ve tinked 3/4 of the rows of my MS3 stole but don’t mind and keep going. Eventually, I’ll have a lovely wrap.
    Thanks for posting all these whitty blogs for us peons. I try but am not as prolific as you.

  4. I completely agree with the balance thing–I feel like a pendulum. What a great visit. I (almost) feel like I went along for the ride!

  5. Sounds like a wonderful time. Toronto is on my master list of places to see before I die. (Along with, Florence, Athens and all of Ireland. Good company I think) Would you post the tofu recipe, please? It sounds intriguing.

  6. Husband and I have honeymooned in Toronto several times and have never been to the music garden. We simply must go there next time. That addition to the ROM is stunning!

  7. Well, you make me love Canada even more, even if I’ve never been to Toronto… and think–your entire whirlwind of fun (and it really sounds like fun) probably helped keep your life in balance… we forget, way too often, how to play.

  8. Nothing like a bit of beer and tofu fueled indulgence to make a girl sing a bit. And really when you think about it, paying the piper is really okay. Not great, just okay!
    Thanks for the virtual tour of Toronto!

  9. I’d love to come. Any chance of you doing Stitches East, by the way, (which I’m coming to–so of course my question has a vested interest) as well as Rhinebeck?

  10. ugh! Me too on the dentist. Nothing like a healthy dose of 2 GIANT cavities to make your day complete. Thanks for the pic of the ROM. I have to say that while the architecture of the new part is stunning and would be amazing if built on it’s own, I think it looks like it’s eating the classical building.
    Maybe that’s the point? The new consumes the old and makes something more? But you are right! It sparks conversation about architecture and you can’t beat that! 🙂

  11. I saw on your tour schedule that you will be in Atlanta, GA in September. Any details on where you will be?

  12. Must know what beautiful orange fiber accompaniment to beer is lurking in that first photo. Also, any chance Meg could be persuaded to post her alterations to Le Slouch? We’ve been living vicariously through you for the past few days — it sounds like such a glorious time. I’d be sorely tempted to hide under the covers (with needles, yarn, and a flashlight of course) and ignore the bills for a few days.

  13. Cherries? Her first cherries??? (there’s a really awful, juvenile and punny joke in here. I shall refrain) Are you seriously telling me June never had cherries before?????!

  14. Ooooh, if you ever wish to post a recipe, tofu, tarragon, garlic and mushrooms would be mucho appreciated…sounds dreamy!
    All of the pictures you posted just shows that Canada is the Promised Land. No smoggy littered garbagy city for you guys…no sirree…you take care of your country. Hubby and I are smuggling ourselves in there just as soon as our bank accounts can support our immigrant selves!

  15. Wow. How beautiful Toronto is – how sophisticated with so much art in the day-to-day! We will definitely visit again; I am listing all the places you took Juno and those will be our tour. Especially yarny things! I’m glad all is back in balance, have a great time at Aurora.

  16. I talked to Rachel H – she has map and directions to my house – you are NOT to distract her with sightings of pretty things! But I will send you home by way of the plastic palm trees if you want…

  17. Well, Juno is not alone. a) I’ve never had an actual cherry, unless it was a maraschino or in ice cream. b) I am SO particular about iced tea. (Props to you for spelling it “iced tea” and not “ice tea”, btw.) Toronto always looks lovely when you blog about it; it’s going on my “To Vacate In” list.

  18. That rock in the music garden, with water in it. Wow, that is a lovely spot. And the museum addition is inspired. It sounds like you really treat a guest right. Thanks for letting thousands of other people share what you saw!

  19. I loved reading about your visit. I would love to visit Canda one day.
    About the tea. Yes there is a grand diffrence from freash brewed iced tea and the instant package stuff they try to call tea. And tea brewed in a coffee machine taste yucky as well. I will send bad tea back. I cant say its an America thing. I think its more of where your family comes from. I come from a family that is Scottish and we are very picky about our tea. lol. Juno’s family must of come across the pond at one time or another. :
    I like a good beer also when I can get one.

  20. Okay, I was thinking I had moved to my last town – that we are staying here and putting down some real roots. I really like it here, but now I want to move to Toronto!
    Maybe my BIL, who is looking for a job, should expand his search to include your lovely city? I bet he and my sis would love it, and then I could visit often.

  21. Here in the southern US, if you order “tea” you get sweet tea. It’s a mistake you don’t make twice, I can assure you. If you want regular iced tea (tea that isn’t a saturated solution of tea and liquid invert sugar that will make your teeth fall out on impact), you have to ask for “unsweet tea”. Not unsweetened, even, but unsweet. To get a real cup of tea you have to ask for “hot tea”, and even then they rarely make it right, preferring to bring you a cup or pot of water with an individually wrapped teabag on the side. I’ve even ordered hot tea and been given a pot of heated-up unsweet tea mix, sans teabag. I’ve developed a bit of a nervous tic that appears whenever a restaurant server asks me what I’d like to drink.
    Of course, my disastrous experience with the sweet tea has made me so careful that I spent my summer back home in Canada constantly asking for “hot tea”. And feeling like a dork for it.

  22. A friend of mine used to schedule a small fun thing after a much-anticipated event, just so that the restoration of balance wasn’t too overwhelming and crushing.

  23. That building is amazing. It looks like a spaceship crashed into an old building and it was so wedged in there, that they decided to just leave it.

  24. Help, help. Something’s imapling itself on ROM. It looks like it’s from outer space.
    I’m glad they kept some of the old, and the new is neat. I’m not so sure how they go together though. What really matters is the answer to this question. ’50 years from now is it going to look bad, or will it still look cool and right?’ You know how some knitted projects and other clothing from the 70’s was so cool then, but when looked at from the distance of time, they are really quite awful.
    I knit while visitng with the relatives between a wedding ceremony and reception (3 hours worth). DH told me later some regarded my knitting as rude. I considered that I got several inches done on a sock, and felt very comfortable about it all. I obviously have to knit more in front of them to wear that wrong opinion out. I mean its not like I knit at the reception. I thought about it though.

  25. Thank you for making me not the only adult who rides the old carousel at Centre Island.
    See you tomorrow.

  26. Dear Stephanie –
    Yesterday, I tried Tim Horton’s for the first time. I don’t get it at ALL. Have you tried ‘American’ Tim Horton’s on your travels? Are we just not doing it right in the States? 🙂

  27. Clearly, we have to give you at least one sip of Southern sweet tea – iced, strong and sweet enough for a diabetic coma. When strong enough, it is rumored to raise the dead.

  28. I think the ROM looks like the Mother Ship crashed into an old church, but that could just be me.
    Laundry is my favorite chore. Then, my washer and dryer are 5 feet from my favorite spot on the sofa. Try putting a comfy chair and a good reading light in the basement, along with your choice of entertainment media. “Mommy’s not going to be available for a couple of hours, everybody. I’m doing the laundry.”
    What’s the pretty autumn-coloured piece of knitting in the first picture?
    My sympathy with the dental work. I avoid my dentist as much as I can, even though he is charming, witty, and handsome.

  29. About the fridge smell: It might not be what’s *in* it, but what’s under it. There is a drip pan of sorts that pulls out and sometimes what’s in there can be unbelievably disgusting. What’s weird is that there’s no consistency. It’s not like you have to clean your refrigerator drip pan once a month or there will be hell to pay. It’s just that *some*times you have to clean it. The other possibility is that you have a potato rotting somewhere near the fridge. Not even dirty baby diapers can rival the stink of rotting potatoes . . .

  30. Well, the girls from Fenelon Falls will be in Aurora again this year. (Actually, Cannington & Lindsay too.) I hope you’re prepared this time ’cause I am not on drugs, have fully recovered from Oral Surgery & have gone Blonde to boot.
    See you tomorrow night Steph. One more sleep, woo hoo, lol.

  31. Oh, Yarn Harlot, when shall yee grace Calgary with your presence?
    I have an amazing pair of first socks. It was magical, self striping, and they’re so warm that I’m sure I will be at peace when the first snow falls.

  32. Glad to know you didn’t really die of fun, you just tried real hard. And now are paying the cosmic price, unfortunately. All good things must come to an end, they say.
    I would LOVE to see The Dream outside in Toronto! Must have been awesome.
    Third-ing the tofu recipe request. I’m with Juno on the iced tea thing; iced tea is tea that’s cold; not corn-syrup sweetened stuff in a bottle, bleah! I need to educate my new local tiny Japanese restaurant that they can just take their wonderful hot tea (green tea and rose blossom tea!) and chill it in the fridge, and it would be so much better than the bottle of stuff they tried to give me last time. I guess I should just do a Juno and order the hot tea and a glass of ice. Nothing better than a good example!
    You’re getting very good at that Kinnearing thing!

  33. Her FIRST cherries?!?!?!?!? That’s just plain wrong.
    And that is a scary tunnel. Sounds like fun. I’m trying really hard to get to knit night next week. It’s been on my list of things to do this summer and I haven’t made it yet. But somehow I seemed to have ordered an incorrect quantity of yarn from them, and this must be remedied.

  34. You really make Toronto sound wonderful. One of my good friends is from Toronto (from London to be exact) and she’s always raving about it. Now I see why.
    BTW, just reserved my spot for your visit to the Los Angeles Public Library. It’s the hottest ticket going. Can’t wait to show you my first ginormous looking sock (note I did not say pair-still working on that).

  35. Oh, the Music Garden is glorious! I discovered it shortly before I skipped town, boo…but it was a great goal point for jogging. Going up and up that spiral in the middle and coming out by the maypole and finding freakin’ butterflies frolicking around in the sunshine along the tops of the flowers? I didn’t think that was possible in Toronto, but clearly it is in the Music Garden.

  36. 1. So sorry about the weather/bills/laundry/dentist. If it makes you feel any better, your house couldn’t possibly look any worse than mine. I don’t have to deal with the dentist right now though. Yuck. I feel for you.
    2. I’m totally with Juno on the iced tea thing. Hate that stuff from a mix, or the sweetened Snapple-y bottled kind. Most places in the States can’t get it right either. Of course Peet’s has fabulous, strong, unsweetened black iced tea. Perfect. I’m drinking one now. You gotta get you a Peets (or 10) in Toronto.
    3. Re the tofu with tarragon, garlic and mushrooms–can we have the recipe? Sounds scruptious!

  37. Have you read Jasper Fforde’s “Thursday Next” series of literary detection, esp. “Lost in a Good Book” where book characters suffer from “minor character syndrome”, couterfeit Shakespeare’s are high crime, Wales is a socialist republic and Miss Havisham from Great Expectations wears sneakers under her wedding gown and jogs every day? It’s a crazy and brilliant series, full of love for English literature, and there is a spectacular description of a Richard III performance which is interactive with the audience. Your mention of low-brow Shakespeare reminded me of it.

  38. Another request for that tofu recipe. I love tofu, and I’d like to convert my hubby.
    I once tried to order iced tea in Scotland. I got a bewildered stare and had to settle for a pepsi. BUT Canada doesn’t have takeaway curry stands, so I guess we’re backward in our own way.

  39. The beer and the Tim Horton’s drew me in, but that photo of the church with the THING hooked me . . . how awesome it must be to see in person. I sense a Toronto trip in the offing. Sadly, my daughters will spend all day looking for anything related to Degrassi-isms. I’ll skip the carousel, though; it will make me sick.

  40. I will only go so far as to say that with architecture you have to be there, so THE destination for my next Toronto apparation will be that museum — ’cause, face it, it looks like a crystal growing at light speed exploded out of the old building and was forced to freeze at the last minute. But it may work for the art. Still, it makes me for the Bell’s Palsy which made it possible for me to raise one eyebrow.
    So y’all are telling me that Michigan is one of the few places where “tea” is tea and “iced tea” is [unsweetened] iced tea? I feel so pure. (Until I remember that much of the rest of the world falls short of the enlightened state which realized carbonated beverages are pop.)Geography, gastronomy.

  41. Like Lene, I ain’t gonna go there.
    (But seriously. I am finding it incredibly hard to believe that Juno has never eaten a cherry.)
    (You cannot imagine how hard it is for me to refrain from being juvenile, here. Lene, you’re a better woman than I, I’m betting.)
    In Montréal, you are not allowed to have a real iced coffee without a load of stuff in it. They call over the manager and glare at you. So you order espresso instead and send a friend up for a cup of ice and you get what you want in the end.

  42. That’s the Adamas shawl next to that beer! I was wondering if you had finished it while I was not looking. I made mine (after I saw how gorgeous yours was) last fall and blocked it just last week. I can’t wait to see how yours ends up!

  43. Toronto looks absolutly gorgeous! Wish I was there. And, yes, you simply have to share the tofu recipe, please. I love tofu.

  44. what a glorious holiday for the Harlot and Juno…you make it sound such fun that I almost feel like *I* had the day off – thanks, Stephanie!
    p.s. to april z:
    it’s also “witty” not “whitty” and I tell jokes, so I know *these* things! (*chuckle*…couldn’t resist!)

  45. Wow, what is that stupendous architectural conglomeration? It’s nearly as cool as the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles! Or maybe cooler! Okay, I’m a San Diegan, I live in a perfect climate with yarn shops at every corner, but now I . . . have . . . to . . . go . . . to . . . TORONTO!

  46. Oh lordy…what the heck did they do to the ROM??? That’s even worse than when they built that weird glass pyramid outside the Louvre!!!
    Looks like you guys had tons of fun though!

  47. Where is Juno from that she has never had a cherry? Greenland?
    I agree with her on the tea. I have never had good iced tea in Canada and Tim Horton’s iced tea tastes HORRIBLE. And that sweet stuff is enough to make you barf. I, too, am very particular about my tea, hot or iced.

  48. I’ll have to remember this post when I finally mobilize my spousal-unit for a non-family-reunion trip to the city from which his parents emmigtated. Sounds like enough fun for an entire summer.
    So don’t have too much fun in Aurora. It seems you’ve already used up all of the run-of-the-mill retribution and balancing events. I’d rather not see what’s next in line.

  49. I used to like iced tea from Tim Hortons when it actually had ice and lemon in it. Now it comes in a can. Bleh. Re: the smelly thing in the fridge, is there anything navy blue in there? To quote Erma Bombeck, “There is no known navy blue food. If there is navy blue food in the refrigerator, it signifies death.”

  50. That modern/old-fashioned stonework combination is the kind of thing I think is awesome…but wouldn’t want to see done to any old building I cared about.

  51. You have given me a desperate yearning for Toronto. I never knew it was so beautiful and interesting! My mother (now passed) spent her teen years in Motreal, so I have always wanted to go there, but I’m now thinking a broader tour of Canada is in order.

  52. We had visitors from Northern Quebec when I was a college student in Santa Barbara. They were the easiest guests to entertain EVER. Avocados, tacos, surfers, the Pacific Ocean – there wasn’t a single thing lacking the “gee whiz” factor!

  53. Oh my goodness, centre island. I spent a lot of time there the last couple of summers of highschool. You brought back lots of memories, that was more than 30 years ago. Sigh, I didn’t think I missed Toronto anymore not having lived there in a couple of decades. thanks for showing that there is more to that beautiful city than smog and crime.

  54. Oh, how I would love to see Toronto – it’s definitely on my list, and looking like I might be there toward the end of the year if all goes well. I will be sure to hit knit nite at Lettuce Knit if it works out – hope to see you there!
    As a Californian, I so envy Canadians; if you had a semi-tropical zone I would emigrate immediately, becase all my Canadian friends are such wonderful people that I’m beginning to think it must be something in the water. Today I got the greatest compliment ever from one of them – I was told that I was “more Canadian than not!”
    Does this mean I can get a Maple Leaf tattoo now? Done with tiny little knitting needles?

  55. What a great time! You sure know how to entertain out of town friends! I wasn’t even there and I loved it! Left me with a love of Toronto. And, knitting besides! Wow!

  56. Your yin is off not because you had such a great week, but because you like bad modern architecture!! Hee hee!

  57. If Juno doesn’t love Toronto now, she has no heart. I think she loves it.
    Pity about the lovely balancing act that the universe seems to have you playing. Sounds like you are now into the “Beans burning on the grill” part of the song. Movin on up may be a while yet.

  58. Man, it looks like you had so much fun! I haven’t done any of that stuff since I was a girl! Next time I visit the family in Toronto, I’m going to have to make them take me to some of those places.

  59. Stephanie – Thanks for the tour of Toronto! You live in a lovely place.
    Jodi – you didn’t say where you live in the southern US, but if you are ever in Chattanooga try The English Rose tearoom. I promise you’ll get a real POT of delicious hot tea!

  60. What a great trip – can I come and visit you for the tour (and the beer) when I get to Toronto from Tasmania? Will bring Australian wine. And wool
    and beer. and anything else tasmanian I can smuggle past customs! Seriously – you sound like a wonderful tour guide and it sounds as if you had lots of fun – bet Juno did too – Tofu sound great!

  61. Man, your pictures make me want to visit Toronto. I love that new building! Any chance you can come to Florida one day? It’s hot down here but we still have wool!
    Heather
    UCFknitGirl

  62. I was last in your city almost 35 years ago. Thank you for the splendid tour – makes me yearn to return.

  63. May I please echo the above – I want to go to Toronto! I will use these posts as my travel planning tool. But don’t you need about a month to really appreciate everything? Ah, to be in a city you can actually navigate without a car. Sigh…

  64. What an incredible city you live in! After your travelogue, I want to come see it in person now. I’d especially like to see the ROM in person… from the picture it seems jarring and beautiful, both at the same time. It must be breathtaking in person.
    The last Shakespeare in the Park I saw was done in the same manner. It was Taming of the Shrew, and she wore a basketball jersey that said “Kate” on the front and “Shrew” on the back. The villain entered onto the scene by riding a Harley into the park. Outstanding.

  65. Well, I think it looks like two attractive buildings, except one crashed into the other. It doesn’t look like it was meant to be one building.
    Never had cherries before? What the…huh?
    Juno’s right about iced tea. That stuff in a can or a bottle is total crap. It doesn’t even taste like tea. I don’t want a bunch of sweeteners or lemon in my tea. If I want iced tea, I just want tea, cold. Not that hard a concept really.

  66. I too am particular about my tea, esp iced tea; the instant kind is dreadful. It had never occurred to me that, if I wanted hot tea, I had to specify that. in the Chicago area like Toronto, if you order tea, you get hot tea. If you want iced tea then you order iced tea. Then my daughter moved to Baton Rouge Louisiana & we went to visit her. At breakfast, I ordered tea &, you guessed it, re3ceived iced tea. When I said that I had been expecting hot tea, the waitress & manager were amused not only that I thought that tea was anything other than iced tea but at the very thought that someone would drink tea hot. They weren’t even sure they could provide a tea bag & hot water! In the southern states, tea is iced tea & you have a choice between sweet & plain (diet soda is also less common there with sweet tea being far more common.

  67. A great tour – and thanks for the links, too! I loved the pic of the Canadian Shield rock offsite. Seriously cool. The first Music Garden photo, now that’s where you’d find me. Juno’s *never* had cherries? The mind…boggles. On the other hand, as far as I’m concerned, no one in either country knows how to make iced tea. 😉 Real tea, *with* sugar but not enough so the spoon stands up in it, just the amount you’d normally use for your own taste in hot tea. The sugar added when it’s *hot*, after it’s finished brewing, then the pitcher goes in the fridge. This adding sugar to unsweetened iced tea at a restaurant and stirring for an age and a day is for the birds. I don’t order iced tea in restaurants any more. [g]
    (Wow, I’d forgotten I was that persnickety about my iced tea. And then there are the places that try to fob off horrible Pepsi in place of Coke, but fortunately I can taste the difference. And Rams? You’re absolutely correct; in the PNW, to the native anyway, it’s pop! You’ll note our iced tea is like yours too, from the above rant. [g])
    Have fun in Aurora. The rain might be a good thing. If it’s cooler up there, too, you won’t be melting and literally sticking to your knitting, right? Aren’t butter tarts even better in coolish weather?

  68. I’m with Juno… In Canada (at least Ontario and Quebec, the two provinces I’ve visited… and southern states in the USA) when you order iced tea you get lemony, sugary tea-flavored water. I like my tea “straight up” with just good, strong black tea and no flavors or sweeteners. Real tea, whether cold or hot.
    However, I still remember fondly that when Rae and I were with you at the Spotted Dick pub, I inquired if I could perhaps get hot tea there and was met with puzzled looks… of course I could. In Michigan, anyway, you might get coffee at a pub but almost never hot tea. Sometimes you might get that “iced tea” which comes out of a faucet like Coke or Pepsi (water is significantly nicer to drink than that).
    Um… and where is the music garden? Wowie, I totally missed its existance. It must be new since I used to go to Toronto all the time. Sounds wonderful… and maybe something like the Sculpture Garden at the Walker (art museum) in Minneapolis. Also a wonderful outdoor space.

  69. Nothing like a great visit with friends to help ease the pain of bill paying. You can look back at all the fun you had while writing out those painful checks. Or you can just do what I do, swear (a lot) and vow to change my evil consuming ways. (and I’m not even that bad really–I barely pass for a consumer in the spend it like it isn’t yours American sense)

  70. Loved the tour. You want different? Order iced coffee in Canada. I got cold coffee in a glass (no ice) with a chuck of lemon in it; I got hot coffee in a cup with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it; and hot coffee with 2 – 3 ice cubes which promply melted. And lots of weird looks. One server looked at me, shrugged and walked away.

  71. I think the balancing thing is in your favour. One great week vs. one lousy day isn’t bad. I’d rather have the good stuff all strung out and then the bad clumped in a hump. Tomorrow will no doubt revert to being fantastic since the Universe loves you!

  72. It sounds like, at least, the yang all came pretty quickly. I always prefer to get that business out of the way quickly. Spread out and relish the ying, take the yang hard and fast.

  73. Girl, you rock. You definatly know how to have fun. I swear you should be getting kick backs from the Travel industry. I’m so ready to go visit your place. Knit On!

  74. I will not be jealous, I will not be jea…
    No really, I’m SO freakin’ lucky being able to work at making exceedingly ugly garments for teens instead of carousing with fun knitters.
    …lous…

  75. It’s very good to know that at least you had a good time. But never had cherries??! Did she live in Africa or something?! Yeesh…
    Laundry isn’t so bad… I mean, what my mother did was continually mess up my laundry (mixing colors that don’t mix, shrinking clothing, etc. etc.) until I told her to go away and rescue my clothing and do it all myself.
    Now I want to move back up north. =(

  76. Sorry to be a philistine, but what’s ROM? (I live very far from Toronto, sadly). I like that crazy space ship crashed into the church look. Is it a museum? What does it look like inside?

  77. Virgin Harlot (is this contradictory?!)poster from Canberra. A few years ago we went to Shakespeare in the Park in Kings Park in Perth. It was Midsummer Nights Dream as well – just wonderful, bawdy good fun. My youngest daughter, 11 at the time, just laughed and laughed and laughed. Great memories…

  78. I share Juno’s iced tea pains… I’m in Nova Scotia this week on vacation and its slim pickens in the cold non-alcoholic beverage department.

  79. WOW! Toronto is beautiful. I will be suggesting a trip up there for vacation.
    Glad you had so much fun, you deserve it.

  80. You went to the music garden! On the other thread I was going to ask you to see it on my behalf, but then I thought “no, that’s just silly…”
    And now I have Bach in my head, which is crowding out the obnoxious pop that’s usually lodged in there this time of morning. Thank you so much. 🙂
    I see a vacation in Toronto in my future, eventually, someday…

  81. It’s like the ROM architects looked at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, and went “ZOMG WE WANT THAT!”
    And I don’t blame them, cos Fed Square totally rocks. 😀

  82. As I was reading thru your blog, my 6 year old was sitting next to me playing with his Hot wheels. As I thought “Wow, the ROM looks like a glass space ship crashed into it” he said “Mama, did that building fall down on the church?”
    I think that’s 2 “No” votes.
    Glad you spent the week having fun. We only do the Tourist things here when we have company. We always wonder why. I mean… it’s not as if Lake in the Clouds isn’t as beautiful without tourists… or the boat ride to the Copper Harbor lighthouse isn’t as fun without friends who’ve never been… or the drive to Keweenaw point, the hike in Estivant Pines, swimming in Lac La Belle aren’t the same amount of fun without people who don’t live here… but we just take the time to enjoy them without friends from out of town.

  83. Sorry to hear about the downside of the karmic wheel. When things like that happen to me, I try to remember one thing “This too shall pass”.
    By the way, I thought I’d point out that you were the subject of my very first blog post!
    Have a great Tuesday!

  84. All that fun and socialized health care too? My list of ‘reasons to move to Canada’ just keeps getting longer and longer… (I won’t mention my #1 reason to leave THIS country so as not to start an ugly, politically-charged debate…)
    Another request for the tofu recipe, too!

  85. Hi There! I’m loving my new book Cast Off!
    BTW, can you give a message to Vicky Howell of Knitty Gritty? I’d like her to please make {at least the first three seasons} of Knitty Gritty available on DVD this fall. It comes on only during weekdays when I’m at work, and I don’t get the chance to watch it. 🙁
    Take Care~

  86. Thanks for letting us armchair travel. I SO want to move to Toronto.
    While cutting up green beans yesterday, I cut a little chunk out of my yarn-carrying finger…and now I have to do vicarious knitting, too, as it were…:(

  87. Janet : ROM is short for Royal Ontario Museum.
    Sadly, I have not been in the new part yet. The older portion of the building has a marble staircase built around a Totem pole.

  88. Gosh, that balance thing–does it have to bite us so hard in the arse? My husband and I went on a tiny little weekend away to Seattle. It was blissful. I flew back, he stayed on to do work things and immediately, everyone here came down with summer colds, it’s eleven million degrees outside, I have that smelly thing in MY fridge, too (what can it be?) and we’re out of food and laundry detergent. But NOT laundry. Oh no, we have LOTS of that.
    I think maybe I’m paying Karmically for the yarn I bought in Seattle. (I expect a plague of locusts for saying this but it was worth it!)
    Barb

  89. Well you’ve definitely given me inspiration for the next time I get to Toronto. Thanks!

  90. There are 4 ‘maybe’ votes here for the ROM. After some discussion, the office group has issued the statement that we think it looks like a scene out of Doctor Who. Since we like the good Doctor, we’re somewhat inclined to say it’s okay. Not fantastic, mind you, but at least okay.

  91. Well, it looks like a pretty even split on the ROM addition. I’m voting vehemently against; to borrow from a certain big-eared royal “it looks like a huge carbuncle on the face of a beloved friend.” With over 30 years of visits to the Museum under my belt, I just want to weep when I see what’s been done to it. Better they should have built the spaceship version far, far away.
    To all those of you who live far from T.O., do come and visit if you can. I don’t live there, and wouldn’t – I love the peaceful Ontario countryside where I live – but Toronto is alive and exciting, beautiful and cosmopolitan. And it has great yarn stores…

  92. That addition looks like something out of Dr Who….some alien race is devouring the city of Toronto and only the Doctor can save us. Good Lord what were they thinking?

  93. Wish we could compare “Midsummer Night’s Dream” productions. Saw it at Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Boulder on Saturday night, and it was the best production of the play I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a fair number). Balanced: the court, the forest, the fairies, the mechanicals’ play all blended and complemented each other like I’ve never seen them do before. And it was very funny.

  94. Holy smoke! The ROM has run aground on an iceberg! Women and children first! Seriously, I want to sprinkle lifeboats around in the parking lot, and when’s the last time architecture made you feel like that? I think I love it, though. I think I need to get myself to Toronto and see it with my own eyes. Apparently my reality needed a good little jolt of the unexpected, because that picture is making me really happy. Thanks!

  95. The tofu with tarragon sounds delicious. Will you share the recipe with us? And I feel for you regarding the strange smell in the fridge. I myself have been out most of this week, blissfully forgetting household duties and now there is some vague odor in the living room I can’t track down. Perhaps the baby is stashing snacks somewhere. Ugh.

  96. With you on the balance thing. I just got a raise *yay!*, but now the water heater is broken and when we sat down last night to go over the new budget (trying to build a house), we still fell short. Why does the pendulum always seem to swing with more verve into the negative?

  97. You mean, she’s never had cherries before? Ever? Like, cherry pie even? Or just your sour cherries? Really?
    Did you know Tim Horton’s now takes Mastercard? Still dont’ do debit, but now we can seriously go into debt for coffee.

  98. I have admit that the part of this post that caught me was the mention of tofu with tarragon garlic and mushrooms….tell me more of this yummy sounding concoction….

  99. You’re right about the iced tea! I just got back (literally yesterday) from my first trip to Canada (Montreal/Quebec City) and when I asked for iced tea I got a pre-sweetened something. Generally, it was good. But I’m used to adding my own sweetener. But…the good news is I LOVE CANADA!!! Can I move up there??

  100. Good Lord!! I knew you were popular, but wow!. Just wanted to ask you more info on the stash weasels from McKenna. They are SO adorable. I bet everyone is metoometooing on them. If you see this, please send info, or post it on your blog. Guess if I want to do anything knitterly I need to have it on my favs. just kidding here….it’s all so fun… Really enjoyed reading about your trip and seeing all the fun pictures. Of course, metoometoo I wanna be there……..grin……Nancy A

  101. It was great to meet you at Knit and Bitch at Lettuce’s on the 22nd. Your telling us to visit the museum was welcomed. We loved the building and the exhibitions. We’ll be back when the Frank Gehry addition is complete on your other museum. Meanwhile, my luggage has not completed the trip and I can’t even look at the yummy Canadian yarn I bought. 4 projects of stash.
    Karen from Florida.

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