A Saturday in Hudson

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer because I generally spend most of my Saturdays in Hudson. But last weekend was Mother's Day, and with so many lovely visitors coming over, we wanted to milk our new hometown for all its worth. And it sure delivered.

The first strategy was to switch Mother's Day from Sunday to Saturday. This was because it was the only day my sister and her girlfriend were available to join us, and we wanted to surprise our mum. So on Saturday morning, Christian and I picked her up at the Vaudreuil train station with flowers and (of course) Panda - then Sonja and Ali joined us at our house shortly afterwards, much to our mum's delight. After hugs and Panda cuddles, we moved on to the next important order of the day: lunch. Our favourite Hudson spot for meals is Carambola - oh, such yumminess. Hello salmon risotto, pulled chicken poutine, crispy shrimp sandwiches! I can't believe I don't have pictures of lunch, so let's just say that we were enjoying ourselves so much we forgot to do anything else but eat. Hungry? Go, go to Carambola.

Next on the agenda: Finnegan's. Parameters: 1) self-respecting person 2) anywhere near the Hudson area 3) on a Saturday in the summertime. You would not miss a visit to Finnegan's Flea Market. My flea-market-garage-sale-craft-fair-obsessed dear sister Sonja had never been - oh joy! We browsed the tables, Panda made a million more friends and we sampled some delicious gourmet popsicles. Christian and I hadn't brought anything home the last few times we'd been, but this time around we got lucky and hauled home a little brass plant stand, a wood-framed bird lithograph, an inlaid wood box and a little mirrored tray. Mega scores. We picked up some apple strudel and a gluten-free brownie from one of the stands and went back to our place to enjoy it with some tea.

Was our day over yet? No way! It was sunny, warm and breezy - after snacks, it was time to head to the beach. As I've mentioned in previous posts, Hudson has a beautiful sandy beach and you get to enjoy a gorgeous, short walk along a stream through the woods to get there. Total bliss.

It was an amazing Mother's Day in Hudson. I have so much love, admiration and respect for my beautiful mum - she deserves this every day, so hopefully we can do this again really, really soon. We love you Mum. xoxox

Twenty-five degrees...

It's another wacky weather day. The temperature is climbing and the air is thick with humidity. Panda couldn't take it anymore.So off we went - for a very different beach walk than the previous time. Calm waters, bare arms, warm winds swirling summer promises through our hair. Spring.

Beach walk

Things have been a little more hectic than usual around here - so yesterday, after running errands, Christian drove past our usual route home and we took a little break down by the beach. The sky was dark and the wind had whipped up the lake water, allowing me to momentarily pretend that we were by the ocean - the sound was spectacular. We went home to our waiting to-dos, wind-blown and chilled but smiling...

Spring: Day One

It's the first day of spring, but it's sure been feeling a lot like summer around here. Apparently we're in for a few more days of extra-warm temps before they drop back down to normal. I'm no fool (I was born during a massive snowstorm in April) so I know better than to get used to it, but in the meantime we've been taking advantage...

To celebrate the first day of spring, we took a long walk down one of our beloved Hudson trails. We were a little startled that it was warm enough for short sleeves - but it sure felt good. Later, we'll be barbecuing some burgers and perhaps whipping up a margarita or three.

Years ago a dear friend of mine introduced me to the tradition of Persian New Year - I couldn't agree more that the new year should begin on the first day of spring! So much more appropriate than during the freezing, dark days of January, no? Happy Norooz! Hope you all do a little celebrating today.

Happiness Is...

A little snowstorm. It's weird to say this mid-February, because I'm normally itching for spring by now, but we've had so little snow this year that I'm enjoying this gorgeous snowfall. Right now every last little branch is being blanketed in white sparklies, and it's beautiful. Time to build a fire and order in. Wobbly Panda video, for funsies. Have a wonderful, cozy weekend everybody!