Friday, October 24, 2014

Whirwind visit to Peterborough Ajax, Dundas and Guelph - 2014 - 4th stop Guelph

Sunday found us battling traffic on the 401 once again, on our way to Guelph.  Brian gallantly took up the reigns for us, and fought the good fight from the driver's seat, while we sat in the back with our eyes closed. I'm not kidding!  I had to stifle a scream a few times when a driver in the right hand lane cut across in front of us going a kazillion miles an hour, then continued to cut across four more lanes of cars going faster than the speed of light, only to swerve back and forth between lanes as he hurtled down the highway.  Yes, I had to close my eyes.

Anyway, we arrived safe and sound due to the skillful driving of Brian, and I am happy to say that the shaking stopped after two or three DAYS.
After hugs and hellos it was time for a picture with Ben and Mary in front of their new house.
It is a heritage property, and we could feel the history oozing out of every nook and cranny of this old stone cottage.  The kids did a lot of work on it during the summer, and inside and out it is quaint yet modern.  A perfect combination.
The sun was shining brightly when we arrived, and the deck was so warm and inviting we decided to sit and visit in the sunshine for a while out on the fabulous deck Ben built this past summer..  AC did go back to the car for his hat though.  Maybe it wasn't as warm as I thought it was.
Delicious snacks were set out for us and the gabbing and gobbling began...
...but the sun went behind the clouds, and soon Mary was wrapped in a blanket, Ben needed his hoodie, and AC was starting to shiver.
Brian, with his back to the camera, is all hooded up too.  Heather and I were fine however.
Mary brought a blanket out for AC while we waited for the sun to make a re-appearance, but it didn't, so we gather up the food, and moved inside.
Ahhhh, it was much warmer inside the sun-room, and we picked up right where we had left off outside.
What a perfect spot to sit and visit on a cool afternoon.  It seemed like we were still outside, but were much warmer.
Before dinner, we decided to grab our cameras and go for a walk.  AC went to university in Guelph, and we lived there for our first year of marriage.  It had been 45 years since we were there though, so we wondered what changes we would see in our old stomping ground. 

When we walked to the end of the kid's street, I was shocked to discover that they now lived just around the corner from where we used to live the year we were in Guelph.  We came in the back way on a new highway, so I had no idea what part of the city we were in until we got out and walked around.

This is the park I walked by every day on my way to work.  It was just a short walk from the kid's front door.
It sure was dressed up in its Autumn best for us this day.
This is the bench I sat on to eat many a sack lunch.
What fun to walk through the park with Heather and Mary while AC took lots of pics.  I was stepping back 45 years, and it felt strange but wonderful.
We then went back home to get the car so we could go on a driving tour of the city.  Above is the first house we lived in.  No, it wasn't our house, we just rented the basement apt there, but to me it was a palace.
We drove around the university campus, and stopped to take pictures in front of this statue near the entrance.   Wow,  where did those 45 years go?
The old retired teachers shared a special moment with the young teachers just starting out.  What fun.
This is where my camera ran our of battery power, so I missed all the pictures of our time at dinner.  Sigh!  Next time.

Thanks for the great day Ben and Mary.  We loved our visit with you, and our walk down memory lane in Guelph.


1 comment:

Dogman said...

A great picture story, Sue. We sure had a lot of fun motoring and walking around with you guys!