A Life, Lived

Travel Tuesdays - Fredericton

I spent some time wandering around Fredericton yesterday before my meetings started.

 

Hello Fredericton

This will test the knowledge of those not from Canada. :-)

Fredericton is the Capital of New Brunswick, one of Canada's smaller provinces on the East coast. With a population of just under 70,000 (and that is with amalgamating many nearby communities into the municipal area), many would see this as a bit of a backwater. I am here for the National General Secretaries meeting - every year the GSs and Deputy GSs from all of Canada's teacher unions gather to talk about the issues facing their members and staff.

Never having been to New Brunswick I decided to come down a day early so I had some time to wander.

As you might anticipate, the flight options from Toronto were not great. In fact, there are two direct flights a day - one is very early and the other very late. I took the early flight and arrived before noon. The airport is tiny so getting luggage, picking up the rental car, and heading out was quick!

Fredericton is situated on the St. John river and there are trails all along the river. I stopped a few times to take pics. The flooding on the river was extreme this year and the water is still quite high (if one can tell by the trees that still have their trunks submerged). On the way into the downtown area there were piles of furniture and boxes in front of houses where the basements must have flooded.

I parked the car downtown near the Beaverbrook gallery. You'd not expect to find a major art gallery in a small urban centre in new Brunswick but there it is thanks to the generous donations of Lord Beaverbrook which funded the building and provided more than 300 original pieces of art from his permanent collection.

When I arrived I was advised that it was Lord Beaverbrook Day so my entrance was free.

Happy Jerry.

The gallery has an extensive collection of paintings by Cornelius Krieghoff, and expatriate Canadian post-Impressionist James Wilson Morrice. New Brunswick landscape paintings and works on paper by artists such as Anthony Flower, George T. Taylor, and George Neilson Smith are also an important part of the gallery's holdings of 19th century Canadian art.

Other Canadian artists represented in the collection include members of the Group of Seven, Emily Carr and David Milne, as well as other 20th-century Canadian artists such as Paul-Emile Borduas, Jean Paul Riopelle, Jack Bush, Harold Feist, Harold Klunder and John Boyle.

The gallery is internationally known for its outstanding collection of British paintings from the Elizabethan era to the modern period, including paintings by Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds, J.M. Turner and John Constable. Modern British art is represented by the work of Augustus John, Sir Stanley Spencer, Walter Richard Sickert and Graham Sutherland, including Sutherland's preparatory sketches for his famous portrait of Winston Churchill.

Outside there was an interesting sculpture garden along the river.

I was pretty hungry by now so when I smelled the smells of good food wafting from a nearby building I headed in. It turns out that I had discovered Issac's Way - one of the restaurants I had hoped to visit while I was in town. Set in a heritage building (an 1840's era courthouse and jail complex), the restaurant also had an interesting collection of art on the walls.

Many of the menu items were farm to table which was a plus for me!

I had a local craft beer, scallop fritters, and a beet salad.

Next it was off to the hotel to check in.

My room overlooks the river which meant there were some impressive shots of sunset later in the day from my window.

A Weekend in Ottawa

Paul and I met 20 years ago Friday. For years we celebrated our Anniversary on May 18. 2 years ago (18th Anniversary on May 18th) we made things legal and got married. This means Friday was both our 20th Anniversary and our 2nd Anniversary.

Our first trip together as a couple was to Ottawa. We drove up, stayed in a room at the Lord Elgin hotel, and figured out if we could manage to spend an entire weekend together - yes, we even had our first fight here. :-)

For those wondering why I am going through this relationship history . . . patience . . .

Last fall we were invited to a wedding in Ottawa this weekend.

We decided to make it a bit of an Anniversary/wedding weekend.

We drove up on Friday. I always forget how much I hate a really long drive until I am past the point of no turning back. You can fly to Ottawa in less than an hour for about $300 return. It really might be worth it in then. Mind you, after our shopping spree on Saturday . . . perhaps not. :-)

Anyways, on the way up we stopped and visited with our friend Pat for a bit. Pat lives in a new subdivision and the location was not in the GPS. Yes, we got lost. I am happy to report that I did not get as cranky with the navigator as I might have done 20 years ago.

It was about 5:30 when we got to the hotel. Our financial situation has improved a touch in 20 years so we were given a beautiful Executive room with a lovely view of the park across the street. Those of you who know me understand that I loathe spending a lot of money on a hotel room. . . I'd rather spend on a great meal or an adventure or a piece of art. . . and not on a place where I just plan on sleeping or showering. Nonetheless, this was a special weekend so we splurged a bit (not a lot, as I booked a good deal through orbitz last fall :-) )

We decided to have a nap for a bit.

Not long after I had laid down there was a knock at the door - the hotel delivered a cheese tray. With the champagne we brought up this will be a lovely night!

My foot was really swollen and sore for some reason . . . it might be time to recognize that I am old and invest in orthotics. SIGH It was so painful that I could barely walk. Needless to say we did not go far for dinner. A few blocks from the hotel was a beer pub we had enjoyed when I was in Ottawa for meetings last summer. It was seemed to be the perfect destination.

I started off with an amazing beer brewed with cherry - called a Cherry Bomb for good reason. MMM

We wanted the duck wings but they were sold out so we ordered chicken wings to start. They were frenched (meaning the bones were scraped a bit to give you something to hang on to). It was an interesting premise but you still got messy. LOL

They tasted great though.

For my main course I ordered the pock schnitzel. I felt a bit like a fraud since I had enjoyed it in the summer as well. It was yummy then and it was yummy now. It was served with braised red cabbage and spaetzel with emmenthal cheese. MMMMM With my foot being as it was I was in the mood for some comfort food and this delivered beautifully.

Paul ordered a chicken and pesto flatbread but I think he coveted my schnitzel.

OK. I know he did because he kept asking for a taste until finally I gave him the rest to finish off.

It was a slow walk back to the hotel (bloody foot).

I was tucked into bed when there was a knock at the door. Another delivery. This time a half bottle of red wine and a lovely card from the hotel. It seems our conference manager at the office must have some connections here! It was a sweet gesture and really made the day complete.

Mexican Rice

Yes, I did it. I made another Paula Deen recipe. I've largely stayed away from her recipes for some time - not necessarily because of those racist issues which came to light but more because butter and sugar seemed to be the number one ingredient in everything. This one didn't look too bad (I used olive oil instead of the two tablespoons of butter).

We did like this - it was a great addition to our Cinco do Mayo dinner. It was easy to make ad ready in about 20 minutes - even better.

Mexican Rice

2 tablespoons butter (we used olive oil)
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups water
1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup shredded cheese

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes. Stir in the cheese and transfer to a serving bowl.

Travel Tuesdays - Venice

Yes, you guessed it. My friends who are traveling in Italy right now are posting from Venice.

Today Jan posted about how busy Venice was on the weekend so she and her husband decided to go to some of the outer islands. We did that one our last visit as well.

Something for visitors to keep in mind - there may be thousands of tourists crowding the campos and calle of Venice but a short vaporetto ride away you can find peace, tranquility, and beauty.

Happy Mother's Day

Enjoying some sparkling wine in the Russian River Valley (and my sister Rose's giant diet Pepsi bottle. :-) )

Spring Showers . . .

Travel Tuesdays - Torino

Yes, my traveling friends have arrived in Torino. Paul and I have made two visits to the city in the NW corner of Italy. Here are some shots from our most recent visit.

Blood Orange Margarita

It has been some time since I've had a drink post.

Cinco de Mayo was as god an excuse to change that as any.

Blood oranges have a short season and I thought that I might have missed it but I lucked out.

This is a beautiful version of a summertime favourite.

 

Blood Orange Margarita

2 oz blood orange juice
1 tsp sugar
½ oz Cointreau (or other orange-flavoured liquer)
1½ oz tequila

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and pour into a Margarita glass or rocks glass.

Lettuce

Another bad e-coli break out in the USA tied to Romaine lettuce.

SIGH