Cheese and Chocolate

OK then. Let me describe my Saturday.

Oh crap, Ms J. My coffee's gone stone cold while I was reading blogs. Hang on. I'll go downstairs and warm it up again in the microwave. (Damn, it's cold in here. I'm still fighting the urge to put the furnace on. 4C outside. I must be daft.)

Ahhhhh. That's better. Right. Now what was I on about? Oh yes. Saturday. Cheese.

Well, it seems my friends, Kirk and Rey, travel somewhat regularly to the small town of Campbellford, Ontario to buy cheese. Why? I don't know, really. I've never asked them. I suppose they like their cheese fresh from the dairy. And I know that they like ...

Kirk and Rey? You remember Kirk and Rey don't you, Ms Journal? When my leg was broken, I used to visit them twice weekly for dinner and a therapeutic swim in their big pool. Refresh your memory here. Nice couple. Very nice. I am blessed with amazing friends.

Anyway, as I was saying, I know Kirk likes driving. Together he and his wife often explore new destinations by car. Kirk can drive nearly anything with wheels. His license allows him to drive a car, a motorcycle, a truck/trailer combination, even a bus. He once worked for a tour company, taking people by bus to American destinations. I was amazed to learn that he once executed a U-turn (with a huge tour bus) on Chigago's busy Michigan Ave!! My friend is a very good and safe driver.

We left his home around 10:00 on Saturday morning. Kirk and Rey rode in the front, while I shared the back seat with Gail, Kirk's mum. Nice lady. We rode together across the city and the conversation was easy. The weather, however, was not ideal. The steel-grey clouds contained the sunshine and made for a gloomy day. I was in high spirits anyway, thrilled to be off on an adventure with friends.

We stopped for breakfast in the town of Port Hope, about eighty kilometres (50 miles) east of Mimico. Port Hope is a delightful little town on the shore of Lake Ontario. It has preserved much of its downtown architecture and is clearly proud of its Loyalist roots. Kirk and I had dessert after breakfast. Pie! He had coconut cream; I had mincemeat and ice cream. Delicious!

We arrived in Campbellford around noon I guess. The scenery was gorgeous, as the leaves in that area had reached their peak colours.


Kirk, Rey, and Gail pose here by the Trent-Severn Waterway, a river well-travelled by vacationers in the summer months. It connects Lake Ontario with Lake Huron. Very pretty!

It was a shame the sun refused to shine, Ms J. The scenery would have been much prettier in the sunshine. But it was lovely, nonetheless. It rained a bit, but not enough to dampen our spirits. We bought cheese at The Cheese Factory and also visited a local chocolate factory. Collectively, we probably bought fifteen pounds of chocolate! We bought chocolate covered almonds. We bought caramel-filled chocolates. We bought chocolates with cookies inside. We bought A LOT of chocolate, Ms Journal. An obscene amount of chocolate.

"I'll share it with Meagan," I told them. "And with my friends who come to visit."

"Yes," said the others. "It'll make good Christmas gifts. Or maybe we'll give it away at Hallowe'en."

We were all lying. And we all knew it.

It was dinner time when we got home again. Rey and I went to fetch takeout food (Iranian food. Rice and kabobs.) I had a wonderful day. I'm so glad my friends invited me and I hope we can go again.

I'll leave you now with a few more photos of the autumn leaves. Click on 'em to enlarge them.

I'm so full of candy, I may just go and vomit. Scout is coming next weekend, I hope. She'll help me eat some chocolate. I can count on that.


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A suspension bridge across the gorge. The river's current is used to produce hydro-electricity for Campbellford.


Upstream from the bridge.


A dam in a nearby hamlet. "Dartford" said the sign. A mill there had burned recently.


This car is very fast, Ms J. It's a Dodge Magnum. 5.7 litre 340 HP V-8. Oh yes. Very fast indeed.


It was a brilliant Saturday. Good friends. Nice trip. Cheese and chocolate in great abundance. Sunday (today) paled in comparison.

Thanks, Kirk! Thanks, Rey! Good night, Ms J.

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