Summer in Toronto/Ann Arbor/Toronto/Montreal

The day after I arrived in Toronto, I had plans to meet Sue for lunch.  When she asked me where I wanted to go, I said Costco!  There was nothing I really needed to buy there, since we have so little storage space in HK, but I craved walking through the wide aisles filled with large-sized stuff.  It was a thrill just to push a cart and mosey around, without ramming into anyone.  To top off the "big box" experience, we crossed the vast parking lot and shmoozed around Home Depot looking for a curtain rod.  Once Jeff and I return to North America, I vow never to take space for granted again.

The two days in T.O. flew by - I managed to get some quality hugs from lots of friends, including Pennie, MaryAnn, Julia, and Janice, who joined me at Sierra Grill in Bayview Village for dinner.  The next morning, I met Bobby for coffee on Spadina, and afterwards we sat on a sunny bench gossiping like two old farts!  Pennie and I enjoyed a vigorous walk in the ravine, and then met Deborah for coffee.
Life in HK is great, don't get me wrong, but nothing beats old friends who share your history.

Thank you Bonnie and Joe for hosting us in Toronto.  No matter what the season, your garden always looks gorgeous, and frames your home (on the left) beautifully.  After Toronto, it was on to Ann Arbor, where Julie and Eric's lovely home in Ann Arbor Hills awaited.  If I could only borrow some of their closets to bring back to HK...

The days in A2 (as the locals call Ann Arbor) centred around baby Shane, but grandma Dale doesn't stay home, so off we went on our daily walks.  My favourite destination was Gallup Park, about 15 minutes away.  The park straddles the Huron River, which is very picturesque and peaceful.  I normally parked the stroller on the terrace of the canoe/kayak club, and sat in the shade, reading my book and watching the herons, swans, and paddlers.  On the weekends, a group of Falun Dafa conducted their tai chi exercises nearby.

There is so much wildlife in suburban A2 - deer, raccoons, skunks, rabbits, woodchucks, squirrels, chipmunks, and porcupines.  The deer are gentle, but not very bright.  They wander around front and back yards all day long, and unfortunately are not very careful crossing the roads.  The rodents are not at all afraid of people - they just carry on eating everything in the garden, while ignoring shouts (Dale's shreeks) to move away.  In the evening the fireflies illuminate the back yard.
My lungs were rejuvenated from the fresh air.
Aside from Gallup Park, I enjoyed walking to the south campus of the University of Michigan, and also to the strip mall that has a Panera's restaurant (see previous blog), Barnes and Noble books, and Whole Foods.  The free samples at Whole Foods are even tastier than at Costco!

There are two Art Deco theatres in A2.  The Michigan Theater showed old classics all summer.  I really enjoyed West Side Story for the umpteenth time, however, the ladies sitting next to me pointed out how heavy the actors' face makeup was - especially on George Chakiris.  (Or perhaps it was the poor quality of the film?)  The State Theater around the corner shows first run films.  I saw Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris for $6 (senior's early bird rate).

A highlight of summer in A2 is the annual Art Fair.  The entire down town area is closed to traffic, and hundreds of booths line the streets.  Unlike the fancy-shmancy art expo in HK, the art here is actually affordable!  The only problem was the weather - Art Fair ran from July 20-23, right in the middle of an extreme heat wave.  People stayed away in droves, since the temperature hit 100 F (37 C) most of that week.  I marched along with my little UV protected umbrella (Hong Kong style), and bought a Giacometti-inspired bronze sculpture by Dave Rizzo, a Canadian artist (when you click on the link, my sculpture is the middle one on his home page).

The Art Fair unfortunately coincided with the demise of Borders Books.  Borders was founded in Ann Arbor, and its original store on Liberty Street was still fairly busy.  Once the final bankruptcy was announced, everything in the store went on sale.  Jeff and I didn't think there were many real bargains, but the closeout still brought in the crowds, and, within a couple of days, most of the shelves were bare.

The down side of Ann Arbor:
Every Saturday morning there are protesters camped along the sidewalk in front of the Beth Israel Synagogue.  Their signs are hateful (at least to me) - Zionism is racism, Stop U.S. aid to Israel, etc.  I tried to ask one of the smug-looking protesters why he was there, and he mumbled something about his church in a neighbouring town.  I emailed the rabbi of the congregation to lend my concern.  The rabbi replied that although the city council has condemned the picketing, the protesters are within their rights as long as they stay on the sidewalk.   I guess I need a refresher course in democracy ...

The very up side of Ann Arbor:
Kyle practising how to beat the heat in Hong Kong during the summer.

Kyle mastering the art of eating a spring roll with kiddie chopsticks.

Mr. Happy (aka Shane or Shaney).
Mr. Happy looking bored with Grampa.








Jeff and I got stuck behind an accident or flooding (we could not determine exactly what had occurred) on I-94 on our way to Toronto.  We managed to advance four miles in two hours!  Good thing we had our books with us (had this happened in Montreal, drivers would have been partying on the highway!).  Our four hour trip took seven, in spite of the fact that we have Nexus cards and sailed through the border.

Toronto was lots of fun.  Lots of visits with friends, lots of food, lots of hugs.  I even had a mystery book club meeting, followed by our usual lunch at Over Easy on Bloor Street.  Since we moved to HK, I've been skyping with the book group, but it's certainly not the same as participating in the flesh!

Our last three days were spent in Montreal with family and friends.  We had our fill of bagels, cheese bagels, smoked meat, Helen's cheese pie, Helen's mun cookies, Cote St. Luc bbq chicken, and real barbecued hamburgers and veggies in Andrew's back yard.  Enough food and love to sustain on our 15 hour flight home to HK.

Thank you everyone for hosting us, making time for us, putting up with us!