Out for a drive
Our condo is undergoing some renovations that started today. I had the day off, so I went to A&W for breakfast. It was kind of comical, because I was one of four old guys there to have breakfast alone with their newspaper.
I read through some of the news. The breakfast is a pretty good deal for under ten bucks; and the coffee is good too.
After this, with some time to kill, I headed out down Hazeldean Road towards Carleton Place. I turned right on McNeely to head towards Highway 29.
I always remember an acquaintance of mine back in the olden days when I first came to Ottawa. McNeely was named after her family who were settlers in that area. I always that thought that was kind of cool.
I drove up Highway 29 and had the luxury of being able to stop and snap some photos. We do possess some wonderful vistas along our roadways here. I pulled up to McNeely and Highway 29 and saw the huge multi-directional sign and just had to take a snap of it.
I stopped to take a picture of a field next. It was really beautiful especially as I was driving with my polarised sunglasses on. The colours were very vibrant. I initially drove past this barn with the tractors, and had to turn around to come back and snap this picture. It was too good to pass up. The family seems to have their functional living space on the other side of the road, but have kept this side of the road where the fields are with the way it is set up. Very cool.
Further down the road I couldn't resist taking a picture of the 'hay' in the barn. Talk about organized...! A little snap photo of the pipe I was smoking; a Blatter pipe (loaded with some Gawith Hoggarth Balkan Mixture, for those who care to know).
I drove in to Pakenham where I visited an old friend of mine many years ago. He was the incumbent priest at the Anglican Church there and he lived in the beautiful, old rectory that sits right next door to the church building. I took a snap of the church and sat in my car imagining all the old folks trying to get in and out of that place in the winter time! They have built a new ramp at the front to facilitate entry which was nice to see.
In Pakenham there is a five-span stone bridge; quite historical. I copied down the information found on a plaque near the spot where I took a photo of the bridge:
"With settlers first arriving here in 1823, the river and falls provided all-important resources for development. By 1840, Andrew Dickson, considered to be the father of Pakenham, had established his family home (the stone building at the end of the bridge) as well as several mills and factories on both sides of the Mississippi River. Gristmills, carding mills, sawmills, a tannery, a cheese factory and a timber slide allowing logs to pass on their way to the Ottawa River all created a busy centre of activity. Early bridges here were made of wood and often damaged by ice in the spring. It was a credit to the township council of 1901 that they voted to stop paying continuously for costly repairs and to instead build a bridge of stone. At a cost of $13,000, plus $2,400 for a temporary bridge, the present stone bridge was build of locally quarried stone in 9 weeks, employing an average of 70 men. Its largest block of stone weighs 5 tons and there are 2,000 cubic yards of masonry in the bridge, believed to be the only five span stone bridge in North America."
I then continued down the road towards Arnprior. I knew that I was going to be visiting this fantastic little antique store located there. The name of the store is "Antiques, Treasures and Treats". It's truly a 'guy's 'n gals' type store where couples could actually each pick out items for themselves. He has a great selection of Cuban and non-Cuban cigars, some pipe tobacco, pipes, ashtrays, and other accessories and requisites one might need.
There was a sign hanging on the wall that I thought was quite cute, and I just had to buy it for Shelley. We'll put it up somewhere here in the condo.
I had brought a cigar to the man who owns the store, and he was very happy with that. He insisted on providing me with a cigar as well, and that is the one pictured above. It was a great smoke to enjoy on my way home.
Once I arrived home, the work in the condo was being completed for the day and I was invited over to the neighbour's patio to sit and chat with them and enjoy a refreshing glass of beer.
What a nice day it was.