Life, Family & A Few Road Trips!

I am back in the blogging saddle after 5.5 days of awesomeness with family. Wow. I am a little depressed that my house isn't occupied by guests, but now I have some time to show you a little of what we did over the last week. I can personally say that I had a fabulous time.


Let us start on Saturday, July 18th. My cousins, Brenda and Bob Leclercq (that call Holly, Michigan home) came to stay with Trev and I. They popped over the border on Friday to have an extended stay, as our family gathers every 2nd Sunday in July for our annual Hore Reunion. Yes, a Hore Reunion. More on that in a minute.

Bob, Brenda, Trev and I toured around Grimsby, Beamsville, Vineland and Port Dalhousie. We, of course, had to make a pitstop at Thirty Bench Wine Makers:



Above is a shot of only some of Thirty Bench's vines. In the background is a shot of Toronto's skyline. So cool. My amazing cousins:



We ate a nice lunch on a patio in Port Dalhousie. Port Dalhousie is in St. Catharines and is a mecca for bars and boutiques.


Sunday at noon was our annual Hore Reunion. I have a confession, I am a descendant of the Hore family and although our family is proud of our heritage we have a ball using the Hore name in different contexts. Example: "We're a bunch of Hores!" Yay!

Here is my Grump at the reunion:


My Dad and Carol were this year's honourary Hores. Below: My step-mum, Carol; Aunt Kerry; my Dad, Shayne; my hubby, Trev and my Uncle "Hook" Jeff:



My Nana and Louella giving Uncle Jeff a Hore history lesson:


Connected to Dundas Park, where our reunion takes place, is Grove Cemetery. Many members of the Hore family are buried there and we take a tour every year, if possible. It's a beautiful cemetery, as graveyards go. Seven of us journied to Grove and we were all taken back by this stone, of a girl we did not have the pleasure of knowing. From her stone, I wish I had the opportunity. The architecture is what captured us at first:





But the inscription, as written by this beautiful girl, moved us. Words to live by, especially the "P.S." part:


Brenda and Bob headed back to Michigan on Sunday afternoon and Dad and Carol stayed until today (Wednesday). D&C and I took a few day trips. Monday we toured through Vineland, Port Dalhousie, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Burlington.

Tuesday (yesterday), we really wanted to get Dad's boat out on Lake Erie, but the weather likes to stick it's tongue out at you when you want to do such things, and today was no exception. So, we toured to Nanticoke, Dunnville and Port Dover.

This photo was taken at the top of the Escarpment, overlooking East Hamilton, Stoney Creek and Fruitland (only a few minutes from our place). More specifically, this was taken at the top of McNeilly Hill:


A shot out the windshield in Nanticoke:

Hmmm. A Gas Fest. We later discovered that Selkirk has a history in natural gas. Oh, the jokes I could muster up.

A lighthouse on the pier at Port Maitland:

My Dad, Shayne. I adore this photo...it turned out really well. I love random photographs!

My step-mum, Carol; my dad, Shayne and I on the pier at Port Maitland:

And to top off a fab five days, I got this kick-ass mixed CD in the post, made by the one and only Sherri at The Claw.

Sherri, this CD rocks and I want to let you know that I am rockin' onward. Track 3: "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit has become a fast favourite! Thank you for the time and effort you put into this...it means so much:

And before I rest my bloggy fingers, I would also like to send out a great big thank you to Georgia at Modern Crush for this post. I blushed. Thank you for our "virtual" friendship, Georgia.

Have an awesome evening, peeps!

a

xo