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What could be more satisfying than spending a perfect day in a beautiful garden with well-groomed dogs playing freely and fun folks who appreciate the beauty of nature and fine things?  A Beautiful Day That was my experience the other day. Yes, lucky me. It was a sunny Monday morning, and our Monday travel club of two invited ourselves to a friend's sunflower patch. Little did I know that other than the sunflowers, there were many more surprises in store for me. The whole day, I was like a child in a candy factory. A few days in our lives, with no planning on our part, everything around us converges to bring about utter joy and contentment. True, there are a few, but the impact of these like these remain etched forever.  Fall in Ontario, Canada As I said earlier, it was a sunny Monday in August. Our Monday travel club drove from Toronto towards the north of the city. We avoided the highway and instead took the road that took us to some tiny villages. For me, these are hidden gems revealing their beauty after an hour's drive from downtown Toronto. Caledon's rolling hills unfolded in its almost exhilarating majesty peppered with horses exercising in fields filled with hay rolls. It reminded me of the pastoral paintings of Costable. When we reached our destination, frolicking white and brown poodles met us in the garden of sunflowers, herbs, garlic, zinnias, and gladioli in purple, red, and white. Our host is a tall, slim, stylish lady who grew up in Montreal and brought flair to this rural Ontario outpost.  A Friend's Garden When we entered the house, everything in it attracted me from the table ready for lunch fashionably arranged, almost like in a home and country magazine. The well-chosen antiques tastefully displayed gives a lover of what's old stare in appreciation. The paintings, all family heirlooms, decorated the walls. Everything in the house contributed to its overall beauty. We toured the property with the two dogs in tow. I almost did not leave the big barns as inside are treasures to connoisseurs of antique cars. Jags and MGs, beautifully restored in its elegant hues, are on display, reminding me of old TV programs like Inspector Morse.  Old Cars We returned to the house for a treat: bacon and tomato sandwiches with a salad of greens made from the garden produce. What a refreshing lunch with flavors often lost to taste used to supermarket produce. After lunch, we wandered through the garden, and our host gathered bouquets and fresh tomatoes for us, a real treat for city dwellers. We then had coffee to end our visit and drove back to the city, enjoying another route on Caledon's rolling hills.  Sunflowers in Ontario, Canada Reflecting on this experience, I thought of the many days we spent uneventfully when adventure and beauty are waiting for our exploration. I vowed to get in my car and explore the area further in the future. There were some places I took notice of and researched when I came home to visit on some sunny days.
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For those who love travel, here are some of my top recommendations of places to visit.
Click on the picture to know more of these places: 
Archives
October 2021
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