Archives: spring

In mid-March, when winter was still kicking it big, we decided to go on a family road trip to Washington DC!

We had little to no expectations about the success of our travels (it being an 8 hour car drive to DC and having an active toddler that doesn’t normally like to sit still). We went for it anyway, opting for a overnight midway-stop in Pittsburgh.

I love Pittsburgh! But unfortunately for this particular visit, the exploring and wanderings were kept to a minimum. We were really only there to break our journey and to give Omi some romping time. Despite the short visit we did manage to fit in a quick early morning breakfast meet-up with some old friends before getting back into the car for the rest of the journey to DC.

We made it to DC unscathed and were rewarded with budding tulips, crocuses and warm spring weather. All the while we’d heard that Southern Ontario was being hit by a crazy mid-March blizzard!

The visit was a mix of relaxing and visiting with family, sharing good meals together and the occasional day trip out for some sightseeing.

Happy to be somewhere without snow, we stripped ourselves of winter coats and picked a warm grey spring day to check out DC proper.

With coffees in hand we wandered the museum arcade making our way in and out of the various Smithsonians and stopping for an extended session of merry-go-round admiring and pebble throwing.

All the museums in DC are free! So it was perfect for our noncommittal walk-throughs that were just long enough to keep a toddler entertained. Since it wasn’t tourist season the museums weren’t too busy, which allowed for quick entrance and hassle-free easy manoeuvring around on the inside. Just a week or two later and it would’ve been packed for DC’s infamous cherry blossom viewing.

To coincide with an escape from a spring rainfall we spent a longer time checking out the contemporary art collection at the Hirshhorn. Once the rain cleared I spent an even longer time outside with Omi admiring the circular architecture of the museum.

Midcentury modern architect Gordon Bunshaft, who designed one of my favourite art galleries -The Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, also designed the Hershhorn.

Travelling with a little one does have its challenges but overall I’m happy that we keep trying it out. So long as our expectations of what we do when travelling continue to adjust and evolve with Omi then I hope to continue to squeeze in as much exploring and as many mini-trips as we can!

 

Although this weekend was packed with a ton of amazing things to do in Hamilton (Doors Open, Craftstock, AGH Design Annex Spring Sale, and Jane’s Walks) I came down with a mini-cold that kept me out of commission until Sunday. Luckily I was feeling recouped enough that I made it out to enjoy some spring sun, wind, and an early Sunday afternoon visit to the first ever Village Station Bazaar!

I’ve been longing for something downtown on a Sunday afternoon similar to Kingston’s Sunday antique and farmer’s market or something akin to the ever successful Junction Flea in Toronto. Needless to say, I’m so over the moon that something like this has been born here in Hamilton! I can’t wait to watch this event grow over its lifetime this summer.

Much needed latte from Café Oranje to wake and warm me up as I browsed the vendors.

Vintage clothing and wares from Love in the Afternoon.

Hamilton neighbourhood maps by the Jelly Brothers.

Alfie Smith, Hamilton blues man.

Super cute quilted South African hot-pink printed skirt locally designed by Z&K.O.

Tasty meat treats from Meat Ventures. Sad I missed out on the opportunity for pulled duck sliders.

Gorgeous spring flowers (fresh cut & potted) from James North’s i-fiori.

This was the first of the Village Station Bazaar but there will be more! The first Sunday of every month from now until August 3rd. I can’t wait to see the addition of food trucks, bakeries, and perhaps even a local farmer selling some seasonal produce.

Oh yes, Hamilton sometimes my dreams really do come true! Thank you Melanie from MODify Your Closet and Chris from Cafe Oranje for organizing!

If you’re interested in vending at the next bazaar, you can contact the organizers here.

*Village Station Bazaar, King St. E & Ferguson, June 1, July 6, August 3 11am-5pm, @VillStnBazaar.

During the depths of a blustery and cold winter hike at the Royal Botanical Gardens, I vowed to make a return visit come spring to frolic in the fragrant blossoms of, non other than, the lilac.

So a few weekends back we packed up Steve’s grandma’s quilt, picked up some take-out sushi plus a couple of coffees from Mulberry and headed to the RBG Lilac Dell for a picnic.

There are over 600 varieties of lilacs at the gardens, all blossoming simultaneously amidst the crab apple blossoms, dogwood and redbud trees.

There were a lot of other picnic goers enjoying the spring dreaminess of the gardens.

Before leaving I enthusiastically stuffed my nose into a few lilac blossoms, drinking in their fragrant smells and paying the price in sneezes later that evening.

Admission is $12.50 per adult (plus tax). I know it seems like a lot but if you make a day of visiting all the parks and gardens of the RBG then it’s definitely worth it  (the admission covers entrance to all 4 gardens!). I always consider the admission to be like a donation, cause I mean, gosh, these gardens and spaces are so beautiful and I’m just happy that they’re around!

The first really warm spring day about a week or so ago, I packed up some treats and headed out for a play date picnic with Omi at Gage Park.

I do love picnics. Especially meats, cheese and snack type foods.

I gathered some items that we had around the house along with some foccacia bread for make-your-own mini open-faced sandwiches.

Finally put this handy stackable tin lunch container to good use. This little contraption is called a dabba (or tiffin). We picked it up when we were travelling in India. It’s kinda like the Indian version of the obento box.

For dessert I made this super yummy treat. Get this -Mars Bar Rice Krispie Squares! Yeah, it’s pretty decadent, but they are so yum. If you can believe it there’s three Mars Bars in this one batch! Sometimes I have to remind myself about the three bars to stop myself from eating the entire tray all in one go. Three Mars Bars in one day is just totally unacceptable.

 

 

The last weekend of March we were in Kingston visiting some old friends. While there we decided to make the most of the early spring weather by heading out to a nearby conservation area for a maple syrup festival.

To the sugar bush!

The trees were tapped with the sap flowing. We noted that they had several different methods of tapping, some with metal pails, other trees with blue plastic buckets, and some were tapped atop a hill with a series of connecting tubes that ran towards the sugar shack down the hill below (definitely the most efficient).

There wasn’t any snow of the ground so we weren’t able to do the classic maple syrup on snow or ice. Of course there were pancakes and although we’d already had a delicious breakfast we could not forgo sampling at least one (or two)!

This pancake was so delictable and the maple syrup was so fresh!

I hadn’t been to the sugar bush since I was a little kid. I’m sure in the upcoming years we’ll be doing an annual maple syrup pilgrimage to Mountsberg (and the like) with the little one.

 

The other day I was walking by Hawk & Sparrow vintage clothing store and I fell in love with their romantic spring-scene window display.  I loved the hot pink cherry blossom (sakura) flowers and the bright red-orange colours of the kimono.  Everything about the display pulled me right in and got me thinking about shopping for the spring season.

If you haven’t stopped by Hawk & Sparrow yet you should.  There are beautiful hand selected items from local Hamilton designers, a wonderful and delicate selection of men and women’s vintage finds, jewellery, shoes and accessories.

With the temperature at 15+degrees today, and crocuses already in bloom does this mean that spring is here to stay?

 

For another Hawk & Sparrow sneak peek check out my blog post here.

*Hawk & Sparrow, 126 James St. north, Hamilton, Ontario