Our annual jaunt to the beach mecca that is the Sandbanks. There is just no way that a summer will go by without us spending time in "The County". We have been heading here every summer for over thirty years, it is that fabulous an area.
Lots has changed over the years. The area has evolved from having Sandbanks as the main destination, to one that now offers multitudes of possibilities for all sorts of interests. From wineries, to restaurants, to artsy shops, there is something for most everyone. All three towns have changed due to the influx of new money and investment, a lot of it seems from the Toronto area. Naturally, there are two sides to all this growth, and I'm sure both sides could hotly debate the pros and cons. For us, it's still all about enjoying whatever the area has to offer.
We reserved Sandbanks many moons ago, and this year we are in the Woodlands campground. We managed to nab a nice site, with a good combo of sun and shade. The site has power, so Barley will have A/C should it get too hot for him. Not surprisingly, the campground is full, as Sandbanks is a very popular park.
Our fellow Alto friends, Mark & Angela are a few sites over from us, so we had them over for dinner and a visit. It was only a few years ago that they happened to bike by our site in another area of the park, and we gave them a tour of our Alto. They soon placed an order and are now owners of a 1743. Meeting them at Sandbanks seems to have become a nice yearly event.
A touch of rain overnight, as large black clouds were always cruising by throughout the day. We got in some nice beach time Friday afternoon, then we headed over to see our friend's new home on the east side of the County. Lee & Howard bought a nice century home and plan to eventually retire here. We had a nice visit and a great tour of their place. They have been coming to the area for many years as well, and getting a place here is a dream come true.
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| the high water levels in the lake this year has really impacted the beach width |
Saturday we wandered the shops of Bloomfield and Wellington with Helen & Paul. We grabbed a bit of lunch in a nice little restaurant called Pomodoro Trattoria in Wellington that certainly hit the spot. In the evening we had dinner at the Waupoos Pub, where we met our friend Geoff. We always get together with Joey & Geoff for a yearly catchup, but unfortunately this year Joey was not feeling well, and she figured it was best to stay home and take it easy. Also there was Debbie, of Jack & Debbie, people we have met through Geoff. Jack was out of town, and is was very nice that Deb joined us regardless.
Sunday was another busy socializing day...a visit in the afternoon from Helen & Paul, followed by dinner at Sonny & Jane's in the evening. They have the Nap n' Nosh B&B in Bloomfield, where we have stayed many times ourselves. They laid on a wonderful summer BBQ...the dry rub ribs that Sonny cooked were finger lickin tasty!
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| Dale works on an afternoon campfire |
When we got back to the Alto, there was a note on the door for us to come over for breakfast with Mark & Angela. What a nice idea.
After our breakfast visit, we slowly packed up the site to head home.
So as you can tell, this was very much a socializing sort of weekend...and we loved every minute!
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