Belleville <= there we went!

 We've done this trip before: Belleville for lunch! <= 2019 It was an election year, as well! The Autumn colours were spectacular that year.

I drove there, JB drove back. We met Nat and her friend at The Boathouse! I don't have many friends, but Nat and I try to meet. She lives in Timmins, but travels to Belleville more or less annually to visit friends. 

We ate and the clouds rolled in. No matter. Last time a thunderstorm rolled in just as we finished our lunch. 

The trumpeter swans ambled by.

It is a pretty harbour, with the restaurant right on the shore.

These are fairly expensive homes, right near the water. Some modern designs, too. When we drove further out from the city harbour, the homes changed.

This one is typical!

The gardens are nearly past their peak!

This is an old building, with the old name taken off: "W. S. Cook & Son." They've put in new windows and I can't read the rest! I'll bet it is an interesting home.

It was election day!

Note the windshield wiper/cover.

It seems as if the LDD caterpillars haven't ruined Autumn for us! There are splashes of colour here and there.

From Belleville to Tweed.

This used to be a delightful art gallery "Studio 737" (ANOTHER BLOG-IN! 2015). They tried to sell it as a gallery, but no takers. I bought a couple of pieces from them, and attended a wine and cheese open house, back in the day. I have a small brass Siggy Puchta heron sculpture I bought there.

Whoever bought it has really trashed it.

Turtle mitigation barriers

All along highway #7 are rivers, swamps and beaver ponds. Prime areas for turtles. No one I know likes to run them over, so the fences are terrific. They have a little "U" at the end which the turtles cannot navigate around.

I love the rocks. 

Here you can see the prime turtle territory.

"Get the Vax!" was on several signs along our way.

 🐻SNUGGLE Bears

It was Nat's birthday, and we brought her some chocolates from our local shop. She is a fabulous knitter and also does crochet. Nat gifted me some new slippers and two delightful little handmade rabbits! They have featured twice with the bears. They were quite curious the first day, but got to know them the next.

Belleville for lunch!

Trip to Belleville: Fall Colours! 
We went to Belleville to have lunch with Nat. She lives in Timmins, in northern Ontario, and I wanted to meet with her during her visit to Belleville, in southern Ontario. All of my friends live elsewhere, it's fun to meet somewhere in the middle. It was a joy to host Yam from Scotland that year, and Susan from Novar, northern Ontario. Dale visited from Huntsville, as well.

We're in the middle of an election... Our local NDP candidate isn't putting out signs, to save the environment. I'm not sure the efficacy of this. We have a re-usable, generic sign at the end of our driveway for the Greens.


This is a drive-by, but one of my favourites! Poor JB, who prefers driving to taking photos (no pressure), this is the only way he can see where we've been...


We went to The Boathouse Restaurant. We were there smack on the nose of noon, and our timing couldn't have been better. We opted to sit outdoors, as those days are nearly done. Well, 'we' isn't true. *I* made the decision!
These clouds moved off.


The servers were great, not particularly fast, but we weren't in a hurry.


Nat helped out another couple! I love her! She's such a good person.


Seafood and pasta. My fave. JB had a spicy jambalaya. He likes spice. We both took some home for dinner the next night. This is how I've lost 6 kg., although I did eat his garlic toast.


The clouds began moving in.


We paid up, and said our goodbyes just as the heavens poured down. We took a little drive around the harbour first. There are some nice condos.  The houses are about $495,000! This is called Harbour Landing.

Originally the site of an Anishinaabe (Mississaugus) village in the 18th century known as Asukhknosk, the future location of the city was settled by United Empire Loyalists, after which it became known as Meyer's Creek after prominent settler and industrialist John Walden Meyers. It was renamed Belleville in honour of Lady Arabella Gore in 1816, after a visit to the settlement by Sir Francis Gore and his wife.

The long ribbons of clouds were lovely.


A nice park, Jane Forrester Park.

It's a great town, with great services.


Smokin' Joe's!


We drove home along highway #2, through Tyendinaga reserve, Mohawks of the bay of Quinte. It was interesting! Pot shops dotted the highway. It's legal in Canada. Of course, Tyendinaga is a First Nation, with their own government.