Tourtiere + bacon soda & a beer float - THE Last Canada 2012 post

It's been nearly two years since our Canada trip...

and after much procrastination, the very LAST post is now finished...

A handcrafted ring + return to Providence Bay

In my hand is a ring made by one of C's First Nation students...

The young lady who made it is a teenager and part of the Objibwe tribe on Manitoulin Island. It looks quite delicate and I'm almost afraid to even wear it...

Pickers of Prov

Even though we did not get any actual "fish" at the fish and chips place, we knew we would be in for a great meal for dinner, our last in Manitoulin (sniff)...

The little shack next door to the Fish and Chips place was a newly opened mini shop...

As you can tell, the building was pretty new and hadn't been painted yet. The owner just got there and let us in...

Lake Huron Fish & Chips

You'd think that with the persistently gloomy cloud cover and chilly temps (low 60's = freezing to SoCal natives)....

the girls wouldn't want to go to the beach, but they weren't going to let the weather deter them. Before making our way to the beach, we made a stop for a quick snack...

Canada 2012 Day 10 - Corned Beef Torta and return to Mum's Bakery

We arrived super late last night from our epic drive from Ottawa...

After a good night's sleep, we met up with Uncle (C's father) in the kitchen who whipped up some breakfast with a brand of corned beef that is now one of my favorites...

On the way back to the Island

Once again, we hit the open road...

passing by the town of Sturgeon Falls, home of the Step Dance and Fiddle Festival, the sign which was last seen during on our way to Ottawa earlier that week...

Dewy's Redneck Grill

Located in the center (note, the American spelling) of the Island is the town of Mindemoya.

We'd already been here earlier during our trip but now we were back to get some lunch and hopefully provisions for dinner...

Canada 2012 - Day 4: In search of butter tarts

C and FarmerJohn were kind enough to let us borrow their mini van while we did errands on the island. TC and C's daughter played on this ginormous gravel pile back at the farm.

One of Canada's most beloved desserts is the butter tart. We thought we could find some ready-made version close by rather than driving all the way out to Mum's (a  thirty minute drive!).

This was the map near the gas station and convenience store in South Baymouth.

If we couldn't find any here, we'd try a few other spots recommended by C...

Father's Day Dinner at Royal Michael's Bay Restaurant

Being that today was Father's Day, we had the privilege of joining C and her family to dinner at the Royal Michae'ls Bay Restaurant....






Although it was only a few miles away from C's parents' house (they drove), it seemed a lot longer because her father drove VERY cautiously on the backroads...and by "very cautiously" I mean, so very fkg slow that  I lost track of time looking at all the trees in the forest!

Kurbside to Go

After seeing the Kagawong Mill and the nearby Heritage Center, C wanted to take us to a fairly new vegetarian food shack...

which was unfortunately closed...

Plan B was to go to another food shack owned by a family friend...

Sights in Kagawong

After our totally necessary stop at the Manitoulin Chocolate Works, C wanted to show us a bit of Kagawong...

It's a really cute small town...

Return to the Manitoulin Chocolate Works

Although we'd been here from our first visit two years ago...

we couldn't say no to these magic words, "Chocolate" and "candy"...

Return to Lillian's

OMG, can it be?

Yes, it is...the return of the Canada posts! We still haven't left the Island yet either, but this day would be our last before we embarked upon the epic road trip with C and her family...

After our visit to Mum's Bakery and drooling over their butter tarts, we made a quick stop to a local First Nations store...

Mum's Restaurant and Bakery

Just down the street from Foodland was a bakery that is a favorite with locals...

I was looking for one of Canada's iconic desserts...

Return to Foodland

You know, I feel like mixing things up today.

Portland, Canada, San Diego, anything goes...

This time we are back in Canada. Manitoulin Island to be exact. We had our hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, and fruit as well as the surprise Poke made with rainbow trout a few hours earlier.

C's husband, FarmerJohn was out in the fields while we piled into their minivan to do errands and see some sights...

Canada Day 3 - Poke Manitoulin Style

We were happily ensconced in C's parents' home. We arrived super late the night before after having had a marathon day of driving through Ontario. Her parents used to own a motel and then coverted the rooms into extra living space, so we had our own rooms here.

Here was some of our breakfast for our first full day of our return to beautiful Manitoulin Island. Fresh fruit made by C...

Along with bacon and scrambled and over-easy eggs (not pictured)...

But the kicker of this awesome breakfast was an unexpectedly inspired recipe made by C's dad (heretofore referred to as Uncle)...

Canada Trip - Day 10 Highlights

This was to be our last full day before leaving at the ungodly hour of 2 am to get to the Sudbury Airport.

But first, breakfast!

Made by C's dad. He got this corned beef (with Chili) at an Asian store in Montreal. The meat are actual chunks not the smashed up block like Hereford's brand. He mixed it up with eight eggs and made a torta...

Canada Trip - Day 9 Highlights

C's friends were gracious enough to let us stay at their place again before we headed back to the Island. Before we left, the husband took us on yet another quick tour of Ottawa.

One of the original uses of this ornate building was housing farm animals for exhibits (circa mid to late 1850's)...

And because we weren't able to stop at C's favorite bagel place in Montreal, her friend's husband took us to a local place that did it "Montreal style"...

Canada Trip - Day 3 Highlights

Even while on vacation, I just HAD to consult Kirk's blog for a recipe...

Made, of course, with a few key changes...

The Ferry ride back...

Finally, it was time to board this thing! To refresh your memory, the ferry boat is called, the "Chi-Cheemaun" which means "Big Canoe" in the Ojibwe language. Call me juvenile, but I can picture a Jamaican dude saying, "Hey mon, let's ride the Chi-Cheemaun"....Okay, lame, but yeah...