More of the Farm...

Bert took these photos of their barn...

Bales of hay for the cattle...

TC  and J (C's husband) and Chance the dog (pronounced the French way):

C's dad's garden and Billy the Goat

C, her daughter, and her mom were planning to do errands in Sudbury which was two hours away and off the island. However, before they left, we went over to her parents house which is down the road from their place. 

Her dad is really cool. He's very tall for an Asian; he is of Chinese descent but was born and raised in Trinidad/Tobago. He also has this cool Caribbean accent. Her mother, a Filipina from the Philippines, is a hoot! She is a petite lady with a great sense of humor. They were both so welcoming and treated us like family.

While at their house, her dad showed TC his fossil collection in the front yard:



Her parents' garden was pretty big too. People have huge yards here in the country. He had all kinds of flowers and plants.

Not sure what this was but it was pretty...

This was a Bachelor Button flower:

Here's an Iris:

Vegetable garden...

I think this is a Hollyhock (someone who has more horticultural knowledge than me, please correct me if I'm wrong):

Another  type of Iris (love the coloring on this one):

Purple vine flower:

I liked how the leaves were both red and green:

Here's something you don't really see in San Diego, a septic tank!

This goat was actually a gift from C's dad to C's daughter but it' housed here instead of at C's. It's name is Billy but her dad jokingly called it "Caldereta" (a type of Philippine stew made with goat).

Bert wanted me to get near it and take a photo...

Well, I did and that damn animal started to nudge me really hard. I realized it was HEAD BUTTING my thigh! See those horns? Those MF's hurt! I told Bert, "Hurry up and take the photo!" and ended up walking away from it, photo or not.

As we left, C's mom gave us some sodas for the ferry ride back. I still can't get over pink cream soda.

We had such a great time on the island. It was the most "nature" we'd ever experienced. TC loved it the most. She wants to go back and hopefully we will visit again in the near future.

The Kicking Mule Ranch, Tehkummah

After lunch at the greasy spoon known as Carol and Earl's (no offense Manitoulians), we headed back to C's to freshen up. Then, C and I dropped off Bert and TC at the (yee haw) Kicking Mule Ranch. This is down the road from C's place...

TC was excited because she loves loves loves horses...

By the way, the weather the whole day was very gray and Morrissey. Very gloomy and somewhat cold but not so cold that you'd need to bundle up.

Bert and TC signed up to take the 1 hour trail ride which takes them through the scenic forests around the ranch.

This lady was in charge and the younger girl (obscured by the horse) was the accompanying rider.

TC's horse was this beautiful "Paint".

Bert, on the other hand, got a stubborn MULE. Yes, a mule by the name of "Cowgirl". It was his first time riding. TC's more experienced, having been to horse camp twice and helping a former co-worker at his stables once. Bert's mule was kind of "independent"; it wanted to go into the bushes a few times. He tried to steer it out, but it keep forging on.

TC enjoyed the trail ride a lot. During the ride, they went through a trail, then a big beautiful meadow (like in "Twilight", her words), and rode through the forest, between the trees, then did a big semi-circle in the forest before heading back to the ranch.

One thing she thought was nice was a hunting shed in the forest. She said a father built it a long time for hunting with his two sons. I wonder if there are any animal skins drying out in there? Heh heh. but seriously, she really loved the experience and didn't want to leave Manitoulin at all. She loved being in the country and told me that when she grows up, she wants to live near a lake and forest and own a horse!

Tehkummah - Garden's Gate Restaurant

So finally, nearly 6 months later, here come this really late post This is near the end of Day 5 of our Canada trip. We are still on Manitoulin Island.

If you recall from the prevous day 5 posts, we'd gone to Bridal Veil Falls, the Manitoulin Chocolate Works, Gore Bay, and Providence Bay. For dinner, C and her husband took everyone out to dinner at a restaurant she'd raved about previously on her blog, the Garden's Gate Restaurant. It's in their little town and just literally less than five minutes down the road. Her parents also live right next to the restaurant.

By everyone, I meant, C, her husband and their daughter, her university friend S and his lovely and expectant wife E (they had their baby boy a few weeks ago!), TCS (the College Student) who was there for the summer, Bert, me, and of course, TC.

There really WAS a garden's gate that led to the restaurant. More pix of the garden towards the end of this post. I love trellises and how flowers look when they are draped from the trellis. Too bad I don't have a green thumb.

Here is a spectacularly vivid purple iris...

This looks like a poppy but I'm not sure if it is one. Aren't the colors amazing?

The restaurant was mostly empty when we got there. There is also a covered sunroom with tables; there were some ladies out there having an early dinner.

Their menu. To see their offerings, click here!

I forgot whose drink this was. It was  Bert's beer, some microbrew I believe.

This was my drink, the Neilson Crispy Crunch milkshake. It was chocolate milk  but with a blended candy bar("Crispy Crunch" by Cadbury) in it. Nice.  It tasted like a cold melted candy bar. By the way, Neilson Cadbury is a Toronto-based company and part of the Weston Food Group.

Ooh, a local brew, Muskoka Cream Ale. This was S's drink . This shit happened waay back in July so I honestly don't remember.

One of the appetizers was mozzarella sticks with ranch dressing:

A few people ordered this, along with TC, the Chicken Fingers which was served with a small side salad. Now you might think, "Chicken Fingers, hmmmm, that's standard kid food".

But no.

This

was

not!

The chicken used in these chicken fingers was the best we've ever had. C and her husband weren't kidding when they said these chicken fingers were really good, like the best! The chicken was so soft and tender. The breading was just right - coating the chicken quite nicely with a crispy crust.

I think this was my side salad. I'd like to also mention that the service was super nice here. The owner took our orders and served us while his wife was in the back cooking. He was so kind to TC, even crouching down low to her level while taking her level (the guy is like 6'3 or taller!). He made her feel so important while he cracked jokes with her and the rest of the table.

I'm not sure whose soup this was but it had broccoli in it...
Here's a closeup...

Not only did I order this, but so did two others...This was the Pecan Crusted Chicken with Mango Rhubarb Sauce. I had to get something with rhubarb since I've never had it before. The nut crusted chicken is grilled in butter and finished with the sauce which also includes balsamic vinegar, shallots, mango, rhubarb (duh) and a tiny bit of maple syrup. Like TC's chicken fingers, this chicken was like the motherfkg holy grail of pecan crusted chicken! I never order chicken, but this was the rare exception. It was mouthgasmic, I tell you. So good, you'll need to smoke a cigarette when you're done.

I believe this was S's dish - since he's a vegeterian, this was obviously meatless. I think it's some sort of canneloni (wild rice and mushroom)...Looks good! And an animal didn't have to die for this!

This was Bert's Chicken Schnitzel also with the same sides (carrots and asparagus) and brown rice. Other plates on the table also had "mash" (what they called "mash potatoes").

All right, I saved the best for last! The dessert! This awesome looking dessert was mine, the Chocolate Tulip Cups with Cappuccino mousse inside...The delicate petals were made of multicolored chocolate and looked too beautiful to eat.

Someone had the Key Lime Pie....

This was the Mad About Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake...

C had the Creamy Rice Pudding which had a bit of a lemony kick to it...

As we left, we stopped a bit to admire the garden. We also took some group shots here.


Can you see the restaurant cat?

This was such a fun day going all over the island with the best tour guide ever, C!  Before we left, we saw this cool atmospheric phenomenon, the Sun Dog (that'll be the next post).

Here are C's previous posts on the Garden's Gate Restaurant:
June 2009
May 2009 - This was a sentimental day for C...
July 2007