We were the first at the golf club this morning for the opening of the patio. On arrival we chatted briefly with Chef Wendy and her assistant. We shared their undisguised enthusiasm for this unostentatious but nonetheless noteworthy recovery from the pandemic lockdown. The catharsis – the relief – was instant when seated at table upon the patio overlooking the greens. Things were at last getting back to normal! A gentleman passed our table and uttered, “Nice to see people gathering again!”

While musing upon the fortuity of our present circumstances,  we commented as well that two of our other preferred summer haunts – namely, Neat Café in Burnstown and the Ivy Lea Club on the St. Lawrence River near Gananoque – would now also invite the customary trade. Given the continuance of limitations, we’ll doubtless opt to visit Co-owner Mark Enright at Neat Café next (it is especially dear to us for their Sunday brunch skilfully prepared by Chef Dawn).

The reinstatement of regular activity has spurred a broader look at the upcoming winter months. Because of the current deluge of travellers onto the Florida scene we’ve had to abandon the hope of finding a 6-month rental. Instead we’ve modified our immediate objectives to include only as little as a one or three-month hibernation some of which may be endured in one of the coastal resorts. It would represent a cautious though perhaps not deliberate reintroduction to the United States of America.

Florida is the southeasternmost U.S. state, with on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. It has hundreds of miles of beaches. The city of Miami is known for its Latin-American cultural influences and notable arts scene, as well as its nightlife, especially in upscale South Beach. Orlando isfamed for theme parks, including Walt Disney World.― Google

For the moment however we’re happily confined to the boundaries of our dear Almonte and neighbouring rural communities of Carleton Place, Village of Pakenham, Village of Appleton, Renfrew County and the Ivy Lea Parkway. I still haven’t lost my motor vehicle absorption. We’ll thankfully now combine this with the native restaurants for which the drives provide such suitable purpose.

I initiated the local exploration this afternoon by collecting for the first time a pizza from Antrim on the Go, a chip/burger/pizza wagon adjacent Antrim Truck Stop where I have traditionally bought the much-extolled (and deliciously ruinous) carrot cake with cream cheese icing. We’re having the pizza this evening with fresh garden salad. It marks a modest Friday celebration of dampening of the COVID restrictions, seemingly something which many others are recognizing as well.

On the not-so-distant horizon I see a luncheon unfolding with friends at the Ivy Lea Club. These priceless though egalitarian outings are for us the distinguishing features of our lives. The prospect of social community is the sugary coating on the cookies!