We had a lovely Mother's Day visiting my mother in her nursing home in Grimsby. Most of our extended family was there to enjoy food and fellowship in the Orchards Common Room. Following lunch, our family as well as my sister's family took our Mom for a beautiful Sunday afternoon drive to Historic Grimsby Beach area on Lake Ontario.
Again, the Spring season was evident and stunning!
We saw quaint cottages and beautiful spring blooms, orchards and vineyards, greenhouses and garden centres.
As we entered the Historic Beach area, we were intrigued by the charming and quaint cottages, of colour and character. I did some research and discovered that in the 1850's, a Methodist Campground was set up here, first as a tent community, followed by the building of these cottages which were built so closely together that "the neighbours could shake hands while standing on their own front porches." A small community was built up and thrived around this camp. A pier was built to ferry the passengers from Toronto across Lake Ontario to spend thier summers in this cottage area, where there was also an amusement park as well as a hotel. Only a few of the original cottages remain, but their charm and character have stood the test of time. You can read more about the history here.
Don't you think these cottages are so adorable with their board and batten and their gingerbread trim:
I took a walk around the neighbourhood and spotted this beautiful Red Maple:
Elegant wisteria was flowering in abundance:
Fragrant lilac bushes were blooming in all their glorious colours:
Chestnut tree blossoms were also fragrant and abundant:
Profusion of violets growing wild amongst the rocks:
Love the iron-clad door and the lilacs:
Glimpse of Lake Ontario:
More wisteria, and if you click to enlarge, you can spot the hazy outline of the Toronto Skyline across the way:
