Book ~ "Death on the Rocks" (1999) Eric Wright

From Amazon ~ The author tests his unseasoned detective with a couple of perplexing cases. Canadian sleuth Lucy is hired by well-to-do Greta Golden to find out more about a man who is hanging around asking questions about her. When Lucy goes undercover and meets him, she finds out he's a fellow detective and gets him to reveal that he was hired by a British law firm to investigate Greta's background, as she may be an heir to a recently deceased and wealthy man. Greta has always thought she was an only child with no living relatives so she is intrigued to learn she may have family members in England. She rehires Lucy, this time to fill in the gaps in her parents' histories. In Britain, Lucy exhumes an old story of two sisters and the man they loved, a tale of jealousy and murder. A subplot involving the odd behavior of a drugstore owner adds a riddle to this otherwise straightforward mystery.

I was excited to find this mystery series that is based in Toronto.

The author is originally from England and that comes through as he talks about Toronto. No one refers to Yorkville as "Yorkville Village". And he referred to the Harbourfront streetcar route by something weird. I didn't get the feeling that he knew what he was writing about.

I didn't enjoying the writing style ... I found it frivolous. And I didn't care about the characters.

I tried to stick with it but finally gave up halfway through and skimmed to see how it ended.

Metcalfe Restaurant, Elora, ON

After our hike along the Grand River, we had supper at the Metcalfe Restaurant before we headed for home.

Here's Gord on the patio while we are waiting for our meal.

Gord ordered the crunchy chicken sandwich and onion rings.

He enjoyed it.

I felt snacky so ordered nachos. They were loaded with cheese, chili beans, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes.

It was too loaded because the chips underneath were soggy because there was so much stuff on them. Plus they had been sitting for a while because it was warm, not hot.

Elora, ON

After we left the West Montrose covered bridge, we headed to Elora. Gord and I haven't been there since 2002.

We walked over a bridge and here was our view of the Elora Mill Inn, an old mill which is now a restaurant and inn.

Here's Gord.

We walked to the Elora Mill Inn.

Here's the Elora Gorge Falls (also known as Tooth of Time) next to the Inn.

Not so calmed here.

We had a drink on the patio at the Inn (you can see it on the picture above). In the next picture, we're on the patio looking up at where the last picture was taken.

We walked along Grand River, following a path on the other side of the water across the Inn.

Here are the ruins of the Kiddie Kar Factory.

It was fun to walk through the woods along the path.

Here's how high we were ... can you see the people swimming in the water in the middle?

There are three hiking paths ... we did the yellow and the green.

We went down through the Hole in the Rock.

Heading back up, it looked like a bum!

We headed back along the trails to get to our car. One last trek was down to the water's edge. After seeing people swimming, inner tubing and kayaking, I couldn't resist walking into the water.

The water felt good but it was really rocky.

West Montrose covered bridge, Grand River, ON

After we left St. Jacobs, Gord saw a sign for a covered bridge so we went to find it.

And there it is at the end of this road.

This is the West Montrose covered bridge ... we walked through it.

The West Montrose covered bridge is recognized as a historic site by Ontario's Archeological & Historic Sites Board. It is Ontario's last remaining covered bridge and has a 198' span across the Grand River.

Why a covered bridge? The answer to this is for safety and economic reasons. A roof over the bridge served to protect the large timbers and trusses from the elements; and this is the reason the bridge is still standing after more than 100 years. Uncovered wooden bridges have a life span of only 10 to 15 years because exposure to rain causes unprotected joints to rot in summer and freeze in the winter; the hot sun causes the wooden planks to dry and curl.

The bridge was built in 1881 and underwent major repairs in 1999. Light traffic is still crossing the bridge daily and many horse and buggies cross on Sundays. The bridge is often referred to as "The Kissing Bridge" because it is enclosed and the soft light provides a feeling of intimacy for the romantic.



This was on the lawn on a house on the other side of bridge. When you take a pop or water, you put the $$ in a locked box on the sign. Trusting or what?!

Here's inside the bridge.

Once we got back to the other side, a Mennonite family drove through ...

And went to the store not far away.

They were then joined by four kids.

St. Jacobs, Ontario

After we had lunch, Gord and I walked around downtown St. Jacobs, poking in some of the shops. If you are looking for handmade crafts and quilts, it's a good place to go.

Here I am posing by the post office.

This renovated building has lots of great stuff ...

Including a massive model railway ...

and gorgeous quilts ...

We walked along the quaint main street ...

We headed to the farmers' market, which is held on on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

There are hundred of vendors selling meat, pastries, veggies, fruit, cheese, clothes and more.

The St. Jacobs area has a large Mennonite population.

We walked outside and checked out the vendors there.

Next time we'll bring a cooler so we can buy some fresh meat and produce. I'm going to head to St. Jacobs in the fall to do some Christmas shopping.

Benjamin's Restaurant & Inn, St. Jacobs, ON

Gord and I drove to St. Jacobs, about an 1.5 hours away.

It was lunchtime so we went to Benjamin's Restaurant & Inn.

Nestled in the heart of the Village of St. Jacobs, Benjamin's Restaurant & Inn offers its guests the charm of a vintage inn with modern conveniences for your comfort. For 150 years, the building which houses Benjamin's has accommodated overnight guests. Built in 1852 by a local Mennonite named Joseph Eby, the original "Farmer's Inn" was a stage coach stop en route from Berlin (Kitchener) to Elmira and all other points north.

I had a hamburger and fries.

The burger was good ... the fries so-so so I just had a few.

Gord ordered the wild boar meatloaf. He had asked to substitute the sweet potatoes fries (he's not a fan) for potato salad and the server ended up bringing both.

He said the meatloaf was good.

And here's Gord when we left.