Shaydid, Grace O'Malley's, Toronto, ON

Sister Sarah and I went to Cuba in April ... it was an east coast kitchen party theme with Shaydid, a cover band from Halifax, NS.  They were playing at Grace O'Malley's this weekend so I stopped in tonight.  It was nice to chat with band members Mark, Kirk and Crystal.

Blaze Pizza, Toronto, ON (Dundas E)

Gord, Trish and I saw The Meg this evening (it's a fun movie).

We had supper beforehand at Blaze Pizza (at Yonge Street/Dundas Street E) beforehand.  We've been there before and like it.

You can order one of their signature pizzas or build your own ... we built our own.  There are lots of ingredients to choose from.

That's my pizza ... with regular sauce, extra mozza cheese, pepperoni, ham, bacon and tomatoes.  It was good!

Book ~ "Beach Town" (2015) Mary Kay Andrews

From Goodreads ~ Greer Hennessy needs palm trees.

As a movie location scout, picture-perfect is the name of the game. But her last project literally went up in flames and her career is on the verge of flaming out. Greer has been given one more chance, if she can find the perfect undiscovered beach hideaway for a big-budget movie. She zeroes in on a sleepy Florida panhandle town called Cypress Key. There's one motel, a marina, a long stretch of pristine beach and an old fishing pier with a community casino-which will be perfect for the film's explosive climax.

There's just one problem. Eben Thibadeaux, the town mayor, completely objects to Greer's plan. A lifelong resident of Cypress Key, Eben wants the town to be revitalized, not commercialized. After a toxic paper plant closed, the bay has only recently been reborn and Eb has no intention of letting anybody screw with his town again. But Greer has a way of making things happen, regardless of obstacles. And Greer and Eb are way too attracted to each other for either of them to see reason.

Between an ambitious director and his entourage-including a spoiled "It Boy" lead actor who parachute into town, a conniving local ex-socialite and a cast of local fangirls and opportunists who catch the movie bug, nothing is going to be the same in Cypress Key. Now Greer is forced to make some hard choices: about the people and the town she's come to care about and about her own life. True love is only for the movies, right? Can Greer find a way to be the heroine in her own life story?

Greer is a scout and travelling around Florida for the perfect location for a soon-to-be-made movie.  She has a big list of "need-to-haves" and finds the perfect spot in Cypress Key.  Filming starts right away, the script isn't even finished, and the cast and crew take over the town.  There is tension between Greer and Eb, the mayor ... Greer is focused on getting the movie made (and keeping her job) and Eb is concerned about preserving the town after a paper plant had left.  It doesn't help that they are attracted to each other.

As the filming begins, everything doesn't go as smoothly as it should.  The rapper-turned-actor male star isn't on his best behavior, the director is moody and demanding, a permit is being denied and Greer's long-lost father tries to connect with her.

I've read a few books by this author and I liked this one.  I liked the writing style and found the storyline entertaining (it's a fun summer book).  It is written in third person perspective focusing on Greer and Eb.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity. 

I liked the characters.  There was an array of different personalities.  I liked Greer ... she had a lot going on in her life.  I liked Eb too ... he seemed to be everything to everybody.  Aunt Gin seemed gruff but was caring.  Eb's teenage niece, Allie, wasn't annoying and was fairly well-behaved and responsible.  I found CeeJay, Greer's best friend who was the make-up artist on the movie, a bit too "whatever" about her relationship with the director, though.

Sasso Pizza Market and Bar, Hamilton, ON

I had a late lunch today at Sasso.  As soon as I walked in, I caught the scent of wood burning.

I love love love pizza and ordered a Meatza pizza (without onions).  It's baked in a wood oven and takes about two minutes.  It was a good pizza.  The crust was a bit tough (so needed a sharper knife than a butter knife) but there was lots of meat on it.  I'd get it again.

Book ~ "It's NEVER Too Late And You're NEVER Too Old: 50 People Who Found Success After 50" (2013) Vic Johnson

From Goodreads ~ One of the biggest hurdles people over 50 have to overcome is the mindset about their age. There’s an old cliché of “age ain’t nothin’ but a number.” But as we all know, getting older does have certain obstacles such as dwindling health, limited income, and the end of long-time careers followed by “now what in the heck do I do?”

Yes, age is the number of candles on a birthday cake, and a stark reality of things to come. But getting older isn’t ...

... a deal breaker
... a reason you can’t start a business or any other new venture
… a limit on success
… a valid excuse for inaction
… a valid excuse to give up on your dreams.

Here are 50 people who overcame the very same things you are facing right now. Let them show you the way to outrageous success and happiness regardless of your age or circumstances.

As someone who is over 50, I thought this would be an interesting book.

Vic Johnson is apparently a motivational speaker, though I can't find out much about him.  Google searches come up with older information.

In this book, there are 50 short chapters about 50 people who had success over the age of 50 ... 50 reasons why it's never to late and you're never to old to live your dreams and find success. 

They range from unknowns to those more well-known such as Colonel Sanders, Orville Redenbacher, Ronald Reagan, George Burns, Julia Child, Winston Churchill, Rodney Dangerfield and Clint Eastwood.  They include powerful business people, people who changed history and those who made a difference around them.  At the end of each chapter, there is a principle (a recap) and an action (how you can duplicate).

I liked this book.  It was short and snappy and a quick read.  Some of the people I'd obviously hear of while others I hadn't.

Book ~ "Every Crooked Nanny" (1992) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ After ten years of cleaning up Atlanta's streets, former cop Callahan Garrity trades in her badge for a broom and starts a housekeeping business. She's on the job when her client announces that her pretty nineteen-year-old Mormon nanny has disappeared - along with jewelry, silver and some sensitive real-estate documents.

Soon Callahan and her crew of eccentric cleaners are involved in a job messier than any they've ever encountered. Illicit love triangles, crooked business deals, long-distance scams - it's going to require some industrial-strength sleuthing on Callahan's part to solve this one.

Callahan used to be a police officer for ten years but quit to open her own investigation agency.  That didn't work out so she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna.

Lilah, someone Callahan went to school with years ago, hires her cleaning service.  She then hires Callahan as a detective when she discovers that Kristee, her nanny, has disappeared along with some jewelry, silver and documents relating to her husband, Bo's real estate deal.  As Callahan starts digging, she discovers the real estate deal may not be as legal as it should be, Kristee may not be the innocent nanny everyone thought she was and anyone, including Lilah, Bo, Bo's business associates and even Kristee's lover, could be involved in Kristee's disappearance.

The writing style and storyline were just okay.  The editing could have been tighter as there were typos.  It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  I found there were a lot of characters to keep track of.  The end was came together quickly and was a bit unbelievable.  I don't know why the author had Callahan have a breast cancer scare ... there was enough going on in the book so it wasn't needed.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the first in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series, originally written in 1992.  While I thought it was just okay, I liked it enough to want to read the next one in the series.

Happy Simcoe Day!

It's Simoe Day, a statutory holiday, here in Ontario.

It is named for Col. John Graves Simcoe ...

• Hero of the American Revolution
• Commanding officer of the Queen's York Rangers
• Founder of Toronto
• First Lt. Governor of Upper Canada
• Builder of Yonge Street
• Abolished slavery in what's now Ontario 30 years before the rest of the British Empire did it and 60 years before Abe Lincoln did it

The Bentway, Toronto, ON

The Bentway is a public trail and corridor space underneath the Gardiner Expressway that opened less than a year ago.  From July 8 to August 12 on Sunday afternoons, they have a beer garden and entertainment.  Gord and I walked there today.

Big Smoke Burger, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had lunch today at Big Smoke Burger (King Street W/Portland Street).

We both got a classic burger and a Diet Pepsi.  Gord got his with lettuce, onions, pickles, mustard and mayo.  I got mine with pickles, mustard, ketchup and tomatoes.  They were freshly made and good burgers.  The patties had flavour and was tender and the bun with soft.

We'd go back!

Book ~ "Little Bitty Lies" (2009) Mary Kay Andrews

From Goodreads ~ In a suburban Atlanta neighborhood where divorce is as rampant as kudzu, Mary Bliss McGowan doesn’t notice that her own marriage is in trouble until the summer night she finds a note from her husband, telling her he’s gone - and taken the family fortune with him. Stunned and humiliated, a desperate Mary Bliss, left behind with her seventeen-year-old daughter, Erin, and a mountain of debt, decides to salvage what’s left of her life by telling one little bitty lie.

At first, Mary Bliss simply tells friends and family that Parker is out of town on a consulting job. Then the lies start to snowball, until Parker turns up dead. Or does he?

Mary Bliss’s formerly staid existence careens into overdrive as she copes with an oversexed teenager, a mother-in-law with Ethel Merman delusions and the sudden but delicious shock of finding herself pursued by two men: the next-door neighbor who’s looking for a suitable second wife and a dangerously attractive ex-cop who’s looking for the truth about Parker McGowan.

All around her, couples are breaking up and Mary Bliss never expected it to happen to her.  So you can imagine her surprise when she discovers that not only has her husband left her and disappeared but he has taken all their savings.  She is in shock so at first tells everyone he is out of town working.  But as she discovers just how dire her financial situation is, she has to come up with a plan and take drastic measures.

In the meantime, Erin, her 17-year-old daughter, is out of control.  Mary Bliss is still visiting Eula, her elderly mother-in-law, in the seniors home despite her being nasty and rude to her.  Her best friend, Katharine, is bitter about her husband leaving her for a younger woman.

I've read a few books by this author and I liked this one.  I liked the writing style and found the storyline entertaining (it's a fun summer book).  It is written in third person perspective focusing on Mary Bliss.  I was surprised there was so much drinking and driving.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.  There is a recipe for the much talked-about chicken salad.

I liked Mary Bliss.  I know she had a lot going on but she needed to be firmer with Erin.  Erin was so disrespectful to her and all Mary Bliss did was say she was grounded but she never backed it up.  Erin treated Mary Bliss like crap and she allowed it.  Some of the things happening in Erin's life were extreme and not necessary to the storyline and I could have done without.  Even though she was not a nice woman, I found Eula amusing.

Book ~ "Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs" (2018) Cara Sue Achterberg

From Goodreads ~ When Cara felt her teenaged children slipping away and saw an empty nest on the horizon, she decided the best way to fill that void was with dogs - lots of them - and so her foster journey began.

In 2015, her Pennsylvania farm became a haven for Operation Paws for Homes. There were the nine puppies at once, which arrived with less than a day’s notice; a heartworm positive dog; a deeply traumatized stray pup from Iraq; and countless others who just needed a gentle touch and a warm place to sleep. Operation Paws for Homes rescues dogs from high-kill shelters in the rural south and shuttles them north to foster homes like Cara’s on the way to their forever homes.

What started as a search for a good dog, led to an epiphany that there wasn’t just one that could fill the hole left in her heart from her children gaining independence - she could save dozens along the way. The stories of these remarkable dogs - including an eighty-pound bloodhound who sang arias for the neighbors - and the joy they bring to Cara and her family (along with a few chewed sofa cushions) fill the pages of this touching and inspiring new book that reveals the wonderful rewards of fostering.

When asked how she can possibly say goodbye to that many loveable pups, Cara says, “If I don’t give this one away, I can’t possibly save another.” Filled with humanity and hope, "Another Good Dog" will take the reader on a journey of smiles, laughs, and tears - and lead us to wonder how many other good dogs are out there and what we can do to help.

I love reading books about animals ... and how could I resist the picture of the dog on the cover!

This is story of Cara ... a married mom of three children, who is an author (I read and enjoyed her first book, I'm Not Her).  In 2015, her dog, Lucy, had passed away and she wanted to get another dog.  Rather than adopting another one right away, she decided to foster dogs for Operation Paws for Homes, figuring when the right one came along, she would become a "foster fail" and keep that dog. 

This is her story of fostering 50 dogs (she has since fostered over 100 dogs) ... the foster times ranged from twenty-four hours to months, puppies (at one point she had 12 new-born puppies and their mother plus other fosters) and older dogs.  She keeps a blog of the dogs she fosters.  At the end of the book, there are full-colour pictures of the dogs she had fostered (it was great to be able to put a face to a dog as I was reading about).  Also there are reasons to foster dogs and reasons why people don't.

I enjoyed this book and enjoyed the writing style.  The passion for ensuring rescue dogs find homes rather than be euthanized definitely came through.  She never hesitated to jump in and do what she could and she had quite the variety of dogs coming into her home.

I am a volunteer with a local cat rescue.  I would love to foster cats but (1) we have two of our own (our tabico can be a bit bitchy) and (2) I would have a hard time saying good-bye to my fosters (I have friends who were foster fails).  So as a social media volunteer, I can use my skills and interests and I'm still helping to find homes for rescue cats and kitties.  It was interesting to read how hard it was for Cara and her family to say good-bye to some of the dogs ... some of the dogs they would have loved to have kept but they were happy that they did find their forever homes.  She knew that if she kept a dog, she wouldn't be able to save the next one.

The author is donating some of the proceeds from this book to Operation Paws for Homes.

Pete’s Corner Grill Family Restaurant, Toronto, ON

Gord love love loves breakfast and we haven't had breakfast out in a while.  We've driven by Pete's (Queen Street W/Sorauren Avenue in Parkdale) about a million times but have never stopped in.  Today was the day!

We both ordered the breakfast special ... Gord got his with bacon (and coffee) and I got mine with ham (and a large milk).  They were good and we both ate it all!

Gord's

The Goodman Pub & Kitchen, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had an early supper this afternoon at The Goodman Pub & Kitchen at Harbourfront.

Kajama, Toronto, ON

This afternoon Gord and I went on the tall ship, Kajama. ... we did the 2pm sail and docked again at 3:30pm.

Kajama (pronounced 'Kai – ya – ma') was built at Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg, Germany, and launched on July 26, 1930 under the name Wilfred. She was a three-masted cargo schooner. Captain Wilhem Wilckens was her owner and master and he operated from the homeport of Hamburg from 1930 until 1960.

In 1960, she was purchased by Captain Karl Asmussen of Egersund, Denmark. Captain Asmussen renamed the ship Kajama after his two sons and his wife: Kaywe, Jan and Maria. The ship continued to work under sail until the mid1970s, at which time the Asmussens converted her to a strictly motor-driven vessel.

Throughout the years from 1930 until 1998, Kajama traded general cargo. Her voyages went as far south as Balboa in Northwest Spain, throughout Western Europe, and Scandinavia, and above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. In January 1999 after the passing of Captain Asmussen the previous year, Kajama was purchased by Great Lakes Schooner Company of Toronto. After preparation for sea she steamed to England, Azores and on to Toronto. Kajama underwent a major overhaul and restoration to her original profile in just over ten months.

Here are Gord and I waiting to board the ship.

 Boarded!

And we're off!  Passengers were invited to raise the sails.

Joe Bird, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had lunch today at Joe Bird at Harbourfront.

It was such a nice day and Gord and I sat on the patio.