Saturday, March 31, 2012

FOODIE FRIDAY - RODNEY'S BY THE BAY


Last night, my oyster buddy, Anita and I tried yet another oyster restaurant, "Rodney's by the Bay".The restaurant is tucked away on Temperance Street in downtown Toronto like a hidden gem. The restaurant is small and charming, but the food big on taste and freshness.

We started with a variety of fresh shucked oysters, and because we sat at the bar we got to watch all the shucking action.


Next up we both had the "Beet Salad". I have to admit, I was disappointed. I had a beet salad at another oyster restaurant, and was thrilled with it, I was expecting something the same. Rodney's salad was good but I think calling it a beet salad is a stretch. Compare the two salads below.

Beet Salad at Jake's in Burlington.

Beet Salad at Rodney's.

See the difference?

Anita had Lobster Tails and Frites for her main. She said it was good and enjoyed it.


I had the "Daily Special", which was; Scallops, Brussel Sprouts with onion and bacon, and Butternut Squash.


My meal was delicious, I just wish there had of been more of it. Best brussel sprouts I've ever had, and the squash was really great too. I make scallops at home all the time, so maybe that's why I wasn't wowed, and I think three for a "dinner" is about three short.

I enjoyed the atmosphere at this restaurant very much, and would gladly go back for drinks and oysters, but I'm undecided if I'd go for dinner again, the cost compared to portion size didn't sit well with me.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

I MISSED MY BUSHNELLS


A little over a month ago I got a text from Rob, telling me that my binoculars mysteriously dropped from the kitchen table and broke. I believe Meadow (our cat) was some how involved, but Rob would never admit that. I was devastated, I love my Bushnell binoculars.

For the last few weeks I have been a birder without her binoculars, which made me a very sad birder. We have other binoculars, but it's not the same. I am use to my Bushnell legacy bins, and they are my eyes when birding.

We found out where to take them and Rob finally took them there for repair last Monday. We'd heard if Bushnell couldn't fix them they may give you a free pair. Well I am happy to say they were able to fix them and Rob picked them up for me yesterday!

I am looking forward to going birding this weekend with my trusty ole Bushnell bins.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

FINN TURNS FOUR!

Finn loved his "Cars" cake.

We were invited to our close friends, Brian and Amanda's on Saturday to celebrate their son's fourth birthday, which is this Tuesday.

The house was well decorated for the special occasion.

The party was "Cars" themed, one of Finn's favorite Disney movies.

A "Balloon Bouquet".

Amanda did a great job with the decorations.

See that pic on the wall behind the balloons, Rob took that! We had it framed for them for X-mas.
Little Sister Isla looked lovely for the occasion.

The party goers.

Finn could hardly wait to dig into his presents.

Rob and I gave him Mickey Mouse Yahtzee and Cars PJ's, which he was very happy with.

Finn loved his new chair from Michael and Nettie.

This "Superman Car" was without a doubt his favorite gift, from Mom and Dad. When he opened it, he yelled, "You found it!".

Brian with daughter Isla.

The awesome cake! It tasted as good as it looked.

Doesn't Rob look cute in his party hat?

Happy Birthday Finn!!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

CPF AT THE TORONTO SPORTMEN'S SHOW

Me with Alexandra, a female Great Horned Owl.

This was our second year volunteering at "The Canadian Peregrine Foundation" booth at the Toronto Sportmen's Show. We enjoy being so close with the birds, but we also enjoy answering questions and spreading the word and knowledge about the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and species at risk.

Personally, my favorite part is when I see children walking towards the booth, and their eyes light up like Christmas morning when they see the birds!

"Solo", a male Bald Eagle, makes a good poster boy.

Rob sharing his knowledge.

"Kyla" is a female Kestrel, the smallest of the falcon family.

"Boo" is an European Eagle Owl (not native to Canada, but related to our Great Horned Owls) and generated a lot of excitement because of his gorgeous orange eyes.

All the attention tired him out!

It is a true privilege to get to be so close to these beautiful birds of prey and we're glad we could help.

For more information on The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, including; school visits, adoptions, nest site sponsorship and upcoming events, please click here.

You can now "like" them on Facebook too!

Monday, March 12, 2012

SUNNY SUNDAY

The girls having brunch at MoRoCo in Yorkville.

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day here in Toronto with the temperature reaching the high teens. I had a great day, which included a delicious brunch at Moroco with some of my girlfriends. It was the first time seeing some of them this year, so it was really nice to catch up. For most of them it was their first time at the restaurant, including Teena, and she did her own blog about it.

I walked home from my subway stop after, first time for that this year too. Time to get back into that habit, as it's a nice 30 minute walk. After getting home, Rob and I enjoyed a coffee in the backyard, another first for the year!

It was a great sunny Sunday.

Friday, March 2, 2012

MARCH MADNESS


I've been home sick the last two and a half days with a flu bug and have been asleep much of that time. Finally on the mend and am looking forward to getting back into my regular routine.

We have a calendar that hangs in our kitchen that we write all our appointments and outings on, and this morning I noticed that the month had changed while I've been sick and how busy March is going to be.

We're doing another Authentic Canadian Tours birding trip, we're taking part in our first ever Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society meeting, and we're once again helping out the Canadian Peregrine Foundation at the Toronto Sportsman's Show.

We've also got a birthday party to attend, some appointments, and I've got some spa pampering and outings planned with girlfriends.

It's going to be a busy month, but a fun-filled one.