Marvelous Monday - Life's A Beach

As some of you know, I started writing this regular blog feature "Marvelous Monday!" to encourage myself on this day of the week, when I'm usually grumpy and annoyed that the weekend is over, to think of all the many things for which I have to be grateful.  There's no antidote to grumpiness quite as effective as gratitude, so I figured I would take a little time on Mondays to "count my blessings" instead of moping around with the Monday morning blues!

I have tried to specifically be thankful on Mondays for things that don't only include weekend activities ... because really, if I'm only counting the weekends as blessings, then that just reinforces the whole idea that Mondays are to be dreaded. Today, however, I just have to say "Thank-you, Lord, for this amazing weekend!"  Because this past weekend has been absolutely wonderful.   The weather was perfect and the company could not have been better - yup, I got to spend some quality time with my beloved Mr. Magnolia!

Those of us in the Niagara Region are really quite blessed to live in an area with easy access to two beautiful Lakes - Lake Erie and Lake Ontario which are joined by the Niagara River, most famous for its stunning waterfalls at the point in the river where water flowing down from Lake Erie towards Lake Ontario, slips over the Niagara Escarpment and plunges down the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.   Where Mr. Magnolia and I live is only around 2 kms from Lake Ontario so we have access to that lake on a daily basis - but we are also very close to Lake Erie as well, so we often take the opportunity on weekends to make the short drive over to that lake.  It's amazing how the two lakes have their own very distinctive "personalities" - actually, all of the Great Lakes are like that - each one unique and beautiful in its own way.

This past Saturday we drove a little further than usual, to one of my favourite summer-time beaches in Port Dover, Ontario.  We started the day out by enjoying a delicious crepe breakfast at a new restaurant in Port Dover called "The Crepe House."   Mr. Magnolia chose the "breakfast crepe" which was filled with egg, ham, goat cheese and roasted red pepper.  I opted for the "summer fruit crepe" - a delicious paper-thin crepe filled with fresh blueberries, raspberries and peach slices, and then topped with a light drizzle of lemon curd and whipped cream.  Yum!

Don't you just love the way Mr. Magnolia's shirt matches
the table cloth?  :)

Port Dover is a really beautiful beach that is quite shallow for a long stretch out into the water, so it is very popular with families who have young children.  With the temperature in the low 80's (27/28 Celsius), it was a popular day at the beach - not too hot but still hot enough to make the water very refreshing!

We didn't go swimming, instead we spent some time "people-watching" and walked out on the lighthouse pier where a beautiful breeze blew the humidity away.

From the end of the pier, we enjoyed watching the kite surfers 

and the sail boats go by.

Then we decided to really "play tourist" and signed up for a one-hour boat ride of the river that enters Lake Erie at this port.  The pontoon boat was a smooth ride and the Captain gave us a great oral history of the area while we road along up the river.

We passed the few remaining commercial fishing buildings left over from what used to be a thriving commercial fresh fish industry .... 

 

And loads of waterfront mansions that are rapidly replacing the commercial buildings ...

Our lovely boat ride took us past a variety of watercraft from 

luxurious yachts to wee little kayaks ...

And then past some turtles sunning themselves on a log, indifferent to the fancy, or not-so-fancy boats that might go by ...

After the boat ride, we enjoyed a leisurely drive home followed by a brisk walk with our dogs, and then a delicious supper, not at any fancy restaurant, just at "Chez Magnolia" with fresh veggies out of our own garden to compliment the juicy steak - one of Mr. Magnolia's favourite meals!

Definitely a day to remember with a heart so full of gratitude that there's not a speck of room left for the Monday Morning blues!