Simple (Local, Affordable, Inspirational) Pleasures

I’m going to spend the next few blog posts showing you what’s making our summer so great.

The way this relates to writing is (a) all these things are right in our Ontario backyard, which means even a writer can afford to explore them, (b) they show you the real inspiration and the stories that are all around us, and (c) my next book is set in the corridor of Eastern Ontario (Ottawa – Kingston) defined by these posts.

So, here’s the first one – a celebration of a sometimes-dismissed, not-always-that-widely-explored town just an hour down the highway – Smiths Falls.

We really know we’re on holidays when, instead of rushing out the door to the cottage ASAP on Friday afternoon, we take our time, wake up on Saturday morning, don’t leave the house until about 11:00, and mosey down the road to stop in Smiths Falls for lunch.

We have a favourite patio, at our favourite Smiths Falls restaurant / pub – Rob Roy’s on Beckwith Street – and I think, from the photos, you’ll see why we like it so much.

This is the view from our table.

Same view, different angle.

This is my club sandwich!

And this is how they brought my nine-year-old’s hamburger when he said he doesn’t like anything on it but pickles. Now that’s a customized burger!

To me, this is one of many examples of places close to us that people from elsewhere would be blown away by – what a location! – but we just take them for granted.

Feel free to pitch in with your local – possibly overlooked – treasures. I think it’s good for all of us!