Royal Recreation Trail

A few weeks ago, Warren and I drove out to Fergus, Ontario for a hike with Sawyer.  We never made it that far but by chance we discovered the Royal Recreation Trail along the Speed River in Guelph.  It intersected Victoria Rd.  A mostly gravel trail, with some offshoots along the Speed River, which is where Sawyer favoured (as you can see from the pictures).  Had we continued on the trail, our final destination would have been downtown Guelph...next time we'll attempt the whole trail.

Guelph Santa Claus Parade

Yet another outing for Mr. Sawyer, this time as a spectator at the Guelph Santa Claus Parade.  First, we whisked sister MJ away from her studies to catch a bite to eat at the famous Angels restaurant for a very late breakfast, followed by a short walk to downtown Guelph to watch the annual festive procession.

In order to get in the spirit of Christmas, we adorned Sawyer (and MJ too!) with a cute pair of antlers, while Dad modeled his Santa shirt.   Sawyer was NOT impressed with us but finally succumbed to the humiliation.

During the parade, we realized that the sound of drums & bagpipes was not Sawyer's cup of tea (not an ounce of Scottish blood in the boy!).  He became very agitated and tried to high-tail it out of there.  However, MJ soothed him and he reluctantly joined us to watch the various community groups display their festive decorations and costumes.

We stayed long enough to watch big brother TJ perform with the Magnolia Brass Band playing a medley of Christmas jingles.  A very proud moment for the whole family.

The adventure ended with a brisk, cold walk back to the car, followed by a cozy warm snooze in the car ride back home.  A good day was had by all.