Wasaga Beach - 20/02/14

(Beautiful shot, isn't it?)

I think I got pretty lucky with this picture. I actually took this on the 15th on the way into Toronto, and not while leaving Toronto. With a simple Twitter filter, it looks even better too!

So the final day of my trip was not what I expected, unfortunately. I woke up to an empty house. My uncle had left me some cash on the table for bus fare (which I kept trying to insist against, but I'm bad at refusing money from people, especially relatives), and I made myself breakfast. Eventually the phone rang, like it did a lot when I found myself alone in the house for that week. It was my aunt Kathy calling to talk to me this time, so I picked it up, and she explained what had happened.

Apparently her dad had gone through a very difficult night, and he was being re-admitted to the hospital. She was with him now, and she wasn't able to leave him. Her daughter, my cousin Valerie, whom we had gone to see The Monuments Men with on Monday, would be coming at about noon to come get me and take me to the bus terminal in Barrie for my bus headed to Toronto at 2.

I made sure that my bag was packed, kept my phone plugged in for as long as I possibly could, and spent most of the day listening to my audio book. Eventually my cousin arrived, and we were off to Barrie. One thing that I'd never realized about her before, since we hadn't spent a lot of time together, is that she's a bit of a crazy driver XD I grabbed onto the handles in the car rather tightly each time she decided to make a turn. Soon we arrived at the terminal, we said our goodbyes, and I had a bit of time before my bus started boarding, so I grabbed a burger at the Burger King they have in the terminal.

Outside of the terminal I happened to spot this, which I think is one of the coolest things ever! You can pay money and buy a used paperback book, or even donate a book of your own to the cause just as easily. I absolutely love this idea! I really really wish they had something like this in Welland, or at least in St. Catharines. It's not only a great idea for the environment, but it's a great way to get people reading.

Saw these houses while driving through Toronto to get to the terminal, and something about them stuck out to me, so I decided to take a picture. It amazes me how much they can fit into one city. Not just various goods and services but apartment buildings, old fashioned homes, countless universities and schools, and everything else that Toronto contains. One day I hope to call Toronto home. That might only be for a total of 4 months, but perhaps it will be for longer than that. There's no way of knowing just yet. I guess I'll have to find out.

And that concludes these blog segments on how I spent my Reading Week. I hope I didn't bore anybody! I'll be back to writing about my regular home life - and mail! - soon :)