In My 'Hood | Heather Meads from North Saanich on Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Hi, my name is Heather and I blog at Swell Conditions – a lifestyle blog inspired by the ocean. I've been asked to write a little about “In My ‘Hood” and about one of my favourite spots in my neigbourhood.

We live at the end of the Saanich Peninsula in North Saanich which is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island where we're surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. We are generally older and upscale exurban couples and families that have settled here for a more relaxed pace.

The area has always prided itself on being a vibrant rural community. Ancestors of the First Nations people fished here in the plentiful Salish Sea and farmed on its rich lands.

Agriculture continues to be a part of our lifestyle with our community being a mix of residential and farmlands growing all sorts of fruits and vegetables and tending to many kinds of livestock. It’s not uncommon to see horseback riders on the roadside or tractors moving equipment between farms here.

My property was once a fruit orchard, but we just grow fruit for our own use and the leftovers go to a friends’ farm close by. We have a network of bartering among our friends and since we are beekeepers and fishers, we trade honey and prawns.

Our municipality supports a “fresh food movement” which means we are encouraged to grow and buy local produce, maximizing our land’s “growing” potential. The farmers’ markets that set up in the Spring and Summer are very popular and you can find many roadside produce stands and u-pick farms to choose from.

One of my favourite places to visit in my neighbourhood is a farm bakery & winery just up the road. The Roost is on 10 acres of farmland where they grow many items used to produce the food they serve including the wheat used to bake breads fresh daily. Their organic fare with a local focus is a “passionate farm experience” and we are lucky to have them in our neighbourhood.

Thanks for visiting my ‘hood and thank you Steph for having me over ~ Heather

Thanks for sharing your special neighbourhood Heather! For more information on this series, see other posts below. To share your 'hood please send me a note!

DesignDreams by Anne from Kimberley, British Columbia

Alison Pentland from Lorne Park Estates in Mississauga, Ontario
Lindsey Gerrish from Riverdale, Toronto, Ontario

In My 'Hood | Lindsey Gerrish from Riverdale in Toronto, Ontario

Hi there! My name is Lindsey, from the blog Recreated. I started blogging about 5 years ago. I originally started it when I started doing upholstery as a side business (I work as a project manger by day) and wanted to share my projects and ideas. But I very quickly realized that I wanted to share more than my projects and it developed into a lifestyle blog with posts on design, food and fashion. 

But enough about me! Today, I am so happy to be contributing to this series In My 'Hood! I have lived in Toronto since 2002, but I grew up in a small, close-knit town in New Brunswick. When I first moved to Toronto I assumed that in such a vast city you wouldn't be able to emulate anything close to that small-town feel. But what I have come to discover is that Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods which operates a little like a whole bunch of smaller towns. Sure, these towns are very much interconnected, but once you live in one area of the city, moving to a new neighbourhood is almost like moving to a new city entirely.

I live the east end neighbourhood of Riverdale and I've lived here for 5 years. Before I lived here I lived in the adjacent neighbourhood of Leslieville. Riverdale is located just a few kilometers east of the heart of downtown Toronto just past the Don River and the Don Valley Parkway.

One of the best parts of my 'hood is that there is so much greenery. The streets are lined with mature trees and gardens and I love it. This time of year, it's just so nice to look up a see this....

Just a few minutes from my place is Riverdale Park East. It is a meandering sloping park leading down to the bottom of the Don Valley, and which boasts what just might be the best view of the downtown skyline in the city.

It also has some lovely lush landscapes for reading, picnicking and even napping.

The houses on my 'hood are mostly older brick homes with lost of character elements like wrought-iron fences and big porches.

There are many lovely homes on my street but this one is probably my favourite. IT.HAS.A.TURRET. And who doesn't wish their house had a turret? Exactly.

At the end of my street is the former home of the historic and notorious Don Jail, which has been around since before confederation. It also happens to be the first and last place that a convicted criminal was put to death in Canada. In 1962, and by hanging no less! who knew they were still performing hangings in the '60s. This lovely building has a dark and sinister past, which you can read more about here.

The building was recently incorporated into the redevelopment of the Bridgepoint Health complex and now houses administrative staff. It is connected to the new modern hospital via a skyway. I love how they have incorporated the old with the new in this project.

Not everyone knows this but Toronto has two Chinatowns. My neighbourhood in home to the the lesser-known Chinatown East. Gerrard Street East at Broadview is brimming with Asian restaurants, bakeries and groceries.

Another place high on my list of cool places in Riverdale is Rooster Coffee House. It is great and it's always hopping. They have great coffee, amazing design and has a really friendly atmosphere. And it's in a great location right across from Riverdale Park East.

Because it is always super busy on the weekends (I'm talking line ups out the door sometimes) which happens to be when I'm able to get there, it's hard to get good pictures. The following photos are from their online gallery and while they don't 100% capture the look and feel that you get being there in person, you can get a good idea how cool it is. I also love that they feature revolving art by local artists on the walls (for sale in case you fall in love with something!). Great coffee + great people + great design + discovering new art = awesome.

On to food loves.....oh how I love food, and the east end is booming with great restaurants, old and new. The first place I want to mention is a 3 min walk from my house. It's Chino Locos Burritos on the southwest corner of the Gerrard Street East and Broadview. It doesn't look like much from the outside but their burritos are UNREAL.

About a 10 minute walk from my house along Queen Street East there are a ton a great restaurants including Chef Kim Crawford's Ruby Watchco, Table 17, La Carnita and The County General.

One store that I frequent is the MacFab Notions shop. MacFab Fabrics used to have it's store on Queen Street East as well, but sadly it recently moved uptown. Thankfully, their notions shop remains and has all sorts of fun things like pins and bottons and ribbon.....

A relatively new addition to the neighbourhood is Goodfolk Vintage and Handmade. I haven't yet purchased anything here but it won't be long because I stop in pretty regularly and they always have something new that catches my eye.

And if you travel a little farther out along Queen Street East (techincally in Leslieville) you get to one of my fave decor stores in the city, Black Rooster. They started off as an amazing online store but now have a great bricks and mortar location. And it's well worth a visit. I was just there last weekend and had my camera and I took some photos, but guess what? I didn't have my memory card in the in camera! Balls. I do have other photos from events at the store, but instead I'm using a couple of images from their facebook page (credit Nina Ber-Donker) so you can see what is currently in store.

Great stuff. Oh, and do you see that pretty beach scene on the wall in the pic above? Well, I just bought that lovely for my wall! So excited for it to arrive.

And that brings me to the end of my 'hood tour! There are so many great neighbourhoods in this city, but I really do love mine and hope to stay here for awhile. Thanks for having me!

Thanks for sharing your special neighbourhood Lindsey! For more information on this series, see the other posts below. If you'd like to contribute, please contact me.

DesignDreams by Anne from Kimberley, British Columbia

Alison Pentland from Lorne Park Estates in Mississauga, Ontario

In My 'Hood | Alison Pentland from Lorne Park Estates in Mississauga, Ontario (aka the mysterious neighbourhood with the white gate between Port Credit and Clarkson Village)

If you've ever driven down the Lakeshore in Mississauga, Ontario you may have noticed a driveway with a little white gate marked "Private" blocking the entrance. This has always been a mysterious driveway to me because I always wondered why it was blocked off. Are they snobby? Is it a single house? What would happen if I went in there? 

Alison Pentland from the blogs In Disguise, Black Oaks and Off the Porch explains the true meaning of the white gate in my my next instalment of In My 'Hood.

Jack Darling, Rattray Marsh and Rhododendron Parks feature four season outdoor fun opportunities like snowshoeing, birdwatching and wedding photo locations

What we love most about blogging from our home offices is that it let’s us physically #live #love #work #shop #play in our own 'hoods, but its digital nature also stretches us outside the domestic to continually connect with a larger world. Educated as an anthropologist everything I do is through its lens. 

I have several small businesses where I express myself through photography, writing, podcasting and, yep, costuming. FeeFiFoFun is an online store offering costumes and accessories all year round. My blog In Disguise complements my costuming, exploring pop culture and consumerism. Black Oaks is my online journal for our arts and crafts home. My main blog, Off the Porch came out after a trip to Blissdom Canada, an eclectic mix of stories, photography and links about nature, travel, politics, parenting and food.

Lorne Park Estates has many old historical cottages and some new ones like this Arts & Crafts home under construction.

My husband and I are drawn to water. In an urban forest of South Mississauga, a stone’s throw from Lake Ontario, we found a piece of property severed from a larger estate and set out to build. First settled by the Mississaugas, Lorne Park Estates became a wood lot for harvesting masts during the Napoleonic Wars. In the Victorian era, the enclave became “cottage country” with a steam tram delivering Toronto folk to the cottages or the one hotel. The hotel was destroyed in a fire, but the promenade remains and sometimes I picture the ladies and gents strolling in their Victorian attire. Eventually the little villages of Lorne Park, Clarkson Village and Port Credit became part of Mississauga, also now technically part of the larger Toronto GTA.

Jack Darkling Leash Free 22 acres depends on volunteers to fundraise and physically maintain the park with the City

Saying good morning to Toronto from the beach at Jack Darling Park picnic area and splash pad

Commercially, my neighbourhood is set between Port Credit and Clarkson Village. Port Credit is a tourist area well known for water front activities like Dragon Boat Races, Paint the Town Red and the Mississauga Waterfront Festival. Clarkson Village is home to spaces that meet your daily needs. Plant nurseries, pharmacy, grocers, yoga, childcare, vets and auto repair. It also boasts hidden gems like Benares and Bradley House Pioneer Museums, Karma Furniture Consignment and The Barn Antiques, the famous family friendly Pump Restaurant, Altered States Comics, CLP Sports and our small, but mighty HomeSense.

Clarkson Village is home to many of Mississauga’s heritage buildings like the Bradley House here serving up pancakes and fresh maple syrup

Lake Ontario often has dramatic winter weather and summer lake breezes lower temperatures by approx 10 degrees

Born on the prairie, I’d like to highlight the lush green spaces of Mississauga that I've become very attached to. Due to the repeated interference of residents since 1903 to keep it from being over-developed, the community has unique status. The community is private and the residents are members who are responsible for voluntarily repairing and plowing the roads, maintaining boulevards, tree lots and the beach front. All homes are on septic with no city waste water [sewers]. The two roads into the community are narrow, without sidewalks and are marked “private” not to be snobby, but to alert people that residents are the caretakers, not the City. I clean the beach of glass and beer cans and spend many an hour pulling weeds from the common areas. If a tree falls, city workers don’t come come to free your car, my husband’s chainsaw does. We are proud to be part of maintaining what can be seen from Goggle Earth as the largest forested area of South Mississauga housing thousands of native species of flora and fauna.

Our Leash Free Dog Park integrates with seven stories of 

Mississauga largest Water Treatment Plant

This is typical of the woodlots maintained by LPEA residents to promote native species

As a nature lover, I can’t think of any better way to spend my days. Particularly because we are connected to a series of parks along the lake shore like Rattray Marsh, Rhododendron Park and Jack Darling Park which has a beach, picnic areas, a splash pad and 22 acres of the best leash free dog park in Canada and I can walk to it all.

Thanks for sharing your special neighbourhood Alison! For more information on this series, see the other posts below. If you'd like to contribute, please email me at lealoulemonade (at) gmail.com

DesignDreams by Anne from Kimberley, British Columbia

New Series: In My 'Hood | DesignDreams by Anne from Kimberley, British Columbia

Today I'm excited to share a new series I'm calling In My 'Hood! A few months ago I was thinking of some posts I wanted to write and one of them was to write a post about my cool neighbourhood Mimico which is located along Lake Ontario in the west end of Toronto. As I was thinking about the post, I suddenly wanted to get a glimpse into other neighbourhoods around the country, so I asked a few other bloggers to share their 'hoods with me! 

Up first is a very sweet neighbourhood in Kimberley, BC via Anne Davies from DesignDreams by Anne.  I'll have another few posts to share over the coming weeks including one about my 'hood so check back to read more. 

Take it away Anne!

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Welcome to Kimberley, British Columbia!  

My name is Anne and I blog at DesignDreams by Anne where I share my adventures of fixing up my 1930s bungalow.  Today, however, I am sharing where I live and it is one of the most beautiful areas of Canada. Kimberley is located in the southeastern corner of British Columbia, near the Alberta and Montana borders.  It is in a valley between the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Purcell Mountain Range.  We have views like this to enjoy:

and a super cute downtown shopping district known as "the Platzl."  

We have great restaurants and quaint coffee shops:

Over 100 kilometres (62 miles) of trails through old growth forests in town:

A huge creek that flows right through the heart of town:

Lots of local lakes and rivers - fly fishing is very popular out here.  So is whitewater rafting.

We have a nature park fully contained within city limits that covers over 800 hectares (1800 acres).

These are all the reasons why I particularly love living here!  That together with an extremely low crime rate, friendly people and pretty neighbourhoods, Kimberley feels a lot like Mayberry, USA (from the Andy Griffith Show).

This is my neighbourhood (from last fall)

We also have a ski hill inside city limits that is family oriented and has a vertical rise of 2465 ft (751m).  From the end of December to the middle of February, we generally get A LOT OF SNOW.  That's not my favourite thing... Most of the trails around here are used for cross-country skiing during the winter months, so I can literally pack my skis for one block, strap them on and ski to my heart's content for free.  The longest trail in town is plowed on a regular basis, so walking it is possible, too.  We also have a huge Nordic ski area at the ski hill that is groomed and lit for night-time skiing. If you want to ski two hills in the same weekend, you can spend one day at the Kimberley Alpine Resort and head over to the Fernie Alpine Resort which is an hour away and a completely different ski experience.

There's an aquatic centre in the heart of town, two arenas and a beautiful local garden covering 5 hectares that is free to the public.   

Our local campground is a huge draw - the Kimberley Riverside Campground is located on the banks of the St Mary River and is only a few years old.  It has a pool, an 18 hole putting course, loads of campsites for tents and RVs with either full or partial services.  It gets rave reviews from anyone who uses it and people come back year after year.  

Photo by Jarret Bell, Campground Manager

There's a cute little pioneer town about 45 minutes away called Fort Steele Heritage Town that has been around since the Gold Rush days.  It has been maintained in its original state.  There are demonstrations of old time skills as well as hayrides and gold-panning. 

There's an annual rodeo held just south of Kimberley every summer and one of the warmest lakes in British Columbia can be found half an hour away at Wasa.  It's located in a provincial park with camping available. 

There are hot springs an hour and a half north of us in Radium Hot Springs.  Golf courses are all over the place out here.  If you're a golfer, you might recognize the name Les Furber - the designer of several of the local courses.

We're only 3 hours from Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta.  Here are some views from that area:

Hauntingly beautiful, isn't it?  

I hope you've enjoyed this tour of my part of Canada.

Cheers!

PS - Want to feature your neighbourhood? Contact me at lealoulemonade (at) gmail.com.

With a small budget, big dreams and a love of a challenge, Anne blogs about renovating and decorating her tiny 1930s bungalow. A self-taught artist and professed power tool lover,  she enjoys writing, gardening, photography, nature and diy'ing. And she's never met a dumpster she didn’t want to root through! Come along for the ride!!

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