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| The 7am walkers ready for stormy Toronto |
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| Susan along the Lakeshore just 2 hours later |
Breakfast
at Sunnyside
Early on
Saturday morning I knew, even before I was fully awake, that it was pouring
rain. Normally I’d stay in bed under such conditions, but this was the day we
had decided, after a year or two of thinking about it, to park at the Lakeshore
and have breakfast at the Sunnyside restaurant by the lake after our walk. Not
wanting to miss out, I dressed and drove over, hoping for the best. By the time
I arrived the rain had stopped and there was even a bit of blue sky peeking
through the gray. As I gathered my gear, the rest of the group appeared. We
were ready to go!
We walked east,
and then back, under grey and blue, and dry, skies. Gone was the haze of heavy
heat that we’ve been under for a week or two. Instead of soft and insubstantial,
the horizon was clearly outlined; sky on top and water below, with a sailboat
in between. On one leg of our journey back we came across colourful dragon
boats rocking gently in the water, ready for their race. On our right their
owners busily and efficiently built white day-tents for supplies and sorted out
paddles. Sailboats were white, grass was
green, all colour were amplified with sharp clarity. It was a feast for our eyes. And other senses
were alive as well. We inhaled deeply of the fresh clear air and enjoyed the
sounds of children at play as we passed the playground.
We arrived at
Sunnyside for breakfast, securing chairs on the lakeside patio, and continued
to admire the view of water and sky and to enjoy the coolness of the morning.
At one point the wind became mischievous and
whipped a table umbrella down to the ground where it rolled a bit before
a staff member caught it. As we finished eating the skies began to darken again
and we moved quickly toward our cars, each on individual missions for the day..
As I write this
at 1:00 p.m on Saturday, it has been raining for an hour. It is as though were given a
specific window of time to complete our walk and breakfast, a favour from the
gods of fate, or the spirits of the land, or it could be simply random.
Whatever or whoever, we stayed dry and cool, and finished just in time. It’s
nice to know that sometimes things just work out exactly as they should!
