Lunch at The Maples

This post is brought to you by...Mechanix Wear gloves!

My dad bought me these a few months ago to prevent thumb scuffing while paddling the kayaks.  Yes, I know that sounds quite diva-like but it's more irritating than you'd expect.

Anyway, they're basically a second skin when I'm out there.  Hell, I'd wear them in the shower, if we could ever get that friggin' curtain up.  I've worn them so much that they now smell like feet, which is somewhat puzzling, now that I write that out...I'm sure I'm doing it right...Anyway, they're awesome.

So...Dropping by CFB was kind of a last minute decision today but we're quite glad we did.

I didn't say anything about it at the time, but last week we stripped the Sun Room and replaced the carpet with the indoor/outdoor variety (indoor/outdoor?  How does it know??).  It's difficult to tell the difference, and there's still plenty of work to be done in that room, so I didn't get into it, but here it is for now.

This time around, we cleared an area right to the left of the front door.  That spot doesn't appear on any listing pictures.  Why?  Because it wasn't particularly attractive.

There was a small freezer there.  Sounds handy on the surface, but for our purposes, not really.  The fridge is plenty roomy for us and the freezer's location caused it to become nothing more than a convenient place on which to drop something as you walk through the door.  So why not put something there that actually serves that specific purpose?

Several weeks ago, we bought a very simple (i.e. cheap) shelving unit to put in the freezer's place.  We finally got around to putting it together today.  It went great and...we now have more freezer space at home, where we're more likely to need it, because the little guy actually fit in the car.

Nothing fantastic, but a bit of a space saver and we also got to use some of the leftover indoor/outdoor (how DOES it...) carpet to rest it on, so are getting a bit more of our money's worth there.

We made a couple of stops in Sharbot Lake prior to heading home, including The Maples.

We tried this bad boy...

Hot Italian Ciabatta Sandwich: Delightful roasted red peppers and tomatoes tossed with garlic and pesto, laid atop slices of provolone cheese and fresh tomato, on a fresh toasted ciabatta bun.

And will again. And again and again.  That restaurant is one of those places that whenever we'd drive by I'd say that I'd like to try it some time.  Nice to check that one off the list and to know that it's worth taking someone to if we have guests.  Good, simple family restaurant, all of 15 minutes or so from the cottage.  Something to bear in mind.