When I was down in California in November Stacee, Brenna, Susanna, and Candice all went to Disneyland with me. I’m not sure why I went – I don’t like rides and my equilibrium is off which makes me dizzy. Oh and the fact that I dispise roller coasters which may have something to do with it.

I didn’t realize Space Mountain was a roller coaster. I just followed my American friends grabbed the ticket to come back later, went along my merry way. Came back skipped the line and it wasn’t until we stood there chatting that I decided that maybe I should ask what kind of ride Space Mountain is…. I do recall Stacee’s exact words to me were, “It’s kinda like a roller coaster *pause* No it IS a roller coaster” thanks …. I didn’t chicken out, I did go on it, but through the entire way I had my hea between my hands, teeth clenched and I swore under my breath “When will this ____ ride end?!”

As you continue north east, along the detroit river and by the shores of Lake Saint Clair, one will venture into the town of Tecumseh, Ontario; a nice little residential area. It was nice visiting with my friend, taking some time to be by myself while he worked and enjoyed the company of his .. 10 plus Labrador (sorry! Forget the exact age.)

The streets are tree lined in the old fashion way, that still managed to look beautiful in the snow. Overshadowing the streets that made me want to come back in the fall with the beautiful golds and oranges. It’s definitely a suburbia that still manages to keep its charm despite the season.

I’ve been through London. I’ve spent ten hours at the back of a Greyhound bus squished between two sketchy looking characters. I’ve had a guy try to grind himself against me in Vancouver’s skytrain. I’ve never felt so dirty, so aware of how sketchy my surroundings were like I was walking through downtown Windsor. I’ve always felt comfortable carrying my camera out, here I didn’t.

Due to it’s close proximity to Detroit, just a skip and a hop across the river, (a photo of the bridge is down below) a lot of 19 and 20 year old will come to enjoy the forbidden fruits of the US – in the name of drinking, gambling, and strip bars. The Weather Network has designated Windsor the smog capital of the world, due to it being downwind from strong polluters in the United States and a lot of respiratory illnesses are present.

I feel like the below photos present people with the typical stereotype of Canadian winters. Coming from the west coast, where we get no more then three snowfalls that only last 24 hours, I can see what people think when looking at these photos. I can see why people get depressed, why people can’t see the beauty in there surroundings when they are presented with this gloomy picture several months of the year.

I’ll never say no to visit a place again, especially when I visit a place in the winter. I bet you Windsor truly is the City of Roses in the spring and summer. With beautiful flowers along the river front, old buildings and churches, I know for sure the residential area closer to Lake Saint Claire is beautiful, but the industrial area and downtown with strip joints every block in the winter? Not so much.

(click pano’s to enlarge)

Sometimes when I cook or eat at a restaurant with friends, I feel like something lacks. That when I come up with a great combination of foods (pesto on an omelette .. uh yeah!) the greatness of the dish doesn’t fulfill its greatest potential because the people eating it can’t realize and differentiate all the tastes. Sometimes a, “This is really good *gobble gobble*” isn’t enough for me … well I didn’t realize it wasn’t enough until now.

I knew I enjoyed food and wanted to share it, a friend of mine helped me realized my potential when I created the Roasted Mushroom Soup recipe, that he asked for and adored. It was then I realized I could help people who didn’t enjoy cooking or didn’t enjoy the trial and error of creating food; which is why Sunday Recipes was created.

My trip to Newburyport and a dinner at the Agave Mexican Bistro allowed me to fully comprehend the feeling of sharing a meal and cooking with someone that has those same ambitions; the same love of food. Its one thing to have someone try to share in your love with food, it’s another thing entirely to find someone who has the same passion, one that defies words. It’s a shared passion that you only realize in the moment of putting a fork with blackened chicken with chocolate mole sauce in your mouth that you both know exactly what it is.

Now that I’m back home that spark that inspiration of shared passion wavers once in awhile. Now that I’ve felt it, meals and restaurants lack in comparision. But it sure is nice to send a quick email to someone with a title of “Guess what I’m having now” and know that person on the other side is completely jealous and sends feedback on what could make it better. It’s a nice feeling to have someone inspire you to cook and live your dreams, no matter how obscure they may be.