Prince Edward County - Ontario

Prince Edward County Sunset
S. King-Allikas

Not to be confused with Prince Edward Island, Prince Edward County is located south of Belleville, Ontario.  "The County" as it is referred to by locals, is a home to dozens of wineries, farms, quaint towns and huge sand dune beaches (Sandbanks Provincial Park).  Although it is only a four hour drive from Montreal, it is a very well kept secret and few people from this province have ever heard of it.  Shhh...  

My husband and I spent a week there recently.  We rented a private waterfront cottage (actually a lovely home with all the ammenities one could want -Cottage Rental ) and spent a week touring the county's back roads, cycling, kayaking, soaking up the sunshine, scenery and peacefulness of this idealic location tucked away along the shores of Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte.

If you haven't already decided on a vacation destination for this summer perhaps these photos will inspire you. 



Once a hops farm, this is one of the barns on the property of Gilead 66, a local micro-distillery
S. King-Allikas 

Stroll along the sand dunes that tower over the waters of Lake Ontario
Sandbanks Provincial Park, S. King-Allikas

Enjoy gorgeous sunsets from a waterside deck
Prince Edward County - S. King-Allikas

Prince Edward County Sunset
S. King-Allikas

 

Why not consider a long weekend or a week away this summer.  Escaping our daily surroundings and routines allows us to come back refreshed and more appreciative of all our blessings. 

 

Thank you for stopping by at My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

 

Wishing you a lovely day,

 

Sandra



A Minimalist Kitchen Renovation - Update

Paying for my sins of the past.... peel n' stick tiles.  

When we purchased our house twenty years ago it had a vinyl tile floor in the kitchen.  I grew tired of the pattern and put peel n' stick tiles directly on top of the original tile; then about a decade later I did the same thing again, more peel n' stick on top of peel n' stick.  It looked fine and no one was the wiser...until now.

We decided to remove those two layers of peel n' stick tiles before we installed our new wide plank pine floor.  What difficult, messy work that was.  I put in a few hours with a hammer and chisel but my husband did the bulk of it (about 15 hours worth!). 



Removing old peel n' stick tiles with a hammer and chisel

 

Removing peel n' stick tile - slow, messy work

 

It was slow going and so for about two weeks sections of our kitchen floor where the tile had been removed, were super sticky.  Our solution was to roll out lengths of waxed paper to create little "paths" to the sink, the fridge the kettle.  As long as you stayed on the waxed paper path you were safe; one false step however and you might have to leave your shoe behind.  Our dog, Zack,  quickly learned to stay on the paper paths!



All the old tile removed - if you look closely you can see the waxed paper paths

Last Saturday with all the tiles, baseboards and trim removed, my husband and our dear friend, John, set to installing the pine planks. We had chosen a mix of 10 inch and 6 inch wide planks for a more authentic farmhouse look.  The planks are tongue and groove and while some where finicky to fit together others went together really easily.  The wood was pre-stained and pre-treated so once it was installed the job was complete.



wide plank pine floor installation in progress



pine floor - pre-stained and treated



pine floor - installation complete

I just love the colour, warmth and texture of the wood.  Because it is a soft wood, it will get nicked and dinged and yet that is what will give it even more character and charm as the years go by.  And if we, or the next owners, ever want to remove the floor, it will be a much less frustrating task than removing peel n' stick tiles.

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a lovely day,

Sandra