Best. Sunday. Ever.

Started with a great ride through Millcreek Ravine. What made it so great? A bike ride is a bike ride, no? No! A bike ride is great fun, especially when you pretend you are part of the Tour de France. It’s  even better when you ride through the local ravine, and the green wormy leaf-curler caterpillars don’t fly in your face, and better, you make it UP THE HILL, ON THE BIKE, even though it’s only your third time out and you have a bum knee and your gears won’t go into the lowest gear possible. Never mind I had to stop at the top of 87th Ave to catch my breath, and was worried someone would look out their front window and see me leaning on my bike for support and trying to breathe. I could hear it, “Harold! Come look at this! I think we should call 9-1-1.”.

Next, it was coffee and spending time with Mom. Just sitting in the yard and chatting about everything, checking out the garden, and watching sparrows take a swim in the bird bath.

Then, it was a walk through Old Strathcona, and being amazed by the great art along Whyte Avenue. It was Art Walk. And if I wasn’t so focused on the destination of our walk (beer), I would have stopped and picked up a few paintings from my new favourite artist, Ian Sheldon.

This is the stuff he does:

I love nothing better than prairie sky and weather. Okay, I love all sorts of artsy things, but today, it’s prairie sky and weather. Tomorrow it might be bunnies with chainsaws. I am flexible that way.

Finally. We reached our destination. The Sugar Bowl. Followers of my blog know I go there frequently, and the reason is simple. Staff are charming. Beer selection wide. Clientele eclectic. Patio superb. Today was a perfect patio day, and we passed several hours in the sun, having a great afternoon.

Michael was into vodka grapefruit lemonades, with an extra splash of simple syrup (it was absolutely divine and perfect for a hot afternoon), and I opted for a lager. Stella Artois. Perfect!!!! Of course, the rotten photographer I am, I travelled today without my camera and phone, so I’m stuck will ripping off pictures from the interweb. There were a few advertising shots of the Stella, but I came across this, and my active imagination fell in love:

Nothing concludes an afternoon on the patio better than an empenada. We fired up the oven, got it to a scorching 425, and baked the solidly frozen empenada’s we picked up from Argyll Foods on 63 Ave a week or so ago. They were delicious. Run. Go get some. Put them in the freezer next to your frozen perogies. Excellent and delicious stuff to have on hand when you don’t want to cook.