What I'm Loving In September

Here's what's making September a happy month for me.

A final summer camping trip

Our first camping trip of the season left a bit to be desired, weather wise. The first day was ridiculously humid with an unprecedented level of insects. Day two saw an epic rain storm which led us to temporarily abandon the campground for several hours. We knew we needed a camping re-do so we could embrace the final days of summer. I'm so glad we had a last minute Labour Day weekend camping trip to Voyageur Provincial Park (Ontario) with friends. We had PERFECT summer weather - and it was nearly mosquito free! It makes me feel a bit better about the approaching autumn, knowing we had one last perfect summer experience. 

Pumpkin spice all the way!

Living in Canada means you have to embrace all four seasons and I really, really love autumn. I Also really love pumpkin pie and just about anything it inspires. But I'll be the first to admit that pumpkin spice flavour mania has gotten a little bit out of control. Do we really need pumpkin spice M&M candies? I tend to limit my consumption to pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin based scones, muffins, and loafs (which I could eat year round!) We had a lot of great summer adventures - on the road and at home - but I'm glad to welcome autumn and all it brings.

Getting together with girlfriends

I have a tendency to become an anti-social hermit when I'm not traveling. Hey, it's just nice to nest at home sometimes! But the past few weeks have had me out of the house and socializing at an epic level (translation: out more than twice. Go me!) One extra special visit was when my friend and colleague Mariellen Ward (of BreathDreamGo.com) came to check out Ottawa. We had a great night of feasting on Indian food and girl chat. Oh, the men-folk were there too but we didn't pay much attention to them!

Discovering the BEST chicken salad sandwich in the world.

Yep, I said it. This is, without a doubt, the BEST chicken salad sandwich in the world. One of the things I love the most about travel is when something simple is done so impeccably well and you get to discover it in an unexpected place. And such is the case with this sublimely good, classic chicken salad sandwich. 

The chicken tastes like it was roasted just for this recipe (as opposed to having a filling made up of leftover chicken from yesterday's special) and it's cut fine to the point of almost being shredded. There's just enough mayonnaise to hold it all together without being gloopy. I'm convinced there's some other mystery ingredient in there too. Served on white bread with a leaf of lettuce, well, it was just so, so good. If you want one for yourself, you'll have to go to the Olde Bakery Cafe in Ingersoll, Ontario.

Tell me about your September. What's putting a smile on your face?

In case you missed it, here is what 2015 has been like so far:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August