I’ll be honest – I basically forgot that today was the 4th of July until it was far too late to try to see fireworks or do anything patriotic.  We were too busy doing a lot of super fun things, like having outstanding home fries in a Flying Saucer:

Or hiking down into the Niagara River gorge not once but twice, with a crazy trip upriver on a JET BOAT OMG in between.

Or stopping for excellent sandwiches and adequate pie at The Pie Plate, which came highly recommended by Bon Appetit. My grilled ham and cheddar with apple butter was fantastic, and while the ‘steak’ and ‘melt’ parts of Shane’s steak melt were good, the real stars of the sandwich were the mushrooms in a bit of flavorful gravy. It was precisely the sort of place I could imagine Olivia running – except that Olivia’s sweets are MUCH better.

Or trying raw milk cheese from Avonlea – a place that previously existed only in novels for me – but leaving Cheese Secrets, also recommended by Bon Appetit, because the prices were Zingerman’s-high, but the quality, service, and selection were not. Or going to the pub next door for a pint, and being told “Well, there’s the menu” when Shane asked for recommendations for Canadian beer.

Or watching the sun set over Lake Ontario while we held hands and talked about our families.

It was a good day.