A couple of my dear friends made my favourite cakes for me - I had four of them including the one Anthony picked up from the store! I am a very lucky girl!
Regarding the trip to Caledon, I read about the Cheltenham Badlands a while ago, and have been wanting to go since early fall. A lot of things got in the way, so we finally made it this past weekend. The leaves were mostly gone, but the terrain was nonetheless impressive.
Cheltenham Badlands in Caledon
You can read about how the Badlands were formed and why they are considered as nature's time capsule.
Cheltenham Badlands is tiny compared to other famous sites such as Badlands National Park in South Dakota. But it is so close to us geographically, and I feel so fortunate to be able to enjoy such nature's wonder so close to home. I should feel so joyful after the trip but it was nothing but very mixed feelings for me because of this - see all the people on the hills and gullies? I had to Photoshop them out of all the pictures before this one, but that's the least of my complaint.
There were signs like this asking people to stay off the Badlands on top of the slope at the designated viewing spots , but people chose to ignore them and jump right into the red shale surface. A couple and their entourage were even having their wedding photos taken right in the heart of the Badlands - they were shooting a frigging film! I was angry and frustrated at the same time: so many people went down to the gullies to pose for pictures; kids were jumping from one hill to another just for fun; and pets were leaving their waste behind and I didn't see any poop and scoop - they should've never been in there in the first place! Many people tried to kick red clay off their shoes as they climbed out of the Badlands, as if it was such an inconvenience to them - I wonder if it even crossed their minds that they were slowly wearing down a piece of earth's history. Did they even care our future generations may never get to enjoy what we have today at the Cheltenham Badlands? I don't know if the local government has any budget to fence off the area, but I think that's an easy solution that's going to keep people off the Badlands - I would be very willing to make a donation to prevent the human erosion and preserve the Cheltenham Badlands!
Nough said and on to some happier thoughts. This past weekend I cut off all the dead flowers from the hydrangea bushes in our backyard. By the time I was done and turned around, I was surrounded by an ocean of Hydrangea! Kind of pretty don't you think, even when they are wilt?
