TWO days in Tobermory!

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We’ve been wanting to do “the Tobermory trip” for several years now. Being tempted by all the stories of how picturesque the village is and turquoise waters. But actually experiencing it was breath taking. Sharing our experience for those who are making a trip to Tobermory.

*Pro Tips*

1- If you are planning your trip, start by checking out the booking websites for both Flowerpot Island (Cruise carriers) and the Grotto (Parking Reservations). Tobermory is a touristy spot and it’s encouraged to make your bookings several weeks in advance!

2 – Bring your re-usable water bottle and take advantage of the grocery story near by or pack food so that you can have breakfast at the hotel and lunch picnics during the day! Our motel had a fridge in room and a microwave & water cooler in the common area.

3 – You’ll need a few appropriate shoes: runners/hiking boots & water shoes/sandals with grips

Day 1 – Sauble Beach, Fish & Chips + wander around Tobermory Town

We drove out to Sauble Beach on a Friday. The beach is fantastic, lots of sandy space to set up an umbrella and a picnic. The water was a little chilly (most likely because of the wind and being the end of the summer) but still amazing to get a fresh dip! Highly recommend going on a weekday to avoid the crowds. There is plenty of paid parking right along the dune but it fills up fast!

Once we had enough of the sand and the waves, we drove for just over an hour to make it to the Tobermory Town in time for check in. We were staying Blue Bay Motel (one of the accommodations on the main street, well actually “Bay St”) and settled in. The motel is great, rooms are a good size and well kept! It’s on the opposite side of Little Tub Harbour and perfect location for walking EVERYWHERE. Right beside our accommodations was the The Fish & Chip Place. Food was pretty good and the portions were perfect.

We decided to take an exploratory stroll along Bay Street to work off that extra serving of tartar sauce. We checked out the Nature’s Gifts and The Sweet Shoppe. We also made a mental note of the other places we wanted to check out for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday – Flowerpot Island, Exploring the Town and Dinner

We were up bright and early for our trip to Flowerpot island. There are 2 tour companies that operate tours to Flowerpot island. We went with Blue Anchor mainly because of the larger glass bottom boat. The morning of we had to be at the ticket counter 1hour prior to our departure time and then at the departure dock, 30 minutes prior to departure. Parking was a available about 1km walk from the dock and there was a bathroom at the departure dock (which was helpful with the kiddos). Once we got on the boat, we secured seats right in front of the glass bottom and enjoyed the 40 min ride. There was both a guided and automated tour on the boat and the views were amazing. You could also make your way to the front or back of the boat for some great picture ops.

Once at Flower Pot island there is about a 5 km hike to the main “flowerpot” structures. It really is a site to see. We enjoyed the hike and took the time to walk along the trail (which follows the shoreline) as well as walk off the trail onto the rocks/large boulders. It was VERY busy, but everyone was taking turns getting their pictures. If you are really fussed by the people traffic, you can always switch to motion blur and get some really artistic shots. The kids loved traversing the rocky shore, having a picnic and just wandering.

We took the 2pm cruise back to Tobermory, which gave us a LOT of time to explore the Tub Town. We had coffee, explored the stores (and supported the local businesses), visited an art gallery as well as had dinner at Crownest Pub & Restaurant.

Sunday – Singing Sands, The Grotto & Home

Today was another big day of exploring. We checked out and made our wait to the Grotto parking. We were a little early (ok 45 minutes) so we weren’t actually allowed to enter the Grotto Parking, but the parking staff gave us a free pass to Singing Sands Park.

It’s a short drive from The Bruce Peninsula Park entrance. If you haven’t heard of it it’s a very very shallow body of water with EXTREMELY warm water and tiny tadpole fishes! Perfect for young kids. The sand is so soft and the entire site is accessibility friendly. But it wasn’t the star of our day ;)

It’s an easy 5km/30 min hike from the parking to the Grotto Beach. The trail is mostly flat but there are some nature made stairs so not completely accessible friendly. If you follow the trail right to the end and go left – you’ll go to the actual Grotto. The Grotto is beautiful, but tricky to walk down. WEAR STURDY SHOES. If you can get down there, I’m sure the photos would be amazing (fantastic rock formations, turqoise waters, caves and waves), but we stayed up top to be on the safe side.

Now if you go to the RIGHT, you get to the Grotto Beach. It’s a very rocky shoreline but you can enter the water and experience the very popular “Caribbean of Canada”. BRING WATER SHOES to truly enjoy the beach.

Overall the trip was worth it and glad we waited until the girls were a little older so they were able to easily do the hikes and enjoy the adventure. if you want to see more, check out my vlog on youtube!

Review of “The Art of Banksy” Toronto Exhibit

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A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to check out the Banksy Exhibit. The exhibit was well organized and laid out. There was a bar (although no drinks were allowed inside the exhibit) and both a general and VIP admission ticket.

Some interesting things I learned about Banksy and his art:

  1. His art represents geo and socio economic issues with a side of dark humour and satire
  2. He is known for using street and concrete as his canvases
  3. His stencils are potential evidence for vandalism crime
  4. One of his art pieces was a theme park called DismaLand
  5. No body knows who Banksy really is

Get out of a slump with me

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Since our big family trip to Hong Kong-India-Dubai, I’ve been a slump. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been getting things done, been ambitious, goal oriented but not with all areas of my life.  I’ve really felt like consistency has been out of focus. 

Which is interesting to read back as I write it, because on paper (and instagram highlights) I’ve done some pretty cool stuff: ran a half marathon, did some community environment events, re-did my vision board, meditated and journaled daily, making time to learn (GenAI, microcerts, exams PASSED) made lots of little art and launched my youtube channel.  But I feel like I’ve been lacking organization, regularity and stability.  Which then has turned around and effected other areas of my life. 

For example

  • I’ve only read 1 book, yes just ONE book this year and we are already 7 months in
  • My eating habits have been so out of it lately (including late night snacking, lack of portion control/meal planning, not enough protein and over indulgence ugh)
  • My schedule for sharing my art or blogging… literally out the window
  • Getting pictures printed (this is a digital age problem, like how much storage is there in the world and why do I take soo many pictures and do nothing with them)
  • Someone tell me why I don’t do ab/core exercises daily anymore
  • An atrocious sleep schedule
  • Procrastination on some important personal goals 

Anyways I’m sharing this because I know I’ll get back on track.  I’m setting up systems (including a new planner and digital productivity method), starting therapy and strengthening my visualization practice because I want to reap the benefits of good habits and mental fitness in my life.  I truly believe being mentally strong is the foundation of life productivity.  I think once I have my mindset correct, I’ll be able to re-create habits and routines to support my goals.

All this to say, is it’s okay to fumble, it’s okay to fall down and it’s okay to take rest.  The important thing is to have the awareness to realize what’s going on and the desire to course correct.

As always I like to share some tips on getting back on track 

  1. Do a brain dump:  If you feel like your daily routine, goals, thoughts and mind are feeling a little frazzled, do yourself a favour and WRITE.IT.ALL.DOWN.  Whatever IT is. This means it could be a brain dump, but it could also being a let out of all your feelings.  Let your pen/keys on keyboard go freely so you release what ever is holding you back emotionally or spiritual.
  2. Listen to your intuition: which means you’ll have to be quite.  You’ll have to turn inwards.  You’ll have to pay attention to the small and mighty messages both your body and universe are giving you. Remember not everything deserves your attention, but its important to work on the things that your intuitively know will get you where you need to be.
  3. Take intentional action: meaning if you are ready (mentally and inuititively) to incorporate activities to get you back on track, don’t try to boil the ocean.  Stick to 1-2 main activities daily.  Small wins everyday lead to accomplishing big dreams.
  4. Give yourself Grace: Rest and relaxation is key here.  Not letting negative self talk overrun your mind and dictate your mood is of the upmost important.

Looking for more inspiration?

Read this: 30 ways to get 1% better 

Watch this:

30 ways to get 1% better

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Sharing 30 actionable ways to get 1% better starting today. Sometimes when I’m in a slump I start making sure I’m doing these things.

  1. wake up early
  2. read daily
  3. eat well
  4. love yourself
  5. judge less
  6. be yourself
  7. set goals
  8. plan your day
  9. positive attitude
  10. have purpose
  11. find inspiration
  12. love others
  13. network
  14. save money
  15. automate tasks
  16. track finances
  17. build a brand
  18. interact
  19. fail forward 
  20. dress your best
  21. invest
  22. journal
  23. be productive
  24. think ahead
  25. teach others
  26. do more
  27. spend wisely
  28. educate yourself
  29. have ambitions
  30. just start now

How running is a practice in mindfulness

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As we close out May and Mental Health awareness month, it offered me an opportunity to reflect on recently completing my 1st half marathon road race.

  • The race is the celebration of your training
  • Running is a practice in mindfulness

Most people think running is about the body, speed and long distances.  And although it can be about those things – running also teaches us how to be present, spend more time outdoors and build mental toughness. All vital ways we can add more mindfulness to our everyday.

  1. Enjoy the journey Runners know it’s not only about the getting that medal at the finish line. We appreciate the run, lean into the run, the pain, the good & the bad weather because that means we get to run! Every finish line is just another starting line – so learning to enjoy the journey is important.  
  2. Reconnect with Nature Running outdoors means seeing the flowers bloom in the Spring, leaves changing colour in the Autumn or experiencing the freshness of a Winter morning. Getting some extra Vitamin D and break from screens allows us to reconnect with nature which is widely known to improve mood and reduce stress.
  3. Running is more about mental strength then a physical fitness During training, there will be days you’ll want to sleep in, need to work through an injury or push through a long a run. Being able to tune out the negative self talk and visualize what you want to accomplish requires determination and grit. Resiliency is a skill everyone is working on, but runners get more opportunities to practice it.

A little inspo for your next shinrin-yoku

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I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want. (A. Warhol)  // Trees emit phytonicides (organic compounds proven to awaken your senses). The simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you while breathing deeply can alleviate stress, improve sleep & vitality.  Reminder to myself: The goal is to fully immerse yourself in the present moment, and to relax and let go of any stress or distractions. It is not exercise, or hiking, or jogging. It is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.