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is xi a s v iv 6 saturday may 82004 uc i vi iijvvn economist sunsuntribune diversions around world in a day you dont have to go far to enjoy a full day by linda johnson staff writer anyone who has ever hopped in the car and taken off for a day knows you dont have to go on a trek through the amazon rain forest to have a satisfying holiday all you need is a vehicle map and time ontario is beautiful it has a little of everything in it it has wild and crazy it has country and city it has flavour said keswick resident sheree blow who helps organize regular day trips with members of her church the trips which include 12 to 15 women began last year as a way for them to get to know each other better every three months they pack up a van and head off to a different spot evelyn wolf staff photosjoerd witteveen they are the opposite of a sears or a walmart you go into a boutique and it has items that no one else has these are the types of places to go to kleinburg book company owner zena reinhardt pictured and husband paul say their business as well others in kleinburg attract many daytrippers the village offers a pleasant and stimulating experience one such place was st jacobs an old mennonite town near kitchener the farmers mar ket in kitchener where the women began their day is filled with produce brought in early in he morning from surrounding farms it also has quilts blankets crafts and candles what makes this market unique is that most of it is mennonite homemade items so you find aisles and aisles of home v its fabulous ms blow said after the market closed at 10 am they went on to st jacobs it has lots of stores and deli catessens selling vegetables smoked meat cakes pies bread jams and pickles they have everything and its all homemade and its all deli cious ms blow said you can easily spend a whole day there its very quaint ms blow also recommends port perry the site of the groups most recent excursion situated on lake scugog the towns attraction begins with its beauti ful natural setting though small er than st jacobs the town also has many little shops bakeries and antique and craft stores in addition there are many special ty stores devoted to items such as candles angels doll houses and chocolate you see a lot of neat things you havent seen before ms blow said adding boutiques are also a good source of decorating ideas they are the opposite of a sears or a walmart you go into a boutique and it has items that no one else has these are the types of places to go to so far the day trips have gone a long way to bringing the group together ms blow said the van also helped you learn a lot about people when youre in close ms blow said laughing you can joke and have a good time for those who want to stay closer to home theres no short age of great places in york region for a pleasant and stimulating experience its hard to surpass kleinburg located on islington avenue just north of major mackenzie drive the town com bines culture beautiful scenery and interesting places to eat with the mcmichael canadian art collection only minutes away from the village centre visitors often take in the gallery and go on to the shops and restaurants for a good walk they may follow the historic trail its a good place to look around with its flowers and antiques and there are beautiful shops there said andrew kim a north york resident who visits kleinburg once or twice a year in addition to antiques the villages shops include art gal leries gift stores a country mer chant old teddy bear shop and salons the kleinburg book company is in a twostorey log cabin built 10 years ago out of a local barn dating back to the 1830s owners zena and paul reinhardt have the fireplace going every day through the win ter many of the book stores patrons have been to the mcmichael gallery ms reinhardt said we get a lot of people too who have company and they come to kleinburg she said there are plenty of cafes including the doctors house and mr mcgregors house a tea shop recalling peter rabbits nemesis it specializes in tea and home baked goods but also has specialty coffees lunch and early dinner another village popular with tourists is unionville which cele brates it 150th birthday this year its main street includes many designated heritage buildings some of which house shops and restaurants as well as being well- preserved the street borders the see studio page 19 dirty knees toughen plants in preparation for dry summer sneaking out to your perennial beds at midnight with a watering can during a water ban is not the way to get your garden through a drought now is the time to prepare your plants for the inevitable heat and drought of high summer by training them to send their roots deep in our hurried lives we often take a bit of time every few days and give the garden a quick sprinkle with the idea that plants lik i children need our con stant nurturing but plants past their first few months in your garden are not children they are mature adults that know how to look after themselves the daily sprinkling method creates a constantly moist soil surface and not only promotes an unnaturally shallow root system that makes plants vulnera ble to drought but promotes mildew and fungus diseases such as crown rot black spot or powdery mildew plants arent stupid they know water is essential to life and will work hard to find it all plants naturally reach for wherever the water is which should be downward when we water frequently and shal- lowly roots dont have to reach at all and instead stay within the top six inches of the soil rather than establishing a deep root system quite simply we promote a false sense of security and make them lazy with our pampering under these conditions it would take just one rainless weekend away from your garden for these plants to show signs of drought stress with a less fre quent watering routine they will be much stronger having developed a see deeprooted page 19 1 york region newspaper 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