A Day of Fun, Laughter, and an Outdoor Tea Party!

A Day of Fun, Laughter, and an Outdoor Tea Party!

We can always count on fun and laughter whenever we spend time with our friends, CJ and Art! 
An invitation to join them for brunch at Gilbertson's Maple Products, on St. Joseph's Island, was guaranteed to meet with an enthusiastic 'yes' - especially when it was going to be followed by a trip around the Deer Trail afterwards. 

Piling into the back of their truck, we set off to enjoy clear blue skies, with the warmth of the sun coaxing us to endure the cold of this -13 degree Celsius day. 

Conversation is never lacking, and the humour punctuated our attempts to set the world aright! 

Crossing over the bridge onto the island, we were struck, once again, by the pure beauty and majesty of the Northern Ontario winter scenery. The northwest end of Lake Huron, still mostly frozen, showed some open water and the contrast between the darkness of the water with the bright, whiteness of the surrounding ice and snow was striking. 







On our first visit to Gilberston's, nearly 4 years ago, I ordered two pancakes, thinking that they would be the normal size of a North American pancake. WRONG! When my order was brought to the table, I couldn't believe it!  Two fluffy, thick pancakes, the size of the large dinner plate awaited my attention. On subsequent visits, my choices have been more sensible. 

This time, we ordered one pancake, with a piece of peameal bacon, and a side order of maple baked beans. It was more than enough! The fresh maple syrup oozed through the pancake and every mouthful was exquisite! 

Gilbertson's lives up to its boast of being Ontario's largest producer of maple syrup. It is open during the maple syrup season (when the temperatures are below zero at night, and above zero during the day). After a visit to the gift shop - where all sorts of maple products, and other Canadiana, are to be found, we went through into the boiling area. Alas, nothing was happening as it had been too cold for the sap to run. However, we did stop to chat with one of the operators, and to appreciate an artistic impression of an old sugar camp. 



It's amazing to think that this time last year, we were actually helping to tap the trees and collect the sap for maple syruping while pet/house sitting in Vermont for our friends, Dick & Eileen. We have many 'sweet' memories of Ron, June, Rick, & Angel (with their two children), who helped us fulfil a long-time dream. They were all so welcoming and incredibly generous! How time flies by!(For an account of our time, tapping the trees, check out the blog here!

Of course, we couldn't leave Gilbertson's without leaving our mark!

On the way to the Deer Trail, we stopped off at a small hamlet called, Little Rapids. Apart from the Heritage Park Museum - a small collection of buildings from pioneer times - we were attracted to the General Store, which has been in existence since 1890. 

The proprietor, Merv, invited us to take pictures of the inside of the store, with it's quaint offerings reminiscent of scenes from 'Anne of Green Gables'. He was kind enough to allow us to get behind the counter so that we could see the old cheese cutter and the old cash register drawer. (I can't help wondering if he would have been so trusting if he had been aware of my past history as a thief!  - Check this out, in case you didn't know about it. 

Old Cheese Cutter

Weighing Scales - still used today

Cash Register Drawer - from days gone by

An old wireless radio

The old  Post/Mail station

We loved the display of wellington boots on the top shelf, above the grocery supplies. It really brought home the reason why it was called a 'General' Store.

Merv took a photo of our motley crew, and suggested a visit to the Forestland Clothing and Gift Store in the nearby town of Thessalon. 












So, we double back to Thessalon so we could drop in and enjoy the array of interesting wares that were on display. 

Would love this for our bathroom!

CJ issues a warning!

Mark, showing his mischievous side!

Beware... Art is a very good shot!

I really must get my hearing aids fixed!

Kim, who is Merv's wife, was very welcoming, and I had a great conversation with her, discovering that Thessalon was frequently visited by tourists on their way out to Western Canada. It certainly is a beautiful town, nestled on the north shore of Lake Huron. The store is found on the main street in the town, and is well worth a visit. 

Resuming our journey back home, we made our way to the Deer Trail and followed its contours until it joined the Little White River. 

Deer Trail Touring Map

Once again, we were in awe of the patterns formed in the ice that clung to the banks of the fast-flowing river. Although it was a cold day, we left the warmth of the truck to take pictures and drink in the beauty of the moment. 

The fast flowing river gushed over the pebbles and under the remaining ice. Wonderful sound!

CJ and Art - always prepared - announced that it was time for a nice mug of herbal tea, and promptly brought out their propane kettle, setting it down on the roadside. While waiting for it to boil, mugs were brought out and placed on the tailboard. 

Mark and I went to look at some tracks in the snow on the other side of the road and we're sure that, by the size of them, they belonged to a moose. We rarely see these creatures, but the evidence of their presence is very clear. 

The final leg of our journey home, took us along the familiar road to Elliot Lake where our generous hosts invited us in for a delicious, healthy meal. 

It was a fine ending to another fine day. 

Winterelude - Revisited!

Winterelude - Revisited! 

(February 4th, 2017)

Sometimes, it's remarkable how things work out!

We're really enjoying our repeat house/pet sit here, in Manotick, loving the wonderful pets who have 'hired' us to look after them, and full of gratitude to the owners, Diane and Stephen for their trust in us and their awesome friendship. 

Yesterday, we decided to nip into Ottawa to take in some of the fun of this year's Winterlude festival. On our way into town, we suddenly realized that, as fate would have it, we were doing exactly the same thing - two years ago to the day! 

At that time, we just visited the ice sculptures near the Rideau Canal. Here's the a reminder of that day (if you feel like taking a gander at it!). Winterlude, 2015

This time around, we crossed the Ottawa River into the Gatineau region and made our way to the Jacques Cartier Park. I had been attracted to the snow-maze that had been advertised, and was dying to try it out for myself. Mark - ever so patient and understanding, as normal - agreed that it could be a lot of fun. 

Upon our arrival, we noticed, very quickly, that the Snowflake Kingdom was designed for children - but that didn't put us off. After all, we are kids at heart! (A little bit of internet research would have told us that - but, then, we may have missed the fun!)

We were delighted to see how well attended the event was, with families in a festive mood, smiling, laughing, and just enjoying the activities as well as each other. It was soon evident that this joyful spirit was spilling over and being shared with everyone - as the various greetings and mini-conversations we had was very warming to the heart. 

This year, the annual event of Winterlude is one of the first of many to mark the 150th year of the Confederation of Canada (1867-2017) - and winter is one of the things, as Canadians, that we do best! (I say that in spite of some of our Snowbird friends who escape to the warmth of the south!)

There were some awesome snow sculptures to be seen, representing some of the well-known traditions of Canadians - including the making of maple syrup. (Our wonderful friends in Vermont - please take note!!!  😉)

When Mark saw the first set of slides, he just couldn't resist! 'Take a picture of me!' could be heard as he scuttled speedily to towards the entrance. This was so reminiscent of our time in Kingston, two years ago, to the exact date, tomorrow! (Is there a pattern emerging, here?)

There were other, larger slides, but the line-up was rather long...

 ...as it was for the tubing!

When we finally located the maze, it was only about 4 feet high, very small, and with several exits, so we went through it, just for fun. After all, a bucket list is a bucket list! 

Unfortunately, we'd just missed our chance at the zipline that had been set up; but that didn't stop us from enjoying the delight of those who had just made it in time. 

Mark was thrilled to come across this permanent sculpture of one of his heroes from the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Team: Maurice 'the Rocket' Richard. 

All this fun was with the backdrop of the Parliament Buildings (seen behind the bridge) - one of the finest pieces of architecture in the country. 

Although the sun seemed to be shy of showing its face, we had a great time, and would recommend the whole Winterlude festival to anyone who happens to be in the Ottawa area, or who may be visiting. 

Winterlude 2017 will run from February 3 to 20. Consult the calendar of events.

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(Here's a tip if you ever get lost in a large maze - such as the one in Hampton Court, near London, U.K.  - if you ever get lost in a maze, just extend your hand to the wall on one side, keep your hand in one place and follow wherever that wall takes you. Eventually, you'll reach the exit - or maybe the entrance).

The Power of Unconditional Love

The Power of Unconditional Love!

When I was teaching in Elementary School, I used to tell this story to illustrate the power of unconditional love. I thought I’d share it now, as I haven't written a blog post since before Christmas!

At a gathering of the Elements, it was noticed that there was a single flower in a field and that all of its petals were closed up.

They began to discuss how they could get the flower to open its petals.

Rain said, ‘What this flower needs is plenty to drink, so let me try.”

The rain started to fall – gently, at first, and then it pelted down, believing that the quicker the plant could get the water, the quicker it would open up. However, the flower just tried to dodge the raindrops, and almost bent over  under the weight of the deluge; but the petals remained closed.

Wind said, ‘Since you have failed, let me try!’

The gentle breeze quickly whipped up and blew the flower to and fro so that it didn’t know which way to lean; but the petals remained closed.

The Sun said, ‘I think we’re approaching this the wrong way. Let me try.’

The sun shone gently upon the field and the flower began to feel its warmth. It started to open up – just a little, and then it felt more warmth. So, it opened up its petals even more… and still felt the warmth; and it felt good! So the flower opened up fully under the warmth of the sun and everyone could see its beauty.

Although it may take time, and we may never see the results, I have found that there is nothing more powerful than unconditional love, gently shared with another, that will help someone blossom into the beautiful person that they are.