Another quiet little weekend

After weekends in Quebec City for Bonhomme, Ottawa for Winterlude and a Family Day long weekend in Nova Scotia we decide that it would be good to spend some time around the town where we are living in 2011. 

Now Gravenhurst and Narooma have quite a bit in common. Both with populations of around 10,000 that triple with a huge influx of tourists during the summer. Both with slightly larger towns to the north that appear to have a few more interesting things happening. And both definitely share one thing. They are both have great settings!!!

However there are a few slight differences. Gravenhurst is a teeny, eeny, weeny bit cooler. Narooma's temperature is not often -30C. Narooma is around 2 minutes from the surf compared to 2 days for Gravenhurst!  And we have around a metre of snow in our front yard in Gravenhurst with the last snowfall in Narooma being in 1906.


But both places seem to be able to have a fun time. And after all this weekend was going to be the Gravenhurst Winter Festival. So how was Gravenhurst going to measure up to to the previous weekends and their festivals ??????


When we looked at the program it looked like a fairly busy weekend was on offer!!

So what did Skokie (the Mascot) have to offer??????

Well as it happened QUITE A LOT!!!!

And would we be ready for it

YOU BET!!!!!!!!!!!!



A look at the program showed just how busy we were going to be, but then I am someone who thrives on exhaustion, lol. Oh well I do have a bit of a go (most/some of the time)!!!

So here's the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival Program

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Friday, February 25, 2011
Spaghetti Dinner	Legion	5:30 - 7:30 pm
Opening Ceremonies	Muskoka Road	6:45 pm
Running Shoes Family Musical Performance	Gravenhurst Opera House	7 - 8:30 pm
Ball Hockey Tournament	Muskoka Road	7 - 9 pm
Up Town Music	Heritage Square in Front of Opera House	7 - 9 pm
Games Night - Pool, Darts, Shuffle Board, Cards, Mini Putt	Gravenhurst Legion	8 - 11 pm
Glow in the Dark Skating	Muskoka Wharf	9 - 11 pm
Dine and Dance with Brian Roman	Regatta Steak and Seafood Grille	9 - 11 pm
Saturday February 26, 2011
Lion's Pancake Breakfast	Gravenhurst Opera House	8 - 11 am
NBSSR High Speed Races	Muskoka Bay Park	9 am - 5 pm
Youth Ball Hockey Tournament	Boston Pizza	9 am - 3 pm
Skokies Doggie Dash and Demo	Muskoka Road	9:30 - 11:15 am
Snow Sculptures	Gull Lake Rotary Park	9 am - 3 pm
Tobogganing	Muskoka Bay Club	9 am - 4 pm
Skokie Mixed Darts Tournament ($40 per team)	Legion	Register at 10 am
Bed Races (18 years of age and older)	Muskoka Road	11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Helicopter Rides	Gull Lake Rotary Park	12 - 4 pm
Snowshoe Races with YMCA Camp Pinecrest	Gull Lake Rotary Park	12 - 4 pm
Nail Driving	Muskoka Road	1 - 3 pm
Kids Craft Zone and Air Hockey	Gravenhurst Opera House	1 - 3 pm
Lawn Tractor Races	Muskoka Wharf	1 - 4 pm
OPP Canine Unit Demo	Gull Lake Rotary Park	2 - 4 pm
Donut Eating on a String	Gull Lake Rotary Park	2:30 - 3:30 pm
Arm Wrestling	Boston Pizza	2 - 6 pm
Polar Bear Dip	Gull Lake Rotary Park	4 pm
Family Skating	Muskoka Wharf	7 - 10 pm
Skokie Dance - adults only	Legion	8 pm - 1 am
Karaoke	Regatta Steak and Seafood Grille	9 - 11 pm
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Pancake Breakfast - $5	Legion	8:30 - 11:30 am
NBSSR High Speed Races	Muskoka Bay Park	9 am - 5 pm
Awards Ceremony	Legion	11 am
Ice Mountain Bike Race	Muskoka Wharf	12 pm
Demolition Derby	Severn Bridge Fairgrounds	1 pm

Well as you may have worked out there was a bit to do. So how were we going to approach what looked like a full month of Activities???? Well in the words of the "Champions" get your head down and your bum up have a ........ go!!!!!

To lessen the MS fatigue factor for the chef (we maybe cook would be a better description here) we did partake in many of the dinners, breakfasts and lunches that were on offer. And we did manage to at least view most of the events. Photographic evidence and some descriptions follow...

Neither Julie or I had ever been a function at the "Legion". For any non Canadians reading this blog the Royal Canadian Legion http://legion.ca/About/background_e.cfm is an organisation very similar what we would refer to in Australia as the RSL (Returned Services League). Both were set up after World War 1 and both support not only returned servicemen and women but their families as well as the wider community. 

We started the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival with a Spaghetti Dinner at the Legion. It may not have been the dinner that would have been served at Beppi's http://www.beppis.com.au/ but it was very, very good with lots of the friends we have made coming up to say g'day. The friendliness shown at the dinner continued throughout the weekend.

Of course we didn't leave it there. We went and stood outside the Gravenhurst Opera House (now that's something Narooma lacks) for the official opening, I must add it was well below -10C so thankfully the speeches were fairly short. And besides there was a Street Hockey game to watch... The OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) were playing the local Firemen....

Given the participants I don't think it was a problem that Muskoka Road (the main street) was closed and used for the game. Luckily there was still some food available to keep the cold at bay and we finished Friday with a Skokie Tail followed by ribs and red wine at the Rib Warming Station.

Saturday saw us back at the Opera House for the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast before heading down the main street for the start of the morning's entertainment. What were we in for today???

Now I have been roaming around the streets to get to exercise classes, post letters, go to the Library, post letters etc, etc and haven't seen much evidence of any pets, birds, or any animals apart from the odd squirrrel and Hank's dog Duke which is a Sarah Street fixture. Well this all changed as the Skokie Doggy Dash and then the Skokie Doggy Demo again closed Muskoka Road.

 Don't really know that Sarah's dog was actually dashing but as Sarah is lucky enough to have a Life Member of Surf Life Saving Far South Coast Branch and a sometime resident of Narooma as teacher she and her puppy were featured in the photographs. There were all sizes, shapes and breeds of dogs present and while some certainly dashed others moved at the speed they thought was appropriate. I can appreciate this attitude!

These are the type of hurdles I wish were in evidence at Albury High School during the 1970's, but only in my lane mind you!! Again I think that Kierra (the dog handler) may have had that same Life Member as her teacher. Amazing what having a teacher with a camera in hand can do for your fame....




We were joined by our neighbourhood pooch Duke and 4 of his siblings for a family foto op

While Duke (centre) didn't dash, I think it may have been beneath his dignity, his sisters and brothers did and Duke did benefit in the end by being the only dog we knew when we won a prize for dog lovers.... How lucky we one dog  be????

The "still closed" road then became the domain of the bed racers  for their qualifying races. This was a rough crowd if I've ever seen one. Perhaps an alternative to the Chariot Race at the Surf Carnival, ohhh if only we could.....

Note the protective attire that is being worn by this highly disciplined and well trained team. Competitors safety is always the number 1 priority for Pro Bed Racers !!!!

Our focus moved to Gull Lake Rotary Park to watch a demonstration by the OPP Canine Unit. I have now put another thing on my do not do list. The dogs looks very nice but I think I prefer it when they are tackling people doing the wrong thing. I'll be really good!

Promise!!!

There was another even that we contemplated at Gull Lake. The Polar Bear Dip??? Now both of us had our Surf Life Saving Patrol Uniforms here (sorry Mark, Andrew and Dobbo I don't know how they ended up packed in our suitcases). Both of us having participated in the early season Surf Life Saving requalifying swims we thought we would be able to handle the cool water of Gull lake but when we looked at the course it looked much to short to do our requalification and besides there were no waves!!!

See what I mean not nearly long enough for me to build up to top speed. And there was the possibility that I may not have emerged at all.

We called it a day and then changed focus a little by having a great chicken curry at Peter and Leslie's place. These are friends who live aroungd the corner share some important likes; music, food, wine, travel and fun, all necessities of life in the far north and indeed anywhere to the south.We went with them to another house concert fun way to end a day

The third day of the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival was going to challenge our stamina. BUT if the good people of Gravenhurst were up for it so were we and yet again more pancakes with the way we started, this time courtesy of the "Legion" slightly different pancakes but the same Maple Syrup. mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

The day before we had watched some of the early runs  of the High Speed Snowmobilers on Muskoka Lake. And today we went back to watch a bit more. These machines and  the riders have to be seen (and heard) to be believed. They were hoping to break a speed of 200 miles per hour during the runs over the weekend?????? I think that the way it goes is that they start and about at the 500 metre a radar gun takes their speed. Insane? I don't think that I would do i but there were plenty that were trying!!!!

And no she didn't! But maybe one day..............................................

That left one final even before we retired to our safe little bed... The Demolition Derby!

Yes I know we have Demolition Derbies in Australia but what we saw on that Sunday at Severn (Sahi) Bridge was special. I think this is how it happens.

• First make a snow bank for a safe viewing platform for spectators
• Get some highly tuned and immaculately finished cars
• Then get 6 or so of those cars to try and destroy each others cars
• And keep the spectators happy during the races by providing healthy food

And no, Liz and Sahi, I didn't partake

But we did have a fantastic time. Thank you GRAVENHURST!!!!!!



Lunenberg and beyond. Simply stunning!!

2011 wasn't the first time we had visited Lunenberg. There is no doubt that the "lightning" three week, five Province trip with Melissa and Greg we made during the summer of 2007 left an impression on all of us.

One of the things that we both remembered and at the same time regretted was our stay in Lunenberg with Jean and George. Rembered because it was a great place and they were great hosts. Regretted because we could only stay for one day!!!  I don't think any place on the trip left us with such fond memories.

Now the Family Day weekend did give us a teeny weeny bit more time and we certainly intended to make the most of it. Luckily we were staying with right people!!!!!

So who are Jean and George?  And how did a family of Aussies from Narooma get to know them in the first place? Well it's simple, sort of. Julie sometimes travels to School in Broulee with Sarah from Tuross who used to live at Nerrigundah and before that was a Canadian and Jean is Sarah's Mum. Simple, eh!!!

There is also a myth that Jean and George are not young (mmmaybe true) and therefore not active. Definately not true. That is a myth that is well and truly Busted!!!! They both have stories that would keep me writing for days but the real story is that they were great for us to be around while we were in Lunenberg.

Lunenburg was first  settled by Europeans early in the 17th century and the French and the English had the normal raids, insurrections, mutinies and battles that seemed to be part and parcel of everyday life in those days. Things seemed to quieten down after the War of 1812 but thankfully the area has maintained much of it's charm.

To say that Lunenburg is charming is an understatement and I guess that is only part of the reason that the town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. This designation ensures protection for much of Lunenburg's unique architecture and civic design, being the best example of planned British colonial settlement in North America.

The heading said Lunenburg and beyond so what was beyond? Jean and George took us on a little drive. After a drive around the town we headed south past the house we stayed in on our 2007 visit. We followed the shoreline, passed frozen lakes and went through Bayport and (another) Rose Bay before catching the Le Have ferry.

While the bakery itself didn't look all that great the bread was truly wonderful. I guess the don't judge a book by its cover was true in this case. We continued to drive around many of the hamlets that are clinging to the shoreline all over the place. Le Have was the Arcadian Capital of Nova Scotia and it was, at one time, the economic centre of fishing, trade and shipbuilding for the surrounding area. However the Arcadian Capital was later moved to Port Royal.

However we did pass a building that reminded me of home, sort of! Maybe Something for the Eurobodalla Shire Council to think about, a long needed  upgrade of the Shire Offices!

At least there's a water view.

We wound our way back to Lunenberg for a late lunch and the opportunity to spend a few hours chatting with both George and Jean before going on yet another walk around the town. Maybe a house swap here, so many places so little time....

I think any one of these would do, at a pinch!

Another wonderful Nova Scotia day came to an end with a lovely meal this time cooked by Jean. Great food, great place, great people!

The Canada Games come to Halifax (and so do the Frost's)

Well I must say that the bed at the Day's Inn was certainly very comfortable or maybe it was just the excitement of actually making it to bed after last night's adventures, but whatever it was we both certainly slept very well. Our hotel breakfast was good and with some sustenence in us we were prepared for a day in yet another Canadian capital city. This time Halifax, Nova Scotia.

First of all we wanted to look at the rental car I remember that it looked pretty special the night before. Mind you any one of the cars around the McGrath Motors workshop would have been been OK at 1am. Especially if it was able to get us to the Hotel through the FOG!! But it still looked pretty nice when Mrs Garmin managed to get us to the "Citadel" in Halifax. 



Halifax is an area with a fascinating history, the Mi'kmaq Indians lived in the area for centuries and seemed to be living in peace in a pretty good place, but what happens??? Bloody gatecrashers arrive!!! First it was the French and then it was the Arcadians and then it was the Catholic Mi'kmaq's, and then who else but the 1730 version of the Barmy Army (yes the British)!!!

After

• King Williams War (1689-1697),
• Queen Annes War (1702-1713),
• Dummer's War (1722-1725),
• King Georges War (1744-1748),
• Father Le Loutre’s War (1749-1755) and the
• French and Indian War (1754-1763).

and battles at

• Port Royal, Saint John, Canso, Chignecto, Dartmouth, Lunenburg and Grand Pre.

Halifax was finally settled by the British!! To maintain control especially since those pesky Americans had become independant they decide to build some fortifications. In those days the Poms were fair dinkum and they came up with the Citadel. Have a look at this!! http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/index.aspx 

And when you build something like the Citadel you need one of these!!!

Well at least some of us do, lol!!!

This is an amazing structure and would have been a formidable defence up until the days of "smart bombs" and laser guided weaponry. The guides and the people who were working there were full of the information they needed to have and seemed to be there because they had a passion for the place. Refreshing!!

Although we hadn't planned it we happened to be there for the Noon Gun which is fired as it would have been in 1869 by the 78th Highland Regiment. I'm not really sure about the kilt but they were wearing the uniform of the day. The whole re-enactment was superb and was carried out by Uni students who certainly were entertaining as well as knowledgeable. They must have been keen as the temperature was around 0C.

The Citadel did the job it was built for and it helped to protect what is a magnificent harbour. A harbour has been the entry to Canada for many thousands of people for centuries.

Whilst on our exchange to Surrey BC in 2007 there was a television series that was counting down to the 7 Wonders of Canada. www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/index.html The Rockies and Niagara Falls were easily understood as was the Canoe and even the Prairie Sky but amongst the seven was Pier 21 in Halifax!!! So what was Pier 21 and why was it in the "Seven"??? Might be an answer here  www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/wonder_pier_21.html

Although my family have called Australia home since the 1830's I am still to some extent and always will  be an immigrant and given that most people who call Australia (and Canada) home are also immigrants Pier 21 should have the similar significence to them as it did to me.

Pier 21 was the first place that millions of Canadian set foot in the country they had chosen to call their own. It was also the embarkation point for many thousand Canadian troops during both World Wars One and Two. The displays and the stories they tell and the history they portray was as moving to an Australian as it is to any Canadians and further underlines the similiarities between Aussies and Canucks.

However it was probably lucky this dodgy looking bloke wasn't working there!!!

If he was the first person I met in Canada I'd want to swim back!!!!!

After stopping at a Farmers Market inside Pier 22 we left Halifax with a couple of bottles of Nova Scotian wine AND YOU'LL BE AMAZED BY THIS....... a jar of pure Nova Scotia Honey. Or to use my increasing knowledge of French - Miel. The beekeeper we talked to was just like all beekeepers amazingly intelligent, unbelievably good looking, and totally truthful. Now, what was it I did for a job??? In all honesty he was a nice bloke and like all beekeepers was looking forward to the BIG honeyflow that was coming next year And the honey is great http://www.novascotiahoney.com/

Lunenburg was our next stop. It is a town we visited in 2007 and would be staying with the same people again although this time they would be in a different house. We thought their other place was going to be hard to live up to but we weren't surprised to find this

And if you think the house looks nice (it is) the owners owners are even nicer. George and Jean are wonderful hosts and are great stores of information about Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, Canada and life in general. And if I didn't I say they were a lot of fun I missed the nost important part!!!!

I had the fleeting thought that it may be time for a restful night but with the words of Jimmy McGrath ("you silly boy") going through my mind we went out the red door and boarded the Chrysler to head out for dinner. 

Dinner was at Marie and Barry Loker's place where George, Jean, Julie and I along with their guests Sheila and Gary shared a meal of Nova Scotian seafood and produce. Their company the conversation pof the group was a wonderful way to end a great day.

And as for the warlike Nova Scotians some things must have changed because everyone we have met since we arrived has been unbelievably friendly and helpful! 

A long weekend. What to do????

As those who have read any of this blog or if you are a relation or if you know Julie and Bruce Frost at all you will realise that a quiet lazy weekend just doesn't happen. And a LONG WEEKEND means that the thought of relaxation goes straight out the window.

Now this long weekend was called the "Family Day" weekend and to acknowledge Family Day we decided that there was nowhere better to go than Nova Scotia which according to Google Maps is 27,308km from Narooma (normally home). So it wasn't really Family Day trip but it was a trip to see friends and also an opportunity to see a bit more of Nova Scotia and Halifax in particular.

So how do we get there, well not by train or or by car so that meant a drive to Toronto and a flight. We managed to negotiate Toronto's afternoon traffic bedlam without tooo much difficulty. This time we didn't have an obvious place to park the CuRVy so we took some advice from friendly natives and chose the Park'n'Fly budget option. 

Hmmmmmm you park your car and wait for a minibus and it's -10C and snowing.... I wasn't fancying using the famous Oates quotation while we waited but, luckily, the wait wasn't too long. The driver got us to Lester Pearson with plenty of time to spare. Baggage was booked in and we were left with an hour before our flight to find something to eat. There were all the regular airport meal options but we did find a noodle place where the food was cooked for us while we waited, and we weren't thirsty enough to pay the ransom that was required for a glass of wine so we settled on water. All good.

On our way to the final check in gate the PA asked for a Bruce Frost to come to the gate. What had I done?? Was I going to be deported??? Had the fact that I am an Oiler fan amongst a sea of Maple Leafs been discovered???? Or was the one of the Magpie Army working for Air Canada?????

No it was simple they had realised that I had not checked in correctly and had to have a different seat allocated. I'm not reallly good at the self check in thingo, and well to be honest, I'm not all that great with a lot of technology. It turned out that I'd be sitting right behind Julie so that wasn't too bad I could have been on a separate flight. And with a bit of juggling we were able to end up sitting together. Nice people these Canadians!

I don't know about the people reading this blog but when the First Officer (Pilot I guess), after welcoming us and giving the details of the flight, goes on to say that we are expecting some turbulence I, for one, am not overjoyed. My hope was that he was exaggerating. Unfortunately he wasn't! The girl we were sitting next to worked for the Canadian Air Force and she was even jumpier than me so my confidence wasn't great!!

Watching the flight didn't make it any shorter but it was giving encouragement that were making ground. I realised that the Scotties Tournament of Hearts was on one of the television stations so to put it a nutshell that took my mind off the flight and made the trip fly by, lol!!

Our First Officer managed to get the plane on the ground with a minimum of fuss and only a few bounces and let us know that the temperature was 0C and there was a light fog. Oh well it was good to be there.

Next stop the desk of the rental car company which we made just in time, as they were just about to close. The first comment was that they were unable to provide the car we expected and we had been upgraded. But I don't think we had ever got the car we expected when had rented in the past and in the end it didn't really matter as long as it would get us to the Days Inn (hotel) where we were staying, and an upgrade sounded good.

Well she wasn't joking about the upgrade. We were going to be driving a Chrysler 200 that had only done 1000km. Very nice, but the first problem was that although we managed to get into the car we had no idea of how to start it, or how to turn the lights on, or how to get the park brake off or how to get Mrs Garmin to realise that we had left Ontario.

OK so we overcome in turn, the non starting car, and the park brake, and the lights (they were automatic) and when we made it out of the underground car park there was massive RECALCULATING and finally we were underway. Unfortunately the "light' fog was as thick as the morning fog along the Eurobodalla Road on a winter morning "bee move". We had no choice but to continue to listen to Mrs Garmin and hope that she wasn't still working off the Toronto satellite and that the message was making it through the fog.

The driver did an unbelievable job given the circumstances and at 2am we finally walked through the darkened entrance of Days Inn. When we walked in we found that the reason for the darkness wasn't because they hadn't paid their bill but because there was a blackout which was not only affecting our Hotel but a wide area around it.

Bed was certainly welcome that night, even though it was found by the light of a torch.

Tomorrow we might actually see some of Halifax and Nova Scotia!!!!!