Manitoulin Island

Canadians share many things with Australia and one of those is the British Royal Family.
Now I am not a supporter of Australia having a foreigner as our Head of State, and a scream was not far away if I was subjected to any more news that contained the words William, Kate or Royal Wedding! But, there is one good thing that the Royal Family gives both Canada and Australia and that is the occassional long weekend. This will always be received with gratitude!!!


Now when the Victoria Day weekend came up we took advantage of it and headed towards the largest fresh water island in the world, Manitoulin Island. You have 2 options to get to the Island, either the one lane swing bridge at Little Current or on the MS Chi Cheemaun Ferry http://www.ontarioferries.com/chi/english/index.html or if you combine both of them you end up with a loop. And many know how much WE LOVE A LOOP!!!!!!!!

The decision was made to head to Tobermorey and stay overnight and catch the morning ferry but to get there you have to drive about 4 hours. But the Frost' Honey Team had a problem with their number one driver....... You see Mrs Frost had a slight accident on her way to school when she had a fall from her bike! And don't let anyone tell you that she was in a sprint finish with Mark Renshaw as her lead out man - no she fell while standing still and talking to Joe the Road Safety Officer!!!!!!!!!!!!

This injury meant one thing we were one driver down so the number 2 driver changed to the left hand side of the CuRVy. Wow - scary!!!!! And away we wentttttttttttttttttttttt to our accommodation in Tobermorey http://www.thebrucepeninsula.com/tobermory/ .I must admit it was nice to be travelling down a Peninsular named in my honour tho after a number of years of being in the passengers seat, being in control of the vehicle was a little unnerving. We did make it and that was a relief (to both of us)!!! Tobermorey is interesting and I am sure this won't be the only time we visit, there is a lot that will bring us back.

Good meal at a nice pub, Tobermorey Princess Hotel, 

http://www.tobermory-hotel.com/ good food, good atmosphere and good view and it was great not to be cooking for a night. Back to our Motel for a reasonably early night in preparation for the Ferry!!



I hoped that they would fix that obvious design fault that allowed me to drive right into the front of the Chi-Cheemaun http://www.chicheemaun.com/chi/english/schedule_fares.html . Like the experience of the BC Ferries in 2007 we arrived and were diected to our respective lane and we waited..

As we weren't going anywhere we abandoned the luxury of the CuRVy and had a look around at the Ferry Terminal. Again like the BC Ferries there was no shortage of ways you could spend a few dollars. We chose the more inexpensive option and went for a walk. It was worth it!

The Surf Club obviously needs a full sized luxurious Rubber Duck here. McGrath again!!!

Then at the given moment the Traffic Controllers herded us back into our cars and we were squeezed onto the ferry. We had a relatively easy place to park and I felt for those people who had to park on the very steep ramps. Nevertheless I was happy to have survived that far. It's amazing how easily I get stressed these days. Can MS be the cause or is it age or is it the fact that the Mighty Saints have only won one Premiership. Who knows! If anyone finds out let me know.....

Out of the car and up the stairs we went and surprise, surprise, we found the same type of things you would on the Spirit of British Columbia or the Spirit of Tasmania!!!! I am a great fan of "the ferry" and it was a type of homecoming....

Maybe it was the lighthouses but I think it was the Captain and crew but whatever it was we made it to Manitoulin Island

Gravenhurst, Gospel and Good Friends

As another week of toil for the teacher and hard work and stress for the blogger came to a close thoughts turned to the weekend, hmmmmmmmm what to do? Well I guess we could bite the bullet and spend a weekend at home. Couldn't be too bad a place if the National Geographic could be believed http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-summer-2011-photos/ . I guess they heard the Frost's had given their seal of approval.

While I was sitting hard at work on the front verandah 3 ladies delivered a flyer that caught my eye. It was for and they were promoting a FREE concert featuring the Missouri Music Men at the Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centre. Now, they promised an evening of great gospel singing with no obligation to buy or necessity to convert to anything so we had some dinner and headed down to Grace and Speed. The Missouri Music Men were very good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn0PK7nXrLU&feature=related  and the venue certainly suited them. I'm not sure about the sermon that followed but the preacher certainly had passion.  

Sure was a nice night for a walk along the lakefront after the concert. This is a special place!!!!!

Quick breakfast and Julie headed by bike to her school to have a look  at the Grade 7 Garage Sale. The look brought home a baking tray (for pavlova), a tray for carrying canapes, a plastic pumpkin a sweeet smelling candle and 2 stuffed toys (moose & bear). Lucky she didn't drive!!!! 

We had a few hours to spare before our Sharon and Jim were arriving so we mounted the CuRVy and headed north to Katrine http://www.almaguinhighlands.com/almaguin/communities/katrine.html The reason for our trip was to hear our friend Jay (the Maple Syrup guy) and his band play. What an interesting gig, we arrive in heavy rain to find the fairly small carpark of the old school full and about 100 people jammed into the former school's hall.

We were invited to sit by a couple (Rick & Darlene) who saw that we were obviously new to the place and more than a little confused about what was going to be happening. No sooner did we sit than the Fiddleheads started the fun and the dancefloor was filled.

As you can see they weren't a young crowd however we fitted right in and the music was so good that the dance floor was filled for much of the time. Although there were times when the music required skill and knowledge of dances that were handed down from long ago. But it wasn't long before the light footed one (no not me) was invited to learn 

As you can see the dance floor was cleared to let the real dancers strutt their stuff. And there was no shortage of fiddlers in the Fiddleheads. Nor was there a shortage of talent in this band or the acts that followed. The best part of the experience was the friendliness of the people who were there. When Jay saw us he introduced the Aussies to the crowd and from then on any break gave people the opportunity to make us feel welcome. As Jimmy McGrath would say "nice meeting nice people!!! 

All good things have to come to an end and with us expecting visitors we had to press Go Home on Mrs Garmin and head back to Gravenhurst. Our visitors were Sharon and James from Ottawa and it was nice to be able to welcome visitors who have been so welcoming to us in Ottawa. Good dinner, good conversation and good fun finished off a great day.



Sharon was on her way to Barrie to have a check up after having CCSVI  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_cerebrospinal_venous_insufficiency check up so I had suggested that she stay with us. Now, what would we be able to do for a day in Gravenhurst?

I had asked whether the Heritage Centre was going to be open while we were there on Friday night and Anne (the manager) had generously offerred me the opportunity for me to give a solo tour on Sunday. The bonuses you get from being a volunteer... Actually it was really the first time that I had really had the opportunity to take my time and look around. For Julie, Sharon and Jim it was the first time that they had been there at all, so we were very lucky!

 

We had decided to eat at one of Gravenhurt's restuarants (hooray said the chef/cook) and the meal at the Regatta http://www.regatta.ca/ , which was a fantastic finale for a  fabulous weekend. The views were a little reminescent of home.....

 

 

That's CLEE not GLEE!!!!

From the cloud of chalkdust over Ottawa it was obvious it was a CLEE weekend not a GLEE weekend. Yes, the Exchange Teachers and their fabulous backing band were in town for 3 days as a part of their Canadian tour. And as ever this was going to be an weekend to remember!

First thing was to get there and again we chose Highway 11 (or the world's longest street) http://www.highway11.ca/menu.htm to Huntsville and then turn right onto Highway 60. It's fairly important to take that turn as if you go straight and continue on Highway 11 you could continue for some distance. In fact you would continue for 1646 km or if you would prefer 1023 miles!!!!!

We took the soft option and chose Highway 60 http://www.highway11.ca/menu.htm  though I'm not really certain that any highway in Ontario (or Canada) deserves that description. Perhaps scenic, snowy, stunning, scary, safe or at least something we do here. Whatever you choose to call it, this rive travels through some of the nicest scenery in Ontario. We've travel it in winter and now spring was giving us glimpses of summer greenery and we can't wait for the autumn colours.

  

Of course we are in Canada so you expect lakes!! After all there are  1628 lakes in our Muskoka Region.

 But now we are rapidly becoming the Aussie versions of David Attenborough (sort of) you expect to translate signs like this into  the real thing and with the eagle eyes of Mrs Frost scanning it wasn't long before we came to a halt and there before our eyes was a female moose and her calf. It was very lucky for us that the digital camera was invented....

No amount of "Moose Whispering" could entice this pair towards us so we bade them a fond farewell and as we were getting hungry we headed off looking for a quick bite of food. Well at least that was the plan and we were sticking to it until we received a sign...... or at least we saw a sign http://www.therockymountainhouse.com/ . Although it took a little bit more time than Timmy's or Maccas it was great food and worth the wait!!!

We still had a bit of a drive so we headed back into the CuRVy and headed towards our Billets place in Kanata which is an Ottawa suburb. Bronwyn (the teacher) and Rob are from Penrith although they are originally from Geelong. As you would expect they are Cats supporters but in spite of that one indiscretion they were great people to be around for the weekend.

The next morning was a work morning for some of us!! The teachers went to their respective schools and we hard working house-husbands and Francesca (honorary house husband) headed to the http://nature.ca/en/home great museum but what do you expect in a National Capital. The photographs in the Arctic Kaleidoscope display were stunning and perhaps it was lucky that Julie was otherwise engaged otherwise we may have been looking at flights......... again!!!!!!!!

http://nature.ca/en/plan-your-visit/what-see-do/whats/arctic-kaleidoscope Another bonus was a relatively good cup of coffee.

We reunited with our respective other-halfs at a great First Nations Display http://www.aboriginalexperiences.com/ .This was a great display and the main reason for this were the guides who were fantastic. The day included an exhibition of dancing which was followed by a chance for some of the teachers and others to strut their stuff!!!!

  

After all that strutting it was into the food hall and on with the nose bag for a variety of great salads and meats including Bison and Venison. Nothing like eating your national symbols, pass me the roo!!!

Where to next? Well we were in Ottawa and after a short drive Mrs Garmin deposited us at the residence of the Australian High Commissioner. Justin Brown welcomed us and more importantly opened the bar, and let the High Commission staff loose with the finger food. This which was all very generous and nice but I did point out to some that it was out of the taxpayers wallet. None the less Justin, despite his footy team (North Melbourne) and his link with Broulee, is a good bloke and does the job very well from what I could see.

Now on a warm Saturday night what do you think a bunch of Aussies (and a Scot and a Welsh lass) would do? Of course you find a place where the barbie was hot. We were invited by Roland and Darnelle who had done an exchange to Australia and were verry good hosts and a fun night was had by all!!!    

As you would expect Saturday was a full day which started with a tour of Parliament House. Canada has a similar system of Government to Australia which I guess stems from our common colonising power. Couple of differences occur with their method of voting (first past the post here) and the Senate where Senators are appointed I can hear Paul Keating comment of "unrepresentative swill"!! One thing that is vastly different is the look of the respective Parliamentary buildings.

A bit different from our "house on the hill" but it does look very important. I did notice the size of the seats the Parliamentarians use here are far narrower than those of our good Aussie Pollies. Don't know why that would be? Perhaps they work harder and are fitter here or maybe it's just that we like our Pollies to be comfy. One thing that was missing was artwork in the halls, apart from pictures of politicians and queens, and when I asked our guide she said it was the same where the public wasn't allowed. Interesting......

Steven Harper wasn't available to speak with, something to do with an election, and we had a couple of hours to spare we headed to the Byward Market http://www.byward-market.com/ which is similar in many ways to Prahan http://www.prahranmarket.com.au/www/html/7-home-page.asp although we didn't walk away with a dozen bottles of wine... ByWard Market was where we found the first really good cup of coffee for 2011. Hooray!!!!! And the food was nice as well!

Julie and Bruce decided over coffee that they needed a break from each other but there was a really good reason for this separation. Honestly!!!!

You see, when you said that you were going on this CLEE weekend there were different options at times. But the thought of a bike ride without a full team (including team manager, mechanics, a good soigneur and a decent lead out man) was not something I was going to put up with so when Julie chose the ride along the Ottawa River & I took the option of the bus tour. The tour was interesting but I think James Taylor would have been a slightly better tour guide. We met the cyclists after the completion of the 1st leg of the Tour de Ottawa and guess where we had found our way to? You'll never guess.....the shop where the coffee was nice! Am I an addict for a good long black, mmmmmm, YES!!!

Dinner was at Tuckers Marketplace  http://www.tuckersmarketplace.ca/home.html  which was a good choice for a varied group like this. Plenty of choice, plenty of food, plenty of conversation mad for a plenty good night. Thanks to CLEE for the organisation, outings like this are appreciated. So too was the Maple Syrup Bill Avery gave us and luckily for us he had an extra 4 litres in the boot/ trunk of his car. Sweet!! Back to Kanata and a reasonably early night and with the benefit of the internet and SKYPE Julie to called home for Mother's Day in Oz. Nice!!

Sunday's was optional and of course we took the opportunity to visit one the best Museums I have ever experienced. The Musee Canadien des Civilizations http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/home/cmc-home is something I think anyone visiting Ottawa (or Gatineau) should miss. We spent 4 hours here but could easily have spent days.... We still had the trip home to think about and reluctantly we left the Museum and it was back into the CuRVy and and Press Go Home on Mrs Garmin and away we went!!!!!!

The trip home gave the "Naturalist" an opportunity to use the time tested technique for finding wildlife, look for cars on the side of the road and people with cameras!

They are generally there for a reason........... And in most cases they are relatively sensitive to the wildlife. And I must admit it is much easier, lol.

Oh yes this is what they were looking at.

 And after just a few more stops to look at some everyday Algonquin Park scenery

We made it back to home sweet home or at least

home sweet home for 2011 

Another quiet weekend at home!!!!!

Well at least that was the theory. As some may be aware the idea of a quiet weekend is not one that often comes to fruition around Miss Julie or even Mr Brucy!!!!

Dehydration is not a good thing and we started the weekend in a quiet enough fashion and as we settled down with a small glass of a natural rejuvinating elixer. Or at least a glass of Pino Grigio and some snacks.

Julie had promised some of her famous ANZAC slice to Lesley during the week so we thought a quick visit to both, deliver the goodies and to look at their new kitchen was in order. We thought we shouldn't go empty handed drinks so after a discussion we armed ourselves with a bottle (or 2) and wandered around the corner...Luckily for us we didn't arrive during dinner and even luckier for us Lesley asked if we would like to see how well the *****NEW***** stove worked and even luckier for us she asked if we would like to stay for dinner!!!!

But first the ****NEW****STOVE****!!!!

With an into like that Lesley and Peter did the "loaves and fishes thing" and managed to turn a stir fry for two into a banquet for four washed down with a glass or two. Finished the evening by looking at photographs of their sailing adventures on Georgian Bay http://www.visitgeorgianbay.com/ Life is as good!!!!


Turkey bacon and eggs for breakfast, then pack the picnic basket for a trip over to Parry Sound to view the boat. Nice and I can't wait to see it in the water, mind you, I didn't feel the least bit seasick !!!

I notice that Gilligan has changed his hat for this series......

Well I'm sure the crew could be whipped into shape for future sailings but for the time being it was all aboard the CuRVy and into Parry Sound for a look around. Parry Sound http://www.townofparrysound.com/ is a beautiful place right on Georgian Bay http://www.visitgeorgianbay.com/ And anywhere that claims "it is rich in arts, culture and heritage and pays tribute to its home-town hockey hero, Bobby Orr". This must be a good place!!!

And what do you find in any place in Canada. Water!!!! 

The amount of water here is amazing to an Australian. Julie grew up on Sydney Harbour and I lived for my formative years on Australia's longest river, the Murray, and we are both in awe of the rivers, waterfalls and lakes.

A pleasant hour's drive brought us back home where we prepared for another folk night at the Muskoka Place Gallery. These monthly nights have been great with a variety of acts which take place in a small, friendly venue. Tonight's performers were Bob MacLean http://www.bobmaclean.ca/ and Jen Morgan-Anderson As ever fantastic!!! 

Sunday morning. Pancakes and ......... Oh well we are in maple syrup country and we won't be able to get a friend's home-made maple syrup in Narooma.

Stan at excercises had told me about a bluegrass/ gospel morning at the Anglican Church so off we went. Great group, great harmony and great fun. Had to leave because we were heading to Algonquin Park!!!! Algonquin Park http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/  is a special place and with our close proximity I'm sure we'll be here plenty of times. Today for something totally differrent we had a picnic lunch by a lake! Saw an interesting sight when what I thought was a dock turned out to be a boat

Lunch over we were off for a walk at Peck Lake. First attempt wasn't totally successful with lots of tree roots and other trip hazards and we finally turned back after we encountered a 30 metre (33 yard) sheet of ice over the trail. It didn't take much convincing for the writer of this blog to abandon the trek. Undaunted we sought out an easier target and settled on the Hardwood Lookout Trail http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/visit/recreational_activites/hardwood-lookout-trail.php . It was no Everest but it was very nice and for me it was acheivable, which at times is needed. It promised a nice view and we weren't disappointed.

Obstacles overcome it was back to the CuRVy and heading for home when..................... the pilot said "I think I just saw something" and she brought the wheeled conveyance to a shuddering halt

Could it be??????

I think it might be!

Yes it was!!!!!!!!!!

A MOOSE!!!!!!

With the monkey (or is it moose) off our backs and with about 485 digital photographs to prove it we headed back to 460 Sarah Street Nth, Gravenhurst satisified that they do exist

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A Maple Syrup Festival? It's a hard life but someone had to do it.......

Those who have been following this blog would have been reading about our trips to interesting places and about us benefiting from generous offers from good people. That has been so true but also as a part of the Teacher's Exchange there is the opportunity to host fellow travellers. That is what we did when we were visited by Francesca and Ken.


This isn't the first teacher's exchange that Ken has done as he did his first exchange from Scotland to Australia some 30 years ago and didn't go home. We met Ken in Toronto at the welcome and on the trip to Quebec and his sense of humour makes an enjoyable time easy. We hadn't met Francesca before as she'd only just arrived but she only added to the fun. And even tho there were two Exchange Teachers in the room the  coversation was rarely in the classroom and that helped make for a really good night. Francesca was originally from North Queensland and she brought an extra dimension to the fun.


With a cool rainy morning being the order of the day we lingered over breakfast before heading through Port Carling towards Elmvale. Now the reason for the trip to Elmvale was simple, it was part of a CLEE Activity http://cleecanada.ca/ . CLEE is the Canadian League for Educational Exchange and they help to support Exchange Teachers and organise activities that take place during the year.


People reading this may be not be really aware how Maple Syrup is made nor be aware of the amount of Maple Syrup that is collected and processed each spring in North America. The reason for the visit to Elmvale was to attend the Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival http://www.elmvalemaplesyrup.ca/  Some people have some really tough jobs and this was one job that I was going to "do for the team" !!!!!!


In reality the day was more difficult than I expected. Not due to a bad batch of syrup or heavy, doughy pancakes. The main problem was the 1C temperatures, a drizzly rain/ snow mix and a howling wind. Never mind, the company made for a good trip and the CuRVy is a comfortable car.


The festival, as you would imagine, has any number of Maple Syrup vendors and although we were interested we didn't buy. We are waiting for a bargain from the Menonites... The inclement weather drove us into the Arena for the Arts, Crafts & Quilt Shows interesting stuff but the highlight was the ladies from the Elmvale branch of the Women's Institute. http://www.fwio.on.ca/index.php I knew there would have to be a CWA  http://www.cwaa.org.au/ around here somewhere. They were great fun!!


Hunger played a part in our next destination and we were off to the Pankake House in the Community Hall. Queueing was well and truly worth it this time. Friendly folks, good food and lots and lots of MAPLE SYRUP!!!!!! There was even a band! And they were good!!

Al Beardsall and North of 50. 50 minute set, swap instruments and go again for 50 ,wow!

After the excitement of Elmvale it was back aboard the CuRVy and into Barrie for a barbie. What else would you do on a cold, windy & snowy day? The great Canadian saying "Suck it up Princess" came to mind as we went into the CLEE (Teacher's Exchange) BBQ at Dave (the organic garlic farmer) and Cherin's (the former exchange teacher) place. Fun way to finish an interesting day.

We woke to an inch (2cm) of snow on the lawn at 460 Sarah St Nth so that and the temperature (3C, 37F) put an end to the Bracebridge MS Walk. Oh well, we just had to stay inside and get to know a bit more about Ken and Francisca who are fun people to be around. I would loved to be a fly on the wall when Ken the "Aussie" Exchange Teacher first greeted the staff and students of his Canadian School with his broad Scottish accent.

The Scot/Aussie/Italian couple headed off just after lunch and as Jimmy McGrath says "it's nice meetin nice people". They would certainly fit into that saying.

That left us with the afternoon to ourselves so we did what a lot of Canadians do. We watched the Hockey. Sure, Julie did do a bit of school work and I did what I do but in the end we watched the  HOCKEY!!!!! http://www.nhl.com/

After all it is the playoffs and we have the team for the Pick Up Competition http://www.pickuphockey.com/hp/hp_viewstats.aspx After all we're experts, just ask us!!