Posted on in nature, photography, travel

For the love of tourist traps

Maid of the mist at Niagara Falls

When I travel, I’m always of two minds. A part of me wants to wander off the beaten path, far flung from the sites and attractions where hordes of tourists flock and diminish the experience.

The other part of me thinks there is a reason why a place is a mecca for tourists and I desperately want to see it.

I’ve learned to blend these two desires on my trips, visiting the “must see” attractions in the guide books and making sure I spend a bit of time exploring backroads.

A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriends and I spent a weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. On the Saturday, we stopped at Pillitteri Estates Winery for lunch, strolled along the main streets and parks of Niagara-on-the-Lake, saw My Fair Lady at the Shaw Festival and stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast, The Bushey House.

We were debating what to do on the Sunday and I said I’d be up for doing the “Behind the Falls Experience” at Niagara Falls, which I’d never done before.

After a quick stop for a chocolate factory tour at the Chocolate Factory Experience (highly recommended by the way, make sure you pick up their addictive Red Chocolate Cherry Bites), we arrived in Niagara Falls.

It was crawling with tourists. At first we thought it was just the regular throngs that descend on the falls on a Sunday afternoon in June, but we realized after seeing clusters of cyclists that it was the Scotiabank Ride to Conquer Cancer, so it was busier than usual.

We paid our $36 for parking (OMG) and walked across the bridge to the Behind the Falls Experience. While it was cool to get so up close to the falls, I’m not sure I’d include it on the must-see attractions in Niagara Falls.

The “behind the falls” experience consisted of looking at a small opening from a tunnel and a wall of water pouring over it. The observation deck was the real draw, where you could hear the roar of the falls and experience the spray and mist wash over you.

When we emerged from the tunnels, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the promenade.

Even though there were thousands of tourists, Niagara Falls never fails to disappoint. There is a reason why some people call it the “eighth wonder of the world”.

The skies that day were an ominous dark steel grey, in stark contrast to the blue swirling waters and white foam of the falls and river. I stood mesmerized, snapping photo after photo, admiring their majestic beauty and watching the cormorants and gulls bouncing and diving in the whirlpools as the tour boats steamed towards the wall of water.

It was worth braving the crowds for.

This week’s #HappyAct is to visit a well-known tourist attraction. You won’t be disappointed.

People on the observation deck at Behind the Falls experience in Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
Daisies along Niagara River

Beautiful daisies grace the gorge

I loved how the mist melded with the sky in this photo

Me and my girlfriends behind the falls
Posted on in entertainment, family, sports

Racing on dirt as it should be

Schoolbuses racing at Brighton Speedway

For Father’s Day, we took Dave to Brighton Speedway to watch the school bus races.

The Brighton Speedway opened in 1967 and is still one of a handful of dirt track speedways in Canada, along with Brockville Speedway. Different classes of vehicles race on different nights. Last night it was four classes of modified Canadians race cars and of course, the big ticket, schoolbus races. It was a sold out crowd.

I’ve never been to a car race before so didn’t know what to expect. What we experienced was a night of mayhem, smash ‘em up excitement and “pay for your seat, only use the edge” thrills.

The first few races were six to eight small classes of modified Canadians. The cars lined up two by two, the starter waved the green flag and they were off. We estimated they were doing speeds of 80 miles an hour on the straights.

It was wild when they approached the corners. Unlike Nascar or Formula One races on pavement, on dirt tracks, drivers drift on the curves, so the car goes sideways, sometimes only on three wheels. It was crazy to watch.

During the qualifying rounds, one driver took the second turn too fast and did a double rollover right off the track.

For the modified Canadians feature race, 25 race cars lined up for a take-no prisoners finale. It was mayhem with the only breaks in the action happening when they the yellow caution flag was waved due to a disabled car on the track. One car caught fire, others spewed blue smoke from overtaxed engines and two cars became stuck after they rammed into each other. When they cut them loose, the crowd cheered.

Boys and girls waved checkered flags that lit up with lights, and Sasquatch the Jack Links jerky mascot, wandered through the crowd taking selfies with the fans.

Sasquatch, the Jack Links mascot

After each final, they’d interview the driver. I liked that they always thanked the sponsors, since it’s an expensive sport and without the support of local businesses, most of these drivers wouldn’t be able to field a car. One guy in his remarks said, “Special thanks to my Mom for coming good for the new motor.”

The schoolbus races were insane. The buses were barely running old heaps of metal, some stripped bare of their seats, others with parts hanging off. Four or five conked out, narrowing the field to 16 for the ultimate finale.

There were times they took the corners three across with barely a foot between them. Our favourite was Bernie 66 who was fearless trying to pass, but who lost the race to a guy from Winnipeg who booked a week’s vacation just to fly to Brighton for the race.

Racing fans and drivers are diehard. Now I know why.

This week’s #HappyAct is to find a speedway near you and enjoy a night of mayhem. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

If you want to see the school bus races, mark your calendars for Saturday October 5 for their special Eve of Destruction event.

Schoolbuses lining up to race
Tow trucks separating two race cars stuck together
Dave at the racetrack
Schoolbuses racing at Brighton Speedway
Posted on in inspiration, mental health, pop culture, science of happiness, Technology and social media

Finding happiness in the me age

girls taking selfies at a garden

They say the road to hell is paved with the best intentions. For almost a decade now, I’ve been blogging about happiness. I started this blog as an outlet for my writing and because I was fascinated by the juxtaposition of people living in a world with so much wealth, but struggling more than ever to be happy.

I’ve learned much about what makes me happy, the science of happiness and the intrinsic benefits of having purpose, showing gratitude and helping others.

I now fear instead of helping people live a happier life, I’ve contributed to the navel-gazing narcissistic culture our society has become.

Forget the #MeToo movement. We’re living in the age of #JustMe.

I know what you’re thinking. Every generation has claimed that the next generation is more selfish and self-absorbed than they were. Perhaps, but the advent of computers, cell phones, celebrity culture and the seismic shift in how we work and play in the past fifty years has propelled us into a whole new level of egocentricity.

Honestly, if I see another selfie of a 20-something posing sideways in front of a bathroom mirror holding up their cell phone with pouty lips, accentuated hips, and frosted tips, I think I’m going to lose it.

And don’t even get me started on the hyper-focus on resilience. Try telling a farmer living a hundred years ago in rural Canada with six mouths to feed and no running water you’re taking a break to “practice self-care” or going on a “forest therapy walk”, they’d mock you until their cows came home.

A sad and disturbing product of this #JustMe movement is we all have become more polarized in our views and unaccepting of other people’s opinions. What’s more, we don’t hesitate to share our views in the most public of forums. “We” are always right and everyone else is wrong.

It’s time we went from taking selfies to choosing selflessness, from practicing self-care to caring for others.

It was Ghandi who said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

This week’s #HappyAct is to change the #JustMe narrative and find happiness by looking outward instead of in.

Posted on in arts, charitable, community, money

The little lending library that could

Me and Clare beside a little lending library in Pennsylvania

Last week, during my regular lunchtime walk, I stopped at a little lending library outside one of the old beautiful limestone homes that grace this area.

I don’t always stop when I see little lending libraries, but sometimes I do. I looked inside and saw more than 50 packets of seeds in addition to the regular array of books.

I decided to help myself to some watermelon and malva seeds and found two books on my reading wish list: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny.

Next week I’ll replenish my neighbour’s little lending library with a couple of books from my own bookcase I’ve read.

The origins of the original Little Free Library begain in 2009 when a Wisconsin fellow by the name of Todd Bol built a model of a one-room schoolhouse and put it on a post on his front yard and filled it with books with a sign, “Take a book, share a book” .

He built more, and soon it became a movement with others doing the same. According to littlefreelibrary.org, today there are more than 150,000 registered little free lending libraries in the world. There’s even a mobile app so you can find the one nearest you. In many communities, little lending food pantries have appeared, stocking canned goods or even fresh vegetables from people’s gardens.

The story of the little lending library that could is a tale of inspiration and hope. It embodies all that is good in a world where sometimes it’s hard to see the good: people helping others and their community through an action as small as sharing a book or a packet of seeds.

This week’s #HappyAct is to take a book or share a book. If you’re really ambitious and want to build your own, check out these 10 designs from familyhandyman.com.

two books and two seed packets

Photos: I didn’t have my phone with me during my walk, but here’s a picture of a little lending library we visit in Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania on our trips down south. Above: my treasures from my latest haul from my little lending library near my work.

Posted on in entertainment, sports, travel

Catch Canada’s National Game

Forget the Toronto Blue Jays and Maple Leafs. If you want action and excitement, take in a game of Canada’s national sport, lacrosse.

Ontario lacrosse season started May 17. You can see the full schedule here.

I went and saw my first lacrosse game last season between the Owen Sound North Stars and the Clearview Crushers in the Senior B Lacross League in the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre arena in Owen Sound.

Even though it was a sparse crowd that night, the excitement in the building was palatable. Lacrosse fans are diehard and passionate about the sport. They never miss a match and they follow the scores and standings religiously.

We took our seats, the lights dimmed, and the players came running out, as the announcer introduced the night’s starting line up. After the singing of O Canada, it was game on.

The basic rules of lacrosse are similar to hockey, but the face off looks more like a rugby scrum. The players crouch down on their hands and knees with their sticks parallel. As soon as the referee blows their whistle, they joust for possession of the ball.

I was struck immediately by how fast and exciting the game was. Balls whizzed through the air, and when a player took a shot on net, it was like a lightening bolt. I didn’t know how the goalie even saw it.

Of course, it wasn’t a Saturday night lacrosse game until a fight broke out. You haven’t seen a fight until you’ve seen a fight in lacrosse. There’s no bulky pads to protect players from the blows.

The one attackman dropped his stick and just started whaling on the other guy to Pat Benatar’s “Hit me with your best shot”. The guy who started it got 2 minutes for being the aggressor, 5 minutes for fighting and a game misconduct.

The other thing I thought was really cool, was between periods, they allowed all the kids in the stands to come down onto the playing surface and try their hand at the game. Many of the players joined them, lobbing passes and teaching them how to stickhandle. It was a special moment, seeing these kids side by side, playing a game they loved with their heroes.

Even though Owen Sound lost that night, we scored a great night of sport and excitement.

This week’s #HappyAct is to catch a local lacrosse game in a city near you and develop a passion for Canada’s national sport.

Faceoff in a lacrosse game
Action by the net in a lacrosse game
Blog post writer in the Owen Sound helmet
Posted on in environment, Hobbies, nature

Gardening on a shoestring

Ferns beside a bird bath

Gardening season is in full bloom, the time of year when seasoned gardeners and weekend warriors spend hours turning over soil, adding manure and mulch to patches of brown dirt, and combing local garden centres to find delicate flowers to create the perfect garden oasis.

Last week, we popped over to a friend’s house because they wanted some advice on how to spruce up the gardens at the front of the house to maximize their curb appeal before they put up their house for sale this summer. They didn’t want to spend a lot of money, which made me start thinking creatively about how you can create a beautiful, welcoming space without draining your pocketbook. Here are some tips for gardening on a shoestring.

  • Divide and conquer: if you have perennials, see what plants can be divided. Hostas, lilies, irises all thrive when split. If you don’t have perennials, see if any friends will give you some.
  • Go wild: look for ferns and wild phlox on the side of roadways or laneways. Just make sure you are not digging up plants on private property without permission (and watch for poison ivy!)
  • Use nature’s bounty: Go beachcombing and find a unique piece of driftwood to add interest to your garden.
  • Make it artful: Look for unique or interesting pieces that could be used for planters or to add a whimsical element to your garden, like old boots, bicycles, watering cans, etc.
  • Sow some seed: Scatter a pack of zinnia or wildflower seeds, an inexpensive way to create colour in a larger space.
  • Buy local—many fundraising groups hold plant sales this time of year to raise money—not only will you save money, you’ll be helping a good cause.
  • Come from good stock: If you are buying annuals from a gardening centre, make sure they are good stock and see if they can be split. The begonias I bought at my local gardening centre had two large blooms in a single pot, so I was able to split them, doubling my money.

I was always find this particular time of year a little sparse in my garden, after the spring bulbs have died off and before the roses, peonies, and irises bloom, but here are some pics from my garden this morning. Happy gardening!

watering can

Above: the ferns around this old birdbath we inherited were all dug up by the side of the road. In this photo, an old watering can adds colour to the pot by my front porch.

begonias lobelia and impatiens in a pot

The begonias I got from Sheila’s Greenhouses in Moscow were so big with two distinct plants in each pot, I was able to split them for my pots on the back deck.

garden flag and chicken sculpture

Dave and the girls tease me all the time about my garden tchotchke. This hummingbird flag greets visitors and the chicken we bought at a cool art studio in Brewerton, New York years ago.

Ferns, hostas and geraniums

More ferns from the roadsides, hostas which we’ve split over the years and perennial geraniums in bloom. I can’t even remember where we got the white cross statue.

Posted on in environment, nature, photography

The soft shades of spring–a photo essay

new leafy growth on a birch tree stump

They say Ireland has 40 shades of green, but in spring, South Frontenac has 50 shades of green.

Even though spring isn’t my favourite season, I love the softness of this time of year. Tiny wispy yellow-green buds burst forth from the end of tree branches, delicate feathery ferns claw through the dull brown undergrowth, lush dark green grasses appear in clumps in the fields and meadows, and the forest canopy is a kaleidoscope of different shades of green.

When we drive down to the Carolinas each year in late March or April, one of the things I love most is watching the trees change as we go from our cold, grey bleak Canadian landscape to spring within a day’s drive. It’s as if the changing of the seasons is on steroids or fast forward.

In southern Pennsylvania, we get a peek at the first signs of spring, then if we’re lucky, in Maryland, we are treated to the sight of apple blossoms in full bloom with a hint of leaves emerging from their bursting branches. By the time we get to Virginia, we roll the windows down and let the warmth of the sun wash over us as we travel past trees in full foliage.

Here are some pictures I took on my property of the fifty shades of green. The lilacs in our area are just starting to bloom–a perfect day trip.  Happy spring!

treeline beside a field
tulip with green tips and leaves
Lily of the Valley
white birch bark against green grass
white and yellow flowers in the undergrowth
feathery ferns in the undergrowth
crab apple tree leaves and blooms
maple leaves on a tree overlooking a lake
apple blossoms in full bloom

This last photo was taken at a rest stop in Maryland on our last trip to South Carolina. The apple blossoms were in full bloom.

Posted on in inspiration, lifestyle, relationships

Dave and Laurie’s High School Reunion

Me and my friend John Chong at my high school reunion

This past weekend, Dave and I attended our high school reunion. It had been 41 years since we graduated and I was looking forward to catching up with old friends.

Dave was a harder sell. Dave has this theory that only successful people go to reunions. The last time we went to a high school reunion, Dave swiped the name tag of some guy named Harry who graduated a decade earlier and told everyone he was a lawyer.

A bit of back story. Dave and I met in high school. He moved to Port Credit in Grade 10 and was one of six Daves in my Grade 10 history class with Mr. Gatto (I can still name all six Daves to this day). He asked me out skating in Grade 10 and even though I liked him, I turned him down because I had just got a bad perm that day and was too embarrassed to go out. We ended up friends, started dating after university, and the rest, they say is history.

Back to the reunion. A bunch of us met up at a local bar on the Friday night and it was as if no time had passed. Even though we had all aged, our personalities hadn’t changed a bit.

There were your fair share of success stories–people who ran their own businesses, and led interesting life journeys or had exciting careers, but there were some sad stories as well, friends who had experienced loss or challenges. Many had a parent who had recently passed away or who was suffering from dementia.

We shared laughs, told stories and enjoyed catching up on each other’s lives.

What struck me the most though was just how privileged we were to have grown up in such a well-to-do neighbourhood and to attend a high school that offered incredible opportunities, including a full music program, outdoor trips and extracurricular opportunities.

As we exchanged numbers, texts and photos, I left feeling grateful–grateful for being able to share this special time in our lives with these wonderful people.

I know we all won’t necessarily keep in touch, but I hope some of us at least can make some more memories together someday soon.

Here are some of my favourite pics from the weekend.

group of people at a bar
Dave and three of his buddies
Me and my friend Mark
My friends Doug, Derek and Pravin
rock band on stage

My buddies playing in one of the bands at the talent show

me in front of my athlete of the year picture

Me in front of my “Athlete of the Year” picture (note the bad perm in the photo)

Posted on in environment, nature, travel

The Lost Sun: The solar eclipse on a backcountry spring canoe trip to Frontenac Park

I’m always shocked by how many people in the Kingston region have never been to Frontenac Provincial Park.

Located less than an hour north of Kingston, Frontenac is classified as a semi-wilderness park with more than 160 kms of trails and several canoe routes through the stunning rugged backdrop of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere.

Popular youtube vlogger Canoe the North recently chose Frontenac Provincial Park to explore for his first backcountry canoe trip of the season and to film the April 8th solar eclipse.

The first twenty minutes captures the essence of Frontenac Park: its breathtaking scenery even in early spring with amazing drone footage (one of my favourite shots is the stars twinkling in the night sky), the wildlife, stillness and calm of this special place. The last 10 minutes includes stunning footage of the total solar eclipse.

If it was cloudy in your area and you missed the eclipse, or you just want to see why I love this region so much, you have to watch this video. Enjoy!

Posted on in entertainment, environment, mental health

Wisdom and teachings from the two Janes this Earth Day

CNN photo of Jane Fonda getting arrested

Last week, I participated in a climate change focus group at work. It was an insightful discussion into our fears and hopes about the state of the climate, and actions we could take in our little corner of the world to address climate change.

As the climate change window narrows (some experts say we need to reach the stated global targets within the next six years), the natural response and mentality may be to give up hope. But we can’t.

We need to look to lifelong activists like Jane Fonda and Jane Goodall for guidance, inspiration and hope.

Fonda, who has been known for her activism since her early days as a successful actress in Hollywood said five or six years ago she was feeling very despondent about climate change and it was hard to get out of bed she was so depressed.

She started Fire Drill Fridays, a pledge to use her platform and celebrity status to get arrested every Friday at a climate change protest and even moved to Washington at the age of 81 to achieve her goal. Soon celebrities like Sally Field, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Ted Danson joined her. Fonda said an unexpected benefit of her activisim was her depression lifted, and was replaced by hope.

With half the world going to the polls in 2024 she is urging young people to “please vote and vote with climate in your heart”. 

English anthropologist Jane Goodall who spent years in the jungle studying gorillas has also shifted her focus at the age of 90 to activism, founding Roots and Shoots, a movement urging young people to create change in their communities and based on the philosophy that every individual has a role to play.

Roots and Shoots is now active in 70 countries with hundreds of thousands of young people spearheading climate-related projects to create a better world.

Jacques Cousteau once said, “We only protect what we love.” This Earth Day, commit to taking one or two actions, no matter how small to address climate change and love our earth. Happy Earth Day!