Tag Archives: Canada

Posts from Base Camp

Travelling Through Food

Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

As you can imagine, it is not easy for a travel blogger to…not travel. How have I managed through the pandemic so far? One key coping technique is travelling through food.

February 20, 2021 – Lemoine’s Point (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I’ve tried all kinds of wonderful food while travelling: check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my 2014 food highlights. Trying new food, even in lockdown, brings back some of that adventurous feeling. Today’s post is about faraway food and drink that I’ve discovered within the City of Kingston since the pandemic began.

February 20, 2021 – Lemoine’s Point (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I love cheese. All those stereotypes about Dutch and Swiss people eating immense amounts of cheese? 100% true, in my case. And I found a great new one just this month. It’s a goat cheese called “Midnight Moon”. While it is sold by an American company called Cypress Grove, it is actually made in the Netherlands. It’s a firm cheese that looks like Gouda…but is aged just enough to take on the sharper characteristics of Swiss “Alpkäse”. It is currently my favourite cheese. And I found it at the local “Farm Boy” store!

February 20, 2021 – Lemoine’s Point (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Farm Boy was also where I found a decadent new dessert. I was familiar with the vanilla-esque goodness of Portuguese Custard tarts, but they recently introduced a variation with chocolate hazelnut filling. The infusion of Italy makes these already delicious pastries even better.

February 20, 2021 – Lemoine’s Point (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Still in the sweet spectrum, I found some Sweet Chili Plantain Chips at the local FreshCo grocery store. These are made in Colombia from green plantains and have a nice balance between sweet and spicy…and, most importantly, no garlic. And apparently they have “40% less fat than regular potato chips”.

February 20, 2021 – Lemoine’s Point (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Speaking of spicy, I recently tried some Gochujang Chicken in a “prepare-it-yourself” meal kit from Loblaws. Gochujang is a fermented red chili paste from Korea. The sauce was mostly tangy, rather than sweet, and had just the right amount of heat for both of us. I’d never heard of it before, but I’ve already started looking for it in local Asian grocery stores.

February 20, 2021 – Lemoine’s Point (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

But what to drink with all of this interesting food? I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I’ve discovered two good new ones in the past year. For spicy food like Gochujang Chicken, I like a Jamaican beer called Dragon Stout. It’s made by the same people who make Red Stripe, but Dragon Stout is very different: it’s a high-alcohol (7.5%), nearly black beer with hints of licorice and chocolate. It can stand up to even the spiciest food.

February 20, 2021 – Lemoine’s Point (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I’ve also enjoyed Leffe Blonde, a Belgian beer that also exhibits sweet and spicy flavours. Like Dragon Stout, it’s also higher in alcohol content (6.6%), so it’s good that they are only availably locally in small bottles!

February 20, 2021 – Lemoine’s Point (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Today’s photos are all from a recent walk at Lemoine’s Point. Lots of wild turkeys…but no owls or deer on this particular day. That’s okay: we still see them on about half of our walks. Coming soon: some “lost” photos rediscovered!

Posts from the road

Back on the K&P Trail…AND A WINTER TRAVEL PLAN!

Leave a comment

(Cole Lake, Ontario, Canada)

As the leaves have suddenly become very colourful, we decided to resume our ongoing hike of the K&P Trail between Kingston and Sharbot Lake. Today’s segment started at the (former) village of Cole Lake, which is just north of Godfrey.

One of the roads that crosses the K&P Trail north of Cole Lake

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about the trail (here’s one from 2016, and here’s one from 2014), which follows a rail line that used to run between Kingston and Renfrew. As we complete more of it, we have to drive farther and farther to hike a section that we haven’t done before. Even though the skies were overcast today, I brought my camera to capture the fall colours….if not the blue skies. While we encountered a handful of people on the trail, it was *very* quiet. Almost too quiet: more than once, we were startled by a sudden noise.

View from the K&P Trail, north of Cole Lake

After walking the trail, we took an indirect route home. We passed through Bellrock, where I found a couple of very imposing swans beside the historic Bellrock mill. We also passed through places such as Chippewa (which I had somehow never seen before), Enterprise, Moscow, and Yarker.

K&P Trail near Cole Lake

In these COVID-19 times, travel plans remain almost impossible to execute. However, I recently made arrangements to rent a winterized cottage near Haliburton, Ontario, for a few days this winter We’ve never done that kind of a holiday before: my winter travel usually consists of a ski trip or a big city cultural (usually food!) getaway.

Heading north on the K&P Trail

Renting a cottage within a resort is kind of the ultimate COVID-19 holiday. Help is never far away, if needed, but you also don’t have to worry about crowded indoor spaces. And we are not limited to the cottage: there is a host of outdoor activities both onsite and within a short drive of the resort.

View from the K&P Trail, north of Cole Lake

The big adventure is going to be a half-day of dogsledding! But we also hope to skate on the lake outside the cottage, cross-country ski at the trails across the road, and do some snowshoeing in the Haliburton Highlands…outdoor winter activities that pose a very low health risk even if no COVID-19 vaccine is yet available. There’s even a small downhill skiing area nearby, but I think I’ll focus on other activities for this particular trip.

One of the swans at the Bellrock Mill (Bellrock, Ontario)

In the meantime, we will continue to “train” for our upcoming holiday by regular extended walks in the local area. By the way, Tom the Wild Turkey is *still* living a couple of blocks away: I hope he made it past Thanksgiving without any close calls.

Another swan at the Bellrock Mill (Bellrock, Ontario)

Even when we walk locally, we can still talk about prior trips. I may eventually post some of those ruminations on this blog. Our walks are also a time to think about what will be important when we are able to travel again in the future. So much has changed since 2014, when I started this blog. Not just politically, but also in our motivations for travel. I also hope certain over-touristed places will emerge with a more sustainable model for future travel.

Entering Moscow from the north (Moscow, Ontario)

Hoping to read about Prague? I will return to my 1999 Bavaria and Bohemia trip in my next post!

Posts from the road

Quinte Road Trip

Leave a comment

(Belleville/Trenton/Picton, Ontario, Canada)

Going on a road trip for my birthday…it’s the kind of thing that I always took for granted. This year, however, the situation was just a little different. I first had to ask myself if this was the right thing to do.

Enchiladas Verdes (with Horchata), from Chilangos (Belleville, Ontario)

I compared the COVID-19 numbers for Kingston and my proposed Quinte region destinations of Belleville, Trenton, and Prince Edward County. There was very little, if any, active infection in any of those places. That was essential, because I wouldn’t want to be exporting or importing anything. After loading up on masks and beverages, we headed down Highway 2 to Belleville. Or was it Mexico, en route to the Netherlands?

Chilangos (Belleville, Ontario)

For lunch, we ate on the back patio of Chilangos, a Mexican restaurant that’s been open for a couple of years. Much to my delight, they now offered horchata. It’s a milky rice-based beverage with vanilla and cinnamon, and it’s really good when the weather is warm. It was the perfect accompaniment to my spicy enchiladas.

Trenton Delicatessen (Trenton, Ontario)

After some shopping in Belleville, we moved on to Trenton. Right now, the main attraction for me there is the Trenton Delicatessen. It is a treasure trove of European specialties…especially Dutch ones. I stocked up on kroketten, atjar tjampoer, interesting varieties of true Dutch gouda, and salty black licorice (dropjes), to name a few. Although I have never spent more than a couple of weeks at a time in the Netherlands, all of these foods remain special for me. Some were introduced to me as a child at home, while others I really got to know when visiting relatives across the sea.

View from the waterfront park in Wellington, Ontario

From Trenton, it is a very short drive to Prince Edward County…also known simply as “the County”. It is “almost” an island jutting out into Lake Ontario. While I remember it as a primarily agricultural area with a famous beach (the Sandbanks), it has really gentrified in recent years. It’s now filled with wineries, cideries, and B&Bs.

Wellington, Ontario

Wellington, in particular, seemed to be totally transformed. There were sprawling new homes on the outskirts, and signs for artisanal lemonade in the newly bustling downtown. We saw many cars with Quebec license plates, even though Wellington (see photo at the top of this post) is about 4 hours from the Quebec border. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, I doubt that many visitors to the County lived more than an hour away.

Home of Crimson Cider (Picton, Ontario)

After leaving Wellington, I thought it would be cool to bring home some cider from the “County”. I had no plan; I just envisioned stopping at some quaint little cidery in the middle of nowhere. Sure enough, we found Crimson Cider just before arriving in Picton. I had never heard of it before but, after a quick outdoor tasting, we had a bottle to bring home.

Glenora, Ontario (taken from the Glenora Ferry)

Rather than rush home via the bridge at Deseronto, we decided to take the ferry from Glenora to Adolphustown. The ferry (it only takes about 10 minutes) is free, as it is considered part of the provincial highway system. After another 30 minutes of driving, we were home just in time for dinner. Overall, it wasn’t an epic trip. But I think we appreciated it far more than other pre-pandemic local trips. If the conditions are right, we hope to embark on another area road trip before too long.

Posts from Base Camp

Kingston, Ontario. And a turkey

Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)


I’m very fortunate to live in Kingston, a historic city at the junction of Lake Ontario, the Rideau Canal, and the St. Lawrence River. The cover photo above was taken in front of City Hall and shows the Confederation Basin (including a Martello Tower).

Johnson Street, Kingston, Ontario

Kingston was the first capital of Canada. Even though it only lasted as capital for one year (the risk of invasion from the nearby United States was too high), Kingston has managed to retain a lot of beautiful old buildings from those early years of growth and prosperity. Our City Hall was intended to be Canada’s Parliament building. I took all of these pictures on a recent errand-running trip downtown.

Brock Street, Kingston, Ontario

We’re still trying to support local businesses, especially locally-run ones, as much as possible. We’ve also used local contractors to do extensive exterior renovations to our home, and have tried to support the same restaurants that we used to love visiting before the pandemic hit.

Kingston City Hall (Ontario Street)

It was reasonably busy on Princess Street (the main commercial street)…busy enough that I didn’t want to stop in the middle of the sidewalk and take pictures of it. So yes, on a sunny summer Saturday. the downtown is still very much alive.

Headquarters of The Empire Life Insurance Company (King Street, Kingston, Ontario)

While we are used to our beautiful downtown, we aren’t used to some of the wildlife that has moved into suburban Kingston. For the past two weeks, our daily walks have brought us into contact with a wild turkey who now lives on nearby Kenshaw Street.

Tom the Turkey visits one of his favourite houses on Kenshaw Street, Kingston, Ontario

We’re used to seeing wild turkeys at Lemoine Point, but we don’t really understand why “Tom” has decided to make his home in the middle of suburbia. He’s quite large, I think, and doesn’t seem to be a pet. In fact, he has displayed some aggression towards…jeeps.

Tom checks out a garage

For reasons unknown, Tom was very upset by the jeep you see below. He was walking alongside the front tire, pecking at it and posturing aggressively. The driver tried to drive away slowly so that Tom wasn’t injured, but Tom kept jabbing at the tire. I’m pleased to report that Tom wasn’t hurt, and he eventually gave up after hectoring the jeep for more than a block.

Tom the Turkey attacks a jeep on Lawton Place, Kingston, Ontario

Despite his anti-jeep activity, we haven’t seen Tom act aggressively towards any humans. The many rabbits that live around here don’t seem to be bothered by him either!

Posts from Base Camp

Local “Travel”

Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

The past couple of months have certainly made me think a lot about the future of a travel blog.

The County Court House in Napanee, Ontario

Since returning from Europe in early March of this year, everything has changed. Typically, I wouldn’t even be back from a trip before I had given some serious thought to the next destination. This time was different. Entirely unrelated to the gradually unfolding pandemic, I had very unpleasant experiences with the airline on each leg of my trip. These experiences fully fit into the category of a “first world problem”, but it still made me think about taking a break from very long distance travel.

The County Registry Office in Napanee, Ontario

Although I didn’t quite connect the dots at the time, I now view the unpleasant air experiences as blessings in disguise. It made me think a lot about what kinds of experiences I wanted to have in the future. I had always preferred “experiential travel” to “passive tourism”. Perhaps it was time to focus even more on the experience, regardless of where it took place geographically.

The old post office in Napanee, Ontario

In essence, the most rewarding thing about travel is going outside your comfort zone to experience new things. With a little effort, and within the limits posed by the pandemic, it’s time to make that happen on a more local scale.

The intersection of Centre and Dundas Streets: the core of downtown Napanee, Ontario

All of the pictures here are from a small road trip we took last fall to Napanee and Deseronto, two small towns just west of Kingston. Like just about anywhere, there are all kinds of experiences waiting to be discovered in my area. Have you ever tasted black lemon gouda cheese, imported from Holland by a local deli? Ordered a rare record from a local independent shop? Lawn bowled on a peaceful green overlooking the Trent Canal?

The New York Restaurant in downtown Napanee, Ontario

Last fall, we invented our own adventure. For years, we have driven to Napanee (and beyond) and passed the sign saying “Switzerville Road”, but it was never convenient to check it out. Being Swiss-Canadian, I vowed to someday investigate this mythical place. Perhaps it would be a little slice of Switzerland in a forgotten corner of Eastern Ontario?

Very old fire engine (from Batawa, Ontario, but actually in Deseronto, Ontario)

Well, we finally made it to Switzerville. You can see the “village” in the photo at the very top of this post. It consisted of two (or maybe three?) houses, and a very old cemetery. So…not really a slice of the Alps. But it was fun to check it out, imagining what it might be like and what it once must have been.

Christ Church, Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal of the Mohawk (Deseronto, Ontario)

Stay tuned – I’ll continue to report on local adventures and experiences, with the occasional “flashback”!

Posts from Base Camp, Posts from the road

More on Montreal…and preparing for a bigger trip

Leave a comment

(Montreal, Quebec, and Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

After a bit of a hiatus, I’m finally returning to the Montreal trip that I first blogged about a few weeks ago. 

Another view from Mont-Royal…this time, looking east

On Sunday, we visited the Museum of Fine Art. There was a special travelling exhibition about Egypt (based on mummies) for which our hotel gave us free passes. I had some initial reservations about the propriety of exhibiting the deceased, but I thought it was done in a respectful manner. They don’t break open the “cases” anymore!

Montreal’s Museum of Fine Art

Despite being a city of three million people, downtown Montreal still retains a human scale. As you can see from the following photo of Crescent Street, not all of the downtown core has been replaced by skyscrapers. And imagine our surprise when we saw Leonard Cohen looming over us! 

Crescent Street in downtown Montreal

Since then, I have had some challenges with my impending ski trip. My travel plans were affected by the rail blockade between Kingston and Toronto, and then a situation arose with the seating on my overnight transatlantic flight. When these things happen, I try to remember that travelling is a privilege. I eventually resolved each of these situations, and I fully expect to be posting about my trip soon.

Montreal is very clearly the home of Leonard Cohen

Another challenge arose when I double-checked the baggage size limitations on the train. For reasons unknown (especially since they run a shuttle between Dorval station and Dorval airport, for example), the standard baggage allowance on our passenger rail service is actually slightly smaller than the standard airline baggage allowance. Why would they do that, if they want people to take the train as part of a longer journey?

A savory “Mexican” crepe, with a blackberry smoothie

In any case, it forced me to reduce my baggage (and plan for a laundry day while travelling). Again, things usually work out in the end, but it involved some very complicated logistics to ensure I could travel with the absolute minimum amount of clothes. I already know exactly which items I will be washing on Saturday afternoon. However, I will be in trouble if the laundromat is closed!  

The Chateau Versailles (our Montreal hotel) at night

Anyway, all of this should be moot when I’m finally back in the mountains again. Even the most miserable start to a vacation, such as when the airline lost some of my luggage and my first night’s hotel was suddenly full, is quickly forgotten.  I’m looking forward to my posting my next blog entry from the Alps!

Posts from the road

A Warm Winter Weekend in Montreal

Leave a comment

(Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

It’s not often that you hear about a warm winter weekend in Montreal. But that’s exactly what we had on our recent visit!

The first part of our visit focused mainly on food and shopping. We once again purchased a weekend transit pass, allowing us to travel around the city and hop on or off whenever we felt inspired. We started by returning to Verdun, for a clothing shop we discovered on our previous trip to Montreal. Before shopping, however, we had to make sure we were properly nourished.

I took this picture just because I think “Lavo-Rama” is a great name for a laundromat (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce)

We chose a Peruvian place just down the street from the clothing shop. My hopes were high, as I saw both lomo saltado and chicha morada on the menu.  I have a nostalgic attachment to these items, as I prepared lomo saltado during a cooking course I took in Cusco, Peru. And I had many delicious glasses of chicha morada throughout my Peruvian trip in 2014.

Simply “Jimi”. Perfect name for a music shop. (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce)

While it was nice to revisit Peru on a winter’s day in Canada, it wasn’t quite the same as what I remembered from 6 years before. I guess this isn’t surprising – almost everything tastes better in the place it comes from.  Eating in Peru is great!

The next day, we ventured to the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. We had no particular destination in mind:  we had just heard that there were a lot of bookstores and independent businesses that might be interesting to look at. This was true, but what really struck us was the number of bakeries and pastry shops…and also the number of pet-oriented businesses! The pets of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce certainly ought to be well-amused and well-groomed.

Woof & Groom dog-grooming emporium in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

From there,  it was off to the neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges. This time, the attraction was an allegedly high number of ethnic restaurants. We decided to simply roam and stop in for lunch wherever the “vibe” was right. Nothing truly called to us until we saw a basement restaurant called La Republika. There was no menu posted outside: we just knew that the food was from the Philippines. We took the plunge, as there seemed to be many local residents dining despite the low outside profile.

Tosilog lunch at La Republika (Côte-des-Neiges)

It turned out to be the culinary highlight of our trip.  My wife had a very enjoyable pork dish called tosilog, while I had grilled shrimps. I was somewhat surprised to see that the shrimps had not been shelled (or otherwise processed) before being grilled. The waiter brought me some gloves and I spent quite a bit of time trying to shell the slippery-sauced shrimp. All turned out well in the end, even if I made a complete mess and the grilling sauce ended up everywhere.  There was no question that the dish was freshly made!

Grilled shrimp lunch at La Republika (Côte-des-Neiges)

We walked off our lunch feast on Mont-Royal, the small “mountain” that provides excellent views of downtown Montreal (see photo at the top of this post).   After an extended hike, we caught another bus to the Plateau neighbourhood…home of my favourite record store (“Aux 33 Tours”).  It never fails to surprise me with unexpected vinyl treasures. 

Hiking high above the city on Mont-Royal

Cookies and hot chocolate followed in the Plateau, and eventually a late dinner at Qing Hua near our hotel at the edge of Westmount. Qing Hua is a Montreal institution specializing in “Chinese dumplings”…name a filling, and it’s probably available in at least one of their large steamed dumplings. I tried beef curry, as well as vermicelli-mushroom-cabbage.

Stay tuned – there’s more on Montreal!

 

 

Posts from Base Camp

My next bucket list item

Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I didn’t use quite as many vacation days as I was anticipating this summer, so I started looking into travel options for a late fall getaway of a week or so.  Although I usually travel independently, I felt like entrusting some of the logistics to someone else this time: for a short trip, this would help ensure that my limited time was used effectively.  As usual, my eventual destination was nowhere near what I had originally planned.

I began with looking at a return to Latin America, with Ecuador being at the top of the list.  However, I began to waver because Ecuador seemed kind of far away for just a one -week trip. As it turns out, I’m glad I didn’t move ahead with those plans: there is currently significant civil unrest in Ecuador, and my preferred tour operator has apparently cancelled a number of tours there. 

And then, inspiration hit. I was taking a look at some promotions, and found a number of tours that were 30% off the regular price. One of them caught my eye…it was in a part of the world that has been on my subconscious bucket list for ages but I somehow never got around to seeing. 

This tour ticked all the boxes: it was for a small group only (maximum 16 participants), it was an active tour with a significant amount of walking, it was off-season (and therefore wouldn’t be too busy), it would have very comfortable weather, and it wasn’t too far from home.  With it being 30% off, and finding some direct flights at an affordable price, I made a quick decision to go for  it.

So, in a few short weeks, I will be going on a tour of the “Canyonlands” of Utah and Arizona! This includes the Grand Canyon, but also places such as Bryce Canyon National Park, Antelope Canyon, and Zion National Park. My flights are to Las Vegas, so I will also get at least a brief glimpse of the glitz and glamour there…again, for the very first time.  And I also get to travel on a bit of the legendary Route 66!

I really enjoy doing long walks when I’m on holiday: it’s a great way to be “in the moment” and see things that you can’t when you’re on a bus all day.  These destinations will be especially spectacular on foot, and I understand that we will be taking a trail that descends into the Grand Canyon. 

I’m really excited about this trip.  I’m sure it will be intense but exhilirating…and will make a great prelude to my winter ski trip. That ski trip will involve a country I’ve been to before, but never for skiing.  Curious? Stay tuned to this blog!

(Today’s photos were all taken within one hour, on a walk around my sister-in-law’s place near Yarker, Ontario, Canada.)

Posts from the road

More sports travel

Leave a comment

(Richmond Hill, Stouffville, and Kingston)

I thought this post would be about my rapidly approaching “bucket list” adventure in November. However, I’m going to defer that again, in order to report on some recent sports-related travel.

The opening ceremony for the women’s event in Richmond Hill

I recently participated in the provincial lawn bowling championships in the men’s novice (less than 5 years of experience) singles category. As only 16 bowlers qualified, and there are well over 100 lawn bowling clubs in Ontario, it was an honour just to attend.  Even better, my wife also qualified in the concurrent women’s competition!

The opening procession in the men’s event at Stouffville

This year’s event was held in Stouffville (see photo at top of this post) and Richmond Hill, just over 3 hours west of Kingston. We drove up on Friday to check out the facilities and get some practice on the greens where our sporting fates would be decided over the following two days. I knew quite a few of the competitors, so it was nice to catch up with them before the competition started.

Awaiting the start of the first game in Stouffville

The opening ceremonies on Saturday were very early.  We were piped onto the greens by a bagpiper, and were welcomed by provincial and federal politicians. The early start is out of necessity, as we would have to play three games (plus any necessary tiebreakers) that day and each singles game can take 2-3 hours. Singles bowling really is a test of mental and physical stamina.

Delivering a bowl on Saturday morning

My Saturday in Stouffville went well, so I qualified to play in the playoff rounds in Richmond Hill on Sunday. Both clubs are located in the respective “downtown” cores: each one is a peaceful oasis in the middle of a rapidly growing urban area. Decades ago, I used to travel to Richmond Hill occasionally to play hockey, but the population has increased by a factor of nearly ten since then!

The umpires are called in to make a measurement

Of course, playing sports outdoors all day will work up an appetite, so we enjoyed a bountiful Hungarian meal at the Rhapsody restaurant near the Richmond Hill Club.  There were also appealing Persian and Trinidadian options nearby.

Preparing for a critical bowl on Sunday afternoon in Richmond Hill

Sunday was an even greater test of endurance, especially when the heat cranked up in the afternoon. I played three further matches, with the second one lasting an incredible 3 hours and 20 minutes.  With perhaps 30 minutes between matches, it was a very long day indeed.  While curling is the sport that employs skills most similar to lawn bowling, I think the conditioning provided by soccer and hockey also came in handy during the heat of the tournament.

On our way to Stouffville, we found this great Dutch deli in Whitby, Ontario!

By the time the tournament was finally over, it was 7:00 p.m. and we still had to drive back to Kingston and get ready for work the next day. Going out for dinner would have made us even later. Fortunately, the incredibly kind tournament hosts set us up with some food for the long drive home. This is the sort of goodwill that is found so often in the sport: though we all do our best to win, there is also a strong sense that we are “all in this together”.  We are both looking forward to visiting Richmond Hill and Stouffville again some day, and to seeing our fellow competitors at future events around the province.

Russ Howard gives some technical instruction at the Royal Kingston Curling Club

The very next weekend, I attended a curling clinic. It was hosted by Canadian curling legend Russ Howard. I learned all kinds of cool things about the game…as well as how incredibly skilled the national-level athletes must be in order to succeed.  It was a nice way to transition from summer to winter sports.

Practicing our skills at the Russ Howard curling clinic

 I will be staying close to home for the next month or so.  I promise that the next post really will be about my upcoming trip!

(Special thanks to the tournament organizers, who graciously allowed me to use some photographs for this blog)

Posts from the road

The PARHAM FAIR

Leave a comment

(Parham, Ontario)

With a tournament cancelled this past weekend, we decided to go for a small local road trip. After a rescheduled birthday lunch in Napanee, our route took us through a number of small Lennox & Addington County communities to the slightly larger village of Tamworth.

This is where we had lunch in Napanee

Tamworth was in the local news recently because its last remaining bank branch had just closed. However, it is still well served by cafes and second-hand shops, so I enjoyed an unexpectedly large ice cream cone at the snack bar in the Black Cat Cafe. We saw somebody kitted up in authentic cowboy gear…but thought nothing of it at the time. As it turned out, this was a clever bit of foreshadowing.

The Tamworth Hotel (and Black Cat Cafe)

We then took the mysterious Mountain Road from Tamworth to the small village of Parham. Some maps don’t even show this road, while others show it as “unsurfaced”. Fortunately, it does exist and is now completely paved. The road goes through rocky and swampy country that is unsuitable for farming, and there were very few homes along the road. Little remained from the original settlements of the late 19th century. We felt much farther away from the city than we actually were.

Somewhere between Tamworth and Parham

Eventually, however, we arrived in Parham.  I often passed through Parham on the way to childhood cottage vacations, but never spent any time here. Much to our surprise, the 127th annual Parham Fair was being held. We spontaneously decided to attend, having no idea what was on offer. While there weren’t any rides like at some larger fairs, the Parham Fair seemed to have largely retained its focus on agriculture.

The band at the Parham Fair

In the exhibit “Palace”, we saw many fine examples of crafts, cooking, and produce. There were prizes in categories such as the best pickling cucumbers. But there was another category that caught my eye: the “Freaky Vegetables” category. This was where people could submit “unusually formed” vegetables. The winner was a tomato that appear to be a fusion of two tomatoes (one green and one red) at totally different stages of development…and possibly were not even the same kind of tomato.

Entries in the “Freaky Vegetables” category at the Parham Fair (winner at bottom left)

We then settled in to watch the horse pull. Our verdict: horses are very big and very strong. Even though there were only two horses per entrant, and the combined weight limit for the horses was just over 3000 pounds, they had little trouble pulling loads well in excess of that.  Just to be safe, I didn’t get too close…although I also didn’t want to trigger my horse allergy!

Feeding time before the big competition at the Parham Fair

The fair food was reasonably priced, and most of it was locally made.  We heard part of the band’s set (appropriately, it was straight out country music), but unfortunately missed out on other events such as the demolition derby and the cattle show.  

Horses in action at the Parham Fair

Before the unexpected visit to the fair, I had planned to write a lengthy post about some of the travel planning I’d been doing over the past few weeks. I’ll defer the details (and some of the photos from today’s trip) until my next post, but I can say that I will be having a “bucket list” international experience in November…and I am very excited about the European ski destination I have now chosen for the end of February.