Should I Tell You?

In order to save on the cost of going to festivals and events and to eat healthier meals, Judi has been making and packing picnic lunches for us to take to the festivals and events we visit! We’ve been doing this since the beginning of August and it’s been going very well, until now! Each time Judi carefully thinks through what we are going to eat and what she needs to pack. She includes such things as forks, knives, spoons, salt, napkins, etc., all of this along with our food and beverages. To preserve the food in the hot weather and to keep our drinks cool, we have a thermal lined picnic bag. As I said, all was well until last week! Judi prepared and packed the food as usual. Our recyclable water bottles were freshly filled and also packed. We loaded everything into our car and then headed for our destination! We were going to visit the event in the morning and then head to Wellington to visit my brother Chuck and his wife, Flo. After the festival visit, we went back to the car, ready to have our picnic lunch. We wanted to eat before we headed out to Chuck and Flo’s. Judi opened the thermal bag and let out a loud scream and then a low moan! This was followed by a few well-chosen words! I can’t repeat them here! The bottom of the bag was completely filled with WATER! We had just purchased new water bottles and had not tested them out! The contents of the water bottles had leaked! Everything was soaked and the water bottles were empty! Even though the sandwiches had been carefully wrapped, the water had managed to seep in! They were just nicely soggy! I was hungry and needed eat, so I suck in a big breath and bit into the soggy sandwich! Needless to say, the lunch was not quite what we had in mind when we started out that morning! So, here is my FESTIVAL NOMAD advice for the day… “Check out your new water bottles for leaks BEFORE you pack them with your lunch!” Also, take your mother’s advice, “Never eat a soggy sandwich!” 

The Great Ontario Communities Series (Perth)

During the past few years Judi and I have visited almost 150 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard-working residents, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The fourteenth article is about Perth which is located about an hour southwest of Ottawa and is considered one of the prettiest towns in Ontario.

PERTH - I can’t count the number of times we have passed through the northern portion of Perth and have never taken the time to stop and visit this beautiful historic town and its rich architecture.  Located in Eastern Ontario at the Tray River flowing through it, Perth is considered to be the “Prettiest Town in Ontario” … “Eastern Ontario’s exciting get-away destination”.  When we finally took the time to actually divert from Hwy. #7 into the downtown area, we were amazed at what was to be found.  The plain buildings and open roads turned into tree lined streets with charming century old homes.  The downtown business area was even more amazing.  Quaint shops housed in historic stone quarried buildings all bring to life the history of the town.  In researching Perth’s past, we found that Perth will turn 200 on April 18^th, 2016.  It was April 18^th, 1816 when Perth was established as a military settlement with lands obtained from the Algonkians.  Throughout its 200 years, Perth has grown and prospered.  It claims a number of interesting historic fact of events such as Eastern Ontario’s first newspaper (Bathurst Independent Newspaper), producing the World’s Biggest Cheese, Canada’s “last fatal duel”.  Now Perth is known as “The Big Town of Festivals”.  Perth boasts of such festivals as the Festival of Maples, Stewart Park MusicFest, Perth Fair to name a few.  There are also a number of wonderful attractions in Perth including the Conlon Farm (an amazing recreational facility), a busy farmers market, a cheese factory, the Perth Wildlife Reserve, the Perth Museum and much more.  So, if you are driving one day along Hwy. #7 near Perth and are looking for a memorable adventure, take the to find out more about Perth.  You may want to visit their website which is full of interesting facts, and details of things to do and see at. 

The Great Ontario Communities Series (Picton)

 During the past few years Judi and I have visited almost 150 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard-working residents, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The thirteenth article is about Picton located along the Loyalist Parkway in Prince Edward County.

PICTON - One of Eastern Ontario’s most scenic drives is taking the Loyalist Parkway from Trenton and following it to the “end-of-the-rainbow” town of Picton.  Picton is one of those towns that you want to visit many times because there is so much to discover.  Picton is located about halfway along the scenic Loyalist Parkway.  To reach it from the west you start at Trenton and drive through the picturesque villages of Carrying Place, Wellington and Bloomfield.  Approaching it from the east, you start at Kingston and then drive along one of the most beautiful stretches of Lake Ontario until you come to the Glenora Ferry.  Here you embark on a free 15-minute ferry ride across the Bay of Quinte. 

Picton “a town proud of its past and excited about its future”.  This is proven by its many historic buildings and quaint shops.  One of the reasons Judi & I love to visit Picton and its surrounding areas is because of all its fun and interesting things to do.

The Great Ontario Communities Series (The Kawarthas)

 During the past few years Judi and I have visited almost 150 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard-working residents, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The twelfth article is about the Kawarthas and all it has to offer.

THE KAWARTHAS - For the last 25 plus years Judi and I have, at some time or other, worked, lived and played in the Kawarthas!  Our first real venture into the Kawarthas was to visit the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival (then known as the Buckhorn Wildlife Art Festival).  This began a long love affair with the region!  A few years after our first visit, we had the opportunity to move to the area to live and work.  We found and purchased a small waterfront home on Upper Chemong Lake (aka Mud Lake) which is located between Lakefield to the south and Buckhorn to the north.  While we lived there, we had a wonderful time.  Our neighbours were great and we had many good times with them.  We purchased a run-a-bout and began to explore the Kawartha Lakes.  From Upper Chemong Lake we were able to easily travel to various small Kawartha towns and villages.  Buckhorn, Curve Lake Reserve and Bobcaygeon to name a few.  Unfortunately, times and jobs changed and we moved away from the area.  However, our love affair didn’t stop.  We eventually purchased another, larger boat and moored it in a marine on Upper Buckhorn Lake.  During all this time we visited many wonderful restaurants and events, and, or course, we continued to visit the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival.  The number of friends and acquaintances made over the years remain vividly in our memory today.  In recent years we have continued our close relationship with the Kawarthas, visiting many of their numerous festivals and events.  One of our favorite places to visit is the Lang Pioneer Village in Keene.  I have written about the village and its staff many times and look forward to continuing visiting and writing in the years to come!  The Kawarthas, with its lakes, towns and attractions is a wonderful place to live, let alone visit.