On a recent trip to Lisbon, Portugal, I was struck by the fact that so many of the things that defined my visit started with the letter C. Fittingly, since Christopher Columbus spent so much time in Portugal, and some debate that he was Portuguese, I decided to provide you a list of my seven Cs of Portugal: after all, …
Lake Superior Circle Tour — all around a great trip
In my last column, I’d started the circle trip around Lake Superior and left off at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. While I’d been as far North as Ouimet Canyon once before, I was now in unfamiliar territory. I had a few advantages on my side in terms of trying to plan this trip on the fly. First, I had my …
Parks, scenery, adventures abound in trip around Lake Superior
This morning, from Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay, as the loon beckoned to us from somewhere across the lake, I couldn’t help but think that there is a real upside to the lower population density in the North and the character attribute of Canadians not being boastful. We set off on our trip around Lake Superior, without having …
Back to school reality
As the summer sets on the horizon, I’m trying to repress thoughts of purchasing school supplies, packing lunches, and fighting with the kids to practice their music. Entering any store makes it near impossible to ignore the back to school reality, so I bit the bullet and bought a more expensive knapsack for my daughter. Every time I turned around …
Of Mice and Boys
There’s more than one way to skin a cat, or catch a mouse In the latest tale of mice and men, the score could be construed as mouse 0, man 1. However that wouldn’t tell of the sad fall from grace of my partner, Steve, nor would it describe my search for a better mousetrap. I should start at the …
I just jumped out of a plane at 12,500 feet – What’s wrong with me?
People mark their milestone birthdays differently. Me, I chose a fundamental leap of faith. One month before my 40th birthday, at 12,500 feet, I jumped out of an airplane. I did it quite calmly and without any expectations. Strangely enough, it didn’t really hit me until I was in a Delta passenger airplane on my way home from California. Watching …
Beer, hotdogs, baseball, and fireworks spell an American experience
I spent a week out in California amid a wash of lavender jacaranda trees in bloom, fragrant citrus trees and rows of palm trees, not to mention large flowers that looked like white and purple fireworks. (Which I later found out were called lily of the Nile or agapanthus.) They wouldn’t be my only fireworks of the week, I also …
It pays for businesses to go extra mile for customers
The North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce launched its annual Go the Extra Mile program rewarding excellence in customer service last month. The website says: “People encountering great customer service can nominate the individual by completing an entry form on the Chamber website, www.gotheextramile.ca or by picking up a form from a local sponsor.” Cash prizes and gift certificates …
Students who raise awareness of charity can get a real gift
Are you a college or university student underemployed this summer? Being creative and community-minded might just win you more money than you could ever make on the job. A press release headline caught my eye recently: “Have you heard the $50,000 story about the charitable sector? Neither have we … Yet!” Imagine Canada and the Muttart Foundation launched a national …
Firefighters have a good reputation in the community for a reason
Sir Winston Churchill said: “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” When I started hearing through the grapevine about all of the charitable work of the Sault Ste. Marie firefighters, this quote sprung to mind. We read about them fighting fires, our kids bring home their fire-prevention material, and we see …