In late 2004, my mother in law told me of plans that her sister (Jessie) had of having a big celebration in Canada. It would be her 65th birthday, her husbands 70th birthday and their 45th wedding anniversary. I was very excited because I’ve never been to Canada even though I have cousins in Toronto and have been trying to get there since 1977. So I was only too happy to buy tickets for Paul, Tristan and I to make this 6 day trip.
Day 1
We get up at 3:30 am in order to have 6 of us get ready to be on the shuttle that will pick us up at 5 am for our 7 am flight. After some security issues because Paul’s mother wears a knee brace, we finally boarded the flight from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia. The flight was great and Tristan was thrilled with his first plane ride. After the novelty wore off, we sat him down in front of his brand new portable DVD player and allowed Barney to work his magic. Whoever invented this miracle machine should be given a Nobel Prize. I slept most of the flight because I was exhausted; Paul actually did work because he had homework due in all 3 of this classes as well as exams in all 3 of his classes. We arrive in Philly and sit on the tarmac for 25 minutes. Mind you we only had a 70 minute turnaround to the flight to Ottawa.
We finally get off the plane and realize we have to take a shuttle to get to our departing terminal. Paul, Tristan, Dale (my 16-year old nephew) and I sprint through the airport to get to the shuttle to tell them to hold the flight. After that bit of excitement, we finally get onto the plane to Ottawa. This is not a jet; instead it’s an US Air express flight. This means the plane holds about 50 passengers and while the seats are leather and luxurious, everything else is teeny tiny. To watch people use the restroom was hilarious because they actually had to back in because there was no space inside to turn around.
An hour after getting on the plane we land in Ottawa…who knew it would be so close. We get off the plane in Ottawa and I’m now hunting for a bathroom since I haven’t been since 5 am and it’s now close to noon. After taking care of matters and clearing customs we finally collect our bags and enter the wonderful world of Ottawa. Our time there wouldn’t be long because soon we were collected by cousins, dogs and friends. Our first purchase in Canada, however, was at a Burger King where we ordered 3 large sodas, 4 large fries and one large onion ring and the bill came up to $18. Yikes! We still had yet to get used to the Canadian idea of money. Fed and hydrated, we now made our way to beautiful….Plevna.
The ride from Ottawa to Plevna went uneventfully. We got to Aunt Jessie and looked around. Finally, we went to the place we’d call home for the next few days – The Beaver Ranch http://bbtip.com/en/10244.html located outside Plevna in a town called Ompah. Please note that we did not stay in any of the pictures noted. We stayed in a much more rustic cabin, but it was home and I rather liked it. I figure that I can get marble tile and such any time, but where can I really get rustic living if not in Ompah.
Totally uncharacteristic of Canada was a record heat wave and so instead of it being cool, the cabin felt like a sauna, we were only to happy to leave and go to the Birch Lodge for dinner. Birch Lodge sat on a lake with a series of sky blue cabins dotting the landscape. Tristan and Paul had a blast on the lake in a paddle boat. Then we experienced what happens after 5 pm in Plevna…the bugs come a calling. Now, I’m not talking about run of the mill noseeums and little flies, I am talking about vicious creatures with nothing on their mind but reincarnating Dracula and his bride and sucking you dry of any blood substance you may be carrying. They had huge horse flies and mosquitoes that would clearly be banned from any US sport because they had to have been on steroids.
After conceding defeat to the bugs, we finally made it back to Ompah and our new home. Here I was greeted by yet another surprise. Being from a big city, my water has always come from a Dam or when I lived in Jamaica from a river. After leaving it source it is purified and comes to my tap fresh and free from odor and impurities. Imagine my surprise when I had to deal with well water. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the joys of well water, let me elaborate. First the water is freezing, second it smells like sulfur…for those of you who don’t know what sulfur smell like, ask any male child who’s taken at least one semester of chemistry – rotten eggs. So the thought of bathing in this water was not a pleasant one for me. I decided that while I would bathe in this water, washing my face and brushing my teeth with it would be entirely out of the question so bottled water, here I come. In addition, Speedy Gonzales and I were in a running competition for the speed bathing olympic event.
Having showered, connected the DVD player to the TV (which only got 2 channels) and settled Tristan down with Barney, I tried to figure out how I was going to sleep without any AC in this sweltering sauna. Finally, I got Paul to drag my mattress to the front door beside the wood burning stove (for your City folk, it’s not for cooking, it’s for staying warm) since outside had cooled down considerably, but inside had not. So, there I lay on the floor, with my son beside me on the first night of my vacation on my first visit to Canada. My nephew took refuge inside because he swore that he heard wolves outside and that it smelt like Elk or Moose. But having been awake for nearly 24 hours, all I could think about was sleeping. By midnight I was out like a light. By 3 am, I was assaulted by a viciously cold wind – the wonderful temperate climate of Canada had returned.
Now please note that the only reason that I slept this well beside a flimsy wooden door with mesh inserts is because I had no idea that a scant mile or two away, there were large furry creatures who apparently had not yet hibernated for the Winter. I was not amused to learn the following day that Smokey, Winnie and Paddington's relatives had been roaming a scant few miles from my sleeping head.
Day 2
We wake up to a lovely sunshiny day. Paul and I decide to take Tristan down to the pond for a dip and a swim. It took me a while to actually make it down to the pond. Now city girl that I am, I go trai
psing down the hill in my flip flops and nearly snap an ankle on the slippery slope. After regaining my balance and composure since my dignity had clearly exited, I make it down to the dock. I look a the pond and it’s a murky brown. Now I know that this is so because it’s reflecting the muddy bottom, but as an Island girl accustomed to sandy beaches and azure waters, this was not my idea of a swimming area. However, once we began to feed the fish and talk with the water snake, I realized that this pond had it own charm.
The owners of the Beaver Ranch had stocked the pond with Bass and Trout so the water smelt very fishy and you really felt like you were communing with nature. Paul and Tris actually ventured in and my Tristan was so thrilled with the experience that he began yelling in anger when Paul decided to leave the pond to the water snake that had come to greet him and ask if he could be of any assistance on our little visit into his neck of the woods. We spent the rest of the time, feeding the Bass and Trout who really didn’t look like they needed to be fed because they were HUGE. We could actually fish in the pond, but we had to throw everything back since it was manually stocked. Paul of course had other ideas about throwing fish back. He figured that you had to be caught to be accused of a crime. But alas we had no poles so fishing was not an option. We were able to capture a few baby fish in a bucket so that Tristan could actually see some baby fish swimming around. Yet again, another highlight for the now seasoned mini traveler.
In the evening, we went to yet another dinner at another Lodge. This time we were going to Cousin Mike’s lodge which was also on another Lake. On our way there we were car 3 in a six car convoy and realized that we were officially in Plevna rush-hour traffic. Now this was a fascinating journey. We were on our way to Dickey’s Lodge. Of course the men in the group couldn’t seem to locate the place but had no trouble at all finding Crotch Lane. Thank goodness that I managed to see Dickey’s Loge name nailed to a tree (not so sure that Dickey would have been happy nailed to a tree). We were driving through what seemed to be miles and miles of woods on a dirt road with no streetlights. I expected Jason or that guy from "I knew what you did last summer" to jump out of the woods at any minute. Then miraculously we drove through an opening and saw the most darling cottage sitting on a hill above the lake. Tristan, Paul and Dale immediately went down the lake and got into the boat. We spent most of the night down there lighting a bonfire and roasting marshmallows and peanuts. The fire kept us warm and warded off the bugs. Paul's cousin, Glenn, actually chopped the wood and brought it to us. The fact that I know someone who can and does chop wood on a regular basis is quite a thrill for me. And with this red hair and freckles, he looks like the typical logger.
Day 3
This is actually the day of the festivities and we are supposed to be collected at 1 to go have lunch and then come up to freshen up for the big shindig at 8 pm. The long and short of it is we get picked up at 3 and then meet up with the remainder of the clan arriving from various sectors of Canada for lunch. Paul's Mom and Aunt are two of eight so there are tons of relatives to account for. Once pictures had been taken and lunch had been eaten we head back to Beaver Ranch for some rest, relaxation and to get all beautified. We were being picked up by a bus at 8 so that we didn’t have to worry about driving to and fro especially for those who wanted to imbibe. So the bus arrives….and it’s a short School Bus. Now you know that the short bus is usually for the “special” kids so that was a trip in itself. So we load up onto the special short bus and head to the party. We were told not to dress a la South Florida so we all look like we are heading to a dinner at family instead of a major party.
We arrive at the party and the entire town of Plevna has turned up. I’d never seen that many cars in all the time I’d been there. Paul leans over to me and says, “Well, this is a first, I’ve never arrived at a party on a Saturday night in a school bus.” Well that was to be the first of many firsts – we go inside and are totally thrown when we realize that the Fire Department are actually the ones serving the food and liquor. Can you imagine that happening in Broward County? Ken Jenne allowing his staff to serve food and alcohol in uniform on a Sunday night? HA! It would be on the front page of the Sun Sentinel and heads would roll. Of course, Paul has to make his usual comments which this time ran like this, “well, we better hope that no fire breaks out or else this session is done.”
Now Paul's family once they are all together closely resemble the United Nations. The basis of the family is Scots-Irish. Then they married some black folk, some Indian folk, some Chinese folk, and some half breed folks. Those offpsring in turn married/had children with some White folks, some Indian folk, some Chinese folk and a variety of other breeds and creeds. The result is a true representation of global multiculturalism. When we all enteredt he party, you could actually gear the poor Plevnites trying to figure out, "what the hey?" I finally ended up having to sort of the confusion for one chap who came up to me and asked me if I was Jamaican because of my accent. I think he figured out I was family and was trying to figure out how. So I drew him a visual diagram complete with branches and he appeared satisfied. I hope that he was able to spread the information far and wide.
It was a really nice little party. The first hour, I felt like I was either in TExas or Alabama because all they played was country music of the Gene Autry and Loretta Lynn variety. It was cool seeing a dance floor of the 60+ all up and dancing. Later the night, they spiced it up with some more current and popular music once the older folk had retired for the night. Since we'd eatern earlier, they had some hors’d’oevres and a few drinks and Paul and I ran after Tris the whole night who rightly so wanted to be outside where it was significantly cooler than indoors.
Day 4
On Sunday we all went to Aunt Jessie’s for a barbecue. The children all had a ball playing outside until the sun began to set and once again we had to retreat due to the overtake of the steroidal bugs. Paul got a chance to send his homework via email and socialize with some of his cousins. The teenagers got a chance to roast smores which they hadn't done since our 4th of July family get together in Naples the year before.
Day 5
Everybody is off to the Hershey’s chocolate factory and the train museum. I knew I was heading back to work in two days and had an entire day of traveling ahead of me. I saw no need to go looking for ways to get even fatter and I have no interest in trains. Tris went along for the trip and I gather had a good time. Paul and I stayed back and slept and watched Lara Croft 2. Dale comes back with a bag full of chocolate which he claims he plans to retail when he returns to school in August. Apparently, they charge some astronomical amount for chocolates at the vending machine and he saw a way to undercut management and make some cash. Of course his uncle told him that somebody needed to charge his some excise tax on the chocolate volume he was transporting.
Later the night, Uncle Don (the birthday boy and husband of Aunt Jessie) comes over with Aunt Jessie, his sister, brother-in-law and neice to visit before we all leave. I of course stay inside with Tris and Dale because the verandah doesn't have a sturdy rail and Tris could fall through at any time. I also see no need to do further battle with the bugs having already awarded them the prize for ownership out the outdoors. The heat wave has returned and is not helped by my drinking Vodka. But we all retire for the night and feel a bit sad that our vacation is coming to an end.
Day 6
We are up early and ready to roll. We take a 2 hour trip to Ottawa and get put on an early flight to Philly. We land in Philly and take it easy by eating some Philly cheese steaks and having a few drinks. We landed after 2 and our flight didn’t depart until almost 6. So with an almost 4 hour layover we relax until it’s time to head home. I finally opened my house door at around 10 that night and boy wasn’t it good to be home.
Day 1
We get up at 3:30 am in order to have 6 of us get ready to be on the shuttle that will pick us up at 5 am for our 7 am flight. After some security issues because Paul’s mother wears a knee brace, we finally boarded the flight from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia. The flight was great and Tristan was thrilled with his first plane ride. After the novelty wore off, we sat him down in front of his brand new portable DVD player and allowed Barney to work his magic. Whoever invented this miracle machine should be given a Nobel Prize. I slept most of the flight because I was exhausted; Paul actually did work because he had homework due in all 3 of this classes as well as exams in all 3 of his classes. We arrive in Philly and sit on the tarmac for 25 minutes. Mind you we only had a 70 minute turnaround to the flight to Ottawa.
We finally get off the plane and realize we have to take a shuttle to get to our departing terminal. Paul, Tristan, Dale (my 16-year old nephew) and I sprint through the airport to get to the shuttle to tell them to hold the flight. After that bit of excitement, we finally get onto the plane to Ottawa. This is not a jet; instead it’s an US Air express flight. This means the plane holds about 50 passengers and while the seats are leather and luxurious, everything else is teeny tiny. To watch people use the restroom was hilarious because they actually had to back in because there was no space inside to turn around.
An hour after getting on the plane we land in Ottawa…who knew it would be so close. We get off the plane in Ottawa and I’m now hunting for a bathroom since I haven’t been since 5 am and it’s now close to noon. After taking care of matters and clearing customs we finally collect our bags and enter the wonderful world of Ottawa. Our time there wouldn’t be long because soon we were collected by cousins, dogs and friends. Our first purchase in Canada, however, was at a Burger King where we ordered 3 large sodas, 4 large fries and one large onion ring and the bill came up to $18. Yikes! We still had yet to get used to the Canadian idea of money. Fed and hydrated, we now made our way to beautiful….Plevna.
The ride from Ottawa to Plevna went uneventfully. We got to Aunt Jessie and looked around. Finally, we went to the place we’d call home for the next few days – The Beaver Ranch http://bbtip.com/en/10244.html located outside Plevna in a town called Ompah. Please note that we did not stay in any of the pictures noted. We stayed in a much more rustic cabin, but it was home and I rather liked it. I figure that I can get marble tile and such any time, but where can I really get rustic living if not in Ompah.
Totally uncharacteristic of Canada was a record heat wave and so instead of it being cool, the cabin felt like a sauna, we were only to happy to leave and go to the Birch Lodge for dinner. Birch Lodge sat on a lake with a series of sky blue cabins dotting the landscape. Tristan and Paul had a blast on the lake in a paddle boat. Then we experienced what happens after 5 pm in Plevna…the bugs come a calling. Now, I’m not talking about run of the mill noseeums and little flies, I am talking about vicious creatures with nothing on their mind but reincarnating Dracula and his bride and sucking you dry of any blood substance you may be carrying. They had huge horse flies and mosquitoes that would clearly be banned from any US sport because they had to have been on steroids.
After conceding defeat to the bugs, we finally made it back to Ompah and our new home. Here I was greeted by yet another surprise. Being from a big city, my water has always come from a Dam or when I lived in Jamaica from a river. After leaving it source it is purified and comes to my tap fresh and free from odor and impurities. Imagine my surprise when I had to deal with well water. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the joys of well water, let me elaborate. First the water is freezing, second it smells like sulfur…for those of you who don’t know what sulfur smell like, ask any male child who’s taken at least one semester of chemistry – rotten eggs. So the thought of bathing in this water was not a pleasant one for me. I decided that while I would bathe in this water, washing my face and brushing my teeth with it would be entirely out of the question so bottled water, here I come. In addition, Speedy Gonzales and I were in a running competition for the speed bathing olympic event.
Having showered, connected the DVD player to the TV (which only got 2 channels) and settled Tristan down with Barney, I tried to figure out how I was going to sleep without any AC in this sweltering sauna. Finally, I got Paul to drag my mattress to the front door beside the wood burning stove (for your City folk, it’s not for cooking, it’s for staying warm) since outside had cooled down considerably, but inside had not. So, there I lay on the floor, with my son beside me on the first night of my vacation on my first visit to Canada. My nephew took refuge inside because he swore that he heard wolves outside and that it smelt like Elk or Moose. But having been awake for nearly 24 hours, all I could think about was sleeping. By midnight I was out like a light. By 3 am, I was assaulted by a viciously cold wind – the wonderful temperate climate of Canada had returned.
Now please note that the only reason that I slept this well beside a flimsy wooden door with mesh inserts is because I had no idea that a scant mile or two away, there were large furry creatures who apparently had not yet hibernated for the Winter. I was not amused to learn the following day that Smokey, Winnie and Paddington's relatives had been roaming a scant few miles from my sleeping head.
Day 2
We wake up to a lovely sunshiny day. Paul and I decide to take Tristan down to the pond for a dip and a swim. It took me a while to actually make it down to the pond. Now city girl that I am, I go trai
psing down the hill in my flip flops and nearly snap an ankle on the slippery slope. After regaining my balance and composure since my dignity had clearly exited, I make it down to the dock. I look a the pond and it’s a murky brown. Now I know that this is so because it’s reflecting the muddy bottom, but as an Island girl accustomed to sandy beaches and azure waters, this was not my idea of a swimming area. However, once we began to feed the fish and talk with the water snake, I realized that this pond had it own charm.The owners of the Beaver Ranch had stocked the pond with Bass and Trout so the water smelt very fishy and you really felt like you were communing with nature. Paul and Tris actually ventured in and my Tristan was so thrilled with the experience that he began yelling in anger when Paul decided to leave the pond to the water snake that had come to greet him and ask if he could be of any assistance on our little visit into his neck of the woods. We spent the rest of the time, feeding the Bass and Trout who really didn’t look like they needed to be fed because they were HUGE. We could actually fish in the pond, but we had to throw everything back since it was manually stocked. Paul of course had other ideas about throwing fish back. He figured that you had to be caught to be accused of a crime. But alas we had no poles so fishing was not an option. We were able to capture a few baby fish in a bucket so that Tristan could actually see some baby fish swimming around. Yet again, another highlight for the now seasoned mini traveler.
In the evening, we went to yet another dinner at another Lodge. This time we were going to Cousin Mike’s lodge which was also on another Lake. On our way there we were car 3 in a six car convoy and realized that we were officially in Plevna rush-hour traffic. Now this was a fascinating journey. We were on our way to Dickey’s Lodge. Of course the men in the group couldn’t seem to locate the place but had no trouble at all finding Crotch Lane. Thank goodness that I managed to see Dickey’s Loge name nailed to a tree (not so sure that Dickey would have been happy nailed to a tree). We were driving through what seemed to be miles and miles of woods on a dirt road with no streetlights. I expected Jason or that guy from "I knew what you did last summer" to jump out of the woods at any minute. Then miraculously we drove through an opening and saw the most darling cottage sitting on a hill above the lake. Tristan, Paul and Dale immediately went down the lake and got into the boat. We spent most of the night down there lighting a bonfire and roasting marshmallows and peanuts. The fire kept us warm and warded off the bugs. Paul's cousin, Glenn, actually chopped the wood and brought it to us. The fact that I know someone who can and does chop wood on a regular basis is quite a thrill for me. And with this red hair and freckles, he looks like the typical logger.
Day 3
This is actually the day of the festivities and we are supposed to be collected at 1 to go have lunch and then come up to freshen up for the big shindig at 8 pm. The long and short of it is we get picked up at 3 and then meet up with the remainder of the clan arriving from various sectors of Canada for lunch. Paul's Mom and Aunt are two of eight so there are tons of relatives to account for. Once pictures had been taken and lunch had been eaten we head back to Beaver Ranch for some rest, relaxation and to get all beautified. We were being picked up by a bus at 8 so that we didn’t have to worry about driving to and fro especially for those who wanted to imbibe. So the bus arrives….and it’s a short School Bus. Now you know that the short bus is usually for the “special” kids so that was a trip in itself. So we load up onto the special short bus and head to the party. We were told not to dress a la South Florida so we all look like we are heading to a dinner at family instead of a major party.
We arrive at the party and the entire town of Plevna has turned up. I’d never seen that many cars in all the time I’d been there. Paul leans over to me and says, “Well, this is a first, I’ve never arrived at a party on a Saturday night in a school bus.” Well that was to be the first of many firsts – we go inside and are totally thrown when we realize that the Fire Department are actually the ones serving the food and liquor. Can you imagine that happening in Broward County? Ken Jenne allowing his staff to serve food and alcohol in uniform on a Sunday night? HA! It would be on the front page of the Sun Sentinel and heads would roll. Of course, Paul has to make his usual comments which this time ran like this, “well, we better hope that no fire breaks out or else this session is done.”
Now Paul's family once they are all together closely resemble the United Nations. The basis of the family is Scots-Irish. Then they married some black folk, some Indian folk, some Chinese folk, and some half breed folks. Those offpsring in turn married/had children with some White folks, some Indian folk, some Chinese folk and a variety of other breeds and creeds. The result is a true representation of global multiculturalism. When we all enteredt he party, you could actually gear the poor Plevnites trying to figure out, "what the hey?" I finally ended up having to sort of the confusion for one chap who came up to me and asked me if I was Jamaican because of my accent. I think he figured out I was family and was trying to figure out how. So I drew him a visual diagram complete with branches and he appeared satisfied. I hope that he was able to spread the information far and wide.
It was a really nice little party. The first hour, I felt like I was either in TExas or Alabama because all they played was country music of the Gene Autry and Loretta Lynn variety. It was cool seeing a dance floor of the 60+ all up and dancing. Later the night, they spiced it up with some more current and popular music once the older folk had retired for the night. Since we'd eatern earlier, they had some hors’d’oevres and a few drinks and Paul and I ran after Tris the whole night who rightly so wanted to be outside where it was significantly cooler than indoors.
Day 4
On Sunday we all went to Aunt Jessie’s for a barbecue. The children all had a ball playing outside until the sun began to set and once again we had to retreat due to the overtake of the steroidal bugs. Paul got a chance to send his homework via email and socialize with some of his cousins. The teenagers got a chance to roast smores which they hadn't done since our 4th of July family get together in Naples the year before.
Day 5
Everybody is off to the Hershey’s chocolate factory and the train museum. I knew I was heading back to work in two days and had an entire day of traveling ahead of me. I saw no need to go looking for ways to get even fatter and I have no interest in trains. Tris went along for the trip and I gather had a good time. Paul and I stayed back and slept and watched Lara Croft 2. Dale comes back with a bag full of chocolate which he claims he plans to retail when he returns to school in August. Apparently, they charge some astronomical amount for chocolates at the vending machine and he saw a way to undercut management and make some cash. Of course his uncle told him that somebody needed to charge his some excise tax on the chocolate volume he was transporting.
Later the night, Uncle Don (the birthday boy and husband of Aunt Jessie) comes over with Aunt Jessie, his sister, brother-in-law and neice to visit before we all leave. I of course stay inside with Tris and Dale because the verandah doesn't have a sturdy rail and Tris could fall through at any time. I also see no need to do further battle with the bugs having already awarded them the prize for ownership out the outdoors. The heat wave has returned and is not helped by my drinking Vodka. But we all retire for the night and feel a bit sad that our vacation is coming to an end.
Day 6
We are up early and ready to roll. We take a 2 hour trip to Ottawa and get put on an early flight to Philly. We land in Philly and take it easy by eating some Philly cheese steaks and having a few drinks. We landed after 2 and our flight didn’t depart until almost 6. So with an almost 4 hour layover we relax until it’s time to head home. I finally opened my house door at around 10 that night and boy wasn’t it good to be home.
posted by SueMorrWill at 12:30 PM
1 comments
