I cannot believe that summer is almost over, and it is now time to get back to work. One of the benefits of working part-time in the post-secondary world is that I have summers off. This year we decided to do some travelling and visit family and places we have not seen for the past two years.
Our first stop was the province of Ontario. My previous exposure to Ontario has included Pearson airport in Toronto and a few stays in Ottawa visiting my brother. I was so pleasantly surprised with the beauty of Ontario. We flew into Toronto and rented a car for the 4 ½ hour drive to Pembroke. Nestled in the Ottawa Valley, Pembroke is close to CFB Petawawa where my niece’s husband is posted. This part of the province has more trees than this prairie girl has ever seen. Lush and green and filled with more lakes that I ever thought possible this destination is a must see and we will be going back. We then drove down to Niagara Falls. Again, this was another 4 ½ hours in the car that took us along incredible scenery. I did not realize that southern Ontario has 3x the population (12 million) of Alberta (4 million). The amount of people and cars on the 401 was mind blowing. The falls left this prairie girl awe inspired. If you have Ontario on your bucket list, you must go!
After returning from Ontario and doing some much needed laundry (the humidity is overwhelming some days) we then repacked and headed to one of our favourite destinations, Las Vegas! Now you might be wondering why Ontario and Las Vegas during one of the hottest months in the year. Schedules dictated that it was the only time we could all get away. We have become creatures of habit and love the Golden Nugget on Fremont Street and that is where we stayed and enjoyed inexpensive drinks and free entertainment. If you are familiar with Las Vegas pre-Covid, please note things have changed. Restaurants are short-staffed (as they are here), some have reduced hours or might not be open, and prices have gone up. Make sure you do your homework (here is the teacher in me) before your next visit.
For us the month of August has been spent at our trailer at King Arthur’s Lakefront resort. Friends, good food, the occasional alcoholic drink, and hot temperatures have allowed us to share some laughs and make new memories.
Now reality has set in, and a new academic year is about to begin.
Stay tuned and make sure you listen to the podcast ‘Cats, Community, and Conversations’. As a co-host of this new show, I am extremely proud of the work Michelle Marshall and I are doing.
Cheers,
Linda
