Above the 49th Parallel

Last week my wife, Joyce, and I took off for the Great White North. I use the term loosely. It was great and it was north but it was anything but white. The temperature hovered around 40C. For those isolated Americans not used to Metric/Centigrade measurements, it means it was hot. We left Dallas with the thermometer in the 90’s (F) and arrived in Toronto to be greeted by about the same degrees of warmth. We actually flew into Buffalo, New York and made the three hour car trip northward.

We met some Sherlockian friends for dinner and then ventured back to their home where we were treated to a collection beyond words, so I will leave it at that (this is meant to instill intrigue, leaving the reader to want more). Since this vacation was an extension of Joyce’s April birthday, it was never meant to be Sherlockian in nature. Not that she is opposed to such adventures, it simply means there were other items more important on her agenda.

Dinner Table for 64 guest at South Pond Farm

 The main reason for the northward bound journey was a preplanned dinner. Netflix ran a show called Taste of the Country about South Pond Farms. It features Danielle French who moved from the hustle and bustle of Toronto to a farm about 100KM from Toronto. The concept is a low carbon footprint establishment that hosts dinners, weddings, and other social gatherings with an emphasis on local food and drink. The dinner we attended was called the Sturgeon Moon Dinner. The First Nation (Canadian call their native inhabitants by this less offensive term) had names for each full moon. The August full moon is called The Sturgeon Moon, the Green Corn Moon, or the Barley Moon. The dinner, even though called the Sturgeon Moon, featured corn in every course. There were sixty-four guest plus two live musicians. The moon rose on a clean, clear night, bright red and to a full round of oohs and aahs.  Our plans are now to make this an annual event.

Joyce & I on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

Next up was the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, which we were told are more spectacular than viewed from the United States side. As it turned out, whoever “they” were, were quite correct. Niagara Falls on either side is very touristy but on the Canadian side the view is much closer and easier to reach. Just about every nationality crowded for a vantage point. A question I heard someone ask and it made me wonder was, ‘what is the point of Muslim women in full face covered hijabs taking selfies in front of the falls’. How can anyone tell who they are looking at? Just a thought.

The Hound of the Baskervilles at the Festival Theatre

Niagara-on-the-Lake is known for many things, one of them being the Festival Theatre. Its roots can be traced back to 1962 when an Ontario lawyer staged a summertime “Salute to Shaw” in the town’s courthouse. The festival gained huge international publicity and is now the second largest repertory theatre company in North America. Our schedule was open on Tuesday night, so we decided to attend a play, giving us the bragging rights to say we’ve been there. Well low and behold, R. Hamilton and David Pichette’s adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles just happened to be the play that was being staged. Just because this was not a Sherlockian holiday, did not stop us from attending. As it turned out, this was one of the most enjoyable plays we have ever attended. From opening act to closing curtain everything was first rate and truly amazing.

We ended our trek to Canada visiting a few vineyards. Our favorite was #99 – Wayne Gretzky’s Winery and Distillery. What a perfect end to a marvelous blitz of Canada.

Remember, it’s not a Sherlockian holiday but it really always is one.

Happy Collecting!