A Quick Visit to Oakville
I’ve worked too much. I need a break. It’s only a few days, but I need to get my mind off of work before I burn out. Again. So I’m hopping plane to go see Cathy. I’m flying Flair, which is a bit …
Topic
Ontario
51 posts tagged with this topic.
20 years from Ontario
Two decades ago today, I did something immensely stupid: I left home. Literally and figuratively. Twenty years ago, I was still sleeping in my room on Gatestone Avenue in Oakville. While I had lived on my own at …
Things I have missed about summer in Ontario
I’m currently in Ontario, taking the opportunity to visit with my family. It’s always a strange feeling to come back here: it’s where I was born and grew up, but I’ve been gone for over 15 years. A lot has changed. You …
In Hazy Burlington
Our last day in Calgary — yesterday — was filled mostly by me repacking all of our bags so we could fly out, and then the actual travel here to Burlington, Ontario. We’re here to visit with family (today is Alex’s family …
Up at the cottage
Over the weekend, I had the chance to go stay with my sister and brother-in-law’s cottage near Huntsville, ON. It’s been a long time since I was last there, and it was good to see my family one last time before it …
A Middle Ontario wedding
My friend Kathryn got married this weekend. A truly wonderful event that forced my hand to leave the comfort of my familiar Cowtown (and miss the opening of the Calgary Stampede) to visit rural Ontario and experience the …
Day of Visitation
Alex slept better in a king-size hotel bed. Not so much for myself. I was tired. Grumpy. Irritable. That’s why I was particularly annoyed with the complete and utter disappearance of my deodorant (which I know I had with …
In Merry Old London (Ontario)
We arrived last night, around 20:00 local time. A quick run through the airport, and we were tracking through the back country out to Janice’s place in Kintore. The house was cool (old farm houses tend to lack a lot of …
Meeting my niece for the first time
I spent most of last week in Critical Mass’ Toronto office. I was there primarily to support our technical team, which hasn’t had the level of support from me that it’s been needing. So I went out to try and reestablish …
Christmas in Oakville with Chris and Kaz, New Years with Alex
I had hoped to go some place warm for the Christmas holidays this year. I wanted to put Christmas lights on a palm tree. I wanted to make sandmen. I wanted nothing more to worry about than getting a sunburn on Boxing …
Flying home to Calgary
I woke earlier than usual — about 8:45 or so. Craig was still up, but not nearly as tired as when he’d scared the bejezesus out of me. Turning down his offer of a beer (for Craig, this was still the end of the day), I …
Friends from university
Pretty much keep with the trend, I woke late again. When I walked out of the bedroom, though, I found the door to Craig and Cathy’s bedroom open. Given the time of the morning, I assumed Craig would be asleep. I peered …
Computer repairs and financial advisors
I woke late again. I could get used to this. Mom came to pick me up after getting myself all cleaned up. We went down to her place, where I took the time to try and bring her computer up to snuff again. It seems that …
VIA Train from Montreal to Toronto
Morning came early. (When your hosts have to get up early to go to work, you get up early, too.) The plan was simple: on their way to work, Therese and Stuart would drop me off at Central Station where, like when I …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train - Reunion
This weekend, I visited southern Ontario. Even though I’ve only just left, it almost feels like I was never even there. A few weeks back, Critical Mass announced (to the employees) that it was in the process of pitching …
Old friends in Southern Ontario
With Cathy at work, and Craig sleeping for the day (he’s currently working nights), there was little that would cause me to rise early. Well, almost nothing. I had a lunch date to keep. Rising at a reasonable hour, I …
I want to go home
I’ve been on the road far too long. Last night was Thanksgiving dinner up at the cottage. Good food, family, friend (there was only one), and good times. Even better sleep, in my old bed (since co-opted for use in the …
Halifax to Huntsville
I hate alarms. Especially when they go off while you’ve still got an hour of darkness left of the night. I had an early flight to Toronto, though, and wasn’t keen on missing it. I had packed the night before, so all I …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Ottawa and Montreal
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Ottawa
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Eastern Ontario
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Day off
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Toronto
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, London
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Windsor
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Southern Ontario
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Sudbury
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Sioux Lookout and Northern Ontario
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
Cathy and Craig's Wedding
Somewhere, in a long-forgotten book in some dusty corner of a decrepit building in a burned out city, there is a sentence that says vacations are supposed to be restful. And someone is going to a lot of trouble to make …
Working at CBC Headquarters in Toronto
This is my second day here at the CBC head office in Toronto. This is a weird place. You’re probably asking: What is Geoff doing at the CBC head office in Toronto? That’s a question I can’t answer just yet — you’ll have …
Canada Day on Parliment Hill in Ottawa
It was a hot night in Ottawa, following Stuart and Therese’s wedding. It was only going to get hotter. A lot hotter. The next day was 1 July, otherwise known as Canada Day. Otherwise known as the single biggest excuse to …
Stuart and Therese's Wedding in Ottawa
There comes a time in your life when things start getting a lot more adult than you’re normally used to. For me, it was when my friends started getting married. But I didn’t really start getting self-conscious about it …
A Slight Ray of Sunshine on a Very Cloudy Day
Today we a good day. Despite the slew of visitors, we finally saw some major improvement in Dad. For starters, he had a shave — almost all by himself. And not with an electric — he used a safety razor. The shave was …
Helping Out Around the House
And so ends another day at home. There’s a strange air of optimism that seems to permeate almost everything. We know what’s coming, but we’re always happy and upbeat. Well, Cathy is anyway — I’m a little too quiet around …
Coming Home to Watch my Father Die
I awoke at 4:30 this morning, not originally knowing why I was tired. I had tried (unsuccessfully) to get myself drunk the night before. I wanted to numb the pain. I didn’t want that dull ache in my gut that told of bad …
Going Home to Visit with my Family
Tomorrow I’m going home, to spend what could be my last few days with my father. It’s not something I’m really looking forward to. Last Thursday, dad suffered a stroke, probably a result of his brain cancer. It left him …
Christmas with my Family in Oakville, Cathy Gets Engaged
Yeah, I know, the holidays are over, why the heck am I writing about it now? Simple: I got away from computers for two weeks, and haven’t had the time to write until now. Unlike last year, I spent roughly half my time …
Mark and Darla's Wedding in Toronto, Appleby College, Hart House
Well, I had meant to write this earlier this week, but after what happened on Tuesday, I hope you can understand why there’s a delay. Most of you probably don’t know that I went back to Toronto on the weekend. It was a …
Gerry and Sam's Wedding in Ottawa, VIA Train to Toronto
I knew something was up a few months ago, when Chris told me he was going to Ontario for “a friend’s wedding”. Chris is rarely that vague. More often than not, he’ll include a name, even if it’s someone I …
Christmas in Oakville, New Years Eve in Calgary
I didn’t think it was possible for 10 days to go by so fast… Having missed Christmas at home last year (for reasons I don’t think I need to go into), I decided a month or so ago to return home and experience …
Visit to Ontario, Returning Home
The alarm went off at 8:00, and I staggered out of bed. Chris and I had made tentative plans to go for breakfast, but I needed to call him and find out. Chris couldn’t make it. The whole week had been like that — we’d …
Visit to Ontario, Worth the Drive to Acton, Waterloo
The Old Man was still cursing the sink the following morning. By the time Allison and I left for Waterloo, the plumber had arrived to solve the problem once and for all. (It would take an additional two hours, and …
Visit to Ontario, Clogged up Kitchen Sink Drain
The original plan that day was to go into Toronto. Allison was feeling better, and she wanted to see the various neighbourhoods of Toronto she had heard so much about. That was the original plan, and plans around the …
Visit to Ontario, General Inactivity
Allison was not feeling well the following morning. Jet lag, the flu, a bad bit of food, we didn’t know — only Allison was not feeling well. Wednesday thus became a slow day — Allison slept off her illness, I read …
Visit to Ontario, Touring Downtown Toronto
The alarm went off at 6:45am. I was up almost immediately, Allison begged for “five more minutes”. I took the opportunity to quickly have some orange juice. Allison was in the shower moments later. We had to …
Visit to Ontario, Visiting with Friends
If Sunday was quiet, Monday was dead. Being Thanksgiving Monday, it also meant that every store in Ontario was closed. (Stupid Holiday Shopping Act.) As it stood, Allison had work to do. Unlike myself, who was trying his …
Visit to Ontario, Oakville and Caledon East
The fire was still going the next morning. I don’t know if they rekindled it, or if the fire had just simply burned all night. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, leftover ham, and potatoes (not the deep-fried ones, thank …
Visit to Ontario, Cottage in Huntsville, Thanksgiving Dinner, Algonquin Park
We awoke to the smell of bacon. It must be an instinctual thing — no human can sleep through the smell of bacon. Your body takes in the smell and promptly yells: “Get up ya lazy oaf! There’s bacon to be had! GET …
Visit to Ontario, Getting a new Apartment in Vancouver, Traveling to Huntsville
We awoke to three deafening pounds on the bedroom door. Cathy had arrived at the Sowrey homestead, and wasn’t going to wait for her poor brother (and future sister-in-law) to adjust to the time change. She wanted to …
Visit to Ontario, the Flight to Toronto
Allison was supposed to call me when she got downtown. I was a bit concerned that it was 2:00pm, and I hadn’t heard from her. I was supposed to pick her up at 2:00 at the Stadium Skytrain station. We still had to go over …
Road Trip of the Southwest United States, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio
By morning the rain had stopped, leaving cool damp weather in its wake. We stirred shortly after 08:30, all of us awake in a relatively short period of time. Our first surprise was to open the curtains and find that we …