Visiting Wasaga Beach During the Labour Day Long Weekend

I always feel happy whenever I see Canadian flags flying high.

Canadians are low key people and we don't want to wear our patriotism on our sleeves.  We do not see a lot of Canadian flags flying high in our streets.

Wasaga Beach, Wasaga, Ontario

During Labour Day long weekend, it was a different story.  We saw many more Canadian flags; we even saw our flags on the lamp posts at Wasaga Beach too.


We have some beautiful beaches in Canada.

Wasaga Beach , Wasaga, Ontario - the world's longest fresh water beach

Wasaga Beach is one of them.  At 14 km in length, it is the world's longest freshwater beach, a popular place for tourists in the summer.

We happened to be at Wasaga Beach on the Labour Day weekend. There were tents and activities set up for visitors, and games for children.

Many games were set up for kids near the Wasaga Beach

After living in southern Ontario for almost forty years, my sister finally visited some of the nice places in the area.

On the day we visited, the weather was cloudy and a little too breezy, therefore there were not too many people frolicking on the beach.  We still had fun visiting this famous southern Ontario beach!


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R.T.
Wasaga Beach
Ontario
Labour Day Weekend

A Fun Day with My Sister in Thornbury, Ontario

Thornbury City Hall, Thornbury, Ontario

This summer, we have been busy with short term mission trips and church camps.

During the September Labour Day weekend, we started our week of relaxation in Collingwood, a vacation spot about two hours drive north from Toronto.

After leaving the Five Oaks Retreat Centre, we drove for about two hours and arrived in the rain at the Collingwood hotel around 9:30pm. My sister and brother-in-law arrived and checked in the night before.

Since M. and D. had never been in this part of Ontario, we volunteered to be their guide for the next few days.

Brilliant summer flowers in full bloom on the bridge above the dam, Thornbury

The next day, after breakfast, we drove to Thornbury, a little town about 20 minutes drive away from Collingwood, Ontario.


This is the beginning of September; we are moving towards autumn.





















We saw many brilliant colours everywhere we looked.

Mother nature is starting to change into her fall colours.

Seeing many colourful fruits and berries hanging on the shrubs and trees, we were tempted to pick some and try them.











However, we are no botanists and lack the knowledge of the many vegetation and their fruits they bear.

We had no idea of what these fruits were and not sure they were edible or not.

One thing we did learn on this outing was about the Thornbury Dam and Fishway.

The Thornbury Fishway

The Thornbury Fishway, known by the locals as the "Fish Ladder"  was built to help the fish pass around the dam.

The Thornbury Dam

Once above the dam the fish can continue to swim upstream to spawn.

In fact, we did see  Chinook salmons swimming upstream to spawn when we were here during the spawning season

The Mill Restaurant, Thornbury, Ontario

Besides the Thornbury Dam,  there is a nice restaurant called the Mill Restaurant.

Inside of the Mill Restaurant, Thornbury, Ontario

It was time for a break and we went in for lunch.

View from the Mill Restaurant, Thornbury, Ontario

My sis, her husband and we sat by the dam, enjoyed our lunch and admired the scenery.

Enjoying lunch at the Mill Restaurant

We had a delicious lunch and some great conversations with my sis and my brother-in law in this charming small Ontario town. Most importantly, we had some precious time for building family relationships and keeping in touch with our loved ones.


R.T.
Thornbury, Ontario

A Leaders' Retreat at the Five Oaks Centre, Paris, Ontario

Sept. 2, 2017

As soon as I came back to Canada and without unpacking my luggage, we went to Paris, Ontario, for a staff and volunteer leaders' retreat the next day.

One of the programs for the day was an hour of silence and solitude for all the participants at the retreat.

This hour of silence and solitude allowed participants to take time out from our busy schedules to pray and reflect on our services to God, at the church and for our Christian faith based community centre.

The Five Oaks Retreat Centre in Paris, Ontario is a nice, quiet place away from the noise and actions of city life.

Whenever I am in the countryside, surrounded by trees, rivers, forests - God's creations, I feel God's love and His presence enveloping me.

Today, it was no exception. God's presence was very real to me as I strolled and meditated on this beautiful retreat ground.

Enjoying such beautiful environment, I was reminded once again about God's love and His grace and blessings for me (for more than half of a century)  and my family.

A labyrinth at the Five Oaks Retreat Centre, Paris, Ontario

In the afternoon, one of the retreat leaders shared with us the difference between a maze and a labyrinth.

She encouraged us to meditate and seek to be close to God during our walk through the labyrinth on the retreat ground.






We learned that both a labyrinth and a maze could be a complicated irregular set of  passages of paths where it could be difficult to find one's way out.

However, in a maze, one goes in one way and comes out another way. But in a labyrinth, one goes in and out at the same spot. And the centre of the labyrinth represents finding God.

Everyone took time and walked at his/ her own pace. While walking the labyrinth, I prayed to God to show me His way and begged for His mercy on the unbelieving members of my family.

After finished walking, we sat down and shared with our team members our experiences. 

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I thanked God once again for this opportunity so that we could be silent and quiet for a few brief moments pausing and reflecting on our spiritual lives and our relationship with God.

R.T.

Five Oaks Retreat Centre

Paris, Ontario  

A Wonderful Time at the Memories Caribe Resort, Cayo Coco, Cuba

I was glad that I accepted my girl friend's invitation and went to Cuba with her for a few days.


Canadians love travelling to Cuba for holidays.

This love affair is mutual between Canadians and Cuba.

We felt welcome the first day we went around the resort as there were welcoming symbols of Canadians on site.

Cayo Coco is famous for its all inclusive packages for tourists visiting this part of Cuba.

Every resort on Cayo Coco is situated along the ocean front with its own spectacular beach.

We stayed at the Memories Caribe at Cayo Coco.


Besides its famous beaches. the resort itself is beautiful with a man made lake.

Swimming pool and performance stage at the Memories Caribe Resort

When we were there, there were many activities to keep the guests busy throughout the day.








The hubs of the activities were around the pool area and on the beach.








Besides water volleyball, and daily aqua fit in the pool, people could also participate in Spanish, dance lessons or some fun games by the pool.










I took part in two afternoon dance lessons and watched a horse racing game happening afterwards.

Splash Pool Bar

A favourite gathering place for young people was the Splash Pool Bar at the pool.

You could order drinks right inside the pool without getting out of the water.

Beans Cafe

I felt a little too old to fight for a drink at the Splash Bar, so I dropped by the Beans Cafe.

It was a quieter place where I ordered an ice latte and enjoyed a break from the sun.

We enjoyed our short stay there tremendously as there were so much to do.

Massage Service was available on the beach

Guests could sun bath on the sandy beach or get a massage right there.

Memories Caribe is an elegant resort with many lovely places for guests to sit, enjoy and relax.

The Piano Bar

Lillian and I had our favourite spot at the resort.

It was the Piano Bar!

We dropped into this nice place for a pinacolada at least twice a day to enjoy a cold drink and some nice conversations.

It  was only a few short days but a very lovely holiday.

I was glad I went on this trip; I had a great time and got to know my best friend much better!

Good Bye, Cuba!

R.T.
Memories Caribe
Cayo Coco
Cuba
p.s. We left just a few days before Hurricane Irma hit the island. Thank God for His protection!