A New and Creative Way of Judging a Chili Contest in Cambridge

There are a lot of  community fun fairs and events going on during the autumn season in Canada.

Fall time is a season for pumpkins and community fairs in Canada

Esther and her husband invited us to an annual community corn roast fest in the city of Cambridge, about an hour and half hour drive from Toronto.

We enjoyed a nice drive on a fine afternoon out in the country and making a few stops along the way to visit a few country places.

A creative way of using the mini pumpkins as the pieces for a chess game

There were a lot to see and taste at the fall community festival.

Chili is a popular food in North America and a Chile Contest is often a fun activity for fun fair goers at a community fair.

This time at the fall festival, we did not only taste a few Chili dishes made from different recipes, we also got to judge and choose the winning one as well.

Chili Contest Station at the Corn Roast Fest in Cambridge, Ontario

There was a station set up for all the Chili dishes. The contest participants each prepared his/ her favourite Chili dish at home ahead of time.

They entered the contest and placed their dishes on the contest table along with a card listing all the ingredients used in their recipes.

Simple rules for the recent Chili Cook Off, Cambridge, Ont.

In front of each Chili dish, there a jar collecting donations. All interested festival goers were welcome to be judges for the cook off. They just needed to line up to taste all the different types of Chile dishes



After the people tasted the Chili, they would vote for their favourite dish by placing various amount of money/ coins into the specific jars representing the dishes.

People voting for the winning Chili dish by depositing money here

The jar that collected the most amount of money at the end of the tasting would  be the winning dish and the money collected would go to a charitable cause. What a great idea!

That was fun!  We loved tasting the different variety of Chili dishes. Though made of similar ingredients, the Chili dishes tasted very different from each other. I liked three of them and donated to all three jars with the biggest amount going to my most favorite dish!



Though my most favourite dish did not win the Chili Contest  we enjoyed the food experience!

R.T.
At a Chili Contest
Cambridge, Ontario
Canada

Boomers Enjoying a Change of Life Style and a Downsized Home in Waterloo, Ontario

Though I grew up and lived in a big city all my life,  it has always been my dream to live in a small town with a quieter life style. After praying about this for a little while, we were blessed that an opportunity came up for us to do so.  Pastor V. invited us for lunch and I shared with her about our vision and desire to purchase a place in Waterloo. Immediately she shared some great info with us.

Our new home needed a huge amount of renovation work done!

She made an appointment for us to see the property with the property manager. We looked at two town houses and liked one of them as it fit the criteria we had in mind! The deal was done!

D. helping us to put together our furniture in our new home.

When we bought this humble abode a few months ago, it was a rundown, old worn house, a serious handyman special needing a lot of repair.

But we saw the potential in this house located within the walking distance to the University of Waterloo campus.

We decorated the long hall way with artwork by young people from Toronto.

After two months and with professional help from our contractors, it is beginning to take shape.

Our kitchen has been renovated completely!

Our wonderful contractor fixed the plasters, repaired the water damages in the ceiling , repainted the entire house and ripped up the old worn carpet replacing it with brand new laminated flooring.

We even got a brand new kitchen! It is  small, but modern and highly functional!










We added French doors in the living room, a main floor bathroom  as well as putting in all new modern fixtures throughout the entire house.

Though the old furnace was still working, we decided to replace it with a brand new one to make the house more heat efficient.

Our favourite room of the house!

Our tiny old house has been transformed from an unappreciated ugly duckling into a beautiful white swan.

We love our home in Waterloo, a medium size Canadian city about an hour and a half hour drive west of Toronto.

God has given us a beautiful second home and this house will be His house, a house filled with love, grace and mercy where people will gather, experience love, and feel God’s presence!

R.T.
Loving Our New Home
in Waterloo, Ontario

Beautiful Grounds by the Living Water Resort in Collingwood, Ontario

We were in Collingwood to relax for a week.

Lobby of Living Water Resort, Collingwood, Ontario

We have been here before and have seen the numerous new places going up over the years.

This time we went to  Living Water Resort, a newer development by the shore of Georgian Bay.

A marina in front of the Living Water Resort, Collingwood

It was a nice day; we enjoyed strolling around the marina and the beautiful grounds close by.

Summer flowers were still  in full bloom by the resort 

Even though it was autumn, many flowers were still in full bloom.

Instead of flying south to avoid the pending cold Canadian winter, flocks of geese and swam were frolicking by the water's edge.













We explored the different trails and walked along the  shore.

We discovered a lot of scenic places to take pictures in Collingwood such as this trellis flanked by shrubs and flowers by the marina.

This would be a perfect spot for our son's wedding picture!!!       

At the marina by Living Water Resort, Collingwood, Ont.

We enjoy visiting Collingwood and will continue to vacation there in the future, be it summer, fall or winter!


R.T.
Collingwood, Ontario

Entertaining Good Friends During Our Collingwood Vacation

We stayed at a resort townhouse this time in Collingwood, Ontario

We vacationed in Collingwood,  Ontario recently.

We enjoyed our spacious master bedroom suite

This time, we stayed in a spacious three bedroom town house at a Collingwood resort hotel.













Located on the second floor of the house, the three bedrooms were comfortably furnished.

We could look down into the living room from the second floor balcony.

A spacious living room

There was a lot of space for the two of us.

We invited friends to join us for a few days during our vacation,

Therefore, we invited  Wil and his wife to stay with us for a few days along with Con. and Harry  to come for dinner.

For another evening, we also invited D. & D who brought Flor. along for dinner.

Backyard with a BBQ at our vacation townhouse

D & D met Will at The Fern a couple of years ago so we figured that they would like to see each other again. They hit it off! They had such a good time at out dinner party that they were staying until well into the midnight.


We were glad that they enjoyed meeting our friends and the party so much!

Raj and I by the lakeside in Blue Mountain resort area

After Will and his wife left, we picked up Herb and Raj the next day from the bus terminal.

We played host to them for two days at our vacation townhouse.

With our good friends at Blue Mountain, Collingwood, Ontario

Since this was the first time Raj visited Collingwood, we took them out visiting the Blue Mountain and the other places.














It was fun going around town, cooking and enjoying meals together at our vacation house.

A sunflower field on a Collingwood, Ontario farm

 It was a busy week but we had a great   time catching up with our best friends!


 R.T.
  Collingwood, Ontario

Discovering the EZ Launch - An Accessible Transfer System Near the Arboretum, Collingwood, Ontario

We enjoyed walking the trails in Collingwood, Ontario

We spent a week in early autumn in Collingwood. After our friends William and Amy left, we had a day off before our next guests arrival on the following day.

We took a break from entertaining our friends and explored the hiking trails in this small but picturesque  city.

The Arboretum is within easy walking distance from downtown Collingwood

Having visited Collingwood numerous times, we had not  explored the Arboretum. This time we made a point of walking the trail there.

The arboretum covers an area of five acres in the downtown area of Collingwood. It was a sawmill in the

mid 19th century.

However, when the building boom in this area ended, it became a wasteland where people dumped their rubbish.

In 1995 members of the Collingwood Horticultural Society had a vision of transforming the landfill site into an arboretum.

The Arboretum is a 5 acre parkland .\

In 1977,  the arboretum was born, an oasis within  the Collingwood downtown district.

Ample benches for visitors to rest & relax in the park

It is a beautiful quiet spot to bring a book to read, or just sit and enjoy nature.

An impressive metal sculpture in the Arboretum, Collingwood, Ontario 

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After a short stroll in the Arboretum, we were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful modern sculpture in an open area.

It seems like a gathering place or an open space for performances.

Following the trail in the arboretum, we came upon a small creek.

A bridge hidden among the woods.

View of Georgian Bay and the Grain |Elevator, Collingwood 

When we reached the waterfront  we had a great view of the Georgian Bay and the town's grain elevator.

EZ Launch - waterfront near the Collingwood Arboretum

We also discovered a small dock called the EZ Launch.

EZ Launch Accessible Transfer System instructions posted on site

Completed with clear instructions posted above the launch site, the EZ Launch pad - an Accessible Transfer System, enables a person in wheel chair to be lowered into a kayak or canoe safely allowing him/ her to enjoy the water.

How cool was that!

Arboretum, Collingwood, Ontario

We thoroughly enjoyed our stroll in the Collingwood Arboretum and the many scenic discoveries we made during our walk.

It is another free thing visitors to the Georgian Bay area can do in the beautiful town of Collingwood!


R.T.
Arboretum
Collingwood, Ontario

Revisiting Sunset Point Beach & Remembering a Friend in Collingwood, Ontario

We are fortunate to have a few close friends in Toronto and beyond. But we are busy doing all sort of things here and there. We have to plan well and spend time with our friends.

During the summer, we were able to organize a couple of out of town get together events with our best buddies.

We invited them to Waterloo for a couple of days. They liked the visit as they had never been to this city.

Sunset Point Beach, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

Sunset Point Beach, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

After VBS and all the crazy things we needed to finish, we were able to spend a week to relax in Collingwood.

Taking a walking break at Sunset Point Beach

I always remember the saying that goes something like: " A shared happiness is a double joy; a shared sorrow is half a burden."

My favourite sculpture at Sunset Point Beach, Collingwood, Ontario

Therefore, we always invite friends and family members to our vacation home when possible.









With our friends, we went hiking enjoying the waterfront trails and parks in Collingwood, a small town of about 12,000 inhabitants.

One of our favourite parks in this small Ontario town is the Sunset Point Beach.

Enjoying get together with good friends in Collingwood

We went there a couple of times during our recent week long vacation in the town.

It brought back a lot of good memories for us when we visited the same  spot a few years ago with a good friend, Xiao.

Xiao was a vivacious woman, full of zest for life and always loved to learn. We had a fabulous time with her during her visit with us.

We enjoyed the same beautiful scenery in this park.

Sadly, Xiao is no longer with us.  We miss you, Xiao. I wish I had spent more time with you. You will always be in our hearts!










R.T.
Sunset Point Beach
Collingwood, Ontario