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

Enjoying the Fall Harvest at Ontario Farms in Collingwood

We are very fortunate living in the part of Canada where we enjoy four distinct seasons each year.

Of the four seasons, autumn  is my most favourite season of the year!

As soon as September rolls around, we start enjoying very comfortable mild cool temperature.

We went away for a week to enjoy this wonderful weather in Collingwood, a small city of about 12,000 people and a two hours drive north of Toronto.

A gorgeous Sunflower field at the Morrison Farm, Collingwood, Ontario

While in Collingwood, we attended a church service there on Sunday.

After church, we visited the Morrison Farm right across the road and the Fernwood Farm the next day.

A colourful display of pumpkins at the Fernwood Farm, Collingwood, Ontario 

Pumpkin are squash are  iconic vegetables of the fall season in Canada.

We have such an abundance of these two vegetables during this time  that they are everywhere.

They also come in a variety of sizes and shapes.

Goose neck squash - don't they look like the real thing?

My favourite squash is the goose neck squash we saw at one of the farms.

We saw a self help pay station at one of  the farms

Another neat thing we found at one of farm was that there was no one manning the booth.














It was an honour system where customers just dropped in their money in a cash box for their purchases.


It was even equipped with a credit card machine should one wish to pay with credit card.

Visiting the farms with the three amigos in Collingwood!

Visiting a pumpkin farm and picking out our pumpkins is a great Canadian tradition and a fun thing to do in the fall season!

We had a blast!

R.T.
Collingwood, Ontario

A Welcome Home Party Turned into a Powerful Prayer Meeting!

Summer time in Canada is beautiful!

Summer time is a great time to entertain friends and family!

We often host parties in our backyard during the warm summer months.

We hosted the couples' party recently at home

This year was no exception.

We hosted a few big parties for various groups.

J. loved seeing his cousins again in Toronto

One was for our son who came home this year and  wanted to see his cousins and friends.

Before I went to Waterloo for the leaders training, we held a welcome home party for him at home. It motivated us to tidy up the garden and had everything looking nice.

Entertaining family  at our backyard party

Since we wanted to minimize the work of decorating and cleaning up, I have learned to give two parties, one right after the other.

Therefore, we organized two parties on the same day - one in the early afternoon for family and another later one in the evening for our church friends.

A welcome home party in our backyard

Having catered the food,  we did not have to overwork ourselves preparing dishes for our guests.








It worked out well. All we needed to do was getting the garden and the house ready.

God blessed us with a fantastic afternoon and evening so that we could hold the parties outdoors.

Maria and Larry came in the afternoon to join us for the family party. W. and Danny dropped by later when most family members left.

For the church family gathering,  Ben - Y's childhood best friend and his family came for the party. Newly diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,  Ben came to see Y.

I was afraid that they might not want to attend a social function due to this illness.

 We were surprised and glad they came.

Ben's parents were honest about his illness. They told everyone what the illness was about and asked everyone to pray for their son.

Right there in our backyard, everyone came together in a circle.  United and holding hands, we  prayed and cried out to God for His mercy and power to heal this young man.

God's presence was there that evening!

We encouraged Ben and his family with God's words and shared good news stories with them. I shared with them how God cured my sister who was suffering a serious case of breast cancer. That was almost thirty years ago.

My sister is a cancer survivor, doing well, a healthy grandmother with four lovely active grand children!

Ben and his parents were positive and enjoyed their time at our welcome home party for our son.
















God is full of mercy, love and grace.

He welcome my son home, blessed him with a great party and at the same time, provided us with an opportunity to pray for Ben and to encourage them! Praise God!

R.T.
Toronto

P.S.  A couple of weeks later, Ben.'s mom texted me informing me that the doctor found B.'s tumor has shrunk and that it is a slow growth tumor. No chemo is needed. Just hormone therapy! Praise God!

The family asked us to continue praying for Ben.
We definitely will! Glory to God for listening to our prayers!