One of my long-time dreams has been to live in a log cabin–a rustic, old-fashioned log cabin, with modern conveniences, of course. I could picture it all in my mind’s eye–a loft for sleeping and possibly for writing, and a “great room” where all of our living would take place. […]
Columnists
Since I did so great in the NFL prediction business last season (note the sarcasm but, hey, I picked the AFC champion right, at least), it’s now time to expose myself to more ridicule. So as to avoid being criticized for cheating by waiting an extra week to reveal all […]
As we approach the next federal election in 2015, the various political parties will begin to roll out their priorities and platforms. Last week, NDP leader Tom Mulcair kicked off the process by declaring that increasing health-care funding and improving access to health-care services will be a top priority for […]
With sadness we face the last long weekend of the summer. Here at the Times, our summer students are returning to their respective schools. Meanwhile, friends from the lake are departing. Classes start next Wednesday across the district. The bright yellow school buses will be back on the roads. The […]
I’m back in the city again, waiting for grandson #2 to arrive. It’s an exciting time, for sure. Yet I want him to stay put for just a few more days until we wrestle all the items off the “to do” list. But the truth is, no one ever is […]
My son is a master potter. He begins with an ugly lump of clay, puts the lump on his wheel, and then spins the clay with deft hands. From there, he fashions a beautiful vase, an elegant teapot, or a Goliath-sized bottle—sometimes more than six feet tall. And it all […]
Across the Sunset Country region, muskies are the fish species that comes to mind when people think about big fish. It’s for good reason because we have some of the best musky fisheries in the world right here in our backyard. Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake, Wabigoon Lake, and […]
There are times that you often regret not doing something. I hadn’t thought about this until I received a call from Irene Baranowski at my cottage on the weekend. Her husband, Mike, had been determined that I should catch a musky and for the last few years, we have arranged […]
Ever since my 25th birthday, I have been fascinated with the process of aging and have tried to figure out what it takes to age well. As I have mentioned in this column before, turning from 24 to 25 was traumatic for me. All my life, I had been hampered […]
I like to stay in B&Bs when I travel; more specifically, B&Bs of the historic kind, where you leave the current world behind and you sleep inside walls that could tell a story. Walls that have seen lives come and go and stand firm against change. Some communities are rich […]
The 27th-annual Kenora Bass International went down as one of the best ever this past weekend on Lake of the Woods. Some 140 teams participated in this year’s event—the highest number in several years. The weather also was great throughout the event and by the time things were said and […]
There are many entries on my list of things that please me—my list of favourites, from frogs singing at night to my beloved dandelions in May with their magically-curling stems, floating perfectly still on the surface of a lake (preferably Rainy Lake) on a hot summer day, bushes filled with […]
