In The Mood for Winterlude

There comes a time in every man’s life when he must cast caution to the wind, explore the unknown and launch himself into an adventure of epic proportions that he himself never thought he would be capable of – yes that’s right, a road trip to Ottawa, Ontario.

In layman’s terms (or for those of you living in Rio Linda), Ottawa is Canada’s equivalent of America’s Washington D.C. – different system of politics but the same level of waste and corruption still exists…but I digress.   This trip was not, as some of you may think, a diplomatic mission where the US sent me to better understand Canadian culture and why, for instance, they color code their money to be strangely similar to Monopoly currency.

No, no – I ventured to Ottawa for two main reasons...firstly as an invite from my good friend Jelena, secondly because I wouldn’t have to drive in the snow thanks to another good friend Angela and thirdly (ok apparently more than two reasons) I had nothing else going on for the weekend and thought “what the heck?”

During this time of year Ottawa hosts an annual winter festival titled Winterlude where people – believe it or not – celebrate winter (add that to the list of cultural understandings) with musical guests, ceremonies, ice sculpture contests and my new favorite part of Canada, skating on the Rideau Canal.

After a late arrival Friday evening and battling some pretty intense traffic through Ontario our 5 hour car ride turned to 8 hour car ride delivered us safely to the house of Matt and Rebecca Cragg, host and hostess extrordinaires who graciously opened up their home to us to stay for the weekend.  Rebecca, a native Canadian, lived for a number of years in Japan and as such has an incredible knack and flair for Japanese culture.  Following a true career passion, Rebecca now runs Camellia Teas of Ottawa in which she hosts official Japanese tea ceremonies and trains people to be tea hosts/hostesses .  Over the course of the weekend Rebecca prepare for us what can only be described as the most incredible tea I’ve ever had.  Much like wine growing and making in California, there is a very intricate process to growing, harvesting, processing, distributing, making and even pouring tea…who knew!  A very BIG thanks to Matt and Rebecca for opening up their home.

On Saturday Jelena and I ventured downtown to explore the Winterlude festivities including touring the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Art (I witnessed my fist Picasso painting), ice sculptures, pulled pork poutine (delicious) and then was able to participate in an official Japanese tea ceremony hosted by non other than Rebecca.  After spending Saturday evening with a friend of Jelena’s currently in law school we woke up early Sunday morning to attend church with Angela’s family (her brother-in-law Michael works for Parliament in Ottawa) and then lunched with the family back at their home.  Michael and Brenda (Angela’s sister) have a little boy Levi who quite possibly ranks as one of the cutest kids in Canada.

Later in the afternoon the three of us, Jelena, Angela and myself, headed back downtown to participate in the most coveted of all Winterlude celebrations – skating the Rideau Canal.  The canal runs through the middle of Ottawa and in part separates Ontario from Quebec.  This man made structure was built long ago to allow for better Canadian access in case of a war with the United States (I guess they didn’t think we were going to be so friendly!)  During the winter the canal freezes and provides an 11km long ice rink free of charge.  So in -20C weather we laced up our skates and set off down the canal for an afternoon stroll.  Along the way we stopped for some delicious Beaver Tail pastries (yes, they actually have food stands, skate rentals and bathrooms on the canal – so convenient) and after 2 km of skating we called it a good afternoon.

To cap off the weekend we met a friend of Jelena’s on Monday afternoon for lunch.  The friend, Daniel, just happens to work for Canadian Parliament and as such was able to take us into the Library of Parliament on a “VIP” tour not normally extended to standard tours – thanks Daniel!

On Monday afternoon as Jelena, Angela and I were making the long trek home I received a phone call that I’d been waiting for more than a week and that has now changed the course of my time in the Great White North.  Fellow blog readers, The California Canuck is going home.  The call was from a company who I had been interviewing with over the past couple of weeks and decided to extend me an offer to join their Sacramento team.  The company, AdFarm, is a full service public relations/marketing firm with offices in the US and Canada.  My new official role will be Account Executive and I am very excited to be joining an incredibly well established, innovative and forward thinking organization.  Although bittersweet to leave my new Canadian friends I am ready to be back in the California sunshine – I arrive back on March 12^th.



Ice Sculpture



Building of Parliament

Jelena loves on some poutine!



We survived Angela's driving



Rideau Canal

The skating Canadians

The Bow That Tied Us Together – Dixie Dog

Twelve years ago my brother insisted that the only thing he wanted for Christmas was a new Australian Sheppard puppy – specifically a black tri colored female. 

As a family we scanned the papers (pre Craigslist of course) and much to my mother’s initial dismay (we already had two dogs on the farm) my brother found a breeder nearby who just had a litter who were ready for new homes.  On a cold and foggy valley morning my dad’s Chevy truck rolled into our driveway with my brother in the passenger seat holding a black ball of fluff.  As Chad walked through the kitchen door holding the puppy in his arms my mom slowly wandered over to him and peered down, ready to raise a skeptical eyebrow at the new responsibility that she secretly knew was going to become her next chore on her never ending list of household to-do’s.  The puppy unwound itself from a curled up ball, looked up at my mom with those big brown eyes and the rest was history – my mother was sold.  The stipulation however, was that the dog – affectionately named Dixie though none of us can recall who thought up the title – was to be an outdoor farm dog whose days were to be spent chasing sheep and guarding the house.  Dogs were meant to be outside, not inside.  The theory almost worked had it not been for a very cold winter and my mother's maternal instincts to keep the puppy comfortable and warm but only as far as the laundry room.  As soon as the days heated up the dog was to be outside.

The days, weeks and eventual months however turned into spring and the dog’s territory inside the house expanded into the kitchen and rooms beyond.  She was taught tricks, easily potty trained with never an accident, learned to respond to commands as if she was almost human and even helped mom with the laundry as she went through the homestead picking up our dropped socks and piling them up.  Ever so quietly Dixie had become a permanent fixture in the Souza household.

Just four short years later two of the Souza kids flew out of the nest to go to college and only one remained, Dixie, standing by to keep mom company as dad logged long days on the ranch.  The clicking of nails on the tile provided comfort to an otherwise quiet residence; the small thud of the dog’s body laying down on the floor became commonplace; the barking to alert of approaching strangers was heard more than our doorbell.  Her three litters of puppies brought spectators from all around – we never kept one but giving them away was like departing with grandchildren with the comfort of knowing they were going to homes where they would provide the same level of joy and comfort their mother had given us.

The years lingered and Dixie’s fixture in the home was more that of a family member than a dog.  She had her own stocking on the fireplace at Christmas, enjoyed regular appointments to the groomers, vacationed with us and even maintained a colorful wardrobe of scarves that mom tied around her neck according to the seasons. 

For twelve years Dixie dog was the bow that tied our family together and this old farmhouse might never be the same without her…Dixie, you will be missed.

Blizzards, Soup Kitchens and Coffee Houses…Oh My

If you were a resident of Southern Ontario this week you might have felt that you were being prepped for Judgment Day.  News stories from all communication mediums were professing the apocalyptic storm on a direct path for Canada, taking with it everything including women, children and yes, even cute puppies.  Much like a sorority semi-formal, watching the build up to the event was much more exciting than the actual occasion…schools and large businesses closed, generators fueled-up and standing by, intense Italian and Portuguese men so eager to use their snow blowers they could almost smell the exhaust fumes…but alas, disappointment quickly ensued.

After an excited anticipation for what the “experts” were calling the worst thing to hit Ontario since the Toronto Leafs (kidding), I was left with nothing to show except for large unopened vats of peanut butter and Costco-sized pallets of water bottles – yep, the storm was a dud.

Now don’t get me wrong here folks – we did receive a fair share of snow and ice (which later had to be shoveled out of my driveway) but altogether the predicted 40cm dumping was in actuality a dusting of about 5cm – just enough to form that perfect front yard snow angel without the worry of a mini-scale avalanche as your Golden Retriever tries to dig you out from what appears to be a treacherous situation…I mean, what else is he supposed to think when you’re laying on the ground flailing your arms and legs?

But I digress.

For those of you whom I haven’t spoken with in awhile, I’m now volunteering at a soup kitchen on Thursday evenings as part of my time with the Young Adults group I’ve joined.  Apprehensive at first I’ve come to enjoy the fellowship with the patrons and I’m continually fascinated with the different stories that everyone has in regards to where life has taken them and how they got there.   For some it’s been relapses into substance abuse, others have no family and simply come for the warm meal and friendship…it’s been a great chance for a step back into humility and a new level of appreciation for all that God has given me.

As tradition dictates the volunteers all trek to Red Brick Coffee House after the kitchen closes at 9:30.  I have also come to enjoy this routine as the group catches up on the week’s activities and discusses weekend plans and current events – amazing how much entertainment a $1.85 cup of coffee can bring you sometimes.

Now for those waiting in dire angst for my next trip to California you need wait no longer.  Saturday I’ll be flying into San Francisco on a direct flight landing at 10:45 a.m. – I’m planning on spending some time in “The City” with friends so if you’ll be in SF be sure to give me a ring (remember, no texting while I’m on my international plan).  Sunday/Monday will be a short stop in Sacramento and then down to the farm for the World Ag Expo and my grandmother’s 80^th birthday on Saturday the 12^th – a jam packed week but I’m looking forward to the visit.

I’ll end this post with a favorite quote, reflective on my life right now.

"Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered, but a maze of passages, through which we must seek our way, lost and confused, now and again checked in a blind alley...But always, if we have faith, a door will open for us, not perhaps one that we ourselves would have thought of, but one that will ultimately prove good for us." - A.J. Cronin

Shoveling out the driveway

Finished Product!

Angela washing dishes before strategically dropping a spoon so I would have to bend over and pick it up.

Tomato Soup and Egg Salad Sandwiches...yum



And Angela again - funny how she wants to be in all of my pictures.



Red Brick Coffee House

You Belong In...Brandon?

It’s funny sometimes the places that life (or for that matter, work) will take us.  For myself this past week, work and a trade show was the culprit that landed me behind the walls of a frigid cold front on the outskirts of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Contrary to popular belief amongst my California friends, Canada is not a giant igloo encapsulated in ice blocks and unbearable temperatures.  Southern Ontario, where I am located, does in fact get cold but offers an ebb and flow in nature’s thermostat, often providing sunny days that I call “crisp” but which are certainly manageable.  Manitoba however (just one province to the West and up a “bit”) varies greatly in temperature…so greatly in fact that I learned by first hand experience there is a level of cold that exists in which Celsius and Fahrenheit equal each other – yes, unbelievable.

Along with my colleague Alison West, a native of Ontario, we hopped a direct flight on Monday from Toronto to Winnipeg where we rented a car and drove 2 hours west to a town titled no other than Brandon, Manitoba.  The hilarity of the weather (when we arrived a brisk -30C) and the fact that we were staying in a Motel 6 off the main highway should have been comedic relief enough to warm our souls for the week but no…enter the small farming community’s signature tag line to entice tourists and thrill seekers alike to visit their sprawling metropolis – “You Belong In Brandon”.  Now I’m not sure how the visitor’s board came up with this original and albeit catchy marketing scheme but I can assure you, they did not have my best interests in mind.

With all do respect to the people of Brandon, Manitoba, I’m sure your town is great in the summer but you can bet your farm I won’t be buying a winter home there anytime soon.  Any area in which you have to plug in your car overnight to prevent it from freezing is, in my humble one-man opinion, just plain ridiculous. 

One small uptake however was the ability to connect and spend time with some family in Winnipeg that I had never met.  My great-grandparents on my mother’s mother’s side of the family ended up in Winnipeg after their departure several decades ago from the Azores islands.  With my first meeting of my second cousins once removed, we were able to reminisce about the family, the old country and other traditions over homemade Portuguese wine and just a dab of moonshine (after experiencing their weather I can’t blame them for making their own booze in the basement).

Winterpeg, Manisnowba



Yikes




Mini Family Re-Union



Joe Comes to the Great White North

You would think that after all my fun in New York I would be taking a break from big cities for awhile…nah, of course not!

No less than a week being back in Canada, I ventured back down to Toronto from Guelph where the one and only Joseph Vaccaro was standing by with a hotel room on the 24^th floor of the Hilton in the financial district.  Joe was extending his business trip from New York to Canada to visit a few customers for Cisco.  Unfortunately Melissa and Ian (my cousin and her boyfriend) had plans for the weekend and couldn’t join us, but Joe and I set out on our own adventures in the city of 5 million+.

Friday night started later but included a great dinner at a crepe restaurant on Queen Street – I must admit crepes and beer as a meal combination was a first for me but definitely a keeper…please, don’t ask about the caloric intake  for that meal (I mean, we were at a crepe restaurant…we had to have a meal and a dessert!).  After dinner we walked around in the beginnings of snow flurries until we came upon a pub and caught up over drinks.

Saturday brought a solid dumping of white powder onto the streets of Toronto (the first of the season) and there was much trudging between Joe and I to get to our destinations but we had fun  – as Joe puts it, walking is a great way to see a city.  Joe needed a haircut so where else to go that Unique Touch to see my cousin Anna…and wouldn’t you know while I was there I met more family – my third cousin Jacky who is engaged to Louie (a immigrant from the mainland in Portugal) were both at the shop getting their hair cut.  Joe ended up being assigned to one of Anna’s employees at the shop for his cut and he ended up with a shorter style than he’s used to but hey, it’ll grow back…right?

After lunch in Little Portugal we hopped on a trolley car back toward the financial district and decided to tour the CN Tower – which at one time (for 34 years) was the world’s tallest free standing structure and is included as one of the Modern World’s Top 7 Wonders.  With virtually no line for the tour we bought our tickets and rode the elevator to the observation deck at 1,135 feet – 360 degree views of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) complete with a section of a glass bottomed floor that we stood on and looked down.  I think I would have been pretty content with the observation deck but Joe and I spent the extra $10.00 to ride another 30 stories to the “Sky Pod” at 1,465 feet…uh yeah, yikes!  The views were incredible but I stuck closely to the back wall.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower

After the tower tour we stopped by Steam Whistle brewery, a company famous for their Pilsner, for a tour of their production facility but unfortunately the tours were booked up – alas, there was a silver lining – free unlimited beer tasting!  After more walking, more talking and eventually a stop off to catch a football game at a sports bar we headed off to dinner at what I will call the most incredible Thai place in all of Toronto.

Post dinner was a viewing of the movie “The Fighter” which is a must see – I’m putting my bets on Christian Bale for an Oscar nomination.

Sunday after a quick walk through of the distillery district we piled into my car and headed back to Guelph where Joe got a taste of rural Canadian life.  I think he put it best by describing it as being much like upstate New York – whether or not that’s a good thing, he did not say.  A trip to Guelph wouldn’t be complete without coffee at the Red Brick (my favorite temporary stomping grounds during my time here) – Joe and I were both able to catch up on some work e-mails, etc. for a few hours.

Sunday evening was, as I put it, an adventure.  The men of the Young Adults group that I am part of decided to have a bonfire on the outskirts of town – yes, a bonfire in the dead middle of winter.  As we were driving Joe repeatedly asked “so wait, it’s -13 outside – why are we going to a bonfire?”.

Although I think Joe had a good visit I believe he was ready to get back to California to thaw out – I dropped him off at the bus station on Monday morning before heading into work. 
Thanks for the visit Joe – I had a great time!!

Nathan Phillips Square

CN Tower - view from the observation deck

Joe and I looking down through the glass bottomed floor

Sky Pod - 1,400+ feet...I've got a strong grip on that railing!

New Years in NYC

Starting a New Year

I want to be a part of it:  New York, New York.

Well Frank and Liza, I was a part of it – New York City to welcome in the New Year.  What was first a passing suggestion from a group of friends during our annual Labor Day in the Bay event became a reality and a short stop over on my way back to Canada after Christmas in California.

More than a year ago a good friend, Brett Schleicher, moved to New York to take a new job and since then has offered (more than once) for friends to come visit and stay with him in his apartment in Manhattan.

I arrived Thursday evening to a city that was still recovering from a historical snowfall just two days before – most of the pack was melted by the time I arrived and the weather stayed unseasonably warm (mid 40s Fahrenheit) for the majority of the trip.  For the first evening Laura Baldwin selected a Broadway show for the group to attend – Momma Mia.  Now of course there are numerous shows to choose from on Broadway but Momma Mia fit our schedule the best…albeit the show isn’t exactly most guys’ first choice I will say we all appreciated the incredible talent of the performers…those people can sing!  And with all do respect to Meryl Streep, all of the characters sung much better than those in the movie.

From the show we moved on to a two hour marathon of saki bombs and karaoke – my first experience really getting on a microphone and singing to a group…let’s just say it’s a good thing there was saki because none of us (disappointingly even myself) can carry a tune to save our lives.

New Year’s eve morning was a later start with takeout (bagels and fresh coffee) delivered to Brett’s apartment within seven minutes of ordering, no kidding.  The amount of takeout options in New York is simply, for me, unbelievable.  You can have food of every kind from every country in the world and never step outside your door.   After breakfast typical tourist actions ensued including getting lost on the subway a few times, visiting Ground Zero (an emotional moment for me) and just relishing in all that is New York City.  New Year’s Eve had been pre-planned well in advance and upon our desire to not battle the crowds of Times Square, Brett booked a corner suite on the 18^th floor of the DoubleTree Hotel overlooking Times Square – and all I’ll say is that the views were amazing and the pictures speak for themselves.  From our room we watched the crowds below and from 6:00 p.m. to Midnight celebrated New Year’s from across the world with a fireworks show – definitely the most memorable New Year’s for me.

New Year’s day was again a slower start but began with a ride on the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and amazing views of New York.  Brett walked us around a mix of little and well known places and neighborhoods, with the ability to keep a low profile and not look like complete tourists.  We ate incredible foods but we canceled out the calories with all of our walking.  Sarah Vaccaro, accompanied by her ever patient husband Joe, showed and pointed out all the incredible architecture that New York displays…skyscrapers in the Financial District to three story walkups in SoHo…so much to see and appreciate.

Until my departure back to Canada on Monday the group continued to go on more adventures sometimes splitting off to fulfill the desires of what we wanted to see or do while in the Big Apple.  Some to museums such as the MoMA, others to restaurants or fun speakeasys.  I would say my personal highlight for the trip was a visit to the top of Rockerfeller Center (commonly known in New York as The Top of The Rock).  From this 70 story viewpoint you have a 360 degree spread of New York, including the Empire State Building and Central Park...all for a reasonable cost and a much quicker line than what you would encounter at the Empire State Building.  Also on the same day, I had a chance to catch up a great friend, JP Moncayo, who I haven't seen since my ASI days at Cal Poly (JP was ASI President at Fresno State the same year.)  He now works for Goldman Sachs in NYC - great to see you JP!!

Now back in Guelph and wouldn’t you know it – snow!  When I landed on Monday night there wasn’t a flake on the ground only to open my door on Tuesday morning to a winter “wonderland.”

Look for the next post which will include stories and scenes from a visit from the one and only Joseph Vaccaro as he ventures up to Toronto for work and some hang out time.

For pictures from the New York trip you can visit my album (even if you don't have a Facebook account) by clicking here