On Saturday afternoons, I usually take my elderly (96 years old) mother out for a drive. This time we drove up to des Joachims to take in the Santa Claus Parade. I found a place to park (on the wrong side of the road near the old church) where my mother could watch and stay warm from inside the car. I positioned myself on the other side of the road to take photos. There were no other spectators in this vicinity, so I got a lot of waves and friendly greetings from the parade participants. The good spirits of all involved was quite noticeable.
When the final vehicle of the parade passed, we just joined the parade on the end.
The Half Way Gas Bar between Chalk River and Deep River is now closed for good.
The Half Way Gas Bar between Chalk River and Deep River is now closed for good. "Head office" was not willing to spend the money needed for new underground fuel tanks and ground remediation and chose to shut the station instead. It will be interesting to see what happens to the site now.
We've been patronizing the Half Way Gar Bar for almost 20 years through a succession of several owner/operators. Originally, it was as a private protest against the gas prices being charged in Deep River. Although the extra driving distance perhaps negated any cost savings, we were voting with our feet; it felt like the right thing to do. While recent changes in the local gas market largely negated any price advantage, it has remained our favourite gas station, being the friendliest and most hassle free.
Over the years, we've got to know several different "owners" (not really sure what "owner" means in the Mr. Gas context). Kyle was the most recent (since 2012). He was unfailingly friendly and upbeat and a great source of local "news". We always enjoyed our interactions with him and his employees; fillups just won't be the same now that we have to go elsewhere.
We've only had our bird feeder up for a few days now, but this little guy has become a regular visitor -- we usually just see them in the winter. The bird feeder has been very active compared to last year when there was essentially no early season action. Hopefully there are no bears around but we haven't seen any recent signs.
We just missed some drama earlier today. A red squirrel was inches away from dropping down onto the roof of the feeder before realizing the presence of the marten. Usually if a marten is around, the squirrels are nowhere to be seen.
The Deep River Yacht and Tennis Club held its end-of-season party on Friday. The buffet dinner was by Maven Catering (with live dinner music by Marc Audet and trophy presentations by Evan Graham) and was followed by an Open Mic session arranged by Mike Griese.
Performers at the Open Mic included: bass - Denys Elliot; drums - Greg Hersak; guitar - Mike Gayda, Mike Griese, and Kurt Penney; keyboard - Diana McElroy; saxophone - Rob Carson; vocals - Joanne Bailey, Jodie Primeau, Cicely Proctor, and Christy Wojtaszek. (Not all performers are pictured - we left early because Diana was chilled. And some performers switched roles).
It was a successful and fun event even though the venue was somewhat chilly and the lighting was terrible for photography. But I got some pics.
