About Me
Apparently, you are supposed to tell your life story at the beginning of a website, so here goes.
I was single and in my early fifties, when most people think about settling down and perhaps retiring, when I was forced to move north start all over again. My family, starting with my grandfather on my father's side, has lived and worked in Toronto and had a cottage near Orillia since about 1912. All my life I have wondered whether I was a city boy living in the country or a country boy living in the city. In 1990 I found out and hard way. I decided the best way to save the 'family fortune' was to sell the house in Toronto, tear down the cottage and build a year-round house. So here I am.
My hobbies are, or were, canoeing, cross-country skiing, and politics. The canoeing and cross-country skiing were done with the Outing Club of East York and politics with the Liberal Party of Canada.
The Outing Club of East York has been around for about twenty years and I have been a member for most of them. It offers people in Toronto (specifically the East York area) hiking, canoeing, xc skiing and cycling . All on the cheap. It offers day, weekend and week-long trips using carpools and campgrounds. All inexpensive and with the good company of like-minded friends. I got a great kick out of leading trips when I lived in Toronto and still do. I have not been able to be an official member since moving north in 1990 but, with my local knowledge, I host the occasional ski and hiking trip for them. A chance for good exercise and to keep in touch with old friends. Plus the fact I enjoy planning it.
As for politics, my grandfather on my mother's side was a Liberal federal Member of Parliament around 1935 to 44, so I guess I grew up with it. A belief that you owe something back to your community. That you should be interested in what goes on around you and not complain unless you are willing to do something about it. For that reason, I am a member of the Liberal Party and have included a few good political or government links. However, beware, politics can be a little like drugs; if you are not careful it can become addictive. I try to stay in it, but not too much in it.
Orillia is a great place to live if you had money before you get here. Which I didn't. At this writing, job possibilities are still not good and often temporary. But, all things considered, the area provides a way of life so good that it is enviable. This is originally cottage country and still mostly is, but with skiing and snowmobiling, year round now. There is no reason to move. Just stay put and enjoy the scenery. With each season, everything changes, offering year-round residents complete variety. Swimming in the summer and skiing in the winter. All from the same doorstep.
It also gives you time to think and I have tried to organize my thought into a philosophy which I have put down on a separate page.
But, enough of paradise on a shoestring. I'll try to make the site interesting, up-to-date with lots of good links, as well as a few snapshots to show what going on. Hope you enjoy it and find it useful!