Mother's Day

Last weekend we celebrated Mother's Day by taking my mom out for dinner at Dougalls on the Bay in Brighton. It's not far from Presqu'ile Provincial Park, right on the water, and the food is always good. Earlier in the day I had decided to succumb to mom's hints for a vegetable garden in the back yard. In my mind I had conjured up various means to achieve this objective. I tried hinting to expert spa gardeners Debbie and Darlene, but at this time of year they are very busy with their own projects. On several ocassions these hard working women have commented on how most men are only happy working if they have a motor between their legs. True to form, I procrastinated on this project, dreading the thought of turning over a plot with a shovel - this just seemed like too much work. In the end, I think I expended just as much effort and energy by enlisting the help of a couple of machines. First I rented a sod cutter from the Rentall Centre. What a brute of a machine that thing was, very heavy and quite unwieldy. It wasn't until I was about 1/2 way through the sod cutting that I discovered the setting for sod thickness, so the first few rolls of sod were huge, with about 3 inches of top soil attached. Lifting these gigantic chunks of sod up and onto the back of my truck was a back breaker. Next, I picked up 10 bags of peat moss and 10 bags of triple mix to replace the soil I had removed with the sod cutter. Finally, I used a rototiller to work the peat moss and the triple mix into the soil. Needless to say, my back is aching, but it was all worth it when I saw the smile on my mom's face as she discovered her new garden. Amazing that at 80 years of age she is able to plant a garden - I hope I'm so lucky. (Pictures above: my mom and my sister Marijo at Dougalls, the garden project before, during and after my adventure. Hopefully I'll have some pictures of some vegetables to show you before too long).

My (other) big brother

I was born in 1958, the middle son in a family of 3 boys, and four girls. As a child growing up, my oldest brother Bill seemed like an all round "Wally Cleaver" kind of guy. He was good at sports, popular with the ladies and good looking. I guess my younger brother John was a little like "the Beav", a nice guy with a real charm about him, with Wally looking out for him. Even though there were more years between John and Bill, they seemed to bond. When we were old enough to play tennis, John and Bill would team up against me and my dad. I wasn't much of a tennis player, and as a result got the odd ball to the back of the neck when I missed a shot at the net, so I tended to try to avoid these outings. I preferred hanging out with my friend Paul Casely at his grandmas house where we'd watch TV, eat toast with butter, and wrestle. In my early days, I guess I was a bit of a loaner, I used to play down by the river and out by the pond - I loved the mud, and I loved the water. For the most part, I think I was a happy child - one of my nicknames was "the lightbulb" - I didn't mind that so much, but later on when I earned the handle, "Bozzo the clown" - I think I may have started to get a little more serious. I was a joiner - an altar boy, a cub scout, boy scout, and venturer, and later on became a bit of a nerd, starting a school store, a bit of acting, I loved working behind the scenes with the lighting crew in junior high, and ran for student council. Fast forward to seven years ago when Christopher Ennew joined our team at Ste. Anne's as a sous chef. I had noticed this very tall quite guy working away in the back of the kitchen on his mise en place. It wasn't long before he was promoted to Executive Chef and today, in my estimation, he is one of the finest spa chefs in Canada. Through my involvement with Ontario's Finest Inns I got to know industry icon John Egan, owner of Eganridge Inn & Spa. John is a real gentleman and a sort of senior statesman to our association and to the industry. While visiting John at his inn one day I noticed a real bond, a friendship between John and his chef. In hindsight, I guess this one of many pearls of wisdom that John passed on to me - in this business, your chef should not only be one of your most treasured and valued employees, they should be one of your best friends. Over the years Christopher and I have gotten to know each other pretty well. He accepts me for who I am, and I have tremendous respect for him. Sometimes I'll be in the kitchen chatting with the team, and Chef Christopher will step up behind me and start massaging my shoulders with his big strong hands. He hasn't had an easy life, but he sure has brought light into the lives of many people. He has become a great friend to me, and in some respects the big brother that I missed growing up. And it goes without saying that he has also become one of the pillars that supports the work that we do here at Ste. Anne's Spa. As I read through guest surveys, rarely does someone review a stay at the spa without mentioning the great food, and quite often they will also mention having met this culinary giant. This guy is golden.

Girl's night out

My mom loves Red Lobster. I'm not sure why, I think it has something to do with the coconut shrimp and the cheese bread, but more than anything it's a night out on the town. When the call of the shell fish becomes too strong to resist, we set out for Peterborough, where we'll usually take in a movie at the downtown multi-screen theatre (love the big comfy seats). Last night we asked my sister-in-law/Innkeeper Nancy if she wanted to join us after a long day working at the spa. As we worked our way up Highway 28, someone suggested that we stop at the Kawartha Downs Casino - we had a little extra time, so why not. Nancy said that her husband won't take her to the Casino - "just give me the money and I'll throw it out the window", he says. There were 3 gamblers in the car and one naysayer, so there we were amidst the bright lights and bells feeding our hard earned money into the machines. I lost the others as I headed straight for the "players circle"; I like to get it over with quickly, preferring to feed a few twenties into the $5 slots, hoping for a big win. When I was out of twenties, I had winnings of $120 (up $40 from what I went in with); not bad for 5 minutes work, I thought. I found my mom in amongst the quarter machines - she was up by $30 and pretty pleased with herself. Then I found David; down $20 and ready to leave (he's the naysayer, in case you hadn't guessed). Then I found Nancy, sitting at twenty-five cent machine where she'd just hit the jackpot and won $400! She didn't realize she'd won - she was pressing all the buttons to stop all the noise coming from the machine! Then Nan came around the corner, fresh from a $200 win. I sat down beside Nancy and put $20 into a new type of machine while waiting for Nan to cash in her ticket, and I won a $500 jackpot! In the end we walked out with just over a thousand dollars in fresh $100 bills, smiling from ear to ear. Of course gamblers never tell you about their losses - what fun would that be? After dinner we watched Deception - not a bad flick, but you can probably afford to wait for it to come out on DVD.

Fitness equipment for sale

We are in the process of replacing the equipment in our gym. As a result, we have some equipment that we would like to sell. It is all Cybex equipment, commercial grade. Having had very little use, it is in like new condition. There are 8 pieces of strength training equipment, 2 spinning bikes, a treadmill, a step machine and an elliptical trainer and a treadmill. This equipment was purchased new 5 years ago for $60,000. If you are interested in starting a very high end home gym, please make me an offer at jim.corcoran@steannes.com.

Who won the war?

As the lead up to the U.S. election drags on, with one side promising to pull out of Iraq immediately, while the other side postulates on the possibility that there may be troops in Iraq for another 100 years, inevitably history will have to pass judgement on the efficacy of this war, and pick one side or the other as the winner. For me, its quite simple. As long as I have to take my shoes and my belt off to get on an airplane, I am clearly the loser in the war on terrorism, no matter where the terrorists hail from. As long as I have to be subjected to long lines and a myriad of questions to cross the border into the U.S., I am the loser. As long as I consider the possibility of being blown up over the Atlantic ocean as part of my thought process in deciding whether to travel to Europe or not, I am the loser. As long as I get sweaty palms whenever I board a plane with other humans who dress and speak differently or have a different skin colour than me, I am the loser. Whenever one segment of society exerts their will over another segment of society, be it through force or through fear, that segment of society has won. I suppose the question really is, will ongoing loss of life through fighting and peacekeeping missions by North Americans in the Middle East help to solve the problem? I don't know. I'm sure its a much more complex situation than my little brain can comprehend. I just want to enjoy flying again - but then there's that whole issue of jet fuel. Argh.

Just back from the west coast

The west coast of Ontario, that is. On Saturday afternoon I packed my suitcase and set my Garmin GPS for the Benmiller Inn and Spa, just north of Goderich, the site of the annual general meeting (AGM) of Ontario's Finest Inns & Spas. One of the things I like about the British lady living inside of my dashboard device is that she sometimes takes me on the road less travelled, giving me an opportunity to see things and go places that I otherwise wouldn't have. I also like the fact that if I grow tired of her somewhat nagging, bossy tone, I can press her "mute" button, knowing that she won't take offence, and won't pick up where she left off. We discovered a new game on Sunday afternoon - I set my destination as the place I was just leaving, and then drive in the opposite direction to what GPS girl is telling me. She keeps telling me to make the next safe u-turn, or turn left here, or turn right there and I just ignore her. Splendid. However, I keep an eye on the projected arrival time, allowing me to wander freely and know exactly when I will have to turn around if I want to make it back for my 3:00 massage. I must say, much of south western Ontario is very flat - farmland for miles and miles - somewhat boring, but reassuring at the same time - after all, these fields feed us. With the idyllic weather we had this weekend all the farmers were out in full force cultivating and spreading piles of very ripe manure left over from the long winter. Besides some very nice vistas of Lake Huron, and the odd quaint small village, this area also seems to be a real hot spot for wind generators. They look so graceful and hypnotic as they turn every so slowly. When you get up beside them they are absolutely huge. I took a drive around downtown Goderich and down to the beach - I wasn't overly impressed, but perhaps there is more life there in the summer months. I also made a visit to the local Walmart to buy a pair of slacks for dinner and at the check out found myself buying a country music CD, something I've never done before. It turned out to be just the right music for cruising the long country roads of Huron County with my windows open wide. I found myself missing my dog, my cowboy hat and the fact that I hadn't recently been dumped by an old girl friend. OK, back to the meeting; Ontario's Finest Inns and Spas is a mildly eccentric group of very creative and independent entrepreneurs, each of whom has created or inherited one of a wide range of wonderful and eclectic places to get away from reality for rest and relaxation. Our host property, the Benmiller, is a wonderfully restored woolen mill overlooking the Maitland River. Along with the Elora Mill, the Benmiller is now managed by Sequel Hotels, who are in the process of restoring their properties to their former grandeur. We enjoyed outstanding meals and four diamond accommodation, all pulled together by a warm, hospitable staff. Mark at the front desk, Kevin in the dining room, Cathy in the spa, and Innkeeper Scott provided especially memorable service. Our AGM is a time to do a little bit of business and discuss how we might better entice Ontarians to enjoy the many treasures that exist right here in our back yard. But by far, the best part of these get togethers is the opportunity to catch up with the many friends we've made over the years. When you do visit one of Ontario's inns or spas, you have to make a point of seeking out and chatting up the owner - these are some of the finest, and funniest people you'll ever meet. Here's a few to look for - Sue Murray at The Harbour House in Niagara on the Lake, Wolfgang Stichnothe at The Millcroft in Alton, James Orr at Sir Sam's, Holly Doughty at The Rosemount in Kingston, Gerda Della-Casa at the Woodlawn Inn in Cobourg, Jaques O'Shea at the Trinity House in Gananoque, Michael Kalmar at The Old Mill in Toronto, Helen Young at the Inn on The Twenty in Jordon, Troy Vedova at the Kettle Creek Inn in Port Stanley, Hugh Sibbald at The Briars in Jackson's Point, John Egan at Eganridge, John Keilty at the Gananoque Inn in Gananoque, Gayle Waters at The Little Inn of Bayfield in Bayfield, and Troy Loop at the Vintage Goose Inn in Kingsville - tell them that Jim sent you! Tonight I am back at Ste. Anne's - nice to be home. I took a walk along the pier on Cobourg's waterfront this evening - the picture above is taken at dusk looking back towards the town - quite pretty. In another couple of weeks the harbour will be full of boats, probably staying close to their moorings as the price of gas approaches another ridiculous record.

Strong Genes and the scent of spring

A few weeks ago I wrote about my search for ancestors using the tools available on the web. I located a 1911 census record indicating that my father's mother's (Anna) father, (Mark Quinn), (pictured above in 1939 on his 90th birthday) was, on June 6th, 1911, living on Queen Street in Niagara Falls with his wife Eliza and his 5 of his 6 children. One of his sons, I think it was John, went on to marry a woman whom I came to know as Aunt Lizzie. I remember visiting Aunt Lizzie on her farm in Virgil, a town neighbouring Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake (I have memories of lots and lots of flies and lots and lots of kids). I believe Aunt Lizzie had 14 children, one of whom was Tom Quinn. My grandfather and namesake, James Corcoran, was a bootlegger, and Tom's cousin. According to Tom, my grandpa used to store boxes of prohibition liquor in Lizzie and John's barn. Tom and his wife Joanne came to the spa for a visit this past week where I had an opportunity to photograph him with my nephew Mark Abernethy (now an enterprising entrepreneur and the proprietor of Ste. Anne's Water to Wine in Oshawa). Can you see the resemblance between Mark and Tom and Mark? Strong Irish genes, I suppose. At 81 years of age, Tom is still recovering from open heart surgery. None-the-less, he is a great story teller, and quite a character. One of my favourite stories is how Tom, being a good son, would give his mother money to go out and buy a new set of teeth. Lizzie never did buy the teeth, instead she spent the money buying food for her kids. The other picture, on the right is a close up of a bamboo patch that I cut back this weekend. If you look closely you can see the new shoots starting to push their way up past last year's old dead shoots. (There is a connection here between this story and the family story above). Spring is such a wonderful time, as colour and life start to push their way back into our world after a long winter absence, just as the last few piles of dirty snow melt to provide the water and the nutrients for the life giving soil. My dad went back to his adopted home of northern Ireland this past week after spending a little time visiting his kin here in Canada. We had lots of good times together, celebrating my mom's 80th birthday, watching movies, walking and eating out. Last weekend my dad and I spent the weekend together as Nan was away for a sister's weekend and David was working a trade show. On Saturday morning we set out for breakfast to the "Under New Management" Scenery Drive Restaurant at Highway 45 and Centreton Road. This place has been serving up good old country fare for as long as I can remember - I just hope the new owners don't change things too much. As it turned out, the parking lot was packed with pick up trucks, so we continued north to Pitcher's Place in Gore's landing where we both ordered and enjoyed a delicious home made Eggs Benedict. After breakfast we walked down to Rice Lake where the ice was starting to melt and water was running everywhere. We discovered a charming little Anglican Church up on the hill over looking Rice Lake - St. George's. From there we went on to Linwood Acres where we picked up 120 7" trout to transplant into my pond at Ste. Anne's. This man made pond is now home to close to 3 or 4 hundred trout of various sizes. I think this year we're going to have to start fishing some of them out - they're getting pretty big. After our road trip, I made a mental note to return to St. George's church some Sunday to see whether the service would be as enchanting as the building. That opportunity came this past Sunday when we missed our 9:00 mass at St. Mary's in Grafton, after a visit with my sister Cindy in celebration of her birthday cut into our church time. David, mom and I headed back up to Pitcher's Place for breakfast. Unfortunately we were a few minutes too late, (and as a result too shy) to venture into St. George's, but we had a great breakfast all the same and agreed to come back another day. We took a road along the south shore of Rice Lake on our way home and came across yet another architecturally alluring church called Sacred Heart (R.C.), just as a small crowd was gathering for the 10:00 service. We pulled in, only to be greeted with hugs from Mike Butler, a chef who had worked at Ste. Anne's many moons ago - looking much better than when we'd last seen him. We followed Mike and others into the church only to find the heat was off, apparently because they had run out of oil. It didn't really matter though as the warmth of the congregation and Father Stan made this a joyous discovery, prayer and song filled hour. You just never know what you'll stumble upon when travelling the rolling countryside of Northumberland!

Can we ever achieve true selflessness?

This past weekend Ste. Anne's participated in Lifefest - a 3 day show primarily for women at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto. David, Katriona, John and Laura "worked" the show on behalf of Premier Spas of Ontario. On Saturday afternoon I got a call inviting me to come into the city for the night. After a little bit of hunting on-line, I ended up booking a couple of hotel rooms at the Sheraton Centre through Price-line.com's "name your own price" feature. I had thought about using this tool in the past, but was always afraid that I'd end up in some awful hotel in the wrong part of town. As it turned out, it worked just as promised, landing us newly renovated rooms in a great location for $75 - a great deal. I picked up Katriona's other half on the way into the city, and along with David, the four of us went out for dinner at Terroni's new Adelaide Street location. I was first introduced to this authentic and very friendly eatery at their Yonge and Balmoral location, which is just across the street from my dentist's office. I now try to co-ordinate dental work with a gastronomic treat. We had a great meal and lots of laughs, returned to the hotel and had a good rest, although in the morning I felt as though I'd smoked a pack of cigarettes - I guess I'm not used to city air. On our way home we stopped at a greasy spoon on Carlton, just east of Church Street for breakfast. The waiter was just as entertaining as the food was good as he told us that his closet included at least 200 pairs of jeans, just as many dress shirts and shoes - quite a character. As we left the restaurant a somewhat aggressive panhandler approached us. Our first instinct was to get past him, but then I thought of how much money we had just spent on ourselves and proceeded to drop a fiver into his cup. I encouraged him not to spend it on cigarettes or booze. He had a salt and pepper beard and his teeth looked like they could use a good cleaning. I'm quite sure a warm bath would have done him some good as well. We jumped in our cars and headed for home. At Bayview and River Street there was another panhandler, there is almost always one there, I guess its a prime location. I rolled down my window and reached for the spare change that I keep in my ashtray. At first I pulled out a few coins to give him, and then I decided to dump the whole thing into his hand. Now I'm not telling you any of this to sing my own praises as a generous guy - quite the contrary. I could be a lot more generous than I was or than I am. You see, as I gave these guys money, I was very aware of the people I was with and what might think of me for giving, or not giving. Of course, I wanted them to think of me as kind and generous, which instantly turns the act of giving into a selfish act as I derived something back. Even if I hadn't had any witnesses, somewhere in my subconscious mind I'd be hoping that my creator or my final judge would be making a note of my actions. For people who make a life out of charitable works, who go on missions, who take in the less fortunate, I have no doubt that their act of charity gives back to them, be it through recognition by their peers or the recipients of their good works, or simply in the hope that they will make it into heaven as opposed to spending eternity in hell. One could argue that even the greatest to live amongst us anticipated and collected a reward for their sacrifice, even if what simply the approval of their father and the knowledge that they had saved mankind from eternal damnation. So, here is my question: how can a human being achieve true selflessness, or are we denied this simple pleasure once we grow out of the innocence of birth into adulthood?

A week in pictures and a video

After you read this blog, you may think that I am a bit of a fibber, but this is the honest to God truth. I have presented above a few of the highlights of my life over the past week, and I have concluded that despite this long drawn out winter, and the high price of gas, and the endless litany of other complaints I might be able to go on about, all in all, I lead, and so do many other Canadians lead a charmed life. Even out here in the boonies - (eastern Ontario is by some standards considered a depressed part of the province), there is so much to do, and so much to appreciate. See if you can attach these descriptions to the pictures above:

1. A half dead evergreen against a stunning blue sky starkly beautiful along one of the many scenic country roads leading to Ste. Anne's Spa;


2. Mike, the self described "creepy janitor" (and very much loved) out with some co-workers letting off some steam and showing off his 50th birthday present;


3. The new lady in my life - Sophie the trotting half Arab mare and her very talented trainer Karilee at Valleyview Stables;


4. An antique, beautifully inlaid table at Queen's Crown Antiques in Peterborough with a price tag of $28,000!


5. A display case full of antique glass knobs at Legacy Vintage Building Materials in Cobourg;


6. My mother posing with Mike's new friend;


7. A bunch of us red necks out enjoying a lunch break on the last good day for snowmobiling while appreciating the view from one of the many fine vistas in the Northumberland Forest;


8. A bunch more door accessories at Legacy Vintage Building Materials in Cobourg - need something old and of superior workmanship - this is the place to find it!


9. Another fine piece of furniture at Queen's Crown Antiques in Peterborough - definitely worth the drive from Toronto if you appreciate fine antiques.

Sophie showing off at the stable.

So there it is, a photo and video montage of a typical week in the country (and I even left some stuff out); imagine what you could do in a lifetime - Celebrate life in rural Ontario!

Rituals and revelations

As a Catholic, Holy Week, and Easter have been a significant part of my religious upbringing. In my teens I was an altar boy at St. Margaret Mary's Church in Pine Grove. On more than one occasion my fellow altar boys and I stayed at the church right through the weekend. I wanted to be a priest - I wanted to be the first Canadian Pope. I suppose to a young man the pomp and circumstance, the mystery, the special powers the discipline and the structure of the church was intriguing and in some ways irresistible. And of course there was the allure of belonging, the friendships and the bonding, not to mention the long black cassocks we got to wear. Lately however, I've been questioning the role that church and religion has to play in my life. I suppose going to mass every Sunday does bring a degree of order to ones life - and there is a sense of belonging, and more than anything (sadly), I love going out for a nice greasy breakfast - a weekly indulgence that I almost crave after 6 days of (good for you but a little sour and bland) yogurt, fruit and healthy, fibrous cereal. This week on CBC Radio, I listened to a program about how most religious events were originally tied to the seasons and the lunar calendar. It made the holiness of holy week a little less holy to think that these dates are not tied to real events, but rather selected by "holy men" as dates that worked for the masses. For example, Easter, a time of rebirth, and renewal co-incides with spring. None-the-less, millions of people around the world accept these man made dates and events as times during which they are expected to follow certain rituals and act in certain ways. I wonder what is it that humans like so much about ritual? I suppose, if we repeat the same patterns over and over it helps to distract us from the fact that we are essentially alone, living in a fragile ecosystem in a massive universe of unknown origin spinning on an invisible axis in thin air around a burning ball of fire with old age and certain death as the end point? My revelation from all of this thinking; each of us came into existence naked, with nothing more than a beating heart, and in the end everything that we care about, everything that we accumulate will be be lost to us, including the beating heart. Is it any wonder that religion and ritual and their promise of eternal life everlasting, in exchange for faith and charity have so much appeal to us? I think not, but what alternative is there?

Another milestone

This past Sunday my family celebrated the 80th anniversary of the birth of our incredible mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother mother-in-law, and wife. Still as sharp as a tack and as spry as a leprechaun, Nan marked this milestone with a gathering of 6 of her 7 children, 9 of her 14 grandchildren and all 4 of her great grandchildren along with spouses and partners at a grand surprise party at John & Nancy's Eddystone property this past Sunday. Family pets Massie and Simba provided entertainment for the family as photos were taken, ensuring lots of smiles into the bright sun of this glorious day. The afternoon party included a feast of culinary dishes from each of Nan's children and a series of skits. Yesterday, while many Irish or "wanna-be" Irish celebrated St. Patrick's Day, (the actual day of mom's birth), Nan received numerous visitors bringing greetings from far and wide, and then finished off the day with some green beer and chicken wings at a local pub with the die hard party contingent from Ste. Anne's Spa. Nan has been making a quiet, behind the scenes contribution at Ste. Anne's for the past 27 years. Guests at the spa will often bump into her as she freshens the flowers, tidies up and looks after the little touches that make the spa home for many visitors. In her lifetime, Nan has lovingly raised encouraged and inspired seven children, has been involved in countless charitable causes and is a talented artist. She is always on the move with a real penchant for travel. Love for Nan and appreciation for the many ways that she has touched so many people runs deeper than the deepest well. May she have many more years of healthy, happy life full of joy and contentment.

Who's genes are you wearing?

This past week brought lots of beautiful new snow to the rolling drumlins of Northumberland County, making for a little frustration, but once the storm clouds cleared we were treated to some crisp sunny days highlighted with huge drifts making for incredible scenery and lots shovelling (exercise). The only real negative were the high number of cancellations we received from people who were spooked by the exaggerated news coverage of the storm. Needless to say, this was discouraging for all of us who worked to clear snow, and made sure we were ready, willing and able to deliver the services that we had been expecting to deliver. I'm sure to get a few lovely calls from those who didn't make it here to tell me how unfair our cancellation policies are, how heartless and reckless I am, etc., etc. For my part, I truly believe that winter weather is part of the Canadian experience that should be celebrated. As long as we dress for it and make provisions for it in our plans, we ought not let it paralyze us with fear, but I'm sure this isn't an argument I'm going to win with those who think I should take the full brunt of losses on account of "the weather".

To keep us smiling through it all we had a weekend visit from two of my mom's sisters, Libby and Diane. Both are quite a lot of fun, albeit a little eccentric. One of the things I love about spending time with family is how it helps to explain why we are the way we are, our quirks, our humour, our character. When my dad comes home to join us in the celebration of my mom's 80th birthday on St. Patrick's day I'm looking forward to hearing more about his family findings in Ireland. We also had a reunion with a favourite former employee, superb massage therapist, and life long friend - Pat from Peterborough, (pictured above with David at Swiss Chalet) in Port Hope on Friday night (yes we made the treacherous journey to Port Hope right in the middle of the horrific storm and lived to tell about it). However, we didn't hold Swiss Chalet responsible for the storm that could have derailed our plans. We had lots of laughs as we reminisced and gossiped about days gone by at the spa. Pat is a wonderful soul with a huge heart who has just recently discovered the Latino zest for life.

This past week I spent a good deal of time on line tracing long deceased family members through the 1901 and 1911 census records. There are some amazing tools available for researching genealogy these days. I love going back to the original records and imagining the people of that era sitting down as the information was being recorded. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, many of these records have been digitized, making them much easier to search. These activities brought me back to the first time I visited the Toronto Library to look up microfiche articles published about the sinking of the Titanic for a school project - I think I was about 9 years old. I've had a fascination with the Titanic ever since; somehow I feel as though I was there, and perhaps I was in another life - who knows.

One of my favourite things . . .

Great stories by real Ste. Anne's guests, our 2008 Testimonial Contest Winners. Enjoy . . .

My wife and I have been going to Ste. Anne's for several years now. Ste Anne's is a place that is close enough to our home but gives us a sense that we are escaping to another part of the world. When we drove up to the spa, for the first time, we felt like we had just arrived in a little inn in Tuscany. It was late in the summer and the spa set amongst that backdrop of green rolling hills was spectacular! The service is excellent, the food is always tantalizing and you always have little extra to complete the experience (e.g. meditation or yoga classes).We have recommended the spa to all our friends and will continue to do so. We would love our next visit to be in the winter to experience the spa at that time of the year. We have been to other spa's in Ontario and Ste. Anne's beats them all hands down! Thank you!

Ste Anne’s Spa holds a very special place in my heart as it was at this serene and indulgent retreat that I decided to share some of the most important news of my life with two of my closest girlfriends. , , To borrow an expression I’d stumbled across several years ago, my girlfriends and I have coined ourselves the ‘spah-yahs’. Living busy professional lives at opposite ends a bustling city, it’s often hard for us to find time to get together throughout the year. But one activity we can always count on to bring us together is our annual spa retreat, and for the last several years we’ve not wanted to enjoy this tradition anywhere but at Ste. Anne’s spa. , , It was at one our spah-yah escapes just over two years ago that I decided to divulge my special little secret. While sitting down to a decadent spa lunch, I announced to my girlfriends that my husband and I were finally pregnant with our first child, an event my dear friends knew we’d been trying to achieve for some time. With my celebratory news officially out in the open, the three of us sat there with tear-glistened eyes and bright smiles and gleefully toasted the occasion with glasses of sparkling spa water. , , It truly was the perfect way to play out the scene and I have since guarded a special mental picture of it that I remember fondly every time I think of or visit Ste. Anne’s.
My daughter was a real rebel when she was an adolescent. As a result, we clashed furiously and our relationship was a strained one. A couple of years ago she got married, and I decided to take her to St. Anne’s as a special treat and in an effort to ease the tension between us., , We stayed overnight in the wonderful little apartment in the cottage of the grounds of St. Anne’s. Over a delicious meal in the restaurant, we started to speak woman to woman –Because we were so relaxed, she showed a willingness to actually listen to me. We exercised together, dined together, swam and laughed together and sat talking in the hot tub. In those two days and one night we were able to finally reach out to one another and mend all those broken fences. Today we are extremely close: and I have St. Anne’s to thank for it. Thank you for making it possible.
I have been best friends with Cindy and Marian since high school. We have been there for each other in good times and in bad; laughing, sometimes crying, but always bonding along the way. One might say we are more like sisters than girlfriends., , Since our birthdays are quite close together, we have traditionally celebrated “growing younger” together. We have always walked away from these nights filled with love, enlightenment, and a list of ways to “better” ourselves in the upcoming year…, , In 2007, we decided to skip the traditional dinner/drinks/dancing routine and opt for a more relaxing birthday celebration – we decided to head to Ste. Anne’s for the day!, , Our drive from Toronto to Ste. Anne’s was fun and memorable. We filled the time reflecting on life, relationships (past, present, and for the single girl in the car – future), kids, work, hobbies, passions, and the other fun stuff girls like to talk about! , , We arrived at St.Anne's in perfect time and all lamented on the beautiful grounds (outside and in). After checking in and getting our lockers, the three of us signed up for a yoga class and a reading class in the yoga studio., , The three of us were the first ones to sign up for the reading class, and I remember commenting how amazing it would be if we were the only ones in the class. Sure enough, when we got there after lunch in our comfy robes – there were only three pillows beautifully arranged, head-to-head, on the floor. Each pillow was a different colour. We were so excited!!, , After the beautiful and moving reading session, our instructor sweetly gave us a basket filled with “relections” and asked us to individually pick a piece of paper and discuss what was written on it. Since she knew that we were all best friends, she gave us this special time alone and left the room., , We each picked a piece of paper from the basket. As Cindy began reading hers out loud, I realized that I had the exact same reflection written on my paper. To our amazement, Marian had chosen the same reflection as well! We couldn’t believe the odds of this happening and even read through the remaining slips of paper to see if this reflection was typed out more than three times. Incredibly, there were only three slips of paper bearing our chosen reflection…which was, “You are whole. Just the way you are.”, , What does Ste.Anne’s mean to me? , , Ste. Anne's means a lot to me, because during my visit to the spa, myself and my two best friends, received a unique birthday present which helped us with our onerous quest for self-improvement; the realization that WE ARE WHOLE. JUST THE WAY WE ARE. It was truly an experience we will never forget.

Ste. Anne's is a reminder of the most wonderful time of my life. , I was preparing for my wedding in the summer of 2006 and like all brides-to-be I was experiencing a healthy amount of stress. My 3 best girlfriends (and bridesmaids) told me that they had planned a special bride's day and that I was to be ready to go at 7:00am with bathing suit in hand. I had no idea what a wonderful day they had planned. , Our day started with morning meditation and a soak in the whirlpool. I was then booked for a 1 hr massage that melted all my worries away. While enjoying all the amenities at the spa, we got much needed girls time to laugh and reminisce about the years of friendship we have shared. , I felt so special on that day knowing that I had friends who loved me so much that they thought I deserved a day to remember at Ste. Anne's.
When I first came to St. Anne's Spa my husband gave it to me for Christmas. I had just finished chemo and it was an amazing gift to receive. I had no idea what St. Anne's spa was and I was very pleasantly suprised. It was a wonderful experience. I stayed overnight and was treated to so much luxury I really was in awe....I came home feeling like a new women who could face just about anything. The spa at St. Annes showed me a whole new way to relax. I have told several people about my experience. I had in the past tried other spas but St. Annes really outshines them all. Thank you St. Annes for making me feel like I have truly come out the other side.....I couldn't have received a better gift...Georgia Colquhoun

Ste. Anne's is getting my staff excited! Everyone at work was so cranky in January, I booked a group getaway for our whole staff to come next week. Each of them will have $200 in spa treatments, a chef come and cook us dinner, and most importantly this will bring us together as a team. I have never had so many people thank me, and tell me how excited they are with anything else I have ever done for my staff. We already have matching flip-flops to flop around while we wear our Ste. Anne's robes. Thank you for giving my staff, and therefore my business a boost. We can't wait to come!, Regards,, Rhonda MacDonald, The Southampton Pet Hospital
my wife and I have 5 children, i am a self employed businessman. just to have the chance to get away to your spa for a couple of days put an amazing spark in our world. being relaxed and pampered gave us both what we needed to let the stress go. as a result the conversations were perfect, and our connection as a couple, partners, and best friends. our ability to communicate was never better. we both had treatments throughout the day, then meet up in the waiting area (robes and all), chat a while, have a tea then off to another type of treatment (my first time and not the last)- back for lunch etc. i highly recommend your spa for any couple looking to let it all go, rejuvenate, and most importantly....reconnect....thank you for that!
Last summer, on a gorgeous sunny weekend, St. Anne’s gave me an experience that I know will remain as a special and unique memory for the rest of my life. I spent the weekend with my 86 year old mother and my 16 year old daughter. A three-generation celebration... 80 years separate my sweet mom and my darling daughter yet they are as close as sisters. Over 154 years of experience and memories between the three of us. This time of conversation, sharing memories, relaxation, and just communion with the girls, in such a beautiful environment was inspiring and eye-opening. Amongst the flower gardens, lounging by the pool, watching the wild bunnies in the evening, over high tea and sumptuous meals, in our jammies at night together, we talked and laughed. Even though we can finish each other’s sentences, there were so many stories of times that we did not know about, and we reached an even deeper love for the other with each rich reminiscence. It would not have ever happened without the serenity, comfort, beauty and harmony of St. Anne’s. Thank you for that.

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember a few of my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad . . . I wasn't feeling particularly bad, other than trying to fight off a bit of a cold that had been dragging on, but I certainly felt much better after spending the better part of the day with the ten winners of our 3rd annual Testimonial Contest this past week in Toronto. This wonderful group of customers - (a real cross section of Ste. Anne's guests), were so appreciative, so complimentary and so articulate in their enthusiasm for our product, that I was brought to tears. Our day started off at CHFI's Toronto studio at Bloor and Jarvis. Our "hostess" Shelby (also a Ste. Anne's guest, and a radio sales veteran), made everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. Conversation was lively as stories were traded around the table. While Shelby took each of the "testimonians" into the studio to record, our guests took turns in the massage chair and the make up table, getting ready to have their pictures taken. When lunch time came around we hopped in a stretch limousine for the short trip to Bistro 990 where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. By far and away, the greatest reward of being in the spa/hospitality business is the time we get to spend with guests and hear from them how what we do has had a positive impact on their lives. Over the years, we at Ste. Anne's have been truly blessed with thousands of wonderful, appreciative, charming guests. Thank you for this privilege! By the way, the woman sitting in the foreground in the group picture is 86 years young. She was amazing. I asked her what her secret to longevity was - she told me that she has a 35 year old living inside her who keeps her in line.

A ringing phone . . .

There are those who believe that a phone call should always end with the words, "I love you", which is often shortened to "love ya", just as there are those who practice the departing embrace or parting two cheek kiss. Good for them, I say. They have clearly come up with a way of being comfortable with words and body language that evoke affection and express emotion, at least on the surface. I guess my caution would be that these words and/or actions can become a routine, and infact lose some of their sincerity over time. There quietly exists another group of people who are, for one reason or another uncomfortable displaying their emotions or expressing their feelings. To me, those most severely afflicted in this regard are no less handicapped than a person missing a limb, and yet they are more often than not misunderstood and in some cases belittled or resented for their disability. Surely you can think of people (mostly men) who fit into this category. Here's a simple fix that I think is worth trying. Start with phone calls. Just as you now have the ability to pick a ring tone for your cell phone, pick a ring tone for your home phone that represents the emotion or feeling that the person calling would like to express, but is incapable of expressing. So, next time the phone rings, convert the standard ring tone into "I love you, I was thinking about you and that's why I'm calling you; I love you, I was thinking about you and that's why I'm calling you . . ." (I haven't quite figured out what to do when the caller is a telemarketer, and I haven't thought this through to situations where getting a warm embrace or a kiss out of one these people is a desired outcome, but I'll keep working on it. Let me know if you have any suggestions).

From pumping gas to gotta go to Ghana

The picture above is a picture of some anonymous guy pumping gas back in 1958 - the year I was born. I think we actually owned a car with a set of fins on it not unlike the one in the picture. When I came across it on the internet, this photo took me back in time, but it also reminded me of a success story that got its start at a gas station right here in Grafton. Back about 1994 I pulled into the local petrol pusher to purchase some fuel. A young man practically tripped over himself as he literally ran from the station to the pump to the windshield, and back again. As I settled up with him for the fuel, I made a point of complimenting him for his enthusiasm for his somewhat mundane job. A few weeks later he turned up at Ste. Anne's looking for work. It turns out the owner of the gas station was grumpy most of the time, (his nickname was Pickles; apparently he liked to drink), and was paying his staff below minimum wage. At the time, the only job opening we had at Ste. Anne's was in housekeeping, a role that not many young men would feel comfortable in, but this lad jumped right in. He went on to work in various other departments, he got himself fired once, (but then profusely apologized and meekly asked to have his job back), met a girl, got married, became a father to 3 beautiful children and put himself through school all the while working at Ste. Anne's. Today he manages our facilities department, oversees all of our computer systems and coaches a tikes hockey team. A couple of years ago he commented to me that he had really wanted to join a Youth for Christ mission to Africa, but missed the opportunity. When the chance came up again this year, he and his wife (who also works at the spa as an esthetician) joined the Ghana mission. For two and a half weeks they, along with several other members of the Youth for Christ movement are helping to make life better for Ghanaians. The Gotta go to Ghana 2008 team are sharing their thoughts with the world through a blog. Like many young people, this couple's lives could have turned out much differently. I'm proud to count them among my friends. I thought you might find their story to be interesting and inspiring.

An industry icon at a half century

Last night David and I had the pleasure of attending a surprise birthday party for Ray Civello. Ray was surrounded by friends, family and staff at the Empire Restaurant in Yorkville in celebration of his 50th birthday. I was first introduced to Ray in the early 90s by my sister Cindy, who worked as a massage therapist for Ray. It was through the inspiration and foresight of Ray and Cindy that my sister Anne and I combined our Ste. Anne's bed & breakfast offering with with an Aveda inspired spa. Back in those days Ray had one hair salon at Yonge & Davenport, where he lead the industry by introducing spa treatments in a funky/artsy ambiance to his hair clients. Today there are Aveda and Civello salons and stores on just about every street corner. Ray and his siblings also had the good fortune of taking over the Canadian distributorship for Aveda, a tremedously astute and successful business venture. One of my earliest memories of my induction into the spa life is of Ray cutting my hair out under the big maple tree. No need to sweep up the hair cuttings as a gentle breeze takes it away. At 50 Ray has made a name for himself in the high fashion world of hair and the restorative world of spa. I am honoured to be counted amoung his friends. Happy birthday old chum!

The Matt Miracle

This story goes back a few years, how many - I'm not quite sure. It started with a call from my sister Anne. Her youngest son Matt, who had always been a bit of a free spirit, had been traveling through South America. Matt would call home or email with enough frequency to ease Anne's mind somewhat, although I can't help but think that having a young son traveling in South America would be a worry for even the most open minded parent. In any case, at some point contact with Matt was lost. Since Matt's last known location was somewhere on the border between Peru and Ecuador, and since David has family living in Ecuador he was asked to see if his family had any connections in the business of finding lost people. After nine weeks of no word from Matt, Anne and her husband Paul got a call late one night from Doctors Without Borders to tell them that Matt had been seen lying in a hut in an impenetrable tribe. Fraught with worry, Anne and Paul decided that they would fly to South America to follow what clues they had to locate their missing son. When they found Matt he was in very poor condition, having stopped eating and having lost most of his body mass. Even after finding him and trying to get him to eat it was uncertain as to whether he would survive. Family members sent prayers and messages of love, hope and inspiration to Matt and his parents though, and something struck a cord with him and he started to eat, breaking his fast with peanut butter on a pen. After regaining his health and returning to his home in the U.S., Matt still had some exploring to do - his travels continued. One day, out of the blue I received a call from Matt saying that he was passing through my town with some friends, and wondering if he could drop by. Not knowing what to expect, I diverted him to my office, located a short distance from Ste. Anne's. His arrival is pictured above. Needless to say, I was a little taken aback and a little skeptical about Matt's choice of traveling companions. None-the-less, I took Matt and his school bus full of friends to Maison Sante where they enjoyed a swim, much needed showers and some naked gymnastics in my back yard, and then off they went to take in the Shelter Valley Folk Festival. Somehow, over the next couple of days, Matt made his way to visit my youngest sister in Belleville. Marijo introduced Matt to the good folks at Maranatha Christian Reformed Church. I'm not really clear on exactly how things progressed from there, but fast forward to today where Matt now lives with his beautiful wife Sara and their newborn baby, Anna Sophia, pictured above I've also included a pict