A Gray Jay in Algonquin Provincial Park

A Gray Jay in Algonquin Provincial Park

Northern Gray Jay - Algonquin Park - Ontario

Bob and I spent three days skiing and hiking on various trails in Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario, trying to make the most of the last weeks of winter here in Ontario.  We love to go looking for birds and animals, but in this case, on the Opeongo Road, the Gray Jay came looking for us. Read more

Cross-country Skiing In Algonquin Provincial Park

Jean x-country skiing in Algonquin Park - Ontario

East Gate, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

With little to no snow left in Toronto, Ontario, one would hardly expect that possibilities for skiing still existed in March in central Ontario.  But as we soon found out Algonquin Provincial Park still had tons of snow and great opportunities for skiing and snowshoeing in the spring.   Read more

Our Tour of Chateau de la Bourdaisiere’s Award-winning Gardens

An image of the rose and vegetable gardens at Chateau de la Bourdaisiere in the Loire Valley, France.

An image of the main entrance gate to Chateau de la Bourdaisiere in the Loire Valley, France.

Chateau de la Bourdaisiere in the Commune of Montlouis-sur-Loire, in France, is elegantly situated on a 54-hectare estate of combined gardens and mixed woodlots in the famed Loire Valley.  Having changed hands many, many times over the centuries, it was lastly bought, in 1991, by the brothers Prince Philippe Maurice and Prince Louis Albert de  Broglie. Read more

Pileated Woodpeckers sighted near Oxtongue Lake

Female Pileated Woodpecker pecks at a tree

A closeup of the red head of a Pileated Woodpecker near Oxtongue Lake

One winter, Bob and I took advantage of the lovely ski trails at Oxtongue Lake to explore the woods along the west side of Patterson’s Bay.  It is there that we located two Pileated Woodpeckers, a male and a female, working industriously for their breakfast.  In this closeup, the bright red pointed crest is really conspicuous. Read more

Chateau de la Bourdaisiere A Magnificent French Castle

An image of Chateau de la Bourdaisiere in the Loire Valley in France.

An image of the main entrance gate to Chateau de la Bourdaisiere in the Loire Valley, France.

One of my hopes on our trip to France was to spend a night in a “real” castle like Chateau de la Bourdaisiere.  By happenstance we learned about this castle when we came upon a little tourist information booth along a country road in the Loire Valley.  It happened to be staffed by an English-speaking young woman.  Read more

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