Canada through another lens…

A friend showed me this NBC video the other week.  It was broadcast to our southern neighbours on the eve of the Vancouver Olympics:

 

More #Vimy95

#Vimy95 Continued…

#Vimy95

April 9 – 12, 1917.  The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge, succeeding where both French and British troops had previously fallen short.  This hard-fought victory came at an extremely a high price: over 3,500 young Canadian lives.

Canadians killed at Vimy, along with others who perished during the Great War, total 60,000.  The names of those with no known known grave are inscribed on the Vimy Memorial.   Walter Seymour Allward, sculptor, embarked on an all-consuming worldwide quest to first locate and then carve the perfect stone.  His journey is chronicled in the novel The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart.

The Vimy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the memory of this turning point in Canadian military history and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  This group will play a large role in tomorrow’s on-site ceremonies commemorating the 95th anniversary of the battle, and the overwhelming loss of human life that accompanied it.

 

Greetings from Moose Jaw

I recently returned home from the Land of the Living Skies.  To some of those born and raised outside the Prairies, the word ‘Saskatchewan’ conjures a montage of roaming Buffalo herds, black and white photographs of Plains Cree and Blackfoot looking solemn and resplendent perched atop horses, vibrant yellow canola fields set against an impossibly blue sky, and Corner Gas episodes.  Not entirely inaccurate, but far from a complete historical and contemporary picture of the province.

Here, cities rise out of the prairies in surprisingly dramatic fashion, beckoning visitors to come and explore.  Regina is a pristine, bustling capital with unmistakable energy, not to mention an impressive tree canopy.

Moose Jaw, aside from a place where Will Ferguson gathered Beauty Tips, is a place steeped in history.  It is a place where Peter Gzowski worked as a young journalist and a place he honoured by staging his final radio broadcast there.  Once referred to as “Little Chicago” unassuming Moose Jaw is home to a colourful Rum-Running past including a direct connection to Al Capone.

Moose Jaw is also home to the iconic Snowbirds:

Saskatchewan’s official motto is MULTIS E GENTIBUS VIRES (From Many Peoples Strength).  This diverse, dynamic province is a great place for exceeding expectations and creating memories.

Follow the Road to Avonlea

This evening, for no particular reason at all, I have chosen to write about that gem of a TV series, Road to Avonlea.  Perhaps it is because I have was sick and bedridden for an entire week recently.  I was reminded of a time when I was in Grade 2, home from school with the flu.  Nestled on the couch, I watched 22 taped-on-VHS episodes of Road to Avonlea over two days.  That is how much I loved (and still love) the show.

Based on the books by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Road to Avonlea ran from 1989 to 1996, every Sunday evening, that blissful 7pm timeslot otherwise known as “CBC Family Hour.”

I guess one could say I was always poised to become a Road to Avonlea fan.  Kevin Sullivan, the man behind the show, was also responsible for the much-loved 1985 production of Anne of Green Gables.  When I was a student in Grade 1 my teacher observed me acting out “The Lady of Shalot” with friends during free time in class.  Surprised to hear a six-year-old child reciting Tennyson, she brought it up at the next parent-teacher interview.  My mother, laughing, said I was merely mimicking a scene from the Anne of Green Gables mini-series!  My love for Sullivan Entertainment was cemented.

Back to Avonlea.  Was the show actually good? Or was I just basking in a warm, golden glow of childhood nostalgia every time I recalled it? I decided to re-visit RTA watch a few syndicated episodes.  To my relief, it holds up.  I enjoy the characters on a different level as an adult.  If you don’t take my word for it, 4 Emmys and 18 Geminis are a pretty good indication of a solid series.

This award-winner attracted a surprisingly long roster of well-known actors. Fay Dunaway, Christopher Reeves, Christopher Lloyd, Stockard Channing, Michael York, Ryan Gosling (not so well-known at the time), Shirley Douglas, Peter Coyote, Eugene Levy, and W.O. Mitchell have all made guest appearances.  Road to Avonlea also launched the career of the incredibly talented Sarah Polley.  And who could forget the heartwarming love affair between Gus and Felicity, who give Anne and Gilbert a serious run for their money – both couples are about as close as Canadian television can get to Kevin and Winnie. Youtube boasts a surprising amount of Gus and/or Felicity tributes that reveal a surprisingly international fanbase.

It’s not too late to become a fan of the show again.  Road Avonlea is still in syndication and be full seasons on DVD can be borrowed from the library.  Complete seasons can be purchased online here.  One final disclaimer: while Road to Avonlea is set on idyllic Prince Edward Island, the show filmed on location in and around Uxbridge Ontario, where Lucy Maud Montgomery lived and wrote for a time.

I leave you, paddlers, with one final thought:  how many shows that can entertain three generations sitting in a room together? Not many.  Road to Avonlea is one of them – hopefully it continues to entertain Canadians for years to come.

 

Let it Snow

On this particularly balmy Southern Ontario December night, a certain Canadian is wishing for some neige to add a little sparkle to her holiday season….and to hear the sound of her skate blades as they cut across a clean sheet of ice…