Travel, hiking, milestones and other reasons to wag your tail.
Colin Roy Freel was born in Hamilton, Ontario at 9 am, on Wednesday March 5, 1937, the first and only child of Margery and Elmer Freel. He was their pride and joy. My grandmother kept a detailed journal of my Dad’s early years, including: recipes for his formula, his sleeping patterns, his mobility accomplishments, his…
In the spring, Lexi graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, with a HBA in history. As soon as Lexi wrote her final exam, she packed her bags and headed to Asia for a six-week adventure. She visited Singapore, Bali, Thailand and Vietnam. Lexi is now at a fast growing Toronto software company called LookbookHQ…
Our dog Lucy was born on June 26, 2001 at Amaranth Kennel near Shelbourne, Ontario. A purebred black Labrador Retriever, Lucy’s full official name was Amaranth’s Lucy in the Sky. We named her Lucille, after a character in the Junie B. Jones book series that Lexi was reading at the time. It also seemed fitting…
Dear Friends, The Ziyadeh family arrived in Canada on July 21st with just four suitcases containing all that they owned. Now, over two months later, they are happily settled in a fully furnished apartment. Thanks to you and many other individuals, the family has received so many donations, all of which have made their transition…
In the last few years, Iceland has become the “hot” place to visit. Maybe it is the name, suggesting a very cold, remote place. Maybe, it was the stories about erupting volcanoes disrupting air travel in Europe. Maybe it was the result of a very successful marketing campaign by Icelandic Air. For whatever reason, I…
Costa Rica’s unofficial slogan is Pura Vida, meaning pure life. After spending two weeks there in March, I understand the meaning and why the Ticos (Costa Ricans) say it so often. Life in Costa Rica is simple and beautiful. It was Ross’ final high school March Break, so we decided to change things up and…
Lexi is in her fourth year at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, graduating in the spring with a HBA in history. She already has a sales job lined-up with an exciting software company called LookbookHQ. Lexi spends her spare time at Queen’s working for Muse Magazine as the business manager and heading the social committee…
For a long time Peru has been on my list of places to travel and fit my quest of traveling once a year to somewhere adventurous and off the beaten path. We decided to take Lexi and Jack on a holiday in April, once their university exams were finished and before their summer jobs began.…
On March 7th, 2015 my sister Miriam turned 50. Whether she is halfway to 100 or has lived the life of two 25-year olds, Miriam is proof that 50 is the new 40. Miriam is a gal on the go, a leader in her community, a committed mom, a devoted wife and an exercise enthusiast…
A few months ago, I was going through a box of old books and came across Life’s Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown. The author wrote the book as a gift for his son who was heading off to college. With two children in university and another heading that way in few years, I…
Our year started horribly with the sudden death of Paul’s father, Larry Hill on January 2nd. First an ice storm, then a terrible cold virus which turned to acute pneumonia, and then a phone call in the middle of the night… kind, generous, intellectual, loving Larry died at home at age 72. He is greatly…
The lights are up, the house smells like baking, there is snow in the forecast and we are counting the days until the Christmas holidays when our family is reunited at Hilltop Lodge in Caledon. It has been another busy year, and it is time to reflect and remember the highlights of 2013 with our…
Sister, mother, nana, wife, gourmet cook, bridge player, world traveller, civil servant. Born in Brampton, Ontario on April 22, 1941. Died on August 19th, 2012 in Mississauga, of cancer, age 71. Karen was the beloved second sister, in a close-knit family of seven daughters. She was born to Jack and Jeanne Calvert, greenhouse farmers, in…
The presents are wrapped, the skis are sharpened and the house smells like shortbread. We are counting the days until Lexi and Jack are home for the holidays and we are looking forward to spending time as a family at Hilltop Lodge in Caledon. Make yourself a cup of tea, put up your feet and…
My Branksome Yearbook Submission for Lexi’s Graduating Year – parents were asked to submit a passage for the yearbook. Dear Lexi, The years have flown by and it is hard to believe that you are graduating from high school and off to university. Each year I have recorded our family news in a letter at…
The skis are sharpened, the presents are wrapped, the house smells like shortbread, and our renovation at Hilltop Lodge should be ready in time for Christmas! It has been an awesome year! Sit back and put up your feet and let me tell you what the Hill family has been up to in 2011. In…
The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in the hopes that Saint Nicholas will find us at Hilltop Lodge, our new ski chalet in Caledon. It has been a whirlwind of a year, and I can hardly believe that is December already and time for our annual Christmas letter. Make yourself a cup…
Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, gourmet cook, avid reader. Born April 16, 1915, in Toledo, Ohio. Died April 22 in Toronto of natural causes, aged 95. Elizabeth Jane Fraser, known as Betty Jane, was born in Toledo, Ohio, the middle of three children of Canadians John Beverley Fraser and Elizabeth Webber How. Betty Jane’s father…
The whirlwind of the Christmas season is upon us once again… the shopping, baking, decorating, parties and of course, our annual Christmas letter. We are keeping a close watch on the weather this year, because soon, our ski season begins. This year, we have rented a chalet just minutes away from Caledon Ski Club, in…
I delivered my two boys, ages 10 and 13 to their overnight summer camp on Georgian Bay yesterday, after a week of painstaking packing. They are going to camp for 25 days and there is a comprehensive clothing and equipment list that I followed. Everything is clean, neatly folded and labeled. I have sent pre-addressed…