Blogs from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, North America

While visiting my cousin Susan, and her husband Guy, in Kingston, Ontario, she gave me a history lesson of our family (which was right up her alley as a retired history teacher!) My great grandfather (x 7) was Captain Michael Grass, who was considered instrumental in establishing the City of Kingston and a Father of Upper Canada. Originally from Germany, he spent some time in both Philadelphia & New York. He served in the 60th regiment during the Seven Years War, served as an officer in the Tryon County Militia, and also served in the New York City Militia as a first Lieutenant. As a Loyalist, he was commissioned to bring a small group of families to settle along the shores of Lake Ontario in 1784. He settled on a parcel of land himself, which is ... read more

Well, we made it to Kingston in two days! As the title suggests, it didn't come at no cost though, our butts are really sore. Guess that's what we get for the shameful amount of training we did, but hey, after getting to Kingston in two days, who's complaining? We started today off right: we had peanut butter and honey sandwiches in our room before leaving this morning. Then we started our day off right: we're heading east, and the hotel was on the south side of the street. Then we started our day off right: with a McDonalds (second) breakfast in Trenton, about an hour or so into our journey. The morning was fantastic, the kilometres were just flying by, and we were zooming through the relatively flat terrain at an average speed of well ... read more

Can it really be the beginning of another new year. I suppose it must be since the numbers have rolled over to 2011! We had a terrific Christmas...three of them actually by the time it was said and done. New Years Eve was spent with friends aboard a neighbours boat. Good food and better company marked the arrival of 2011. The temps were above freezing and we all went outside to enjoy the city fireworks around 9 pm. A much nicer and larger display than Kingston manages for Canada Day. We all stood in the park and had our own private boaters fireworks at midnight. You can fill in the blanks to figure out what they consisted of. AS they year ended we said Good-bye to our favorite security guard. Harold retired last night, and last ... read more

We knew it was coming....it always does. There was a little snow the other day, then more snow two days ago, followed by ...you guessed the freeze. Last night temps dropped to -14. There is ice in Anglin Bay already and there are still a couple of boats to be moved! One of the metal craft boats has been busy going back and forth breaking up the ice! Our ice eater is running keeping us floating..but oh baby it's cold outside. What a shock to the system. The ugly clothes are out, for both people and boat. Our pretty boat has a great unattractive looking hump on her stern otherwise known as a cover. It is entirely practicle, but decidedly unatractive. Yes folks the grumbling has begun. We are thus far luckier than London which has ... read more

We reached Oswego NY and raised our masts in 100F temperatures. An already long job took extra time due to frequent cooling rests. The folks at Oswego Marina are skilled, friendly and welcoming. The sort of place that gives marinas a great name. Our trip across the lake was uneventful....a good thing, but it was a motor trip...and we had so hoped to sail. People were apparantly watching for us to go through the basqule bridge in Kingston. As we passed through and turned towards the marina we heard horns blowing, saw people along the shore and observed others heading to the marina gas dock. They all showed up at the gas dock and again at our temporary berth. Never have so many people gathered to watch us dock. It would not have been a ... read more

July 17 - Kingston, Ontario Canada - A short entry...It's Sturday night and we made it back. The flight was pretty uneventful, but the security at Toronto seemed heightened. They were looking for someone coming in on our flight from Paris. We arrived back to a 2 hour power outage here in the Bayridge area of Kingston. Our bathroom reno's progressed well while we were away although not finished. It looks amazing! Hopefully they'll knock the rest off this week! So now we sleep! Hal and Sherry... read more

It's finally arrived.... we will be heading for Toronto soon. It's been a busy week. We said goodbye this morning to our dear Captain Romero from Belize (his flight was cancelled twice!)... Next time we write.. we will be in London. TaTa, Cheerio.. and all that good stuff. Signing off for now. Sherry and Hal... read more

I sit amongst a cluttered house full of boxes, garbage, and furniture, waiting on the correct days for removal of all the recycling I've found after a 7 year military posting to CFB Kingston, Ontario. For the past 8 months I have been patient, but with time dwindling away, I see myself in the beginning stages of panic, attempting to iron out the last details before I drive 3500 kilometers to my newest place of employment, CFB Suffield, Alberta. Kingston and Suffield share very little in common, aside from the already known military presence. Kingston, rich in culture and diversity, was Canada's first Capital and home to the prestigious, and quite expensive, Queen's University. It also plays host to a large number of federal penitentiaries, holding our country's most notable criminals within their bars. Several times ... read more