Connecting Lake Simcoe's Community

On Boxing Day of 2012, my husband and I did our yearly tradition of sitting down by the docks at Sibbald Point Provincial Park and drinking coffee.

Not long ago I had the opportunity to ride a Segway through the Distillery District in Toronto on a historical tour. 

Petroglyphs Provincial Park is an easy ride if you live on the east side of the Lake Simcoe, which I do, but probably a bit of a drive if you live on the west side. 

No matter where the outings are, my friends and I always return saying the day was too short. There are so many fabulous places in Central Ontario to visit, that it is difficult to fit them all in. The older I get, the more I am convinced that time has gone peculiar and there are only 40 seconds in every minute. With this thought in mind, we decided to experiment by not fitting so much into a day. Our new destination was to be the Dufferin County Museum, followed by a luncheon at The Globe Restaurant in Rosemont

An abbreviated version of this article appears in the November-December issue of Lake Simcoe Living Magazine. For the complete story, please read on...

Sometime ago, my friends and I spent a fabulous day at the Gibson House, located close to Park Home Avenue and Yonge Street in North York. I thought I would tell you about it because it was such a unique experience, and one that I would repeat in a heartbeat.

May 28, 2010 — Over the past summer, my life has been crazy busy with very little time to write.  Between our daughter’s wedding, a houseful of wonderful family and guests, and small vacation, time has whizzed past.  But, through all of this, there was still time to get out and enjoy a “Great Day Out” on Centre Island just off the shores of Toronto. My friends Mary, Ann and I went there at the end of May and it was fantastic!

We had another “Great Days Out” on April 30. As usual, I left home 10 minutes too late, and then spent most of my time trying to decide which road to Newmarket would have the least amount of traffic at 7:45 a.m. Woodbine was its usual wicked self — bumper to bumper cars — and Green Lane equally sluggish. Making a last minute decision, I veered off and took Main Street to Newmarket so that I could meet my friends Mary, Ann and Wendy. For some weird reason, I am always the last one to arrive, and this day was going to be no exception, but to my absolute surprise, Ann wasn’t at Mary’s. It was a sudden redemption — my stigma erased. Guilt drained from my body, and I casually got out of the car, and walked over to join Mary and Wendy who were standing patiently on the driveway, their arms crossed over their chests. Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw Ann’s little truck racing to the curb. Ann got out of her truck looking frazzled. She had slept in. Instantly my heart went out to her, and I had to confess to my usual tardiness. She relaxed, ate a banana and we got in Mary’s car.

April 22, 2010 — Hello, Readers and Friends. Welcome to my world. The world of Valerie Pring. Many of you may know me through my stories in Lake Simcoe Living magazine; and those of you who live in Georgina, a monthly paper called Georgina This Month. Unfortunately, Georgina This Month followed the path of the dinosaurs, and to some degree, I went with it; but, Johanna Powell, the editor of LSL, offered me an opportunity to start again and here I am.

     Writing a blog is a whole new experience for me. Almost weird. I feel like I am interviewing myself, and it’s strange being able to use the word “I.” I thought I would tell you about the adventures I go on each month with a group of women I met through the Newmarket camera club (Country Images Camera Club), and just maybe, you might want to check out these places.