ROAD TRIP

We took a ride up 129 today - it was a nice sunny, cold day and we had nothing else to do so off we went.  It was an amazing sight to see the river almost frozen over except for a few areas of open water.  We almost couldn't see the river over the piles of snow beside the highway.  They are pretty high even tho they have been slicing thru them to keep them at a more manageable height.  But it was still hard to see the river.
Still a couple more weeks of winter to go thru...

Rick - recognize the first picture?  That's our spot on the river.

A GOOD DAY FISHING

We hit the hard water before the big storm - it turned out to be a nice day - and a productive one to boot.  It started out good with a few small ones caught.  Rejean got the first fish but it was just a little one.  He made up for it by catching the biggest one - an 18 inch splake.  We got 5 altogether.  I got one too.  That is me in the top photo hard at work concentrating and trying to get the fish to bite my worm.  We had nice hot soup and hot dogs.  And beverages - I kept warm with some Bailey's even tho it was not the weekend - hey, I make the rules up as I go.

A TRUE NORTHERNER

Just read in our local paper, the Sentenel, that a local man from Elliott Lake won 11 million dollars in a Lotto 649 draw.  They asked him what he was going to do with the money.  He replied that after paying off some bills, he will splurge on a new snow machine.

Good Man!!

BACK TO REALITY

I figure you have had enough about my trip to Jamaica so here are some current pictures to show that life does go on.  The top 2 pictures were what we did the day after we got back from beautiful Jamaica.  There was enough snow on the roof that we had to rake it off and get the tractor out to take care of what was on the ground.  The next 2 are just to show how much is still left around here.  We really haven't had a thaw yet so what is here is what we got.  Kim says that we got around 7 feet total so far this year.  That's enough.
And the final 2 photos are of our adventure today.  We went on a "burn" with Ron and Mary on some nicely groomed trails.  That is me in the final picture.  I was trying to make a snow angel but I fell on my face in the deep snow.  Rejean just happened to have the camera ready - it was staged boys and girls.
We are going to try and get some ice fishing in tomorrow before the big storm.  We won't be far from home so we will be in no danger.
I miss Jamaica...

MORE?

The top picture is of two coconuts left on our patio table one morning complements of Albert, a gardener at the resort.  Just one of the little things that made our vacation special.
The other pictures are of some towel art left on the bed.  I wouldn't let Rejean lay down for a nap on the bed in case he disturbed the swans.  I took one swan apart eventually but the other one stayed perched on a table in the sitting room for the rest of our vacation.  These flowers grew all over the grounds at the resort.  Just beautiful.  The petals were used in the last picture.  Just a simple design that left a big impression on me.

SOME NEW FRIENDS

I think the best part of my vacation was the people we met.  The employees of the resort were simply the best - they never stopped smiling, saying hello, singing, asking if you were ok or needed anything.  We were pampered big time.
The first picture is of Milton - entertainment director extraordinaire.  He made the mistake of sitting at our table at the Friday nite gala.  He was also in the fashion show at the beach party nite and had everyone in stitches.  An amazing person.
Next is Anita the parrot who occupies a cage behind building A.  Very pretty bird but not as talkative as Crackers - the parrot in the other picture.  I would walk up to his cage and he would say "hello" and "crackers".  His cage is always kept open and one morning, we saw a man walking around the resort with Crackers on his shoulder going for his morning walk.
The other 2 pictures are of our friends we met at the resort.  Anne and Joanne, aka Jodie,  from the Ottawa area and Kim and D from the UK.  We went to Dunn River Falls with Anne and Joanne and had a riot.  Actually it was the only thing we did during the 10 days we were gone.  And it was only 1/2 a day.  The rest of the time - from 9am til 4pm, we spent on the beach.  We met a lot of other people from all over Canada, the US and the UK plus who knows where else.  The majority of people are repeats - couples who have been at the same resort more than once.  Some over 10 times and I can seed why.
The last picture is of part of the group the Hot Peppers - a local group who played during the evening at the bar and restaurant for us.  Very Very Good.  The one man is leaning over his instrument - a bass mbira, it carries the bass of the band.  I hope they are there next year.

SHOW TIME AT THE PASTA STATION

At one of the restaurants, the Palazzina, you could order your pasta and watch it be prepared by this "Masta of the Pasta" chef.  It was quite the show.  And in the morning this was transformed into an omelet station which I frequented every day.  Delish!!

MORE JAMAICAN FUN

We flew out of the Sault to Toronto and then on to Montego Bay - after a 2 hour van ride along the coast we arrived at the resort.  Couples San Souci in Ocho Rios.
I had been on Trip Advisor for weeks reading all the reviews so I knew basically what to expect.  I would say that 99 percent of the reviews were great with the occasional bad one but you can't please everyone.  I knew I wanted a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor for the view but when we were assigned a ground floor room, I wasn't too happy but I am sure glad we didn't change it.  It was perfect.  We would lock the main door then go out the patio door to the dinners and bar which was right across the lawn.  We had an amazing view as you can see from the previous post.  We had coffee and pastries delivered every morning to have on our little patio.  The ones we didn't eat we gave to the turtles in the pond - every morning they would see us walk over and they would all swim over to be fed - there had to be about 30 of them - all sizes.  So much fun!!!
We were greeted by some towel art on the bed when we checked in.  The room was a bit musty but we were in the tropics - what can you expect.  The room was just as described on the web site.
The next day a bottle of champagne and a fruit plate were delivered to the room for my birthday which was the day before.  How thoughtful.  It made me feel special.  Hell, I felt special for 10 days at the resort.  The staff were simply incredible.  You couldn't pass anyone without them saying hello and asking how you were and if you needed any help.  They were singing as they were working.  You couldn't help but be happy in Jamaica.
It is a small resort - about 150 room and adults only so even at full capacity there would be only 300 guests and there were 300 employees all doing their various jobs.  The place never felt crowded - no lines for anything.
And the food...

YEAH MON

If you are wondering where I have been, I have been in Jamaica, mon.  The top picture is of the view from our room of a huge cruise ship passing by to dock in Ocho Rios.  The next photo is the view sitting on our patio.
It was an amazing 10 days - the weather was perfect, the resort was unbelievable and the people we met were unforgettable.  Including the staff.  So many nice people.
I miss Jamaica.

ps - many more pictures and stories to follow in the next few days.