Monday 29 July 2013

This 'aint no pussy cat!

With the summer in full tilt in the beautiful 1000 Islands, Nick and I decided to take the day off and head out on the highly anticipated Wild Cat Cruise.


This is the 54 passenger, high-speed Catamaran that sets out to the mighty St.Lawrence for a one of a kind tour.

 


 
The tour starts out as a very relaxing guided tour, with happy tunes to listen too along the way. Once out on the open water, Captain Andy lets you know to hold on tight and get ready for the ride!
 

 
Just two of the spectacular views from this trip. Singer Castle (above) with it's rich history and beautiful setting and the new skyline featuring The Tall Ships Condo (below).
 
The Wild Cat is one fun ride worth taking! It lets you experience the world famous 1000 Islands like never seen before.

Monday 8 July 2013

Cruising the beautiful 1000 Islands

Over the weekend when the sun made a brief appearance, we jumped at the chance to do one of our favourite activities in the 1000 Islands - take a cruise!

Last year (and many before) we have boarded at Blockhouse Island in Brockville, On. to take one of the many cruises offered. This year we wanted to try something different, so we headed to Gananoque and took the 1 Hour cruise.

This is a shot of one of the world famous 1000 Islands.
 

The girls and I posing for some pictures, as I'm usually the one behind the camera.
 
 
 
The hour cruise proved to be just the right amount of time with our small children. The ship is large enough to comfortably move around and enjoy a relaxing time on the St.Lawrence River.
 
Such a peaceful cruise!
 

 
One of the many sights - beautiful sail boats.
 
If you put one thing on your list this summer, check out the many cruises offered for the St. Lawrence River. There are cruises leaving daily from Brockville, Rockport, Gananoque and Kingston.
 
 
 

Thursday 4 July 2013

The Tall Ships Festival didn't disappoint!

This year's Father's Day weekend in Brockville was one to remember!

We kicked it off by attending the much anticipated Tall Ships Festival. This was an incredable event and something none of us have ever experienced. The ships were immaculate, providing my father-in-law with some great shots (as photography is a favorite hobby of his), the crowds were large but filled with happy sightseers and the food  (oh, the food!) was delicious!

Nick and I had the opportunity to dine on the Tall Ship Sandy for the Saturday evening dinner and fireworks cruise. Everything from boarding to the weather was perfect. We met some great friends and neighbours on the ship, enjoyed the roast beef dinner with "to die for" dessert (hello cheesecake!) and ended the evening with a romantic fireworks display at the back of the ship.





As we sat there taking in the breathtaking colours of the fireworks, I realized just how lucky I am to live in this beautiful area. The view of our city from the water was like something out of a movie. The shore was filled with proud residents enjoying the festival, the water filled with local boats and the historic Tall Ships alike, and the overall atmosphere was that of joy and non-stop fun. What a perfect evening!



Sunday was a day of family and celebration! It was my grandmother's birthday, Father's Day and the local wine show all wrapped into one day (in no particular order of course - cheeky!)Nick made some wonderful giant gormet hamburgers, we had salads and homemade carrot cake, and that was just lunch! While some of the men raced off to make their tee-off time, us ladies decided to meet at the 1000 Islands Food and Wine Festival. We had to have a drink to honour the fathers' in our life afterall.

I was yet again, very pleased to see a good turnout at the wine and food festival. I met some great vendors and tried some fabulous Ontario wine. I am not much of a drinker but my mother, who is part-owner in a local wine import business (Amano Inc.) was on-hand to tell me all about what we were sampling, which made it delicious AND interesting.

The weekend flew by way too fast, as there was just so much to do and the city was buzzing. Make sure you check out http://www.brockvilletourism.com for next years' dates and some other wonderful festivals happening throughout the remainder of the summer. Brockville and the 1000 Islands always has something for everyone!