The end of the tour

I thought it was time that I finished off writing about my environment.  We are so very fortunate that we live on the river.

St. Marys River is rated one of the best trout rivers in the world. It offers wadeable river conditions that will challenge your angling creativity.  The Rapids have a resident population of rainbow trout and whitefish as well as migratory Atlantic, Chinook, pink and coho Salmon, steelhead and brown trout.  You may even catch the occasional walleye, small-mouth bass or lake trout.  Personally I don't fish, but on any given day you can find a number of people fishing from the Boardwalk or even out in their little boats.......................  As you can see, this isn't a little boat, but one of our tourist attractions, the Norgoma.

The MS Norgoma was a Canadian package freighter and passenger ferry, that could also transport automobiles on a limited basis. Originally constructed as a steam powered ship, the SS Norgoma primarily sailed the route from her home port of Owen Sound to Sault Ste. Marie,  providing a five day round trip, once a week, serving isolated communities along the north shore of Lake Huron. This route was previously served by the SS Manitoulin, retired in 1949.  After conversion to a Motor Ship, the Norgoma was transferred to the popular Manitoulan Island ferry route between Tobermory and South Baymouth along with her sister ship the SS Norisle replacing the smaller ferry, MS Normac on that route.

Along the waterfront, close to the Norgoma, is a bust of Roberta Bondar.  She is the first Canadian woman astronaut in Space, and hails from Sault Ste. Marie and we claim her as our Canadian Hero.  This pavilion was erected in her honour........

The Roberta Bondar Park Tent Pavilion is an outdoor venue that can accommodate a variety of special events including concerts, festivals, fundraising activities, ceremonies and wedding receptions. This facility can be booked on a part-day or full-day basis by individuals and not-for-profit and commercial groups.  This is where I will be partaking in the yearly "Art in the Park", where I will endeavour to sell lots of my handcrafted jewelry, etc.  People come from all over, including Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for this, which is not surprising because there will be quite a few well-known artists exhibiting their beautiful paintings, etc.......................Another nautical picture I find quite interesting, not sure what it's all about though, LOL



I should mention another local "hero" who made Sault Ste. Marie his home,  Billy Orazietti..............

Billy "O" was a well known citizen, musher and legend in this area. Over the years he entered many dog sled races, including the 1992 Alaskan Iditarod, not to win, but to compete for himself and his dogs. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, October 13, 1943, Bill met his untimely death February 19, 1994, doing what he loved best. Bill went through the ice in Little Bay De Noe in Escanaba, Michigan, attempting to save his 9 beloved dogs. He managed to save 2 before he succumbed to the icy waters of Lake Michigan.

To end my blog this evening, here are a few fun pics of the three bears fishing along the Boardwalk......................



Good night, have a wonderful week.  TTFN.

Home, Sweet Home, and the 'Hood'

Today I had to stop and remind myself just how fortunate I am to live in such a picturesque community.  We all take our immediate surroundings for granted, not saying that we don't appreciate them, just that we see them so often that we kind of ignore them.  Well, I took my camera out with me and snapped a few of the local places of interest beginning with my very own home.  My apartment building is right downtown, close to everything I need and, as I am not the owner of a vehicle and have to rely on my own two very attractive gams to get me where I need to go, I consider myself blessed in that I can walk to practically any place I need to go for shopping, visiting and even just for a leisurely stroll along the Boardwalk which fronts the lovely St. Mary's River.  Here's a picture of my building.........

Just a little further down the road we have some very interesting tourist sites, the first what we call "The Old Stone House".  The Ermatinger Old Stone House, is restored to depict the domestic and professional life of Charles Oakes Ermatinger and other prominent residents and visitors of the House between 1808 and 1870 reflecting the nationally recognized historic aspects of the House.

It's open most of the year to tourists and hosts a variety of very interesting events - you can always "Google" it to find out more if you are interested.  The building next to it is the Clergue Blockhouse, which was relocated to the Site in 1996, and was the home of Francis Hector Clergue from 1894 - 1908.

 

And, right across the road from these beautiful buildings is the Bush Plane Museum.  The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (CBHC) was formed in 1987 by a small group of volunteers wishing to preserve Ontario's rich bushplane and firefighting heritage.   At that time, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources agreed to allow the group to use a portion of the Fire and Aviation Division (formerly the Ontario Provincial Air Service) hangar at the edge of the St Mary's River in Sault Ste. Marie for displays and storage.  It is open to the public and is a very interesting place to visit.

I'll go ahead and post this but I still have quite a few photos to share from my walk yesterday and will add them later, don't want to overload (or bore) you with too many details, LOL  I'm off for another walk, as long as the rain stays away - it was "belting down" earlier this morning, so I stayed in bed for a change.  It promises to be a pleasant day, hopefully not too hot, I hate that, so I will walk and think of a couple of dear friends who are in need of prayers and who are heavy on my heart.  Talk to you again soon.  Have a wonderful day.