Samantha Romanick is embracing Barrie with her heart and soul. A newcomer who has chosen Barrie with her husband and two kids, Samantha is in one of Barrie’s many new neighbourhoods. And I’d be willing to bet she’s the glue that holds it together, and the bright light that makes it shine. As we were…
Buying your first house may be one of the most exciting times in your life. It sure was for my first husband and I, back in 1973. Some time ago I wrote about our incredible experience with our real estate rep, Irene Forbes. Well, in those days (early 70s), Barrie’s northern boundaries were Cundles Rd….
It kind of crept up on me. In fact, I can’t tell you when I finally realized that my husband’s attention had been diverted. At first, it’s the little things… his attention span seemed really short, in fact, his head seemed focussed somewhere else entirely. In the middle of conversations, he’ll stop mid-sentence (either my…
I’m sure this has happened to you… You’re doing something and you wish somebody would invent a whatcha-ma-callit. And then you think you should invent it yourself and make the profits. But you don’t do anything about it… too complicated. Well, Bill Pidlysny is a cut above most of us. Bill owns PAD Mechanical and…
“What an impact, what a gift this young woman gave to her world in her short years here. And what a remarkable tribute that a community of elderly people would honour her memory with this brilliant, living testament.” …. K’Leigh Cundall lived a big life. Born in 1984, she was a keen student. And as…
There are hundreds of reasons why living in Barrie is a terrific way to built a life. Some of them happened this weekend during Celebrate Barrie on the waterfront. Others happen every day of the year when Armed Forces veterans gather at the Army Navy Air Force Club on George St. They gather to reminisce….
For the past couple of weeks, theatre excellence has taken to the tiny stage at Talk is Free Theatre. With 120 seats, this ambitious ‘tiny giant’ in the theatre world has been presenting the first Canadian mainland run of a long-ignored Canadian story written by a well known Canadian theatre reviewer, Richard Ouzounian. Emily, the…
Anne Brobyn is/was a social worker. Her turf was inner city Toronto. Her clients were street kids. With her childhood lived in Etobicoke, and her training as a social worker preparing her to listen and respond, she felt somehow she was missing an element that could make a difference. When Anne holidayed, she went to…
The Flamenco’s are coming! The Flamenco’s are coming! Treasa O’Driscoll, her Irish lilt normally calm to the ear, gets pretty excited when she talks about Novalis Hall. This remarkable building is nestled among a forest of hardwoods in the depths of Camphill Community, south of Angus, off County Rd. 10. [Click here for more about…
Walking to piano lessons meant a lot more than music for Kid Two and I. Every Tuesday we’d swallow supper quickly and grab her music case and walk the block to her piano teacher’s house. But, ah! We’d pause on the way there, and again on the way back… we’d pause in front of 414…