Underway Again #3

We are still here waiting for the parts that Roman ordered. My left knee has turned multi-coloured but does not hurt unless I kneel on it and even though the swelling has gone down on my right foot as I have been resting it, it hurts!!!

On Sunday morning I took a taxi to St. Nicholas Church for the 9:00 Ukrainian mass.  What was interesting was that as soon as you entered the church there were pamplets welcoming you to the church as well as a the four sided leaflet explaining all the icons. I just showed one of the sides.  What a good idea! The congregation was very warm and welcoming thinking that I had perhaps moved to the area. I was invited down to the parish hall after mass for coffee and sweets and one of the parishioners lived in Waterford, about 7 miles away and offered to drive me back to the Waterfront Town Dock in a nice red Mustang.It sure was a lot nicer and cleaner than the taxi.

 

When I came back from church, the weekly farmer's market was set up.

Unfortunately it was drizzling and very few farmers or customers showed up.  Roman and I bought a bag of our favourite apples, Honeycrisp.  The entertainment went on rain or shine.  And, of course, I had to participate singing Crazy to Roman.  Jean who we had met the first night was selling jewellery she had made and I bought a very nice pair of earrings.

 

 

2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the War 0f 1812. Over the weekend an exact replica of the Lois McLure, an 1862-class canal schooner part of Lake Champlain's Maritime Museum was docked at the Waterfront Visitor's Center. Travelling on a mission to preserve and share the region's heritage, the schooner's voyage is part of a three year programme to examine the War of 1812.

From the time people first inhabited North America, the interconnected waterways have played a decisive role in the political, social and economic fortunes of nations. For Great Britain,  the War of 1812 with the United Stated was a secondary conflict far overshadowed by their long and intense struggle to stop France's Napoleon Bonaparte.   However, American war hawks with expansion intentions and unrealistic expectations led the United States to declare war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812.  The first year of conflict, 1812, saw setbacks for American land forces. In 1813 and 1814, American naval victories on the lakes helped bring the war to negotiated conclusion in which no borders were changed and no territory changed.  While the War of 1812 was a draw for the Americans and the British, it was a source of national cohesion for Canada.

When the War of 1812 ended, both combatants were concerned about a future conflict. In the decades following the peace treaty, Americans and British military planners actively considered new canals. These engineered waterways dramatically transformed the transportation systems of North America, with the New York and Canadian canals being in the forefront of this activity. One such result was the construction of a 125 mile long military canal from what is now Ottawa to a fortified Kingston, Ontario. The Rideau Canal opened for traffic in 1832.

 Onrust, a replica of a 1614 Dutch sailboat was also on display. Roman and went and looked at everything but I could not get in and out of the boats.  The amount of intricate detail on the boat is remarkable.  Look at the unique bow.

 

 

Here we are in front of the schooner replica.