TORO!

Check out the latest issue of Toro magazine for my story on six swanky fishing lodges in Canada.
http://www.toromagazine.ca/0406/getaways/index.html

Locked in Ice

When it's a balmy 7C outside, it's hard to believe that there's still four feet of ice on Lake Winnipeg. But that won't last for long. Already there are big cracks in the surface, making the drive out to your favourite fishing spot a little freaky but still very safe.

When the ice starts to let go, it cracks and heaves and the boom and echo is like that two freight trains slamming in to one another.

Here, Clark practices his casting using a discarded Labatt bottle as a target. The Lake Winnipeg research vessels sits still in the background, locked in harbour ice.

Thank you very much Mr. McCausland for introducing me to the Running With Tweezers food stylist blog. Now I am compelled to take photos of everything I consume.

Here are a few snaps from lunch at Rembrandt's Bistro on the outskirts of Lockport. It's a chi-chi place with soaring banks of windows, hence the good light for the shots. There's an antiques shop connected to the bistro and the owner of both alternates between a pipe and cigar so there's that aroma in the air all the time.

The Reuben gets dressed up with smoked lamb and goat cheese. I would order that again. If you like your meat sweet, order the pork chop. It comes with a spicy marmalade glaze.

Where Is Charlotte?

I was deleting files from my cards when I came across this image. It was shot on a staircase on the grounds of a Disney World hotel in Florida. Perhaps this is where Charlotte lives?

Boys At Play

It's All Downhill

Winter ain't over yet. You still have time to head to the picturesque Asessippi Winter Park near the Saskatchewan border. It's astounding that downhill skiing opportunities of this calibre exist in our prairie province. The bunny hill was fine; Easy Street had me wondering if I needed oxygen this high up. I can only image what those runs with the black diamond signs on them are like.

Now That's a Burger

It appears that the burgers in Inglis are as big as the elevators. This signature burger from The Prairie Grill boasts a half pound of ground beef, green peppers, sauteed onions and mushrooms, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, well, you get the picture. The bun measures six inches across.

Prairie Giants

Thank goodness the folks in Inglis had the foresight to restore and preserve this magnificant row of prairie giants. I'm old enough to remember going to deliver grain to an old wooden elevator. Brought back lots of good memories to see these standing so proudly against a brilliant winter sky.

And The Oscar Goes to Manitoba

After months of meaning to, I finally went to The Globe to see Capote last night. It's a gripping story to be sure and Phillip Seymour Hoffman did a bang-up job of playing the iconic writer. But for me, the real star of the show was the Manitoba landscapes. My hat goes off to the director of photography who sees what I see in those bare and linear vistas. The movie opens with a low shot of waving grain set against a moody sky. There are several shots of the train moving across the prairie with the sky taking up at least the top two-thirds of the frame. Breathtaking stuff. As a prairie girl I never tire of those scenes in real life. They are beautiful to see on the big screen.

Sip A Glacier

He's left candyland behind and now he's in waterworld. Larry Finnson of Chris and Larry's Clodhopper's fame is hoping for two-time success in the business world. He's the Canadian distributor of Icelandic Glacial bottled water.

Look for the water with the fabulous packaging on store shelves (namely Wal-Mart) starting next month. The premium product competes with the likes of Evian but sells for a little less.

Oh What A Difference A Week Makes

They say that if March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb. Well today in Winnipeg it certainly came in like a lion. This is my front street at sundown. One week ago, this was my view. Just beyond those cabanas on the beach is the Gulf of Mexico at Clearwater Beach, Florida.