Pocketfuls

What's a great destination for a family vacation in Canada?

My choice for a great Canadian destination for a family vacation may not be what first comes to most people's minds, but it is a beautiful spot that is dear to my heart. I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and spending time in the natural areas surrounding that northern city, among vast lakes, green forests, and solid rock formations that have seen millions of setting suns, is infinitely good for the soul. While I live in Southern Ontario now with my husband and our two sons, we return every summer to our old home town to visit family and friends, and to soak up the peacefulness of a more remote and unassuming locale. The beauty of the north has the remarkable effect of being both invigorating and calming at the same time.

In what ways is your home town unique from other places you've lived or traveled?

Waterloo, Ontario is a hub of intellectual activity and innovation. Our city has two reknowned universities, a top-notch community college, The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and the Centre for International Governance Innovation. It is the home of RIM, and the birthplace of many exciting software and technology start-up companies. Living in Waterloo offers children many wonderful ways to nurture their curiosity, and it encourages their own inventiveness through science-based summer camps and year-round educational enrichment opportunities. Our city is an inspiring environment in which to raise a family.

What outdoor activity do you enjoy doing most with your kids?

My favourite outdoor activities to enjoy with my two sons vary from season to season. In the fall, I love to visit trails that meander by a river near our home to bike, scooter, or walk with my family amidst the beautiful changing colours of the leaves. I also have great fun acting like a kid along with my boys, when we rake the fallen leaves from the many trees in our yard into gigantic piles and throw ourselves into them with abandon and laughter. When winter arrives, I enjoy lacing up skates with frozen fingers and zipping around with my family on icy outdoor rinks, or flying red-cheeked and breathless down snow-covered hills with my boys on Zipfy sleds. In mild spring weather, we're happy to enjoy the green grass and warm sunshine in our yard again, with impromptu games of Ogosport and soccer. Summer finds us swimming like fish, either in our backyard pool or in one of the majestic Great Lakes, and jumping as high as we can on our trampoline. I love living in a country where the seasons are so different from one another, so that we can enjoy so many kinds of fun in the great outdoors.

What are your favorite Blog Posts?

• Little boy, big life
• The swimmer
• Rescued