Stephanie/Peter Lapoussis

There are a few hidden gems in Durham Region and Heber Downs Conservation Area is one of them. While our house was for sale, I had to find someplace to take the dog and the kids to entertain them for a few hours. We occasionally go to Heber Downs during the Summer so this was a great place to go to waste some time. Heber Downs is located in North Whitby off of Country Lane Road which is just off Taunton , west of Brock Street.

Before we went we stopped off at Dollarama and picked up a couple of nets and a small plastic fish tank. The dog had his head out the window drooling the whole way there-My car SO needs a Detail now- Yuck!

So we arrived at Heber Downs and everyone ran off in all directions. I managed to herd everyone back up and we started off with a long hike along the trails. There is a nice meandering side walk that curves along beside the creek. On the other side are green grassy clearings and wooded areas for picnicking and fun activities. The park allows for groups to picnic for the day with a special permit. Last summer when we came for the day we brought a picnic lunch and played soccer. The only problem was that there were tons of tiny frogs hopping around in the area we chose. So of course the kids ran around like chickens trying to catch the jumping frogs.

As you cross over the first wooden bridge over the creek ,the sidewalk turns into more of a dirt path through the forest. It's cooler here in the woods combined with the earthy peat smell that only comes from a walk amongst the tall trees. Beautiful lush green ferns sway gently in the breeze. The sound of the bubbling creek on the other side is music to the ears. It's so relaxing to get away from TV's, MP3's and video games and just listen to the sounds of nature and silence.

Surprisingly enough there were quite a few other families there with the same idea. Some were strolling with babies, some walking dogs, others just leisurely strolling with the odd walking stick. Some people had cameras-like me, snapping the occasional picture. There are two sets of wooden staircases that take you up to the higher elevations- One lookout point is called "Devil's Den" and you can peer out over the woods from above after you have climbed a CN Tower's worth of steep stairs. If you follow the path you will eventually see another brown wooden sign that points you back to nature trail. Here again you will travel down some stairs, boardwalks and peat paths. The creek meanders along beside you on the right.

There is another wooden bridge over the creek that leads you to a small lake. This area was once the Iroquois Lake Glacier. Heading back the way we came we go back to the other side of the parking lot where the creek is with a great area for kids to try and catch fish and frogs. There are also cray fish in there too. The kids spend the time wading through the water or collecting fossilized rocks in the beach area. The fish and frogs are returned to their habitat before we leave- in good health.

I bring a fold up chair , a book, my camera and some water. And it costs about $2 for parking. Can't Beat That!

Well since I'm partial to my home-town of Whitby, it's with bias that I tell you about the greatness that is Oshawa. Oshawa is like the big sister to Whitby. Whitby was the original seat of the County but with the start of the Oshawa Carriage Works, which would later become "General Motors", Whitby languished behind the more commercial and industrious Oshawa.

Oshawa's greatest claim to fame is of course R.S. McLaughlin- the founder of General Motors. It is in Oshawa that he built his home "Parkwood Estates" a beautiful mansion located on 12 acres of lush prime real estate on the corner of Adelaide and Simcoe Streets. Behind the estate is a Private Golf Club and to the north of the estate is the Lakeridge General Hospital with its new Cancer Centre.

I had my wedding photos taken on the estates,some 16 years ago, like many of us who live in Durham Region. The gorgeous gardens are meticulously maintained and many events are hosted on the properties- including weddings. I think these estates rival that of Casa Loma in Toronto and Edwards Gardens. A number of movies have used the estate for filming- all of which I can't remember right now... it'll come to me.

The gardens with their sparkling blue grecian waters and fountains and classic statuary highlight just how magnificent the architecture and design were that went into the creation of Parkwood Estates. They also have guided tours of the inside of the estate- I believe it was fully furnished in the style of the period. Sam McLaughlin also had another formidable house built for his daughter..."Adelaide House" which also boasts lovely mouldings, trim and fireplaces of a romantic era long past. Parkwood Estate is obscurred by the wrought iron fence and hedging that surrounds the property. Through the Iron gates is the sweeping circular drive that leads you up to the formal entrance of the mansion. The leaded glass and mullioned windows with their arched frames all emphasize the beauty in structure as do the stone balustrades and balcony patio with its abundance of aromatic flowering blooms.

It's easy to imagine the formal garden parties that must have been hosted and the dignitaries that were probably present. The property is fit for Royalty and indeed, R.S. McLaughlin is Durham Royalty for sure.

Oshawa's Parkwood Estate probably helps keep Oshawa on the quest to have the most beautiful gardens in the area. Oshawa has won the International Communities in Bloom Contest for having a community with an abundance of lovely gardens both public and private. Driving around Oshawa you will see the small white signs dotting the lawns and gardens of all manner of homes indicating their status as nominees for the Communities in Bloom Contest. And Believe me- this is serious business for these amateur gardeners.

Parkwood Estates is a MUST SEE for anyone travelling through the area. In fact more of the residents should also experience the beauty that is right here like a shining gem amongst us. Aren't we always travelling far and wide to experience the culture that belongs to someone else and yet we fail to experience that which belongs to us. Ontario and Canada in general are perfect examples.

Ontario has some of the most awe inspiring , heart clenching scenery that I have witnessed. From the first sprout of Spring's happy blooms, to Summer's hot hazy cottage days by the lake, to the riotous firey red, golds and orange of falling leaves in Autumn and finally the heaps of white fat fluffy snowflake falling in wet clumps onto your nose in winter. How beautiful it truly is.

So I told you awhile back I would tell you the story about the Whitby Centennial Building or to be more exact - the ghost of the Centennial Building.

The Centennial Building was once the Courthouse for the County and trials were held there . The story goes that there was gentleman named "Jack" nervously awaiting the outcome on his nephew's rape trial in the spectator galley in the balcony area. Just as the verdict was to be announced , Jack hurried to the edge of the balcony and accidentally fell over to his death as they read the guilty verdict. It is reported that people believe they see the ghost of the well dressed man haunting the former courthouse area which is currently the Whitby Theatre Group. Well, I personally was haunted during my visits to the Theatre.

My mother Carole was a member of the Theatre Group for many years and often would bring my sister and I to watch rehearsals and the plays. As young kids would do, we wandered off exploring the mysterious rooms of the building. The scariest room of them all was what I knew to be the balcony where the spotlights etc were hanging. There were a number of times that the hairs stood on end while sitting there watching the performers below. My mother also said she had an unexplained occurrence while she was performing in front of an audience. She said that she wasn't feeling well during the performance and when she waited off stage for her next scene and older gentleman dressed in a suit, tophat and cane put his hand on her shoulder and smiled an encouragement. When she looked back at him again he had disappeared into thin air. It wasn't until after the play that she realized there were no actors in such a costume and what she had seen had been an apparition.

Another Whitby building also purported to be haunted is the home of Sherriff Nelson Reynolds located on Byron and Dunlop streets. The house was built in 1874 as a miniature of Trafalgar Castle. Apparently the ghost of distiller Harry Hatch haunts its walls from the days of prohibition .Al Capone was even rumoured to buy his bootleg liquour from Harry back in the day.

Now the Trafalgar Castle is a private school for girls and the Old Hatch House is now a Montessori school. I'm not sure if they still have ghost sightings but you can read about the sitings in ghost story books and on the net.

One other well reported ghost spot is the Old Whitby Psychiatric Hospital and Outbuildings. There were a number of creepy disturbances out there from clanging noises to ghosts wandering the halls etc. I can well imagine this would be a good "haunt" as the buildings down there were stark and ominous.

There are lots of other great ghost stories from neighbouring towns such as the Old Scugog Road Motorcycle Ghost-but I'll leave that for another teller. Try googling up some of these sites and see the paranormal studies that have been done.

So next time you're in Whitby, drive by the Centennial Building on Centre Street and give "Jack" a friendly wave and then turn down Dunlop to Byron Street and wave to "Harry", some our friendly ghosties. And since you're here, look at some of the other lovely homes in the area- historical or not, and maybe you'll also find a little piece of Whitby to Love Too!

I love Books. I love to read great books, and then hopefully see them made into great movies. I remember how great I thought the new book store concept such as "Chapters" was when they first opened up a location in our Oshawa Centre Shopping Mall. Before Chapters there were a couple of independent bookstores like "Coles" and "W.H. Smith" that I think I certainly helped stay in business. I remember "Coles" was located in this narrow corner store where you would have to flatten yourself against the bookshelf to let some other book shopper press pass you. A far cry from the warehouse like Chapters with its soaring loft ceiling and expansive maze of book shelves and chairs creatively spread out in a segmented organization of knowledge. I love to bring my kids to Chapters so they too can experience my love of books and develop one of their own. They still have a far road to travel to get there.

When I was little my mother used to take me to the Whitby Public Library which happened to be located in a small red brick building on the corner of Dundas Street and Byron Street.

I remember they had "library ladies" who had reading circles and the kids sat on a pillow and listened raptly to some great story about a duck losing something . The Old Library building has been converted over to law offices, but, whenever I pass it, I still have that warm fuzzy feeling I got when I visited that library.

Today we have a GORGEOUS Whitby Public Library that was built a few years back that is truly beautiful inside and out.

With its floor to ceiling glass wall front , grand staircase, cafe and water fountain- the library really is a modern site to be proud of. My children love going to the library- they usually head for the bank of computers and then just when I am ready to go they dash around on a mad hunt to find a stack of books to check out. Mean while, I head off for the twirling paperback racks and then off to the archived Hard-Cover section for the hard to find originals. If I am really eager for a Hot New Best-Seller, I will check out the "Fast Read"s. I usually dread taking those out because they come with a pretty hefty penalty attached if you don't return them in the allotted 3 days. I think the fine is $1 per day- and I have a fear that compound interest is attached and if
I accidentally forget to bring it back I'll have to mortgage my house to pay off the debt- I know -ridiculous but I was brought up in a strict Catholic household and unless you've experienced the GUILT of FUTURE GUILT we have nothing to discuss. So in the end we usually leave the library with stacks of books that cascade into a must read pile when we get home. My husband thinks I'm nuts because of the number of books I bring home- but I do read them -except for the odd stinker that sneaks through.

Across from the library are a some of the loveliest houses in Whitby. There is the lovely red brick with the beautiful urns on either side of the door that brims with arrangements all season round. Beside that there are two other corner houses in the Victorian Style that are colourful and charming and maintained in the spirit and charm that Whitby exudes in waves. I used to like how one house built a bench around the trunk of a tree in the yard and as the trunk expanded the bench did too.

Take a drive and visit our library, a bookstore or just drive down our old streets and look at our beautiful homes and landmarks.

I Love Whitby.

Today was a freezing cold day- the kind that steals the breath from your lungs. It was -25 degrees with the wind-chill and people were smart huddled up beside warm cozy fireplaces- Except Me. I opted to take my camera and go for a drive through my lovely (not so little) Town of Whitby with my handy dandy camera and take some winter pictures.

Whitby is located about 30 km east of Toronto and lies on the north shores of Lake Ontario. Today I drove down the the Lake to see what was happening on a frigid winter day in February. As I crossed over a little bridge I noticed hundreds of ducks and geese all huddled up on the ice with their beaks tucked snugly in their back feathers. The odd one was flying around honking- probably about how darned cold it was outside... At the time I stopped on the side of the road to witness these birds I was alone, but as I took my snaps, about three other cars pulled in behind me, I guess to see what caught my interest- so I left. Well it was really because the tears from the cold were freezing on my face, but whose cutting hairs?

So on I drove down to the harbour, and what a site it was. The sky was dark and cloudy, but the sun's rays were beaming down from the heavens onto the glistening turbulent waters below. It was so unbelievably awesome. Of course I took a picture- but it doesn't do it justice.

There's something very peaceful about the waters- where-ever they may be. Except of course that my life was forever altered the minute I read that shark attack scene in JAWS. That ruined swimming for everyone in the world I suspect. I used to love swimming in the lakes around here and at the cottage in Napanee- that is until that book ruined everything. Just when I thought I had recovered enough courage to attempt the swim again, some guy got eaten by a Muskie or Muskellunge or whatever they call those huge dinosaur fish up North. Where was I again? Oh yeah- my trip to the lake. I was actually surprised when I went to the harbour and pulled into the parking lot there near the water and noticed that there were about 7 other cars parked there. Nobody was walking around mind you, they were just sitting there drinking their Tim Horton's coffees and watching the waves hit the rocks. Of course I was the only idiot lumbering around outside through the snow drifts, freezing my face off, trying to photograph the postcard from the heavens.

And so here I share my little piece of Whitby heaven with you.