Dan Sylvestre

Basketball creating a buzz at Churchill

Basketball is a huge deal this year at Collège Churchill High School.

It’s snow maze season

We’ve been lucky enough to have a mild winter with a minor amount of snow, but that hasn’t stopped Angie and Clint Masse and their snow-making machines from preparing for this year’s snow maze snow season at A Maze in Corn, an annual staple of Manitoba winter activities, just south of Winnipeg, near St Adolphe.

Positive vibes

Approximately two years ago, while listening to her heart during a routine check-up, Gabriella Torres’ family doctor heard a swishing sound. After visiting a cardiologist at the Children’s Hospital, Gabby learned there was a significant hole in her heart. The news didn’t really faze her much as she was a high-level wrestler and jiu jitsu athlete, coached by her father, Gil, and was in great health overall.

Coaching football with integrity

As the 60th season of Churchill Bulldogs football has come and gone, I can say that it was one of my favorites as a coach. That may be because we were finally out of the COVID-19 woods enough to enjoy regular practices and competitions, it may be because of the excellent group of young men that made up the 2022 Bulldog family — and the supportive parents and alumni — but it is also because of the effort and dedication of our coaching staff.

Bombers lend the Bulldogs a hand

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are having another successful season and it’s once again awesome to watch our beloved Blue and Gold dominate the CFL.

The joy (and stress) of pet ownership

Dogs are our best friends. I will always cherish morning walks with ours.

Skeeter season in full effect

As summer time finally gets going full swing, and many of us start doing yard work, construction and trying to enjoy our patios, we all know that these few months are precious — and mosquitoes are an annoyance that can can ruin our outdoor good times, not to mention problems related to West Nile Fever and Zika virus.

This is the first year in many where the mosquitoes have been so bad at our place in the country that we just learn to live with them. We had a couple guys come over to fix our pool plumbing the other night and one of the young fellows seemed to think that Deep Woods Off! was the finest of colognes.

That’s fine for some, but if you’re more of an organic type, here are a few ideas to keep those pesky critters to themselves:

Lemon eucalyptus oil has been a natural mosquito deterrent for almost a century and studies have shown that a mixture of 1 part oil and 2 parts water can be 95 per cent effective in warding off the mosquitoes for up to three hours.

Free to travel once again

As the world slowly resumes its post-COVID normality some of you may be considering knocking a few items off your bucket lists. We recently did this by going on a cruise and then visiting the Florida Keys.

If you’ve never vacationed on a cruise ship, here are a few things we discovered on our first cruise which left from Miami and visited a couple of different in the Bahamas. Do not assume that you will find what you need on the boat. The airline lost our luggage and luckily it arrived on the ship prior to departure because there was no toothpaste on the ship, nor Advil or Tylenol for my wife’s headaches. Be sure when travelling to keep toiletry necessities and a spare change of clothes in your carry-on luggage.

There will be many great activities on the boat, but there are people everywhere all the time. The only place you’ll find a quiet space is in your room. We did not choose to upgrade to a larger space or balcony room, which worked for us, but the room was very small — just 150 square feet, which left just enough room for a small bathroom and a bed. We weren’t there much, so it wasn’t a big deal, but I did sneak peeks into the larger rooms as we walked the halls and they looked pretty sweet.

The shipboard staff was very friendly and the food was consistently tasty, whether we ate in the buffet or the main dining room. Having dinner near the window overlooking the ocean was a really cool experience. The food was included and again, upgrades were not necessary. Alcoholic drinks were approximately $10 each or you could buy an all-inclusive package but they are expensive and you really have to commit to drinking if you go that route. We decided to spend our money on the island waterpark and the beach daybeds instead, and these were worth every dollar. As for sea sickness, we could feel the boat moving slightly but did not feel any discomfort. There are pills you can take or motion sickness patches that people put behind their ears.

Churchill athletes are doing the school proud

As I enter my second decade as a teacher and coach I believe this is a first - the Collège Churchill High School Bulldogs won four Winnipeg School Division volleyball championships this past season.

The four teams that won their respective league championships were the varsity boys, varsity girls, junior varsity girls and junior high girls.

The junior high girls’ team was coached by teachers Aaron Boila and Sydney Pankratz.  The team had a regular season record of 6-1, and beat Stanley Knowles two sets to none in the championship. The first set was 25-13 and the second set was 26-24 in an exciting match.

The junior varsity girls were coached by teacher, Hailey Unger who led the girls through a great season.

Local suppliers have the wood you need

South of Winnipeg there are two wood businesses working with people and the planet to deliver firewood, craft supplies and sawmill supplies such as wood slabs, lumber, beams, epoxy work and more.

Mitch Girardin’s firewood service, Girardin Custom Timber Sales, just south of St. Adolphe, has been supplying customers with tamarack, oak, ash, poplar, birch, maple, spruce and more since 2018 and delivers in quantities as small as bundles of 12 to 15 pieces for a small bonfire up to larger quantities of over two cords of wood in a single load. I can assure you that  this wood is not like the eight pieces of fast-burning poplar you can get at 7-Eleven for 10 bucks — quality and satisfaction is of utmost importance.

(A ‘‘cord’’ of wood, by the way, is four feet high, four feet wide and eight feet long, or 128 cubic feet.)

Prices vary depending on the species of tree as the denser, harder woods burn longer and hotter. Oak, ash and tamarack are at the top of the price list and when your house or camp stove is toasty hot you’ll know where the extra money went… it’s not as great as being so wealthy that burning money is cool, but it’s the next best thing.

You never know what may come next

When the pen hits the paper and is ready to move, the writer hope to string together perfect words; a pleasure for anyone to read — witty, informative, inspiring … leaving the reader comfortable and happy, like watching fluorescent, glowing jellyfish and pondering deeper thoughts or even a life-changing chess move.

Although it won’t flow as smoothly as Stairway to Heaven, here we are at my 100th column for The Sou’wester.

I’d like to say thank you to Julie Carl for giving me this chance in 2011 and to John Kendle for working with me since as editor.

This achievement may not be as great as Gretzky’s 100th point or Dali’s 100th painting (which is for sale on shirts and leggings). Really, there’s no comparison and, to be honest, I had pictured the moment differently — always on a Caribbean island in my dreams — and as I stare out the back window to the rainy green grass and ponder life for a brief moment, a six-month-old husky runs across my eyes, chased by a two-year-old German shepherd mix, both lost in play and the moment.

Considering a pool? Here’s what I learned

My wife bought me a small swimming pool a couple of years ago as a Father’s Day gift, but it lasted just one year.

I went to put it back together the second summer and the pump wouldn’t work and all the hoses were cracked. So this summer we took the plunge on an upgrade to a ‘’real’’ pool and I’d like to share the pros and cons with you.

Finances are always part of any large decision for us therefore we chose an above-ground pool. In-ground pools require serious construction and a lot of concrete.

That said, our 18 x 33-foot above-ground pool was still quite the project. Luckily I have a great neighbour with a tractor to till up the grass, move the dirt and bring in crushed rock to build a solid, level foundation.

Explore southern Manitoba

Although southern Manitoba doesn’t cover a whole lot of real estate compared to the north, there are still many great spots to crack a cold one by the lake.

When I was a young lad and my parents took me camping, one of our favourite hot spots was Debonair Campground near St. Malo Provincial Park. The campground, just east of the town of St. Malo, is less than an hour away from Winnipeg, south down Highway 59.

St. Malo campground has everything you would need for your weekend getaway from reality. There’s one beach for campers and another beach for day visitors in St. Malo Provincial Park, the lake is beautiful and, if you’re a good swimmer, you can cross from one beach to the other in an hour or less (bring a life jacket or floatie if you question your swimming skills).

If you’ve had enough of swimming and you want to hike back there is a trail that leads around the north end of the lake back to the other side.

Explore eastern Manitoba

Last month I shared some travel ideas for the region of northern Manitoba and the continuation of this series takes us east.

This area is the most populated of the cabin areas with Falcon Lake, West Hawk Lake and Whiteshell Provincial Park and if you have never camped or hiked in these areas, they are highly recommended, beautiful landscapes of raw nature.

I will attempt to focus on some areas that are a little less visited, beginning with Caddy Lake. Caddy is very close to the Ontario border and has easy access to the Mantario trail, a quite long (63 kilometre) and challenging trail for all ranges of hiking abilities.

Caddy is a long, shallow lake featuring a series of unique tunnels that connect a few different sections of the lake. Canoes and small boats are available for rent; the first tunnel is approximately a 30 to 45-minute paddle but obviously much quicker with a motor behind you.

Take time to explore northern Manitoba

Part of life is about creating memorable moments, which we can then reflect upon and cherish as good times and experiences we shared with loved ones.

Considering our current circumstances and travel restrictions, setting out to explore Manitoba’s great outdoors will get you out of the house and into making some memories in our own back yard, so to speak. Some of my favourite memories have come from camping trips around Manitoba and over the next few months I will attempt to inspire your desire to do the same. This month I will focus on travelling north.

Hecla campground and resort has something for all outdoor enthusiasts from fishing to golfing. The area is beautiful for hiking and relaxing on the beach. Hecla is home to an amazing night sky and still remains the spot where I have seen the most amazing aurora borealis; the purple and green swirls will forever dance in my mind.

One of my favourite northern Manitoba adventures was a canoe trip up to Paint Lake/Pisew Falls Provincial Park near Thompson. We canoed and portaged to a remote lake where we did not see another soul the entire time. We set up camp on an island facing a series of waterfalls to the south and as the sun set in the distant western sky I can still see my buddy pulling in a massive jack fish. The loons welcomed us with their endless songs and the stars shone as bright as I’ve ever seen.

The little town that could

The term “Kraft Hockeyville” means much more to many people in Manitoba than it ever has, as a small town in Manitoba is in the final four for this arena renovation competition that nets the winning community a whopping $250,000 to improve their local hockey rink.

St. Adolphe, a town of approximately 1,500 people in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, has been growing consistently over the last decade and the community relies on its hockey rink as a central hub of social and physical activity for all ages.

This being said, the home of the St. Adolphe Hawks is in need of some major renovations. The arena was built over an outdoor rink in the early 1990s and things are starting to get old. During this past winter, the ice plant unfortunately stopped working, halting any chance of getting on the ice at all this season. Additionally, the north wall is full of mould and needs to be replaced. Its lighting needs upgrades, as do the dressing rooms. Overall, the money from the competition certainly needed and will be well-spent.

The other three communities joining St. Adolphe in the annual competition in which communities vie with each other to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey are Lumsden, Sask., Bobcaygeon Ont. and Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick.

Teachers take advantage of fine weather

On March 8, we broke a record that was 119 years old as the temperature reached a whopping 14.4 degrees Celsius, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The previous record high was from the beginning of the 20th century when a record of 6.7 C was recorded in 1902. Are these unusual temperatures a sign of early summer?

We sure hope so. In an area of the world where temperature can vary so greatly, we have been blessed with a mild winter which has helped us all deal with the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions.

Collège Churchill High School (now amalgamated into one school with two streams of French and English) took advantage of the nice weather for an afternoon of mental wellness.

Angels of us all…

They are waiting to take us into the severed garden.

Do you know how pale and wanton thrillful comes death on a strange hour ?

Unannounced, unplanned for . . .

Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as raven’s claws.

Replace lonely days with strays

As the weather gets colder and COVID restrictions tighten, what better way to fill your day than to adopt or foster a stray pet that needs a loving home?

 Danielle, our secretary at Collège Churchill High School, is one of the friendliest people you will meet. Not only is she very kind to everyone, she has a big space in her heart for animals. She fosters dogs  as a volunteer, so I asked her about her experiences.

This is her story:

“One day last year I saw a Facebook post from Spirit of Hope Rescue looking for fosters. I had no idea there was such a thing as fostering dogs.