An Arnprior Adventure...

Today was a quiet day for me in terms of student visits, however, that didn't stop me from getting LOTS of work done.  I was way too early to check into my hotel and wasn't really in the mood to be at McDonalds listening to screaming kids, so I asked one of the guidance counsellors if there were any other coffee shops in town with free wifi and they pointed me to an awesome bookstore/cafe/gallery.  It was triple business location that had adjoining room doors into each other.  The cafe was called "Bonnie Jean's Scones" and the I now know why...the scones were ridiculously good!  I had the Maple Oatmeal scone with homemade raspberry jam and a chai latte.  What made it even better was that the cafe was attached to the bookstore that had a winding staircase leading up to upstairs mezzane with a private seating areas!  I set-up shop here and got so much work done.  In addition to the cafe and bookstore, there was also an art gallery/store with really unique local art and other cool things.  I can think of a few friends who would probably spend more time in there then me, so I snapped a few photos for them...

If you're in Arnprior, ON I would really recommend checking this triple threat out!

P.S. This place made up for the numerous hairs I found in my bed at the hotel... SICK!

Rolling in the Deep...River

I spent the entire day driving today from Sault Ste. Marie to Deep River, ON (2 hours east of North Bay).  It's a REALLY small town so I figured it would be a big change from last week.  This definitely was the case with my accommodations.  Last sunday night I stayed at Caesar's in Windsor...this sunday night, I'm staying at the "Shemron Suites Hotel" in Deep River!  Honestly, it's not so bad, I actually have a little kitchenette and a separate living room.  But the TV is hilarious!  It's about the same size as my laptop screen!  I had to include a picture of this Michael Scott inspired pint-sized TV!

Chai tea latte, Jumbo, and ol' school style!

I spent the day in St. Thomas today visiting various schools in the area. I've been here a few times before and wanted to really check out the city for myself. I had to get a picture of "Jumbo" the run away elephant that was tragically killed by a train while en route to save her baby elephant...sad times!

I also was able to check out some of the amazing old-school architecture featured in a number of buildings (one of which is going to house Algoma U's BA program). It made me want to know what the insides of the houses looked like - were they renovated and modern, or were they also "old-school". I definitely would prefer the former choice.

While driving to find a place to grab a bit of lunch or coffee, I drove past a place called "Cravings" and it looked like a great stop to find some good beans! And it was! Although, I didn't have a coffee lol - instead I chose a chai tea latte. I later returned to have an amazing panini with chicken and pesto aoili on herbed focaccia (it had me at pesto).

All in all, it was a great day in St Thomas! To top it off, the ladies at the front desk of my hotel sent up some complimentary Stella! No complaints!

Black horse and a "cherry tree"

Today I made my way to good ol' Chatham and Blenhiem ON for a few school visits. I had enough time for lunch so I thought I would venture into the "downtown" of Blenhiem to see if I could find something better than Timmies for a quick food break. I parked and made my way down the street checking out the few stores that were there (including a used furniture and books store...kinda neat). I saw a place called "cherry tree" and it looked like a small bistro type place and didn't really fit in with "fat Jimmy's bar & restaurant" across the street. Since I really didn't want to venture into Fat Jimbos, I thought I would likely find some decent food in the other side of the street.

I walked in and was pleasantly surprised to find an awesome bistro/coffee bar that reminded me of Steamy Bean but better! Friendly service and GREAT food with quality ingredients = happy Paul. I had the spicy sweet potato soup and a pear and pecan salad with goat cheese! In Blenhiem ON, across from Fat Jimmys of all places!

Welcome to my blog!

If you've chosen to read this then congrats!  You've decided to follow a bit about what my life looks like while I'm on the road traveling as an Admission Advisor for Algoma University.  I'll be posting various oddities from different adventures I encounter from time to time, whether it be a great meal at a hidden gem in some tiny town, or some magnificent landscape that I had to capture on my iPhone.  Either way, I figured I should share so that if you're ever in the areas I visit, you too can experience these things!