Ross’s Ramblings: Canada Summer Games coast to a noisy ending with fireworks in gorge
My pal Dave Boyes and I attended the closing ceremony of the Canada Summer Games in Niagara Falls. It was a nostalgic trip for both of us, as we had both been part
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Ross’s Ramblings: Tennis final thrills spectators at Canada Games
It was a fun and raucous Saturday evening at the tennis courts in Memorial Park, as the final match unfolded between the two mixed doubles teams from Quebec and British Columbia. It was
Ross’s Ramblings: Sh-h-h! The Canada Games tennis tournament is at Memorial Park
Do you think athletes prefer to play in front of quiet, empty bleachers? No, they don’t. I spent five hours in the furnace-like heat on Sunday and, as well as being treated to great
Ross’s Ramblings: As society slowly changes, so does our language
How do we manage to stay abreast of the changes in our world and the evolution of our words? Long ago, in the days before computers and mobile phones, life must have moved
Ross’s Ramblings: Music Niagara understands sound, technically
As an event organizer, I learned long ago to “always overspend on sound.” How many times have we been to concerts or speeches or weddings or sports events where the organizer has cheaped
Ross’s Ramblings: Change comes even to NOTL, usually for the better
“One of the things that never changes is that things always change.” This high level and tricky aphorism offered by Michael Clarke in the Veterans Memorial Park tennis pavilion earlier this week caused
Ross’s Ramblings: Dollar for dollar, how do we solve a puzzle like the exchange rate?
This economic flimflam has confused me since my university days in the U.S. way back in the 1960s. “The exchange rate” was then 1.07, with our Canadian dollar stronger that its U.S. counterpart.
Ross’s Ramblings: Humble NHL legend Guy Lafleur’s quiet visit to NOTL
Guy Guy Lafleur died a few weeks ago and the Montreal Canadiens and their adherents showed class and love as they cheered for him one last time. They know how to love each other,
Ross’s Ramblings: Mothers Day on the Niagara Parkway and in the Kyiv subway
The luck of the Canadians or the resilience of the Ukrainians? Sometimes, life is overwhelmingly a matter of luck and timing. On a perfect weather Sunday afternoon for Mother’s Day last weekend, I
Ross’s Ramblings: A proverbialplethora of Porta Potties is plaguingourpretty metropolis
Yes, some of us have had way too much time on our hands during the ongoing deadly global pandemic. And my ramblings today may cause a parallel reaction to the strange result of
Ross’s Ramblings: A chance to bring more diversity to NOTL Sports Wall of Fame
Not to worry, folks, it is not my intent to write a scholarly academic article discussing the rights and freedoms of all sporting residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake. However, let me attempt to spur
Ross’s Ramblings: Not in the antipodes, but the Stanley Cup has been MIA
Let’s get back to our Canadian roots, and talk some hockey. I’m distressed by what has happened to “our game.” Between 1948 and 1998, the first 50 years of my life, we Canadians could argue that
Ross’s Ramblings: When COVID strikes, self-isolating gets lonely in a hurry
Last Wednesday afternoon, I suddenly became a member of the COVID-19 in-crowd. After just over two years of listening to medical statistics, watching Dr. Theresa Tam and Dr. Peter Juni and Dr. Anthony
Ross’s Ramblings: Spring is here, with traditions and confusion about ‘the cottage’
Spring is teasing us, and even the NOTL dog walkers seem to have a spring in their steps. Dogs are tugging at leashes and dog walker discussions are solving many of the problems in
Ross’s Ramblings: Spring is here, with traditions and confusion about ‘the cottage’
Spring is teasing us, and even the NOTL dog walkers seem to have a spring in their steps. Dogs are tugging at leashes and dog walker discussions are solving many of the problems in
Ross’s Ramblings: Stephen Leacocks Mariposa could be NOTL, with a side of Jos Louis
Try to follow my Ramblings this week as I do my best to combine two subjects that contribute to what makes Canada my unique home and native land. Please be a bit patient.
Ross’s Ramblings: ‘Detective Kids’ find lost keys in hard-to-find NOTL park
I lost my ring of keys in Rye Heritage Park last Thursday. Car keys, door keys, post box key, other keys. What a pain. My tennis pal Manny and I looked everywhere for
Op-ed–Ross-Why is ‘negative’ good news and ‘positive’ bad news?
Ross Robinson Special to The Lake Report Many of us on our planet speak English. A complex language to be certain, it often forces me to get my thickest book off the shelf. The
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Ross’s Ramblings: NOTL snowblower jockeys conquered this year’s epic Canadian snowfalls
They’re everywhere. They’re everywhere. Is it just me, or has there been a dramatic increase in snowblower usage this winter? So many driveways and sidewalks have been groomed to perfection so soon after
Ross’s Ramblings: With Beijing Games done, Canada Summer Games are next
I worked at the Munich Olympic Village in 1972 and the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976. In the athlete cafeterias, I was on a multinational 1052-member team, putting out over 15,000 meals each
Ross’s Ramblings: Simply put, NOTL is a ‘THE’ town
Isn’t it sweet and simple to live in a town without too much choice? It may seem presumptuous, but our municipality’s name isn’t Niagara-on-Lake Ontario, or Niagara-on-a-Lake. Since it changed from Newark, we have been
Broadcast legendRalph Mellanby was active inNOTL sports community
I always felt lucky after spending time with Ralph Mellanby at his home above St. Davids. He enjoyed visitors and warmly shared his memories and memorabilia. His wife Gillian would sometimes remind me
Ross’s Ramblings: Walkers, please wear light-coloured clothing or reflective vest
Warning: The following contains graphic language and disturbing thoughts. Anyone who gets queasy at the thought of blood, shattered bones and even death, should not read further. Full disclosure: I have no right to preach or
A reminder of importance of the food supply chain
While enduring nearly two years COVID-19, we have been bombarded with new words, new phrases and new knowledge. We have learned so much about things we had always taken for granted. Who ever thought
Ross’s Ramblings: Is NOTL in danger of becoming a BANANA republic?
BANANA: Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything. It seems that almost every week a new and clever acronym enters our local lexicon. Several decades ago, CAVE was first uttered locally by the late entrepreneur Kevan
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