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Whether it be social, recreational, or professional, some of what represents me is here. Post a comment, or contact me at Dallas@embracespace.ca should you so desire.

The posts are in reverse chronological order, and are pegged by topic on the links to the left. For more of an introduction, please see the About this site page listed above.

Wednesday 4 November 2015

Date Night in Renfrew

Welcome back! For those more interested in space things, this post may not be that interesting for you. It continues following Juliette's visit in Canada, this time looking at a date we had in the small town of Renfrew.


Life at my house had actually settled into a nice pattern. We have a large family, two pets, and a lot of people dropping by all the time, so it is usually an exceptionally busy place. It was something I was used to, but something Juliette had trouble with at first. After a little while, she grew accustomed to the hustle and bustle, and when we finally had a free moment, I decided it was time to get out of the house and take Juliette out on the town!

Our first stop was Tim Hortons. A classically Canadian place, Tim Hortons is like the Dunkin' Donuts of Canada, a popular coffee shop. Funny enough, ordering Tim Hortons got me thinking about Canadian patriotism. Compared to our American neighbours to the south, Canada seems like a country of quiet patriotism. We are proud, yes, and we can show it, but other than during sporting events and having our flags displayed, I find Canadians to often be quieter about their patriotism. The reason I bring this up is because Tim Hortons packaging and commercials really show our pride. I mean, check this out!



After grabbing our coffee and donuts, I took her to Renfrew's Swinging Bridge! Built in 1895, it is apparently one of two remaining in Canada! Functionally, the bridge connects two parts of the town of Renfrew; originally the northern side was residential, and the southern side was industrial, with Bonnechere River dividing the two and used for logging. Now, the river is used for hydroelectric power generation, as well as a nice place to visit!


One of my most Canadian photos ever.




Juliette wanted to take my picture, I wanted to be silly.


I decided to make a Star Trek reference here



It doesn't look like it, but the bridge swings and rocks from side to side


Later, we went bowling at the Bowlodrome! I have a lot of history with this bowling alley. When I was much younger, I was on a team of young bowlers and I used to go every Saturday. Additionally, when Renfrew had its Santa Claus Parade, I used to wait inside, drinking hot chocolate with my family before going out and enjoying the parade!

Juliette and I have some history with bowling. On my 27th birthday, I invited a large group of friends out for a day of bowling, pool, and partying! Most of the people there had never bowled or hadn't bowled in a long time. Juliette was one of them and showing her how to bowl was a fun, and for her probably embarrassing, moment. 

So here we were again! We played 4 games, and had a great time! I was being hard on myself, not playing as well as I had, but Juliette was doing much better than she had the year before! Despite the pressure I put on myself, I was still winning by quite a lot, until our fourth game. She dared me to bowl with my off-hand, and she did the same. This is what happened.

That's Juliette beating me by 32 points, and me not even clearing 100.
Finally, we went to see a movie. We saw The Martian and both of us really enjoyed it! I am impressed with Juliette's skills in English. When we first met, she was barely able to follow a conversation, and while she still asks for subtitles whenever they're available, she is getting very good at following English television and movies subtitle-free! I am working on my French, but I am nowhere near that proficient with it. I hope to get there someday!

Anyway, we had a really great time, and I got to see Renfrew through her eyes. Thank you all for reading, I've almost caught you up on the past few months and I hope to keep you entertained again soon!

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