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Links to Useful Web Sites

Links to search engines and Benjamin's personal interests.

Search Engines

• Sympatico-MSN Portal in Canada - In July 2004, Bell Canada Sympatico GetMail sold out to MSN and now the logon process is more difficult to use, the server crashes more often, and we are overloaded with advertising. Then, on September 28, 2007, without asking, Bell upgraded my Sympatico mail service to Sympatico Mail with MSN --- isn't this negative billing practice illegal? In Dec 2012, Sympatico MSN changed its home page to an error-ridden Loop.ca web page that again makes it more difficult to logon and view your email messages. Then, in March 2013 Bell Canada forced all Sympatico Bell Mail users to change to the Microsoft Outlook email program. For myself, all I need is a simple, reliable email messaging system. I do not need or want to be forced to use Microsoft Hotmail, Xbox LIVE, Windows Phone, SkyDrive, and other Microsoft services.
• Google (for finding Web sites)
• Yahoo
• Rail Search
• The Official Road Map of Ontario
• Map Quest - Canada
• Map in France
• Canada 411
• Metric Conversions
• Currency Converter - displays on a BlackBerry

Web Site Usability

• Usability Index for Web Sites that you can use to measure the usability index of your Web site.
• Jakob Nielsen
• World Wide Web Usability - Special Issue of the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (1997) 47(1) 1-222
• IBM HCI Web Design Guidelines
• User Interface Engineering - online newsletter, book, courses, and consulting services available on designing Web sites that work.
• Yale Web Style Manual

Documentation Usability

There are not many papers published on the usability of documentation. For more information, see the references at the end of the following papers:

• Developing Usable Online Information for a Web Authoring Tool - This paper discusses the development of an informal checklist that improves the usability of online information for a software user guide. The paper: (1) summarizes existing ways to measure the usability of documentation; (2) describes the development of a checklist to informally measure usability and quality assurance; (3) applies the checklist to an online user guide for a World Wide Web authoring tool called Tapestry. Presented at the SIGDOC'96 Conference.
• Sun Microsystems - How Sun saves money, improves service using Internet technologies. For example, SunDocs offers individual product manuals to customers from their Web site. Also, Sun published their usability engineering methods used in the design process of their Web page.

Le Cheval Canadien, Wild Mustangs, and Other Horses

• Equus Survival Trust, NC, USA - The Equus Survival Trust is an educational non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the traditional traits and the genetic diversity of historical equine breeds (horses, ponies and donkeys) threatened with extinction. - 775 Flippin Road Lowgap, NC 27024 (336) 352-5520, EquusSurvivalTrust@yahoo.com

• Storybook Canadians in OR, USA - one of the biggest farms of Canadian Horses in the USA.
• Legacy Canadians - Roxanne Salinas of British Columbia has done extensive work on the history of the Canadian horse. Her research has taken her to Ontario and Quebec, and she’s explored the digital collections of the national archives of Quebec and France. During this research, she met another passionate fan of the breed, Élène Sergerie of Joliette, QC. Together on the Internet they spent many long winter evenings exploring the history of the breed, sharing discoveries and helping each other with translating old stories in English and French.

  The Legacy Canadians site is preserved on Marie-Lynn Hammond's site with permission. The original site is no longer maintained.

• Kendall Hills - Canadian Horses, English Setters, and Country Vacations, 8075 Maynard Road, RR1, Orono, Ontario, L0B 1M0.
• Beckett's Creek Farms - Home of the Canadian Horse, 3521 Old Montreal Road, Cumberland, Ontario. Our goal at Beckett's Creek Farms is to breed top quality performance Canadian Horses, as well as enhance the breed so they can excel in different disciplines.
• Travelosophy - Le Cheval Canadien A Historic, Cultural, and Genetic Legacy
• Canadian Horse Show *** Link broken in Aug 2009 *** - Was held in August at Orono, Ontario, an hour east of downtown Toronto. This show was dedicated to the Little Horse of Iron, the Canadian Horse, one of Canada’s National treasures and the National Horse of Canada.
• Randy Bird has a small group of wild horses that he rescued from North Dakota, USA on his ranch near Harwood, Ontario, east of Toronto. Albert Botha, a filmmaker in Grafton, Ontario was the driving force behind the rescue mission. Albert wants to set up a wild horse sanctuary in Canada. The Save the Mustang Foundation, sponsored in part by the Ford Motor Company, helped to save the lives of 100 horses. In 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez brought the first Mustangs to North America. You can make a donation and purchase a videotape at the Randy Bird Online Store.
• Cloud's Legacy - The Wild Stallion Returns. Cloud is now a band stallion with a mare and her children, a yearling and a foal. Meanwhile, Cloud’s own child, which has a telltale golden coat, lives with another herd and will never know him as his father. Sorry, in 2009 this video was not available from PBS in USA.
• The Wild Horse Redemption A Canadian film developed by a team of filmmakers led by Oscar-winning Director, John Zaritsky with Terence McKeown as producer. The film was first released at the Toronto International Film Festival 2007. Summary - At a prison in the high desert foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, hard-core criminals are given 90 days to tame wild mustang horses. Most of the inmates who volunteer for the program have never trained a horse before, or even ridden one. “These mustangs, you pressure them too much and they can’t handle it. They are either going to be trying to jump out of the pen or they are going to turn and try and fight, trying to save their life,” says staff trainer Guy McEnulty Can a wild creature be rehabilitated, and socialized for safe interaction with humans? Can two wild creatures – prisoner and mustang – help each other to a better life? You can buy the DVD movie online from the National Film Board in Canada.
• Ontario Equestrian Federation - a not-for-profit sport-governing office that provides education, leadership and support to individuals, associations and businesses in Ontario's horse community.
• CARD, the Canadian Association for Riding for the Disabled provides free therapeutic horseback-riding opportunities to children and adults with physical or cognitive disabilities, like autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. The 350 volunteers of CARD prepares and leads horses, help to maintain the barn, assists the instructors, and provides safety as a side-walker. Sessions are 10 weeks in the fall, winter, and spring, seven weeks in the summer.
• WindReach Farm opened its doors officially on June 16, 1989 and is a farm designed to meet the needs of individuals with different abilities. Wheelchair accessible pathways, buildings and barns combine to make a wonderful experience. Offering five main programs, WindReach welcomes both the special needs and able-bodied communities. 312 Townline Road, Ashburn, Ontario, Canada L0B 1A0 Tel: 905 655-5827 All visits are by appointment.
• Murtagh Horse - "The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." Arabian Proverb "A Horseman should know neither fear, nor anger." James Rarey
• Equestrian Fitness Training - If you knew the only thing that separated you from better riding and less risk of injury or strain was about 15-30 additional minutes a day of training you could do from your home or barn without expensive equipment- what would stop you from starting today? Kemptville, Ontario Canada, tel: 613.258.4866, email: personaltraining@equifitt.com You can also read Heather's blog called "Ride Fit 1-2-3" at Barn Mice
• Magic (Memories allow good inside comfort) is an equine assisted grief counselling program offered through Melody Gray at Melody Acres for adults and children suffering the loss of a loved one, divorce, abuse, or poverty. Melody Acres, RR4 Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada N4K 5N6.
• Wendy Webb Photography, RR2 Flesherton, ON, N0C 1E0. 519.924.3940 Equine Portraits.
• Symphony Stables - Walter and Gisela Mantler, who apprenticed under Chris Irwin for years, own and operate Symphony Stables.
• Iron Horse Equestrian Centre - at 5132 No 2 Side Road, Burlington, Ontario. (Not just for Canadians)
• Country Hill Farm is owned and operated by Katherine Fremes, an Equine Canada Coach and Mentor. Her 30-acre farm, situated in Stouffville, Ontario the "Horse Capital of Canada" is a mere 45-minute drive northeast of Toronto. Country Hill Farm, RR1, 1380 3rd Concession, Goodwood, ON, L0C 1A0, Telephone: 905-642-2642, email kathy.fremes*AT*sympatico.ca ------ Country Hill is a full-facility Equestrian centre featuring:
  • Large indoor arena and heated viewing room
  • Outdoor sand ring and grass dressage ring
  • Stadium jumper course and cross-country course
  • 19 box stalls including a foaling stall and wash stall
  • Plus wonderful hacking on groomed trails situated in the largest Federal Land Reserve - the Oak Ridges Moraine Dubbed the "Horsey Hilton", the farm is home to 25 equines of various breeds and disciplines, and offers both indoor and outdoor stabling with large run-in sheds. An extra large foaling stall and isolation barn is available to mare owners or those importing horses.
• Sunnybrook Stables in mid-town Toronto
• Palgrave, an hour north of Toronto
• Downunder Horsemanship - the official home of Clinton Anderson.
• Grice - Are you and your horse communicating? No matter what kind of riding you do, the goal for your horse to listen, understand and respond to every signal you send, crosses all disciplines. In every exceptional pattern, round, or test, your horse answers "yes" to your every question - as responsive as a skillfully played musical instrument.
• Ontario Fairs
• Heaven Can Wait Equine Rescue
• Canadian Stamp horse in America - the Canadian horse on the Canadian stamp now lives in the United States.
• Benjamin tried to find an experienced horse-person partner to help return O'Mark to Canada. Unfortunately, Benjamin was not able to find anyone to help him and has put this project on hold until he himself gets more horse management experience. O'Mark is a 15.1 hh, Canadian gelding horse that was featured with a Newfoundland pony on a Canadian stamp that was issued on May 15, 2009. Hobby Hill Dylan Perfect-O'Mark (#10626) was born on May 23, 2004 at Hobby Hill Farm near Ottawa. You can view his pedigree at the Canadian Livestock Records Corporation O'Mark Pedigree. Around 2007, he was sold and moved to New Hampshire, USA and was listed for sale again in 2009. Benjamin rode O'Mark on September 2, 2010 at Mount Washington Hotel Stables in Bretton Woods, NH, USA and you can view four YouTube Videos of O'Mark
• To Italy With Love - Out of the Mists of History, a New Leonardo Horse Emerges in America as a Gift to the Italian People. Imagine a horse as big as a house. Leonardo da Vinci did in the late 15th century. Charles Dent did in the late 20th century. The 500 years that span these two dreams encompass extraordinary romance and dedication, seeming failure and then triumphant success: the resurrection of "the horse that never was" and its placement in Milan in 1999 as a gift to the Italian people from the American people. At a height of 24 feet, it is the largest bronze horse sculpture in the world. The durability of its silicon bronze exterior and stainless steel interior armature suggests that the horse will gleam in the Milanese sunlight for centuries.
• Jessica Phoenix - Horses have been a part of Jessica Phoenix's (nee Jessica Ferguson) life. From Uxbridge, Ontario she began her riding career in the western style but discovered her calling in the sport of eventing and looks forward to the 2008 Beijing Olympics (with equestrian events are being held in Hong Kong).
• Newfoundland Pony Breed Association - a group of breeders and owners who wish to preserve this uniquely Canadian breed of pony. This website is devoted to providing you the opportunity of helping to create solutions to save the Newfoundland Pony and see it become fully recognized as a Breed.
• Canadian Horse Link - Connecting Buyers and Sellers of Canada's National Horse
• Animals in War - monument in the UK that is a powerful and moving tribute to all the animals that served, suffered and died alongside the British, Commonwealth and Allied forces in the wars and conflicts of the 20th century. For more info, seeWikipedia.
• Defend Horses Canada - a collective of national groups that have joined forces to ban the slaughter of equines for human consumption in Canada, as well as the export of live horses to other countries for the same purpose.
• Legacy Canadians - a Canadian horse farm located in Mission, British Columbia, about 80 kms. east of Vancouver.
• Horse Farms for Sale in North America
• Back in the Saddle - an online store for horsey clothes, home decor, books, and more.
• Vacation Home Rental - comfortable, bright and clean, this 3-bedroom country home on acreage is 15 minutes NW of Port Alberni, BC.
• World Horse Welfare - an international charity based in the UK and dedicated to caring for horses
• Canadian Horses in Florida - Based in Clearwater, Florida, they sell well-trained, purebred Canadian horses to qualified owners, 1770 Kennesaw Lane, Clearwater, FL 33765. (727) 424-9399
• Equine Art Guild - is a volunteer-run group run by equine artists for equine artists from all over the world, based in Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, Canada.
• Eclectic Horseman Communications - was founded in September of 2001 to serve the community of horse owners searching for educational resources. Starting with the acclaimed bi-monthly magazine and companion Web site, EHC has included a long list of professional services comprised of video production , web and print design and much more . EHC continually to looks for new ways to connect horse owners to the information, products and community they seek.
• Equine Canada Para Equestrian - Para Equestrian is one of Canada's most successful international disciplines, achieving an individual gold medal and an individual silver at the 2008 Paralympic Games, as well as two individual bronze medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games.
• CARD - Community Association for Riders with Disabilities (in Toronto)
• Ontario Therapeutic Riding Association (OnTRA) - promotes the benefits of therapeutic riding throughout Ontario.
• Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) - promotes the benefits of therapeutic riding throughout Canada.
• Anne Gage - Confident Horsemanship Learning Respect, Trust, and Confidence for you and your horse near Orangeville, Ontario.
• Equine Guelph - Equine Guelph is the horse owner’s Centre at the University of Guelph, supported and overseen by equine industry groups, and dedicated to improving the health and well-being of horses. Equine Guelph conducts research and offers online study courses.
• The Big Ben Memorial Trail - near Ottawa, Ontario
• The Big Ben Park - in Perth, Ontario. The Big Ben and Ian Millar statue has to be one of the most realistic horse and rider statues in the world.
• Google search for Stewart Smith - who sculpted the Big Ben and Ian Millar statue in Perth, Ontario. Spruce Meadows media group produced a video of how the statue was created.
• Stewart Smith of Stewart Patterns and a team of dedicated enthusiasts including equine art consultants, Jean and xxx Abernathy, designed the Big Ben statue.
• The Big Ben statue was cast in bronze at Artcast using the ancient Lost Wax Process. The Artcast foundry is located at 14 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown, ON, tel 905.877.3455. Please call for an appointment. The Artcast office is at 67 Mowat Ave., lower level, Toronto.
• Spruce Meadows - located on the southern city limits of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, approximately 30-40 minutes from downtown Calgary and 45 minutes from the Calgary International airport.

Music, Songwriting, Singers, Bands, and Clubs

• The Tennessee Three, includes Bob Wooton (guitar) and W.S. Holland (drummer) who for 30 years played with Johnny Cash. They helped to make Johnny a star but were overlooked by the music world. In 2004, they recorded their own The Sound Must Go On CD. In 2006, The Tenessee Three toured Canada (Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St West on May 1) driving Johnny's 1979 tour bus that is now owned by the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
• Another Nashville-based singer songwriter who is overlooked is Beth Nielsen Chapman. Performs in the UK and USA including the Bluebird Cafe (as part of Tin Pan South) in Nashville. The Bluebird Cafe is a small club and restaurant featuring original country and acoustic music every evening, 4104 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215. Tel 615.383.1461 Beth's latest album Look is a striking new collection of songs that pulls together her many musical influences, including folk, country, pop and even jazz. This eclectic mix is streamlined and focused thanks to a great band including members from Peter Gabriel and Elton John's band, plus backing vocals from Michael McDonald and Emily Saliers from the Indigo Girls.
• In Nashville, stay at the Hermitage Hotel, a century-old palace of marble and brass rails that over the years has lodged Greta Garbo, Al Capone, and Minnesota Fats. Just a few blocks walk from the Ryman, where Neil Young made the Heart of Gold movie in 2006.
• In Toronto, check out Signe Miranda's Veranda on Concrete City Records. Signe Miranda formed the band in January 2001, with a couple of friends she met at open stages in Toronto. Growing up in Belleville, Ontario, Signe developed her own songwriting style. Fellow Bellevillian, bassist Jeff Daze, drives the band’s sound with his energetic and melodic approach. Drummer Jamie Tanner, a five-year veteran of Toronto's hardcore scene, has an intense improvisational style that forms the bedrock of the band.
• Also in Toronto, check out Sarah Slean - I was raised in suburbia, I'm a small person. The smallest in my family. I'm the runt of the litter. I don't make any sense in my family. But the strength of the music, and the passion that swirls around inside me, is too big for my body. It's incongruous with a small pale person from suburban Pickering. I have to be a bigger me.
• Co-Founders of the Stringband, Marie-Lynn Hammond and Bob Bossin Old Folksinger’s Homepage.
• Canadian Folk Music Awards - The mission of the Canadian Folk Music Awards is to celebrate and promote Canadian Folk Music in all its forms. Until their creation in 2005, there existed no awards that celebrate the breadth and depth of folk music in Canada. Awards such as the Junos, East Coast Music Awards or the Western Canada Music Awards have a few categories that apply to folk and roots music but they offer only a restricted view of the genre. The judging process is similar to that of the two-stage elimination model used by the Junos by a randomly selected jury drawn from our community.
• Hugh's Room is a warm, spacious and inviting 200 seat music venue located in Roncesvalles Village in Toronto, and host to the finest in Canadian and International folk/roots artists. Hugh's opened on Apr. 14, 2001. The fully licensed dining room offers a full menu with tantalizing salads, appetizers and lovely main dishes.
• David Woodhead Best known for his melodic and personal style on the fretless electric bass, David has recently been performing live as a solo artist and with Betty and the Bobs, Scott Merritt, and Anne Lindsay, along with many others as a freelancer. He has been one of the most frequently appearing musicians at Toronto’s Hugh's Room.
• In 2007, Franco-Ontarian singer Michel Payment sang "The Huron Carol" in English, French, and Huron at the First Light festival in Midland. Bruce Cockburn also sang a Huron rendition on his 1993 album "Christmas", "special thanks are due to John Steckley", the liner notes read, "for his help as translator and pronunciation coach". John Steckley is an anthropologist at Humber College. At thestar.com, you can watch a video of Michael Payment performing "The Huron Carol". On YouTube there are other artists performing "The Huron Carol".
• Sarah Harmer did a doc on TVO about saving the Bruce Trail.
• Acoustic Roof - lists Canadian house concerts. At a house concert with 30 people a musician can make a few hundred dollars. Everyone enjoys the small, intimate venue for listening to music and talking with people.
• Borealis Records - The Borealis Recording Company is unlike most other record labels. It was formed in 1996 to answer a need in Canada's musical spectrum: to create an artist-friendly home for Folk and Roots music. Grit Laskin, Bill Garrett, Paul Mills and Ken Whiteley, musicians all, pooled their ideas, their experience and their resources, and established the Company. We are proud of what we've achieved in our first six years: a steadily expanding roster of nearly 30 artists and a catalogue of over 50 titles creating an exhilarating diversity of music. As each year goes by we hope the name Borealis will become more and more synonymous with the very best in Canadian Folk and Roots music. For further information and interviews, contact: Bill Garrett 416.530.7692 in Toronto Email: bill@borealisrecords.com
• Nancy White - "When You Fall In Love Like That".
• Cedric Smith
• Hank Snow Museum, 148 Bristol Ave in Liverpool, N.S., about 140 miles west of Halifax, just off Highway 103. In 2008, Curator is Wendy Rofihe. The museum includes Hank's first Cadillac convertible, a 1947 model in soft model.
• Northern Journey - all about Canadian Folk Music
• Folk Music History - Gary Cristall is writing a book about the history of Canadian folk music. He also did a series of CBC Radio programs in the summer of 2008.
• History of Folk Music on CBC
• Carol King - Welcome to My Living Room
• Learning to play a violin
• Violin Master Class
• Free Online Piano Lessons - PianoNanny.com has acquired "Piano on the Net" -- the original free online piano and music lesson course, established online in February of 1994.
• The Whole Note - An online music newsletter that includes lists of jazz, folk, and classical concerts in the Toronto region.
• Biographies of Folksingers
• eMusic
• Manzer Guitars Invented by Linda Manzer in 1984, The Wedge©™ is a design innovation that makes guitars more comfortable to play. There is a Manzer Guitar in the permanent collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilization (Gatineau Quebec). The instrument is a custom version of the Manzer Au Naturel Archtop called the "Endangered Species Model." See this guitar featured in the Museum of Civilization Archtop Page of the Online Exhibition.
• William Laskin Guitars - Since 1971 - William "Grit" Laskin decided he wanted to be a guitar maker at age 17 when he saw a Jean Larrivee instrument at the now defunct Toronto Folklore Center. Originator of the built-in "Armrest" and"Ribrest" edge bevelling. His guitars include a very artistic and colorful process of engraved inlay on the fingerboard that can visually show a story. The Museum Of Civilization, Canada's equivalent to the Smithsonian, has four Laskin guitars in its permanent collection, and in 1997 Laskin received Canada's prestigious national award, the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence In The Crafts.
• Karol Custom Guitars A life long pursuit ..... As Tony says -- "at age 12, I began to play the guitar, something I fell in love with immediately. Thirty-plus years later, I still enjoy playing and learning all I can. It wasn't long before I wanted a better instrument than I had, but couldn't afford to buy one. With the help of my high school wood-shop teacher I made an electric guitar body, and used a bolt-on neck I already had to complete the instrument. I had found my passion in life - building and modifying guitars to achieve the utmost in appearance and performance. It was many years ago that I first saw a Larrivee acoustic guitar. I was astonished by the cutaway body shape and the inlays, but more so by the sound - it was stunningly beautiful. It played like a dream with its smooth low action - unlike most other acoustic steel strings I had ever played. I knew that someday I had to have one. I knew that someday I would BUILD one ..."
• Take me back to the sixties
• Helen Reddy - Includes Flash versions for most of her songs such as "I am a Woman", "That's What Friends Are For", "Don't Throw It All Away", and "My Friend".
• Barrie Folk Music
• Gryphon Theatre in Barrie.
• Perth House Concerts
• John Hiatt - includes songs such as "Crossin' Muddy waters" and "Angel Eyes". John Hiatt received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting at the Americana Music Association Honors and Awards program at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN on 9/18/2008. Congratulations John on your 56th birthday --- Aug 20, 2008.
• Pete Seeger
• Music Store in Sebringville, Ontario - specializes in whole home audio, lighting design and home theatre conception and installation. The only store on earth selling exclusively Canadian Music, our love and our passion. This store probably has the best selection of Canadian folk music you will find anywhere. Five minutes west of Stratford, Ontario on Highway 8. World wide mail order available. Neil and Judy Matheson.
• Stratford Perth Museum 4275 Huron Road, RR5, Hwy 8 West, Stratford, Ontario N5A 6S6
• Folks Like Us a weekly radio program produced live at WDET-FM (101.9), public radio in Detroit. The show, hosted by Matt Watroba, can be heard on Saturdays from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. The program features traditional and contemporary folk music recordings, interviews and live performances, and announcements of local concerts, dances, and other events. You can listen to WDET and Folks Like Us live on the Web! Go to http://www.wdetfm.org/listenlive/
• Catherine Maclellan - a Camnadian Maritimes based singer-songwriter whose intimate and powerful songs are steeped in the Canadian folk tradition.
• Songwriters Unite is a songwriters' collective that has grown to include over 500 musicians from across North America.
• Canadian Folkmusic Awards - The mission of the Canadian Folk Music Awards is to celebrate and promote Canadian Folk Music in all its forms. Until their creation in 2005, there existed no awards to celebrate the breadth and depth of folk music in Canada.
• Sugar Hill Records - includes groups like The Duhks
• Encyclopedia of Music in Canada - a government website - In 2001, EMC took a major step in that direction by collaborating with the National Library of Canada (NLC) to make an electronic version of the second edition available on the NLC website.
• The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada The Canadian Encyclopedia - describes the full breadth and depth of Canada’s musical culture, including the historical and current aspects of popular, folk, religious, concert and other forms of music. Helmut Kallmann, Gilles Potvin and Kenneth Winters were co-editors of the first print edition, which appeared in 1981.
• The Greenbank Folk Music Society - a volunteer, non-profit group that has been dedicated to bringing the best Canadian roots and traditional folk and blues music to small town Ontario since 1993. The season consists of monthly concerts October to May, held in the Greenbank Centennial Hall. The Hall is located 30 minutes north of Whitby on Highway 12. (See map) The location is small, only 95 tickets available per concert and usually sold out, so calling ahead for tickets is important. Tickets are available in Uxbridge and Port Perry and also by calling 905-985-8351 or 905-852-7578
• Wolfgang's Vault - includes Rush's 1984 concert at Maple Leaf Gardens and Grateful Dead playing the O'keefe Centre on Aug 4, 1967.
• Jessica Andrews - Jessica, along with Norah Jones, Billy Joel and other top artists have each contributed a track on Stork Tunes, a new compilation CD that celebrates motherhood and helps women relax while preparing for and giving birth, in support of the March of Dimes.
• Mudcat - a world wide forum for people who are interested in folk music and the blues. It's pretty incredible what you can find there - people and information.
• Soundscapes - an independent CD and music book retailer located in the Little Italy neighbourhood of downtown Toronto at 572 College Street, (west of Bathurst) telephone 416.537.1620, Open Daily 10 AM to 11 PM. Soundscapes is also a ticket outlet for many independent promoters and they regularly provide tickets for the town's cornerstone venues, such as The Horseshoe Tavern, Lee's Palace, The Mod Club, The Music Gallery, The Opera House, and Queen Elizabeth Theatre, among others. A long-time supporter of Toronto's independent music scene, they have a large consignment section.
• Toronto Ukes - Ukulele jam every Wednesday, 8 to11 PM at the Dominion Pub at 500 Queen Street East in downtown Toronto's Corktown district. Cost is free if you are carrying a ukulele - $3 if you don't play and just want to see what all the fuss is about. Also, the Dominion has great food and art displayed by local artists.
• Northern Journey Folk Music - A comprehensive "hub" for all kinds of Canadian folk music information.
• Maple Music is a website that offers a virtual home where Canadian musicians, and fans of Canadian music converge. We created a site where Canadian musicians hold centre stage for music lovers around the world. MapleMusic, 230 Richmond Street West, 11th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3E5, Canada. Community, Content, Contact, Commerce and naturally Canada.
• The British Library has an archive ov over 28,000 recordings of world and traditional music, dating back 100 years, available for free.

CDs, DVDs, Videos, and Vinyl Records

• Record Cellar - is an American independent record label
• World's largest record catalog - 26 Million Records, LPs, 45s, 33s, CDs and More from 1000s of Sellers Around the World!
• Movies by Mail - DVD rentals by mail in Canada.
• Movie Link - A service for people who live in the USA where you can buy and download movies to play on your computer. It takes an hour to download a movie, can be backed up to a DVD but can't be played on other players.
• iTunes Apples's music and video downloading service. The first legal site to really hit the big time, in March 2006 celebrated its 1 billionth download. Great user interface and cleverly paired with the Apple iPod. You can purchase songs for $0.99 and videos for $2.99. Separate services for different countries. You can search the iTunes store for a particular theme, for example, all the songs and videos about Benjamin, listen to a 30-second example, and then just purchase the songs you like.
• Download Music - a supposedly legal website in Russia that offers popular music for a fraction of what iTunes charges.
• YouTube - displays thousands of video shorts
• Sound Click - MP3 Store
• Craft of Songwriting - Songwriting
• Rhymer - Helps with lyrics
• LimeWire - a file sharing program running on the Gnutella Network. It is open standard software running on an open protocol, free for the public to use. LimeWire allows you to share any file such as MP3, .avis, jpgs, and tiffs. Limewire is written in Java, and will run on Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Sun, and other computing platforms. Publish your original content to the world without setting up a website!
• Déjà Vu Discs - Trying to get rid of those albums you bought back in Grade 9? Deja Vu Discs will pay anywhere from $4 to $8 for most of your CDs. This small chain of music stores provides listeners with a great selection of new and used CDs. Buy, sell, or trade music from your favourite artists at Deja Vu Discs today! 1076 Wilson Ave., Toronto, tel 416-636-3472
• Discovery Records, 1140 Queen St. East, Toronto, Ontario, M4M1L1, tel 416.778.6394, Email jlevitt@globalserve.net SHOP HOURS : 11 am TO 6 pm Eastern Time (closed Wednesdays)
• Capital Banquet, 6435 Dixie Rd., Toronto, Apr 15, July 15, Oct 14, 2007. Presented by Lorne VanSinclair, BlueNote Promotions, Box 2383, Orillian ON, L3V 6V7. Also, check out Vibrations
• Ric's Recollections, 321 Lakeshore Rr East, Mississauga, ON, L5G 1H3, 905.891.1523, email ric@ricrec.com
• Record and Collectible Sale, Sun Apr 1, 2007 and Sun Sep 16, 2007 - 10 AM to 3: 30 PM, Thornhill Community Center, 7755 Bayview Ave, at John Street. Presented by Annette Lawrence, alawrence@sympatico.ca
• Alex's CD World, 1624 Dundas St East, Whitby, ON, L1N 2K5, tel 905.728.5369
• Radiohead - pay whatever you want.
• Spiral Frog - pay whatever you want.
• Internet Movie Database

Movies and Posters

• Movie Posters, 1875 Leslie Street Unit 17, Toronto, behind the Goose and Firkin Pub just south of the 401 highway

• According to author Jesse Crosse, the 10 best car chases on film are:
  1. Bullitt
  2. Ronin
  3. The Seven-Ups
  4. The Italian Job (1969)
  5. Le Professionnel
  6. The Bourne Identity
  7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
  8. C'était un rendezvous by Claude Lelouch
  9. The Blues Brothers
  10. Smokey and the Bandit

Mobile Movies

• Shorts In Motion - An innovative initiative by Bravo! -- FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent), Marblemedia and the National Film Board of Canada - micro-movies by celebrated Canadian artists. The shorts use innovative methods to tell distinctive stories that audiences will enjoy on their choice of medium: mobile devices, television, the web and in cinemas. In addition, there is interactive, mobile, and online content to create a truly unique experience.
• Oh La La a short film directed by Isabella Rossellini and produced by Jody Shapiro is an off-kilter homage to Paris and its architecture. The film is expected to be shown at the Toronto World Wide Short Film Festival in the Spring of 2007. It will also be available as a download along with nine other films in the Shorts in Motion: The Art of Seduction
• Mobifest - Made-for-mobile movies

Unique Products - Made in North America

• Venmar Ventilation - For more than 25 years, Venmar Ventilation has been one of North America's leading manufacturers of innovative Indoor Air Quality products for commercial and residential applications.
• Machinchouette, 225 rue St-Paul, Québec City, Canada G1K 3W3, 418.525.9898 - original frames for vinyl 33 records and CD, butter box footstools.
• Harricana - winter fur hats
• Dudley Combination Lock, a school standard since 1922, Dudley Inc., Hemmingford (Québec) Canada J0L 1H0.
• Canada Goose Parka - made in Canada by Metro Sportswear Ltd. Founded in 1957, 100 people, $10 million+.
• Cheeky Bee Candle Company - Hand Made in Canada, Faites à la main, au Canada.
• Simcan comfort sock - Medium $6.99 a pair, Made in Canada
• Robeez Baby Shoes - Robeez Footwear has been crafting exceptional quality Canadian-made children’s footwear for over ten years. It was 1994. Sandra Wilson, a young wife and mother, was downsized out of her airline job. Wishing to spend more time with her 18-month old son Robert, Sandra saw this as an opportunity to start her own home-based business. Sandra set out to handcraft a pair of brightly colored, soft-soled leather shoes for young Robert. She was pleased to discover that the shoes seemed to improve his balance, because the soft soles allowed him to “feel” the floor while he toddled about. Sandra decided to name the shoes after her son. “Robeez” shoes were born. In 2008, sales surpass the $15 million mark.
• EarthBound Farm - Carrots - More than 24 years ago, Earthbound Farm started in a backyard garden, where we grew food we felt good about serving to our friends and family. And that meant farming organically. Earthbound Farm certified organic produce is grown by about 150 dedicated farmers, who use the same organic farming methods on the smallest farm (about 5 acres) as on the largest (about 680 acres). Earthbound Farm, 1721 San Juan Highway, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045, USA.

Product of Canada does not mean Made in Canada

• For food products such as fish, ice cream, or sliced garlic in a jar, the label "Product of Canada" doesn't actually mean that the food is grown in Canada. All it means, legally speaking, is that at least 51 percent percent of its production costs were spent in Canada.

  As Wendy Mesley's report on the CBC MaketPlace program revealed, sometimes a "Product of Canada" has been to three continents before it lands in Canada. Apparently, the Federal Government changed the regulations in 1985. The regulations should specify that "Product of Canada" means that 100 percent of the ingredients are grown and processed in Canada.

Other Interesting Topics

• Arrowsmith School - provides a program to help children who learn differently to "exercise their brain". Arrowsmith School was established in 1980 in Toronto as a co-educational, non-denominational independent day school for elementary and secondary school age students. The Arrowsmith Program is a program of intensive and graduated mental exercises that are designed to strengthen the underlying weak cognitive capacities. The main school is in the Yonge and Summerhill area of located Toronto; however, the program is starting to be available at other schools. The annual tuition is $16,000 CAD and the assessment fee is $2,000 CAD.
• The Canadians at Passchendaele ** New ** - provides information and support to people who have an interest in the battles at the Western Front during the Great War and in particular the contribution made by the Canadian infantry at the battle of Passchendaele in October 1917.
• North Toronto CI
• Alumni Services at University of Waterloo
• Vancouver Island Net - based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. This site has a good map analogy, personal pages include a trip to the rain forest near Port Hardy at the north end of Vancouver Island.
• Travels with Samantha - Outstanding online book by Philip Greenspun from MIT who spent the summer driving from Boston to Alaska. Meet bored youths in the Midwest, North Dakota Harley riders, struggling single mothers in the Yukon, and free spirits in Alaska. Join Greenspun as he travels up the spine of the Rocky Mountains into Canada and then up the Alaska Highway. Splash down in a float plane and spend a week with 20 bears. Contains unbelievable pictures that are best viewed on a large color monitor. This is the site that got me started cruising the Web in 1995.
• Digital Frog International - includes online examples of the award-winning Digital Frog interactive multimedia product in the Digital Biology Series. You can even dissect a virtual frog.
• Sailing Yacht Canada - the oldest sailing yacht registered in Canada is being restored by a group of volunteers based at the Ludlow BoatWorks yard on the banks of the Rideau River just north of Kemptville (near Ottawa), Ontario, Canada. Launched in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1898, you can join the more than 100 volunteers.
• Keevil Village in England
• Jekyll Island Club Hotel - in Georgia Sea Islands
• Hamilton-Turner Inn - in Savannah Georgia - A stay at the Hamilton-Turner Inn is part of the Savannah experience. You'll know you are at the right place as soon as you walk through our doors. You will be greeted by friendly staff, impressed with the luxurious furnishings and overwhelmed by the wonderful scents from our kitchen. Experience first hand why we are known in Savannah as the Grand Victorian Lady.
• VIA Rail
• Raw-Food Diet
• Arxx ICF - concrete building system
• STRIDE - Supported Training and Rehabilitation in Diverse Environments. Market a useful recipe book.
• Clean restrooms around the world - displays on a BlackBerry
• Ask Men - health and sport news, and message boards mainly for men. A successful site that now has 5 million readers a month.
• Sunnybrook Long Term & Veterans - During the past quarter century, the Sunnybrook campus has evolved from a Veterans’ hospital to its present status as a comprehensive health science centre fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
• Toronto Postcard Club
• Postcards for Sale - online near Toronto
• Virtual tour of the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris.
• Tainted Pet Food Killed Pets The melamine that tainted the pet food was in wheat gluten imported from China. Apparently, the Chinese companies added melamine to artificially boost the protein content. It was used in the manufacture of Menu Foods pet food from Dec 2006 to Jan 2007. According to the Ottawa Citizen, last February, criminal charges were laid against Las Vegas-based ChemNutra Inc and two Chinese businesses for knowingly importing the tainted gluten. US federal prosecutors say the shipments were mislabeled to avoid inspection in China. The case has not yet gone to trial.
• Art Deco Dealer - John D. Shearer is one of the foremost collectors of Lalique in North America. Because of his love of Lalique, John conceived of this web site for serious Lalique collectors and devotees.
• PBS - The big four accounting firms and other tax shelter promoters came under fire from the IRS, the Treasury Department and Congress for their roles in developing and marketing questionable tax shelters during the 1990s. Here's a closer look at interviews, documents and the statements of company executives that offer more insight into the activities of one promoter, the accounting firm KPMG that used the questionable basis shifting process for tax avoidance. Apparently, KPMG advised Joe Jacobi and Dale Earnhardt to use this basis-shifting, tax shelter process.
• Great Khan Mongolian Grill - has a 20-foot diameter grill for all-you-can-eat buffets, 7131 Kennedy Rd., Markham, Ontario.
• Finproject NA - Designed in Italy and made in Canada, Finproject makes light, rugged footware -- clogs and sandals that cost $10 CAD in Canada. Available at Dominion stores for gardening.
• Annex Cat Rescue, - a group of volunteers living primarily in the Annex neighbourhood in Toronto who share a common bond -- a love of cats and concern for their welfare. They are a non-profit organization and have no government funding. Telephone 416.410.3835, Email: info@annexcatrescue.on.ca in Toronto.
• Classmates.com - old news is good news.
• Friends Reunited - old friends are good friends.
• From the Heart Folk Art - folk art is good art.
• Fiesta Azteca - a great Mexican restaurant at 1618 Bayview Avenue in Toronto. Tel 416.482.9998. Email yummi@fiestaazteca.ca
• Managing Your Lawn - to get a lawn growing in the Spring, it should be aerated, top-dressed with 2.5 to 5.0 cm of organic matter, and over-seeded with a drought-proof seed. During the summer, about 2.5 cm of water a week is all that is needed. A thorough watering once a week trains the roots to need less water. For Southern Ontario, a combination of native Fescue and perennial rye seeds take longer to establish than rolls of Kentucky blue grass sod, but their roots grow down to 33 cm whereas the Kentucky blue grass only grow to 10 cm. Fescue grasses do well in the shade and the sun.
• Flickr - is one of many photo-sharing sites, including Fotolog, Zoto, Fotki, Smugmug, and Pbase. However, on Flickr you can categorize your photos by choosing common index terms (or tags) such as Granada Monarch Versailles. Your tag then connects your photos to any other members' photos that happen to share the same tag. These informal social categories have been coined folksonomy.
• Buy Nothing Christmas
• Pine Flooring
• Replacements - Founded by Bob Page in 1981, Replacements, located in Greensboro, NC has the world's largest selection of old and new dinnerware, including china, stoneware, crystal, glassware, silver, stainless, and collectibles.
• DMG Art Gallery at U of T - Art exhibits change about every 3 months. In 2005, Little Breeze was an interactive installation by artist Nina Levitt about the ephemeral presence of women spies during World War II. An evolving installation, the exhibition originally featured vintage suitcases embedded with audio speakers and electronics and a large video projection controlled by a computer. The work recently expanded to a second component comprised of photographs of nine British agents, French and English biographical texts and an interactive sound track.
• Violette Szabo Museum - The Museum is located in the village of Wormelow, in the County of Herefordshire, in the rear of Miss Rigby's residence "Cartref". It is a short distance to the south west of the A49 almost mid-way between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye. Violette Szabo was one of a small group of men and women in the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) who, during World War II, undertook dangerous missions to occupied France. Many of those brave people paid with their lives and Violette was one of them. In June of 1944, while on a mission in France in the village of Salon-la-Tour she was captured by the Germans. On January 25, 1945 the Gestapo executed her with two other women at Ravensbruck prison. She was only 23 years old. Violette was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her "magnificient example of courage and steadfastness". On Dec 17, 1946 the citation for the award of the George Cross to Violette Szabo was published in the London Gazette. You can search the London Gazette on the web for "Szabo" and download a copy of the one-page citation in Adobe PDF format.
• Sarah Beck's Ode - a parody of our mass-produced, mall-centred stupidity. "I think the tank embodies waste and arrogance. It's profiteering" says Beck. Our Vision - a better everyday life. Beck started noodling about North Americans' aspirational lifestyle and observed how everyone, at one time or another, has left an IKEA bookshelf piled next to the dumpster as they move on to the next address. She's baffled that when we have so many beautiful raw products -- like mahogany -- we choose to buy press-board, mass-produced furniture we can toss away. The 29-year-old Saskatoon-born artist is a graduate of Ryerson's Photographic Arts program. Beck lived in Toronto for a decade and worked as a best boy in the film and commercial industry before returning to her hometown last year. Beck says her time in Toronto made her acutely aware of her inability to ascend to the next social rung of a big city.
• We Organize U - Hellen Buttigieg is an organizing junkie
• Wikipedia - the online, free enclopedia that anyone can edit
• MySpace - one of the most successful websites around, was originally for teenagers but expanded to include anyone.
• Illustrations for Kids
• Blogger - Blogs or web logs are personal journals on mundane personal life stories available for the world to see.
• PodTech - started up in 2006
• HiTech Vests - designs functional and fashionable clothing that's so innovative that it's worn by the Secret Service.
• Gladstone Hotel in Toronto that includes Room Flight 316
• House Blogs
• Handyman Matters
• Buildings in Toronto - a private database and blog based on the Inventory of Heritage Properties of the City of Toronto.
• Personal Computer Museum - 13 Alma Street, Brantford, ON (off Sydenham or Grand St). MUSEUM IS LOCATED IN BUILDING OUT BACK. The Personal Computer Museum is open on select dates. Come and visit Brantford's first computer museum, unique in all of South Western Ontario. We not only have computers but a large software library, magazine and book collection and other interesting artifacts. You can download an audio tour guide MP3 (39 MB) and put it on your iPod, cell phone or other music player. This 55 minute tour gives you detailed information about each and every machine on display. Email: sbolton AT bfree DOT on DOT ca
• LEAF - Janet McKay, Executive Director said that Urban Tree Salvage provides an invaluable service, recovering a scarce resource by extracting special woods from Toronto's urban forest. UTS mills and dries the wood, creating custom furniture, heritage flooring, and raw lumber. UTS has a store at 100 Hymus Rd with raw lumber, furniture, and trays for sale.
• International Readings at Harborfront - Hear authors read from their newly published books in a cosy, cafe-like venue by the lake in downtown Toronto. Weekly readings on Wed at 7:30 PM.
• Hoffmeyer's Mill - established in 1906 by Henry Hoffmeyer. It was previously a wooden well-pump factory. The original mainline-shaft dates back to the 1870's. Additional equipment has been added over the years to manufacture wooden sash/storm windows along with retail lumber and building materials. Hoffmeyer's Mill, PO box 70, 189 Huron Road , Kings Highway 8, Sebringville, Ontario, Canada, N0K 1X0. Tel 519.393.5101 email sales@hoffmeyersmill.on.ca
• Taragon Theatre in Toronto - Bill and Jane Glassco founded Tarragon Theatre in 1970. The Tarragon is primarily a playwrights’ theatre. Its mission is to encourage, create and develop new work, and provide the conditions for new work to thrive. In 1987, Tarragon purchased and renovated the building that has been its home since 1971. There are two playing spaces: Mainspace (205 seats) and The Extra Space (100 seats). The Tarragon Theatre is located at 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5R 1X, which is one block north of Dupont Street and two blocks east of Bathurst Street. Box Office 416-531-1827. Also, you can purchase tickets for the Tarragon and other theatres at Totix Theatre Tickets but there is a service fee.
• Hammond Museum of Radio - 595 Southgate Drive W, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 3W6. Tel 519.822.2441 x590. From Hwy 401, drive north on Hwy 6, turn right at Laird (first after Clair Rd).
• Roseneath Carousel - an authentic, 1906 C.W. Parker Carousel. Only four of the Roseneath type of carousel were made in North America. Built in Abilene, Kansas. Consists of 40 wooden horses, two boats, and Parker jumpers. A Wurlitzer 125 Band Organ (with paper rolls) strikes up the music. Bought in 1932 by the Roseneath Agricultural Society and has operated every year since at the Roseneath Fall Fair.
• Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum in Vandorf, a hamlet of Gormley, tel 905.727.8954
• Properties for Horses in Northumberland, Ontario.
• Renocontractors in Toronto area
• Condos in Leaside - now part of the City of Toronto
• Toronto Country Dancers - an informal organization run by your fellow dancers - volunteers who love to dance, socialize and hear wonderful music. In contra dancing, the dancers form "sets" of two parallel lines that run the length of the hall. We dance to live music from the Scots-Irish or French Canadian tradition, usually played on fiddle, accordion, banjo, piano, or guitar. Each dance consists of a sequence of moves similar to the figures in old-time square dancing and other traditional dance styles.
• Cavalia - The well-being of the horses is the primary preoccupation of Cavalia and this is apparent during the show. The horses find pleasure in being on stage and we allow them to express their natural tendency to play. A team of 20 people, including a stables manager, two veterinary technicians, a blacksmith and several grooms, take care of the horses.
• Love and Marriage
• Where to buy a healthy sofa? Oakville-based Green Rooms offers US-made hemp-encased latex couches with organic cotton batting, with wood frames made from salvaged urban trees felled from city parkways, $5,600.
• DeBoer's everGreen line is natural latex-filled and encased in either wool, organic cotton, hemp, flax, linen, silk, bamboo or recycled textiles, on sale from $3,000.
• VACUFLO - What does a '56 Chevy have to do with a VACUFLO central vacuum system? They are both classics! Both were first introduced in 1954 and both have stood the test of time.

Things to do in Muskoka (Bracebridge, Huntsville, Port Carling, Bala, and Gravenhurst), Ontario, Canada

• Bracebridge Public Library
• Township of Muskoka Lakes
• Inn at the Falls - Nestled on the banks of the Muskoka River in Bracebridge, Ontario, Inn at the Falls is perfectly situated in every way: In one of Ontario’s most picturesque towns, and at the centre of the world renowned Muskoka region. Comprised of an impressive 1870’s estate home and six neighbouring houses on a secluded cul-de-sac, Inn at the Falls exudes a quiet village atmosphere.
• Maple Valley Ranch --- 1690 Beatrice Town Line Rd. Bracebridge, Ontario, P1L 1X4. Telephone 705.646.3759, Email info*AT*maplevalleyranch.com
• Rocky Top Farm --- 3410 Hwy 118 East, Vankoughnet, ON, P1L 1X1, Telephone 705.645.8023, Email Brandie*AT*RockyTopFarm.ca
• Barn Boots --- 733 Muskoka Road 10, RR1, Port Sydney, ON, P0B 1L0, Telephone 705.385.9086, Email info*AT*barnboots.ca, natural horsemanship, exploring horse and human horizons, signature horse is Neko, a seven-year old Friesian mare.
• Back of Beyond Equine Centre --- 2572 Muskoka Rd. 10, Huntsville, ON, P1H 2J3, Owned by Cathy Foyston and Bill Statten, Telephone 705.789.1605, Email bkbeyond*AT*vianet.on.ca
• Oke-Cook Family Farm, Mark and Carey-Anne Oke-Cook, 1200 Campbells Road, R.R. 3, Bracebridge, Ontario, P1L 1X1, in Bracebridge, off Hwy 118, east of the Muskoka airport. Telephone 705.645.5866. Member of OnTRA therapeutic riding association. Wholesome, domestic farm produce (Pasture Raised and Vegetable Grain Fed) Beef, Pork, Poultry, Rabbit, Graded Fresh Omega 3 Eggs. They also sell Firewood and have a Beautiful Private Cottage for Rent.
• Maple Lane Farms --- near Fair Grounds and Hwy 11 on Fraserburg Road in Bracebridge, Ontario P1L 0A1, Canada. (705) 645-1723 email --maplelane.barn*AT*gmail.com Trail Access: Over 100 acres of scenic Muskoka landscape. Water crossing, hills, valleys, forests and meadows. Services Boarding, Training, Horseback Riding, Lessons, Clinics, Trails Breeds: Appaloosa, Belgian, Clydesdale, Donkey, Draft, Irish Draught, Quarter Horse Training: Advanced, All Around, Beginner, Dressage, English Pleasure, Eventing, Equitation
• Winding Fences Farm --- 1102 Ambleside Lane, Windermere, ON P0B 1M0. Telephone 705-769-1418 Email windingfences*AT*gmail.com Directions from Bracebridge --- take Manitoba Street north to Number 4 Windermere Rd (turn left at Shell gas station). Follow for 6 Km to Ambleside Lane. Turn left and follow to end of road (1 km). Services --- Boarding, Horseback Riding Lessons Breeds --- Paint, Quarter Horse Training --- Lessons, Ranch Work, Team Penning, Trail Riding, Western Riding, Ranch Sorting.
• Chincoteagues in Canada --- 1010 Stephens Bay Road, Bracebridge, Ontario P1L 1X2, Telephone 705-645-2369 email muskokaponies*AT*gmail.com The Chincoteague Pony, which is actually a small horse, is a hardy breed originating from a herd of wild horses located on the island of Assateague in Virginia, USA.
• Sharpe Creek Ranch --- 316 Fraserburg Road Bracebridge, ON Office: 705-646-1538 Cell: 705-645-0752 A small boarding facility located in the heart of beautiful Muskoka. We are especially proud to offer a relaxed environment to enjoy your horse... no barn politics, no gossip, no drama... and nothing to hide. Just a wonderful place to hang your saddle and enjoy your horse, who will be treated as special as ours are.
• Muskoka Trails Council --- discover a spectacular realm of hills and lookouts, waterfalls and moss-cloaked ravines, groves of cloud scraping pines and craggy granite barrens - all part of Muskoka's 300-plus kilometers of recreational trails.

Antique and Classic Wooden Boats and Canoes, in Muskoka and Worldwide

• Grace and Speed - The Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centre is a 20,000 square foot museum and meeting place that provides a glimpse into the unique aspects of Muskoka life. Grace and Speed has attracted millions of visitors and spawned countless memories. The exhibits capture the glory of the Muskoka experience, explore the rich history of steamships, wooden boats, luxury hotels, and beloved Muskoka lakes that have captivated countless people for generations. 275 Steamboat Bay Road, Gravenhurst, Ontario. Telephone 705.687.2115.
• Antique Boat America - provide a user-friendly, informative forum for classic, used and antique boat buyers and sellers across Canada and the United States.
• National Canoe Day, The Canadian Canoe Museum, 910 Monaghan Road, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 5K4
• Canoe Songs - produced by Paul Mills.
• Antique and Classic Boat Society - ACBS-Toronto - Toronto branch, PO Box 675, Canada Post, 169 The Donway West, Don Mills, Ontario, M3C 2T8. Phone 416-299-3311.
• Antique and Classic Boat Society - ACBS-International - lists wooden boat shows all over North America.
• Antique and Classic Boat Society - ACBS-Sunnyland - Every March organizes the Sunnyland Boat Festival near Tavares and Lake Dora in Florida, about two hours from Bradenton.

Some Marinas in Muskoka on the Three Big Lakes near Bracebridge

• Port Carling Boats - A great site about muskoka wooden boats, also lists cottages to rent.
• Muskoka Wharf Marine - in Gravenhurst, outdoor and indoor storage available.
• Indian Head Harbour Marina, Hwy 118, 5 minutes from Bracebridge, 1048 Cedar Beach Road, Lake Muskoka, Telephone 705.645.4100.
• Allport Marina --- 1640 Beaumont Drive, Bracebridge, ON, P1L 1X2. Telephone 705.645.7941, Email Info@allportmarina.com - Nestled in Allport Bay on beautiful Lake Muskoka, Allport Marina is a full-service and family-owned marina operation. For over 40 years our location has afforded our customers calm docking conditions, close proximity to the town of Bracebridge and ideal access to the middle of Lake Muskoka. Outboard motor sales, boat rentals, boat detailing, service and winter storage are all available on site. Now with over 150 covered and uncovered dock slips, many of which are newly constructed, we have become one of the largest marinas in Muskoka.
• Beaumaris Marina --- 1214 Beaumaris Road, Beaumaris, ON, Canada P1L 1W8. Telephone 705.764.1171 Toll-free telephone 877.496.4450 Email-info*AT*beaumarismarina.com
• Pride of Muskoka Marine --- 1785 Beaumont Drive, Bracebridge ON, Telephone 705.645.9151 In 1986, Pride Marine Group began as a single location, a small gas dock on the shores of Lake Muskoka, committed to serving cottagers with integrity, hard work and a smile. This year we expanded our offering to 6 locations, 5 on the water locations and the latest Pride Marine Group Flagship Showroom on highway 400 in Innisfil.
• Pride of Muskoka West Marine --- 2194 District Road 169 Muskoka, Gravenhurst, P1P 1R2 Telephone 705.687.4411

Cruises in Muskoka and Worldwide

• Cunard Line Cruises --- the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic cruises from New York to Southampton or Hamburg cost about $1,300 to $5,000 CAD depending on the size and location of your cabin.
• Muskoka Steamship Cruises --- the 125 year-old, steamship Segwun cruises Lakes Muskoka, Rosseau, and Joseph, the cost ranges from about $20 to $90 CAD depending on the length of time and if lunch or dinner is served.
• Muskoka Sunset Cruises --- the 1946, Peerless II yacht and the 1920's era, 40-foot, 12-passenger Idyllwood reproduction yacht cruises Lakes Muskoka, Rosseau, and Joseph. The cost of a cruise ranges from about $20 to $90 CAD depending on the length of time and if lunch or dinner is served. Sunset Cruises is owned and operated by Captain Randy Potts, a licensed captain for over 20 years. A cruise aboard the Peerless II or the Idyllwood is intimate, informative, historical, and enjoyable. Sunset Cruises go where the large boats don't.
• Muskoka River Cruises --- the 300-passenger, Lady Muskoka cruises from Bracebridge down the Muskoka River to Lake Muskoka. The cost of a cruise ranges from about $20 to $50 CAD, depending on the length of time and if lunch or dinner is served.
• SS Bigwin in Lake of Bays --- In 2012, the SS Bigwin had regularly scheduled cruises which are free to the public (a generous donation is always welcome). Departing from its dock in Dorset Ontario, and cruising down majestic Trading Bay with its tall white pines and towering cliffs, you'll love seeing the beautiful Lake of Bays, as other observers did in the first half of the 1900's. According to a newspaper report in Jan 2013, Matthew Gaasenbeek is the chairman of the Lake of Bays Marine Museum where the SS Bigwin was pulled out of the water for the winter.
• Island Queen Cruises --- the 550-passenger, Island Queen cruises from Parry Sound to the beautiful Thirty Thousand Island region of Georgian Bay. The cost of a cruise ranges from about $30 to $40 CAD, depending on the length of time. The Island Queen is a beautiful vessel specially designed with easy maneuverability and a shallow draft, allowing her to travel into narrow channels and surprisingly up-close to shorelines, maximizing your opportunities for great photos and allowing for exploration of out-of-the-way places.

Things to do in Bradenton, Clearwater, St. Petes, Tampa, and Sarasota, Florida

• Ruth Eckerd Hall, excellent sound system for music concerts, seats 40, 41,42, 43, 44, and 45 in row K are excellent
• Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 North MacInnes Place, Tampa, 1.800.955.1045
• Sandbar Restaurant - best in North America
• La Maison Gourmet, Tapas and Wine Bar Restaurant, 471 Main St, Dunedin, FL 34698, Chef and Owner John Lewis.
• Chuck Caudill - playing guitar and singing for 20 years at the sandbar
• Victoria Condo in Dunedin
• Bay News Channel - Tampa area
• HR Trains Museum and store, 6901 US Hwy 19 North Pinellas Park, 727.526.4682
• Gene's Music Music, 664 Main St. Dunedin, 727.735.0159
• Encore Music, 11614 US Hyw 19
• Sam Ash Music Stores, 923 McMullen Booth
• Dance And Circus Arts, 1610 North Hercules Ave, Suite G and H, Clearwater, Florida 33765.
• Palm Harbor Natural Foods, 30555 US Hwy 19 North, 727.786.1231, near Dunedin.
• Casa Tina Mexican Restaurant, Main Street, Dunedin, FL.
• An Olde Feedstore, 718 Broadway, Dunedin, FL, 727.736.8115.
• Cori's Stable, based in Clearwater, Florida, they sell well-trained, purebred Canadian horses to qualified owners. 1770 Kennesaw Lane (East off Keene, one block south of Sunset Point Road) Clearwater, FL 33765, Tel 727.424.9399
• Lincoln Land, 2025 Gulf to Bay Blvd., Clearwater, Fl 33765 Tel 727.443.3646. Parts are at 1928 Sherwood St. (West off Hercules south of Sunset Point Road), Clearwater, FL 33765, Tel 727.446.2193.
• Vintage Shopping Guide, Buffalo Gal Vintage Clothing, 1246 Central Ave., St Petersburg, FL.
• Sarasota Folk Club - monthly concerts are held on the last Monday of the month at the Sailing Squadron Club at 1717 Ken Thompson Pkwy, City Island, Sarasota. From St. Armand's Circle, drive north towards Mote Aquarium and Longboat Key. Just before the bridge to Longboat, turn right at the Mote Aquarium sign, Ken Thompson Pkwy. You will pass Mote Aquarium on the right. Continue to the end of Ken Thompson Parkway and go around the loop. Turn right at the "Folk Concert Tonight" sign at the gate, enter, and park somewhere not blocking a boat's access. The concert is held in the covered pavilion behind the building.
• Beginner Horse Riding Lessons in Florida
• Florida Horse Park in Ocala. Driving directions - From I-75, take Exit 341 and head east on CR 484 for about .5 miles. At the light directly after Dunkin Donuts, turn left onto CR 475A. Continue north on 475A about 2.5 miles. The entrance to the Florida Horse Park is on your right.
• Rick Davis Stables near Bradenton, Florida.
• Sixteen Hands Horse Sanctuary near Bradenton, Florida.
• Florida Maritime Museum (FMM) in Cortez, Florida, 34215 --- just 5 minutes west of downtown Bradenton. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm. Telephone 941.708.6120. At the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez you will find the Banks Shell collection, ship models, historic boats and a surprise butterfly garden. Families and community members will have the opportunity to build boats and learn boat related skills in the historic Pillsbury Boat Shop. Weekend workshops and ongoing programs will include building a racing Puddle Duck complete with a sail rig and Skin on Frame kayaks.

  Another program at FMM is the Traditional Small Craft Association (TSCA) --- a group that gets together to use their boats at events called "messabouts." A messabout is a disorganized gathering where the primary activities include rowing, sailing or paddling boats that are of traditional design or construction. Canoes, kayaks, and small sailboats, preferably built by the owners in wood (but not necessarily so) get together to explore, picnic, and "talk boat" in some of the most beautiful places on the water in Florida. You don't have to have a boat to be a member because there's always space in somebody's boat and the group is all about learning from each other.

• Gentry Custom Boats - Kayaks, Rowboats, Paddle boards and Canoes that anyone can build!
• Saddle Creek is an equestrian community featuring 26 miles of bridle trails, 14 miles east of Sarasota, Florida. All lots are between 5 and 12 acres to accommodate stables and pastures. Homes from 2.000 to more than 5,000 square feet are set well back from the street and in 2013 ranged in price from $500K to $900K. From I-75 drive 4.6 miles east on Hwy 72.
• Check out Bradenton on Wikipedia.
• City of Bradenton
• Manatee County Florida Clerk - access official records
• Manatee County Tax Collector, pay online or visit a tax office at 7411 Manatee Avenue W., Suite 200, Bradenton, FL 34209 or 4333 US 301 N., Ellenton, FL 34222, or 819 301 Blvd West Bradenton, FL 34205, open 9 am to 5 pm, Mon to Fri.
• Herrmanns Royal Lipizzan Stallions - From November through May, see the fabulous flying white Lipizzans perform the rare and beautiful Airs Above the Ground as seen in Walt Disney's movie Miracle of the White Stallions. Their winter ranch is about 25 miles east of Bradenton at 32755 Singletary Road, Myakka City, Florida 34251. Founded in the 16th century for the exclusive use of the Hapsburg Royal family of Austria, the Royal Lipizzans are unquestionably the rarest, most aristocratic breed of horses in the world. The pride of the Hapsburg Empire, the Lipizzan breed was first established by Archduke Charles at Lipizza (now part of Yugoslavia). Only a few hundred have ever existed at any one time. Indeed, it is a contemporary miracle of sorts that this precious bloodline is not extinct, having barely been saved by General George Patton from the Russian advance during World War II. The Airs Above the Ground include:
  • Levade - The horse rises on his haunches from a standstill position and tucks his fore legs under him as he maintains a 45 degree angle. The Levade is often the pose of classical equestrian sculpture and art.
  • Courbette - The horse does several jumps on his hind legs while holding his fore legs off the ground.
  • Capriole - The horse leaps from all four feet and, at the peak of elevation, strikes out violently with his hind legs.

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