The Greenwater Report for April 28, 2003
Greenwater Provincial Park - Monday, April 28, 2003 - by: Jerry Crawford
still ice	April 27th, 2003: We were surprised to see the lake still covered with ice this morning. Last evening, there were huge patches of open water to the west. Just before dark, the east wind pushed the ice clear from our shoreline, and we expected it would be all gone by this morning. As I write this, Sunday afternoon, the ice (or slush, really) is at the west side and our bay is clear.
Calgary storm	So far, we have missed the heavy snows that fell close to us. We understand Wadena got a couple of inches, and there was a half-ton at the Cove this morning with Manitoba license and snow on the hood. One man came from Calgary yesterday, and he said driving east on Highway #1 was the worst conditions he has ever been in, with vehicles in the ditches and banged up. Once he got on the highway and saw how bad it was, he was committed - afraid to go ahead, but didn’t dare stop. By the time he got to Medicine Hat, the road was dry.
greetings and ribbon cutting song	We went to Sturgis yesterday. I may have mentioned that a friend of ours, Barb Fraser, has opened a bakery and tea room there, called “Barb’s House Food Emporium”. She has been open since March 21st, and yesterday was the official opening. There were messages of greetings and congratulations from Marie-Anne Suknasky (Head to Toe Hairdressers) for the EDC, Lil Masley (Lil’s Hometown Fashions) for the Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor Don Olson. Mayor Don presented a New Business plaque for the town, and cut the ribbon to declare the business officially open. There was even entertainment - Barb’s mother, Gladys McDougall, played the guitar and sang a song she had composed especially for the occasion, titled: “Let’s Go Down to Barb’s House”.
comfortable	The building doesn’t look like much from the outside, but she has a nice sign, and we were very impressed with the inside. There is seating room for twenty-five or so, with mismatched tables and chairs, plus four at the kidney-shaped counter (on stools from the ‘40s!). Just to the left as you come in is a lounging area, with couch and easy chairs. A very comfortable place.
stained glass low-fat baking	Barb also does stained glass work, and there is a large hanging of a stained glass eagle in the front window of her building. Must see! Barb loves to bake, and her specialty is organic foods. We tried out soup, sandwich, two kinds of cake, and two kinds of pie, (and I could have tried more, but Doreen was dragging me to the door) and brought home several different kinds of bread (including some Ezekiel bread, which is fantastic!). Many of her products are low-fat, and many are suitable for diabetics. All are home-made, and delicious! Sturgis is lucky to have Barb’s House, and we hope she gets the support she deserves.
processed water	While Mayor Don was in the mood, he presented a New Business Plaque to Harold Johnson, who operates a water filtration plant in the back of the building. He calls it “H2O Assiniboine Clear”. The water is Sturgis tap water, put through a charcoal filter, water softener and reverse osmosis process. It is then irradiated with UV before being bottled. I tried a glassful and it is great-tasting water.
Crystal Lake	Afterwards, we went to Gladys’ cottage at Crystal Lake where we were treated to a concert by Gladys on guitar, Ray Schweitzer on accordion, and Erma Schweitzer on spoons. Ray and Erma played in a dance band for years and are accomplished musicians.
cottages	That was our first visit to Crystal Lake; it is quite small, less than half the size of the south part of Greenwater Lake, and completely surrounded by cottages. There must be some access to the lake, though, because there is a boat launch and, presumably, a public beach.
award two years in a row	Last year, Alex Dunlop showed me a certificate he had received, a ”Recognition of Achievement Customer Service Award”. Greenwater Park was tops in the province. The other day, he showed me another - our Park won it two years in a row! The first time, he said, the other Park operators were quite polite, shook his hand and congratulated him. This time, they just growled and turned away. Congratulations, Park Staff!
dock talk	We brought our motor home and boat back from winter storage. Before we launch the boat, our dock has to rebuilt, and before it goes in the water, it has to warm up a lot. We haven’t found a way yet to do it without getting wet!
	Doreen & Jerry Crawford Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0 (306) 278-3423 http://www.greenwaterreport.com/
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