SPRING 2012
PUBLISHER KATIE BURCHELL CREATIVE DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER SIMON BURN EDITORIAL TEAM KEVIN “CRASH” CORRIGAN DAVID K. DORWARD KIRA DORWARD HEATHER GHEY-BROADBENT RIC KITOWSKI JOCELYN KLEMM DIANA JANOSIK-WRONSKI CONTRIBUTORS SIMON BURN JIM CONNELLY PETER DE SOUSA RICHARD VAUGHN PROOFREADER SALLY MORELL EDITORIAL DESIGN SDB CREATIVE GROUP INC. ADVERTISING DESIGN & PRODUCTION CAROLINE SWEET, SKY CREATIVE GROUP LTD. ADVERTISING SALES KATIE BURCHELL BARRIE BURCHELL TRUDY GENTILE DESARAI RIVARD frontlinemedia1@sympatico.ca Tel: 905 857 2536 While every effort has been made to ensure that advertisements and articles appear correctly, Frontline Media cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the contents of this publication. All material is intended for information purposes only. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of its publisher or editor. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without written permission from the publisher. Owned & published by Frontline Media, P. O. Box 340, Caledon, Ontario L7E 5T3 Tel: 905 857 2536 Email: frontlinemedia1@sympatico.ca Caledon Living is published 4 times a year (January, April, July, October)
and delivered via Canada Post.
www.CaledonLiving.com © 2012 1735715 Ontario Inc. Caledon Living is a Registered Trademark PRINTED IN CANADA ON PAPER FROM A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE, USING VEGETABLE-BASED INKS. PLEASE SHARE MAGAZINE WITH A FRIEND, AND THEN RECYCLE.
CONTACT US Readers are invited to contribute comments and views. Stories and ideas are always welcome for consideration. Write to us at: Caledon Living, P.O.Box 340, Caledon, Ontario L7E 5T3 Or email: frontlinemedia1@sympatico.ca
from the publisher
A promising spring Did I blink and miss spring completely? This is supposed to be our Spring Issue, but we could as easily have printed “summer issue” on the cover and no one would notice, based on the weather this past week! Let’s hope this continues ... I can already see my tulips growing rapidly, and the migratory birds are returning, chirping with both joy and confusion at what Mother Nature is doing to us all. This issue has a bias toward homes. We were able to explore a local home designed in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, which was a treat. Also Jim Connelly and Peter De Sousa take us on a home tour of an extremely grand property they are presently refurbishing. Renovating kitchens is as popular as ever, as we spend more time practicing our cooking skills these days and the kitchen is simply a great place to hang out with friends and family. Many people have a TV, computer or iPad station in their kitchen for both entertainment and culinary research, so it’s little wonder we spend more money on renovating and equipping our kitchens than any other room in the house. We’ve taken a look at new trends and technology in the kitchen and share our findings. We hope you are enjoying spring as much as we are!
EVENTS April 14 Taste of Africa Fundraising Dinner & Dance
Fun-filled evening showcasing the different aspects of African culture. Includes African entertainment and marketplace.Tickets $80pp. events@kingscollegeschool.ca
April 15 Spring Gardeners Gathering Lunch
Lunch, music, presentation and silent auction at Caledon Country Club in support of Ontario SPCA Orangeville and District Branch. Tickets $30pp. www.orangeville.ontariospca.ca
April 20 Wine Dinner Club
“One Night in Morocco”. Gourmet food and wine pairing evening from Gourmandissimo and The Wine Coaches. Caledon East. Tickets $75pp. www.gourmandissimo.com
May 23 Martinis & More
A night of Martinis and appetizers at Caesar’s Event Centre, Bolton, to raise funds for Caledon Breast Cancer Foundation. Tickets $50pp. www.caledonbcf.org
May 26 Moulin Rouge – Annual Dinner and Auction
A cabaret inspired evening in support of the Headwaters Health Care Foundation. Tickets $195pp. www.headwatershealth.ca FOR COMPREHENSIVE & UP-TO-DATE LOCAL EVENT LISTINGS, VISIT WWW.THEHILLSOFHEADWATERS.COM
Katie Burchell Publisher
Prestigious award winners
COVER Home Tour: Colours of spice
In the Autumn 2008 edition of Caledon Living writers Heather Ghey Broadbent and Robert Hulley reported on an Inventory of Humber River bridges being undertaken by the Humber River Alliance Heritage Sub-committee. Earlier sub-committee projects had helped with the successful application for ‘Canadian Heritage River’ status for the Humber. For the latest projects, completed and/or published last Spring, the Committee learned in the Fall of 2011 that for the Inventory project, and the Shared Path/ Le Sentier portage—(a linear park project in Toronto—from the Lake Shore to Dundas Street along the Humber), and other human heritage work, the Sub-committee had been awarded the prestigious Heritage Canada Foundation National Achievement Award for 2011.
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Photo: Simon Burn Styling: Jim Connelly
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Thank you Caledon Breast Cancer Foundation wishes to thank Hogan’s Inn and Boss Leather for their support of the Pink Tie Gala.
If you didn’t receive your copy in the mail, or need a spare copy for a friend, you can find Caledon Living, available free, at the following locations:
ACTON
Leathertown Lumber 264 Main Street
ALTON
Alton Mill 1402 Queen Street Millcroft Inn 55 John Street
BELFOUNTAIN
Belfountain Inn 792 Forks of the Credit Road Sutton Headwaters Realty Inc. 792 Forks of the Credit Road
BOLTON
Aspen Fine Custom Cabinetry 19 McEwan Drive West Forster’s Book Garden 55 Healey Road Klementine 19 Queen Street North Mille Notte Lingerie 4 Queen Street North Prudential Select Real Estate 23 Mill Street RE/MAX West Realty Inc. 1 Queensgate Boulevard Royal LePage RCR Realty 12612 Highway 50
CALEDON EAST
Inspirations 16078 Airport Road Caledon Town Hall Customer Service Centre, 6311 Old Church Road
CHELTENHAM
Cheltenham Country Store 14386 Creditview Road
DUFFERIN
Dufferin County Museum Airport Road & Hwy 89
ERIN
The Weathervane 74 Main Street
INGLEWOOD
Inglewood General Store 15596 McLaughlin Road
ORANGEVILLE
Orangeville Best Western Inn & Suites 7 Buena Vista Drive Orangeville Furniture Mono Plaza, Hwy 10
SCHOMBERG
Divada Kitchens 17380 Hwy 27 The Fireplace Stop Crossroads Mall
VICTORIA
Coffee Bean Café 15499 Hurontario Street SPRING 2012 CALEDON LIVING
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contents
spring 2012 garden 10 Flower power:
3 easy recipes using a local super food
Seven trees with spectacular spring colour
home 14 Colours of spice 25 Frank Lloyd Wright
COVER
in Caledon
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Kitchens: New products and style trends
people 48 Hannah Chapplain 62 Let the Bolton games begin: Exclusive Caledon Living photoshoot with local rising star Hannah Chapplain
Matt Polsinelli
heritage 57 Caledon’s historic cemeteries:
An important heritage resource
food 39 Spinach recipes wine connoisseur 44 Seriously pink motoring 67 First impressions:
2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Roadster
business 54 Business profile:
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Carusi & Sweet Harmony, Caledon East
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garden When it comes to spectacular spring colour, nothing is more dramatic and show stopping than the beauty of a tree in full bloom. Bulbs and early perennials may
FLOWERING DOGWOOD
enliven gardens, but blossom-bearing trees brighten entire yards, boldly signaling the new season. Even when the blossoms have faded, flowering trees maintain their ornamental value by providing visual interest and structure, offering privacy and a spot of welcome shade, and luring birds to the yard. There are many spectacular spring-flowering trees to choose from, but here are seven that are sure to brighten your yard before the full glory of the summer garden unfolds itself.
FLOWERPOWER WORDS RICHARD VAUGHN
Flowering Dogwood Nothing signals the arrival of spring like dogwoods in bloom. In fact, some gardeners even look to the appearance of dogwood flowers as a sign that the threat of frost has passed, so they can plant their gardens. Colours vary, including pinks and whites, but perhaps the most striking are the yellow flowers of Cornelian cherry dogwood. Interestingly, although typically considered a flower, the blooms of this tree are actually four petal-like bracts. The true flowers are green and tiny, located at the blossom’s centre. Dogwood trees are a two-season delight; they’re just as beautiful in autumn as they are in spring, with leaves bursting into vibrant red hues, and showy scarlet fruit that attract birds. Most flowering dogwoods are hardy from zones 4 to 8, so they’ll thrive in Central Ontario. They are also great additions for smaller yards, since they grow a manageable 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Flowering dogwoods prefer full sun or partial shade, and well-drained soil.
Horse Chestnut The horse chestnut helps transition from spring to summer. Just when spring blooms are fading and before summer foliage kicks in, horse chestnut trees provide a welcome burst of flowers. These four- or five-petal blooms which typically appear in late May are favoured by butterflies and hummingbirds. By fall, the blooms are replaced by 10
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HORSE CHESTNUT
Seven trees with spectacular spring colour
EASTERN REDBUD
the shiny nuts enjoyed by squirrels. Don’t try to eat them, however—they’re toxic to humans! When deciding to add this unique tree to your garden, make sure to place it in an area with ample room to spread, because they can grow as much as 30–40 feet high and wide. Also, keep horse chestnut trees away from sidewalks and patios, because their invasive roots can break up these areas. When the horse chestnut is mature, the heavy dense canopy it provides is not ideal for under-planting, but it can be the perfect area for a bench, to sit and escape the sun. The horse chestnut needs fairly rich and moist but welldrained soil, and thrives best when placed in a sunny to lightly shaded area.
Eastern Redbud There are a number of redbud varieties, each with its own unique appeal, but the most suited to our central Ontario climate is eastern redbud (hardy to zone 4). Unfurling a profusion of small, rosy pink pea-like blossoms in early spring, then continuing to charm with attractive heartshaped leaves that turn brilliant yellow in autumn, eastern redbud is one of the rare trees that delight us in all seasons. Eastern redbud grows 20 to 30 feet tall, and just as wide, so it’s not ideal for small yards. They thrive in full sunlight or partial shade, and prefer moist and well-draining soil.
JAPANESE FLOWERING CHERRY
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garden Japanese Flowering Cherry
Saucer Magnolia
The Japanese flowering cherry will brighten any yard with its clusters of pink flowers which usually appear on branches before the foliage emerges in spring. Most bloom in April or May. Once in bloom, the fragrance from these trees is enchanting and breathtaking, only adding to the attraction. Later, when the blooms are finished, you’re left with tantalizing fruit which will lure birds to the garden. The Japanese flowering cherry does not like poorly drained soil, preferring dryer conditions. Avoid overwatering and over-feeding, which can stimulate new growth that is susceptible to insects and disease. There are many varieties available. When selecting one, it’s important to ask about its disease resistance as many cherry trees are highly susceptible to insect and disease problems.
The saucer magnolia is a breathtaking addition to a garden, and is often considered among the most beautiful and fragrant of springtime blooms. Their showy blossoms are sure to attract plenty of attention to a yard when they emerge in early spring. Not only are the large cup-shaped flowers striking (typically white, pink or purple), but they have a sweet scent as well. Even when not in bloom, magnolias are handsome. The tree’s smooth gray bark and glossy leaves are beautiful all summer long. Not everyone has the patience to grow a magnolia, however, because they can be finicky. The saucer magnolia prefers acidic and well-drained soil, and should be placed in full sun to light shade. Organic mulch, such as pine needles or shredded pine bark, can be added to the soil to boost soil acidity and fertility. It’s important to keep the soil evenly moist from spring until the ground freezes, and to feed with acidic plant food in early spring. For best results, place it against evergreens and dark backgrounds for a good colour contrast.
Flowering Crabapple There is nothing more colourful then a crabapple tree in full bloom, a sure sign that spring is here. The lavish colours vary from white, pink, red and burgundy, but whatever variety you decide upon will be a welcome burst of brilliance. In years past, the appeal of flowering crabapples was offset by the mess they produced when shedding their fruit, and because of their known susceptibility to disease. Luckily, new varieties are now available that resist disease and hang onto their fruit longer, sometimes even all year. Flowering crabapples prefer full sun for best flowering and to reduce the chance for disease. They grow better with consistent moisture, but mature trees are drought tolerant. Most varieties grow 15–25 feet tall.
FLOWERING CRABAPPLE
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Golden Chain Perhaps the most distinctive of the spring-flowering trees is the golden chain. You can’t help but take a second glance to admire this tree, which almost looks like it should be lining the graceful drive of a southern plantation. In spring, delicate chains of yellow blooms drip from its branches like locks of golden hair. For best results, plant several of these smallish trees together; although one looks attractive, three or more make a statement. Golden chain trees grow 12–15 feet tall, and 9 to 12 feet wide. They like partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Note that they are more suited to zones 5–7, so be prepared to protect them over the winter with heavy mulching and try to keep them out of wind-prone areas.
SAUCER MAGNOLIA
GOLDEN CHAIN
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home
Colours of spice Stronger and fresher colours are finding their way back into homes to cheer things up and add some drama, after years of understated and often rather drab and uninspiring neutrals. We are looking to nature to provide fruity palettes, including tangerine, lemon, lime or raspberry, but nature also provides a collection of more earthy and sophisticated colours. The colours of exotic spices.
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WORDS JIM CONNELLY & PETER DE SOUSA PHOTOS SIMON BURN
Our clients have a very eclectic and rich decorating style. During their world travels for business and for pleasure they have acquired five private residences in various countries. At our first meeting with them, they showed us computer images of their other homes to give us an understanding of how they were decorated and what was important to them. All the homes had one common denominator—the rich colours of Africa where they had lived for many years. The colours that the clients love evoke memories of the Kasbah with warm spice colours such as Paprika, Turmeric and Curry. Pantone named the colour of the year this year as Tangerine Tango. Also all the top designers we work with are talking about and showcasing the look of North Africa and Morocco, with the vibrant spice colours that our clients wanted us to create in their home. A beautiful large decorative glass jar of preserves in their kitchen displaying a combination of their two favorite colours became our colour palette. Our first room to tackle was the Great Room, with a high vaulted ceiling and large wall space. Before we started our clients asked to see hand painted samples using both spice colours, Paprika and Turmeric, with a rich gold design incorporated into the wall treatment. They wanted the wall treatment to be subtle with a rich warm ambience. The Great Room is quite large and a strong colour treatment could be overpowering. From a large library of designer stencils and custom templates in our studio we selected an eastern style Old World Damask stencil that worked well with our concept and our clients’ style. After reviewing our two samples our clients agreed the Paprika spice colour was the winner for the Great Room walls. We created a beautiful finish by painting the base colour first and then applying the damask stencil as a random repeat pattern using a rich gold acrylic paint. Next we tinted the base colour paint to make a darker colour and added it to acrylic glaze, one
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Our clients agreed the Paprika spice colour was the winner for the Great Room walls.
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home
The master bathroom has a soft paprika wall colour (white paint was mixed in) to create a more soothing ambience. Gold accents are everywhere to provide some decadence, from the faucets, statues and picture frames, to the window fabrics The spicey palette was even carried through into the dramatic dried flower centrepiece in the main entrance.
part paint to three parts acrylic glaze. We applied the glaze with a small roller over the entire surface and then, by removing some of the glaze by blotting the surface with sheets of crinkled brown paper, we created a crinkled silk design. The effect was stunning. The ceiling was painted a lighter shade of the wall colour, without any decorative faux finish. We studied a photograph of a stained glass skylight from one of their other residences and used it as a reference to paint a circular round mural on canvas. Installed onto the ceiling, it produced a believable reproduction of the stained glass skylight that they loved. This home has two staircases leading to the top floor. Both have wrought iron with decorative medallion motifs. Our clients requested that we gold leaf the decorative medallions to inject a golden shimmer. The result was glamorous and complimented the new wall finishes. 16
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home
Gold embellishments are found throughout the house, the rich colour complementing the spicey colours beautifully. Architectural details were painted gold and antiqued. All the ceiling inner mouldings were 24kt gold leafed.
Turmeric yellow was the predominant colour for the kitchen and breakfast solarium walls, contrasting nicely with the dark wood and aged iron furniture.
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Our next project was the main hallway on the ground floor. The decision was to continue the same wall treatment as the Great Room, but just a shade softer. The wall treatment complimented the white trim and the result was perfect. The library was a new installation with rich wooden bookcases and crown moldings. After installation by another trade, there was a small wall area, baseboards, window, doors, small crown molding and the ceiling for us to work with. After brainstorming with our clients we decided to paint the small wall area, window, doors and crown molding to look like the wooden bookcases. This made the library look more streamlined and rich. Our clients also had a vintage leather chair that they loved. So we created a Faux Leather paneled ceiling design to match the chair colour, incorporating raised plaster medallions that were gold leafed and antiqued. The pantry, breakfast solarium and kitchen were next. A sample board was painted with simmering light yellow Turmeric spice, gold medallion motifs and crinkled silk. After approval, this finish was applied with spectacular results. The dining room had been painted a dull brown and our clients were waiting for delivery of a custom dining table and chairs from Italy. They had a beautiful carpet on the floor and wanted us to continue the Soft Antique Fade finish that was in the Formal Living Room. We painted out the brown with an off white base colour and applied a soft antique glaze. Plaster medallions were gold leafed and added to the top of the columns. Then our clients requested that we gold leaf a strip of the ceiling crown molding in the dining room, formal living room and all of the kitchen areas. The gold leafing provided a perfect shimmer to compliment the spice colours on the walls. Last, the master bathroom walls were painted a softer shade of Paprika spice, a perfect combination with the white trim and the beautiful marble, providing soft ethereal elegance. Stay tuned for more details on our next project in the house. We will be in the home movie theatre that has an Art Deco theme, where we have painted the walls a rich burgundy and gold. Its one-of-a-kind art deco plaster crown molding has been gold leafed and painted with high gloss black trim, the same paint as we used for all of the base boards and wooden trim. The rich carpet in tones of gold and burgundy will be installed very soon. Now, when did they say the seats and sound systems were being installed? Peter and I have our front row passes, and popcorn at the ready!
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home
The library has a turmeric coloured faux leather ceiling that matches an antique desk chair, and plaster medallions with gold leafing and an antique finish.
Spicy colour
What you need to Exotic Bird CIL
spice up your décor Vibrant and earthy paint palette: turmeric, paprika, curry, cumin African and Asian inspired carpets Asian objet d’art – golden Buddha figurine, elephants etc.
Zinnia
Pratt & Lambert
India Yellow Farrow & Ball
Exotic fabrics Cushions embellished with sequins or embroidery Moroccan lamps Plants – bamboo and palms
Tandoori
Benjamin Moore
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Subdued lighting
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home tour I home
Frank Lloyd Wright in Caledon WORDS KATIE BURCHELL
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The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than before the building was built.
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home I home tour Set up high on a hill amongst the trees and virtually out of sight from the Forks of The Credit Road, sits the only Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home in Caledon. Frank Lloyd Wright himself said, “No house should ever be on a hill, or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together, each the happier for the other.” The present owner, with a passion for America’s greatest architect, certainly agrees with that sentiment and feels at one with nature, tucked away on three and a half secluded acres in the 5,000 sq ft poured concrete house that offers stunning views as far as the eye can see. The 1,200 sq ft master suite has a walk-out balcony with an easterly view of Forks of The Credit Provincial Park.
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home I home tour “Study nature; love nature; stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” Frank Lloyd Wright once said this and the architects, Crang & Boake who built this home in 1974, certainly took this philosophy to heart. Much of the exterior and interior are faced with natural granite, with wood features throughout. Vast amounts of solid oak flooring add great warmth and cosiness to the rooms, all of which are irregularly shaped, a Frank Lloyd Wright signature. There’s not a square room in the whole house and, although it’s colossal, there is a cosy rural cottage feel to many of its areas, in particular the kitchen which features a cavernous fireplace where one can sit on a cold winter’s day after a stroll in the forest and warm up with a mug of cocoa. A common feature of his designs, included in this Caledon home, is a large central chimney and open concept layout with good flow between the rooms. His goal was to provide a seamless interaction between the outside and inside. Frank Lloyd Wright introduced the word “organic” into his philosophy of architecture at the start of the twentieth century and changed “form follows function” into “form and function are one,” using nature as an example. His designs harmoniously blend the house into the landscape, and he believed, “A good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than before the building was built.”
RIGHT The solid oak bookcase in the dining area takes its design cues from Frank Lloyd Wright’s ability for interior and furniture design. He would often run a motif throughout a home, from furniture, stained glass, fabrics and architectural details both inside and outside.
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home I home tour LEFT The cavernous fireplace of
natural stone in the kitchen gives a very cozy feel.
BELOW The indoor pool is surrounded with natural materials and views of the forest.
This wonderful and unique Caledon home has been enjoyed by its present owner for seven years, and is presently on the market for sale. Now, as the leaves grow, the plants spring back to life, and nature perks up in the warming weather, it is easy to see what Frank Lloyd Wright once understood, and what the architects took their cue from as they envisioned the design of this distinctive house atop a hill in Belfountain. The hill and house should live together, each the happier for the other.
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kitchens I home
Colourful kitchens Remember a few years back, when you wanted to buy a new pan, and the colour choice was black or silver? No more. Now, everything from a stove to a spatula comes in a rainbow of colour choices, and kitchens have never looked more cheerful and fun. Here are a few things that have caught our eye... Le Creuset classic whistling kettle in Dijon, $129.99 www.lacreuset.ca
Emile Henry continually brings out some amazing colours for their ranges of bakeware, including a fresh fruity palette of red, pink, purple and green. Raspberry 3.3L rectangular dish From the Urban Colours range, $69.99 www.emilehenry.com A classic British favourite since 1920, the cast-iron Aga, on temperature 24/7. No knobs, no timers, no stress, no comparison. It provides unprecedented cooking freedom, and is available in a wide range of cool colours. 3 oven in duck egg blue, $15,399.00 The ultimate cooking experience for the serious gourmet, La Cornue ovens are handcrafted in France in a choice of colours. Ch창teau 150 in pistachio green, $45,000.00 Aga & La Cornue details www.bellevie.ca
Cool Technology Hands free Delta Pilar kitchen faucet with Touch2O Technology allows users to turn the flow of water on and off with just a simple tap anywhere on the spout or handle. How cool is that? From $594, www.deltafaucet.ca
Handy Cookbooks are old news, the tech-savvy cook uses an iPad or iPhone for following recipes and Jamie Oliver is king of the recipe apps. Try his easy-to-follow instructions and watch how-to videos. Taster Pack is free, iTunes
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home I kitchen ideas
Pot-fillers are worth considering when renovating your kitchen. Make sure the spout is about two inches from the top of your tallest pot.
Maximize storage. What better place to store your spices!
Large professional grade stoves are becoming more desirable.
Add some elegance to your space with a chandelier or low-hanging pendant lights.
Design your cabinets to accommodate the appliances and keep things neat and streamlined.
Design your island in a different colour to your wall cabinets and create a focal point in the room.
If you don’t have a wine cellar, consider creating a special area for your wines in the kitchen, out of direct sunlight.
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Update your kitchen OUR TOP TIPS Add colour If things are looking tired, get a few more years out of out of your current kitchen with new paint. Brighter colours are now popular for both walls and cabinets. If you have a neutral base to work with, add dashes of colour with a brightly coloured mixer or toaster. Appliances come in more fun colours and sexier designs than before. Wall art and large murals also add drama and colour.
Glitz and glamour You’ve probably seen glass mosaic tiles in a lot of stores over the past few years. Well they’re here for a little longer. In fact, they’re getting brighter and more glitzy. Lighting is also important these days, so how about incorporating a modern chandelier, or sleek industrial series of pendant lights?
BEST PRODUCT DESIGN
Henckels Twin® Select 9 piece pot set 9 piece set $999. www.zwilling.com for list of retailers.
BEST DESIGN IDEA
This is one of the best designed cookware products we’ve seen in a long time. It’s seriously stylish, solidly built, and incredibly practical. There is 60% more heat conducting mass than most cookware, and the measuring scale inside the pots is a nice touch. Also features state-of-the-art welding and drip-less rims.
A simple solution Paper towels are essential, but they are ugly and always get in the way, spoiling the look of a well-designed kitchen. Local kitchen designer and manufacturer John Cunic from Gemini Kitchens has the answer. He’s designed a purposebuilt drawer to hide it away but have it easily accessible to use, and also store spares.
Mix ‘n’ match It’s very popular now not to match all your cabinetry, but mix things up. For more impact and interest, many people are choosing painted cabinets on the walls, and a rich dark stained wood island to provide contrast and a focal point in the room.
Streamline it Less clutter, cleaner lines. This includes disguising your fridge, freezer, microwave or even the stove, with cabinet fronts.
Pro chef Cooking for fun and relaxation is big these days, and more of us want to feel like a top chef in our own kitchens. Large commercial style stoves are making their way into many kitchen renos, as are pot-fillers above the stove. Now we can all feel like Gordon Ramsay!
Tech savvy TVs, computers and iPods are all taking up residence in the kitchen. The chefs amongst us need to reference their recipes, and cookbooks are out. We want to dock the iPod and bring up the latest Jamie Oliver app video how-to while we cook. An iPod dock takes up less space than a traditional cookbook shelf. Modern technology has found its way into faucets too; a hands-free tap is a great gadget!
Quality, please Those who love to cook not only seek out quality food ingredients, but want the same in their equipment. Cheap cutting boards and plastic spoons are out; we want high quality olive wooden spoons and cutting boards. And how about some well-crafted dishes, pots and pans that not only perform well, but look like pieces of art on display?
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food
Spinach WORDS + PHOTOS SIMON BURN
This amazing leafy bundle of green goodness packs one huge punch for good health. It’s available locally from May onwards. You should be eating as much as you can get your hands on!
Spinach hummus RECIPE ON PAGE 43
Spinach is on my top 10 list of super foods. Its health benefits are numerous, and I eat as much as I can when available fresh locally. I love it with eggs. They really are the best of friends, and make a tasty start to the day, packing you full of energy and nutritous goodness. To start with, spinach is full of calcium to strengthen bones. It has vitamins A and C, fibre, folic acid, magnesium and flavonoids—all helping control cancer, heart disease and age-related memory loss. Spinach is one of the best foods to help prevent cataracts, thanks to a good dose of lutein found in it. Sautéed spinach with garlic makes a great side dish; I often have it with a piece of baked fish. You can use spinach in sandwiches instead of lettuce, or as a salad. It’s also fantastic in an omelet. I’m sharing three of my favourite quick-to-make recipes here as ideas to help you integrate this wonderful green into your diet this summer. Good health!
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food I recipes
Spinach baked eggs spinach eggs prosciutto sundried tomato garlic evoo salt & pepper
Prep time 10 min Cooking Approx. 15 min
500gm 4 large organic 2 slices 3–4 pieces 2 cloves 2 tablespoons to season
Serves 4 Equipment 4 ramekins pan
Preheat oven to 385°F. Wash spinach and chop off thicker stalks. In a large pan add a dash of extra virgin olive oil (evoo) and throw in the spinach. Place in oven for a few minutes until spinach wilts. Take pan out of oven, add crushed garlic and a dash more olive oil, stir until well mixed and spinach is glistening. Lightly oil the ramekins, divide up the spinach into four equal amounts, and add to each ramekin. Chop up the prosciutto and sundried tomato and add. Crack and add an egg to each ramekin, then season with salt and pepper. You can also grate a little cheese on top if you desire; we used parmesan. Increase oven temperature to 400°F and bake for 8–10 minutes, until eggs are set. Be careful not to overcook them or you won’t be able to dip your bread in—and that’s half the fun! Serve with toasted bread rubbed with garlic and brushed with olive oil.
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Spinach and eggs are best friends
the perfect breakfast treat or tasty appetizer 40 40
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food I recipes
Spinach, onion & lentil soup
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add a dash of hot paprika to spice it up!
spinach onion chorizo sausage lentils tomatoes egg garlic chicken stock evoo salt & pepper
500gm 1 small 125gm 1 cup dry 3 2 organic 2 cloves 1 litre organic 1 tablespoon to season
Prep time 10 min
Serves 3–4
Cooking Approx. 35–40 min
Equipment large pot frying pan
Chop up sausage and onions and fry in a pan with a dash of evoo until nicely caramelized—approx. 8 minutes. Bring stock to a boil in a large saucepan or pot, then lower heat to simmer. Wash lentils and add to pot. Roughly chop tomatoes, spinach and garlic and add to pot. Add the sausage and onions. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with chopped boiled eggs on top.
Spinach hummus spinach chickpeas feta cheese evoo tahini garlic lemon juice turmeric nutmeg sea salt
1 cup, chopped 1 can, 398ml ½ cup ½ cup 2 tablespoons 1 clove 3 tablespoons 1 teaspoon pinch pinch
This takes just minutes to make, and is a fantastic healthy snack! Drain the water from the can of chickpeas. In a food processor blend the spinach, chickpeas, tahini, feta, garlic, olive oil, turmeric, nutmeg and lemon juice. Add sea salt to taste. That’s it! Serve with toasted bread or pita. For parties, sprinkle some olive oil and paprika on top. Garnish with toasted pine nuts. SPRING 2012 CALEDON LIVING
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wine connoisseur
Seriously pink WORDS RIC KITOWSKI & JOCELYN KLEMM
Relaxing on the deck on a sunny afternoon, there may be nothing more refreshing than a cool glass of wine. And if you’re ready for something more substantial than a white wine, yet still cool and refreshing, maybe it’s time to try a glass of rosé. To start, rosé wine has a lot more to offer than you’d expect from the sweet blush White Zinfandel from California. Typically rosé, also known as Rosado in Spain or Rosato in Italy, offers the refreshing qualities of a dry white wine, with the added complexity and structure of the red wine grapes from which it is made. It’s almost the perfect wine to savour in the warmer temperatures of spring and summer. A bit of background: White wines are pale because the grape juice and skins are separated before fermentation. Red wines, on the other hand, gain their colour from soaking the skins of the purple-skinned grapes with the juice for an extended period of time, upwards of 14–16 days. Rosé wines are somewhere in the middle; just a few hours of contact between the juice and red-wine grape skins create the characteristic pink hue in the finished wine.
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Since it’s also during this soaking time that the astringent tannins are extracted, just a few hours on the skins result in more easy-to-drink, food-friendly wines. Without tannins, rosé wine are not particularly age-worthy, much like white wines. As you survey the selection in the LCBO you will notice quite a colour range in different rosé wines, some a vivid fuchsia, some cherry-red, and others coral or salmon-pink. While some of the colour difference comes from the degree of grape skin contact, another important reason is the type of grape. The thicker the skin of the grape used to make the rosé wine, the more colour is extracted. Thick-skinned grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah make deeper and intensely coloured rosé wines, while thinner-skinned grapes like Gamay or Sangiovese make paler and delicately-hued rosé wines. Grenache and Pinot Noir, for example, which tend to have more orange-red tones as red wines, also have more of an orange or ‘salmon’ hue as a rosé. Any red wine grape can also be made into a roséstyle wine. If you’d like to try something different, look for rosé wines made from Spain’s rare Mencia grape or Cabernet Franc from Ontario. There are also sparkling rosé wines, which perhaps is an even better way to enjoy a warm summer evening. Not only are rosé wines seriously pink, the best are seriously dry. To make a dry rosé wine, most or all of the grape sugars are fermented into alcohol. It’s only when some of the grape sugars are left unfermented— known as residual sugar—that the rosé ends up off-dry or as sweet as White Zinfandel. It is the dry versions that are most versatile with food, and you can pair dry rosé with pretty well any dish, from appetizers and salads to grilled chicken, burgers, and seafood. Serving temperature for rosé wine is the same as for dry white wine, 10–13 °C (50–55 °F), and it only takes about 20 minutes in an ice bucket to reach that temperature. Served too cold, the wine’s fruit flavours are muted and its harsher elements, acidity and bitterness, are emphasized. Too warm, and the wine tastes sweeter and less refreshing. It is generally accepted that with lunch in the south of France, Tuscany, or on Spain’s Costa Brava, dry rosé is the drink of choice. For your next al fresco meal in Caledon, why not imagine you’re in the Riviera and try a glass yourself. It might be the start of a new trend. Richard Kitowski and Jocelyn Klemm are authors of the best-selling Clueless about Wine. Contact them and sign up for their newsletter at www.thewinecoaches.com
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people
Hannah Chapplain WORDS KIRA DORWARD PHOTOS SIMON BURN
For a girl of nineteen, the mature voice of Hannah Chapplain, Alton resident and singer/songwriter, is striking, made more impressive in person by her six foot stature. Born in Adelaide, Australia, Hannah became a Caledon resident as an infant, with her family living in Bolton and Nobleton before settling down in Alton. She was a shy child, taking longer than usual to even start talking, and singing became a creative outlet from the beginning, so Hannah began taking vocal lessons that would determine the course of her young life.
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My lyrics are relatable and, I hope, put things into perspective.
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Performing gave her more confidence, and the positive feedback she received from her music reinforced this. After taking five years off to pursue figure skating, Hannah has returned and devoted herself to music for the past five years. Her emerging vocal talents were combined with guitar lessons and a proclivity towards songwriting, skills no doubt inherited from her musician father. Homeschooled in an artistic family, Hannah and her siblings experienced a unique education that combined creative elements such as music and “artistic chaos” in their home in the idyllic Caledon setting, an environment that broadened her originality and directly influenced her music. “Alton is such a peaceful place. I used to take walks to visit the Mill where my mother, an artist, owns a studio, or hikes around the Millcroft Inn.” The creative influences in Hannah’s life allowed her to step out of the box with her music, with lyrics described as being beyond her years. Rather than dealing solely with a teenager’s torment over first loves and heartaches, Hannah’s songs reflect other issues often overlooked in pop music, inspired by the people in her life. “There are emotions other than love. There’s so much more. I want people to take what they can out of my music. My lyrics are relatable and, I hope, put things in perspective.” Hannah’s music especially speaks to youth, with whom she works regularly in classroom and charity settings. “Kids feel they can open up to me. They just seem to like the sound of my music.” Recently she performed for the Boost for Kids charity, where she opened for Blue Rodeo, as well as for HABI, the Headwaters Acquired Brain Injury Group. Hannah is happy to promote these organizations. She takes the opportunity to perform wherever she can, which for her is the highlight of her career and a lot of fun besides. Recently Hannah’s career has taken off with the production of her first album, self-titled Hannah Chapplain.
Suddenly receiving an email from an American producer one day, Hannah was invited down to New York to spend ten days in the studio where she ate, slept and recorded her music. “Literally, we put a mattress on the floor. I had such an amazing experience!” Working intensely with her producer, Hannah modified her sound to the pop/rock genre, coming back to Caledon with an album that was not what she expected, but in a good way. It boasts ten original songs, nine of which were exclusively written by Hannah, plus “Letter to the Rain” which was co-written with her father. Her music has a crisp, original quality to its sound and contains an emotional depth beyond anyone’s expectations of a nineteen-year-old. Speaking specifically about the lyrics of “Hello, My Name is Time” Hannah says, “I wanted to explore that if time could write a letter, what would it say?” The fact that people confuse her lyrics with her personal life is a compliment to her abilities as a songwriter and the all-inclusive nature of her work. Lately Hannah has been working on the production of two music videos. The first, “10,000 Years” (the seventh track on her album), was shot in an old airport hangar, while the second, “Have We Met Before?”, was being shot hours after our interview in Toronto. In the near future, after the release of her videos, Hannah hopes to tour with the material from her new album, available on iTunes, Amazon and through her website, hannahchapplain.com Additional information about upcoming performances and career-related news can be found on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and MySpace, where samples of her music are also available. Benefitting, not so much from age, but from years of passion, practice and experience, Hannah Chapplain will be a household name in the near future, as her unique voice and talent are sure to lead to recognition in a big way.
Kids feel they can open up to me.
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business
Business Profile
Carusi & Sweet Harmony
Located along Airport Road, just past the intersection of Old Church Road, Carusi’s hair salon and boutique bring “Sweet Harmony” to Caledon. Albina Carusi had been the owner of Carusi’s hair salon for eight years when she and her niece, Nancy Racco, decided to open Sweet Harmony, a clothing boutique with a little bit of everything for all ages and sizes. “We want people to feel good in their clothes,” Albina says. Their personalized services include private shopping parties, their very own “what not to wear” consultant and a delivery service. Shopping parties, booked in advance and held after store hours, allow women to treat themselves and their friends to a special shopping experience, from birthdays to bridal showers to just for fun. Special consultant MT, just like Stacy and Clinton from TLC’s “What Not to Wear,” will come right to your closet to show you what matches, what to wear and what to throw out, while customizing your wardrobe especially for you. In addition to home deliveries from style experts, Albina herself makes deliveries for those on the go. “Tell us what you need,” she says, “and we’ll bring the clothes to you.”
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Carrying trends that range from casual to dress, Sweet Harmony stocks a variety of brands for the mother, the professional and the party girl. Select brands include: Paige Jeans, premium denim of all styles and cuts; Yummy Tummys, featured on Oprah as the “secret weapon” in tummy concealing; Hanky Pankys, a line of underwear and lingerie; as well as C’est Moi, “one size fits all” tops in all cuts and shapes that create a seamless line. The last, Nancy says, is a favourite among the seven stylists at their hair salon next door, which recently extended business hours (now open Mondays) to meet demand. Carusi’s stylists, proficient in everything from colouring, highlights, perms and updos, offer cuts for men, women and children with “walk-ins welcome.” Carusi’s famous “ten minute colour” is ideal for the girl on the go, and the salon specializes in customer accommodation, offering early morning appointments as well as bridal party and first communion services. Their stylists, regularly trained in the latest hair trends by the Schwarzkopf company, also feature Schwarzkopf’s premium line of colour and retail hair products for that professional look at home. Recently, Carusi’s began offering hair extension services to accommodate style trends and growing demand. With the Aroma Touch Aesthetics spa right next door, an all day pampering experience including cut, colour and shopping is all within a few steps.
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heritage
Caledon’s
historic cemeteries An important heritage resource WORDS HEATHER GHEY-BROADBENT
St. Andrew’s Cemetery
With the growth of interest in family history, there is also an interest in human burial places. Even in retirement, many calls I receive start with, “Can you tell me where in Caledon was my grandmother, grandfather, etc. living or buried?” With the growth of interest in family history, there is also an interest in human burial places. Even in retirement, many calls I receive start with, “Can you tell me where in Caledon was my grandmother, grandfather, etc. living or buried?” Cemeteries give us a fascinating look into the history of the people, the place, and the time in which they lived. Also the prevalent ‘fashion’ and era of what is called ‘cemetery furniture’ can be deduced from the symbols and wording on the monument. It is rare that the ‘dear departed’ actually chose the wording, but more of a reflection of what their family thought about them. An amusing example in carvings is the hand with the pointing finger. Pointing up can mean ‘gone to his/her just reward’ and pointing down means ‘here lies’. Having talked about pioneer history to many young people, I can tell you that they, particularly small boys, have fun turning those explanations around and redefining where the deceased has gone. One statistic often causes great confusion. The lack of a monument in a cemetery of the deceased person’s place of worship is often presumed to mean that no family members are buried there. However, the explanation may be as simple as the family could not afford a monument, or that a
wooden one has long ago rotted. Alternatively it can mean the family was religiously against what they considered an ostentatious display. Archaeologists who occasionally have to relocate cemeteries (usually to widen roads, but fortunately not as easy to do any more) tell us they always anticipate a ratio of four people mentioned on monuments to ten actual burials. When an early Roman Catholic cemetery in Toronto’s airport land had to be relocated for health and safety reasons (the urgent need for an enlarged deicing pad and buildings), the intensive research of church records and old newspapers by Peel Archivist Brian Gilchrist revealed approximately 330 burials, including the few monuments left on site. However, the actual total of the exhumations and relocation (further west, to Ascension Cemetery) was about 630. A number of people and groups can be credited with Caledon’s knowledge and care of these important heritage places. The fact that many early, but now gone, religious organizations of various denominations had churches/ chapels and their own burial places that are now abandoned—their trustees were probably long ago interred in those cemeteries—does mean that some were neglected, SPRING 2012 CALEDON LIVING
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heritage but Ontario legislation now ensures that local municipalities must take over their care. Caledon has been particularly vigilant in identifying these sites, placing them in an Abandoned Cemetery By-law. I hasten to point out that ‘Abandoned’ in this case does not mean neglected, but simply no longer taking interments and therefore officially closed. In the past, renowned Peel Historian Perkins Bull, a rich Brampton resident, with a team of researchers throughout Peel, created a series of themed and now valuable books on various aspects of early Peel County history. We are quite blessed that the Palgrave researcher (also School Master, Post Master, Inn keeper) he frequently used was very good at locating and recording some ‘home/farm’ burial places in the northeastern parts of Caledon. Unfortunately these often cannot be registered as the Ontario Cemeteries Branch must be able to confirm an interment is present and its exact location. During my tenure at the Town (using a new system to ‘map’ by computer), a plan of all known Caledon human burial places was drawn up. Recently, with the Cemeteries Branch of the Ontario government requiring that they have municipal numbered addresses, Caledon has placed a familiar green and white sign for each one at the road edge. During the past two years, for the Region of Peel Archive, Carol and Alan Williams of Palgrave have done sterling work re-mapping all known Peel human burial places,
including the new numbering. Official non-denomination Cemeteries (like Laurel Hill in Bolton, Boston Mills, Morningside, Blair and Caledon East) and others associated with Churches are required to have Cemetery Boards of Management that must report regularly to the Ontario Registrar of Cemeteries. There are also some country churches no longer used by religious groups, like St. Andrew’s and Melvil (now Melville) White Church, which have become a municipal responsibility. In those cases groups of citizens care and raise funds for maintenance of the buildings and cemeteries. In September Melville White Church on Mississauga Road will celebrate its 175th Anniversary as the oldest Church still standing in Caledon. Regrettably, some country and secluded cemeteries have become places for parties and illegal consumption of drugs and alcohol, and a great deal of expensive damage has been done to monuments which, after all, are historic artifacts. This has lead to the gathering of monuments into cairns on concrete bases, where it was felt less damage could be done. That method was prevalent in the late 1960s when we celebrated Ontario’s 100th Anniversary and money was available for local heritage events, creation of local Museums, and the assembly of pioneer grave markers into cairns. Unfortunately the monuments then became disassociated from the actual graves as rarely was a map of interments created. We now know more about cairn construction. It is essential that they are built upright, with a solid concrete cap. Earlier ones were frequently built on a slope and sometimes with insufficient foundations. The monuments and concrete held or absorbed water which froze, causing bad cracking of what are surprisingly delicate items. Of the earlier ones, only Bolton’s cairn (1972) on Centennial Drive is upright with a cap so that the rain runs off. This cairn holds the monuments of two cemeteries that were on the hill behind it. The early Anglican Church and cemetery were on the left (facing), with the Methodist behind and to the right. Caledon East Cemetery Board, when enclosing early monuments into a cairn, took care to place markers to match the burial sites to the monument. Several years ago Caledon started an extended program to rebuild ones that became dangerous or damaged. It is also unfortunate that many little churches and cemeteries were so close to road allowances that they are now in danger from expanding road corridors. In Caledon Village, construction of a big gentle curve on Highway 10/ Hurontario Street was necessary to avoid impact, much to the engineers’ annoyance! That cemetery is also an example of traditional ‘Old World’ burial practices of pioneers who always buried the deceased with feet pointing to the true compass east and head to the west. This was in line with an old Christian belief that at the ‘Second Coming’ everyone will rise to face Christ The octagonal “Dead House” at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bolton. Bodies used to be stored here during winter months when the ground was too hard to dig.
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heritage in the east, and has even been found in early identified Caledon farm burials. Often Catholic priests were buried ‘west to east’ in the belief that they would rise facing their congregations. An unusual method, but very successful in identifying unmarked burials, is divining. Not quite as odd as it may sound. Many people who divine or ‘douse’ for water can also find buried utility pipes, telephone wires, etc., one small step from locating lost rings and coins, or nails, screws, handles and nameplates on caskets. A now deceased elderly gentleman helped on many occasions, not only to find unmarked graves, but also gaps in family plots where unused lots remained. He knew if the deceased was wearing rings, if the casket was the old coffin shape with six corners or the straight modern version, and if it had a nameplate and metal handles, all because of his ability to divine for metal. Many cemeteries are in remote places and not easy to tend. In the past Caledon was able to ‘borrow’ prisoners from a local jail, always repeat offenders and almost always on drunk and driving offenses. They enjoyed their days in the country and worked hard. Neighbours were told that they were coming and assured that they were not dangerous as they would have officers with them (who also ‘muckedin’). Along with the meager lunch brought each day (water and sandwiches), the prisoners appreciated the pop and doughnuts I brought occasionally, and other treats from the neighbours. My favourite story, also written up in the Correctional Institutions newspaper, is about a cleanup at Cedar Mains Cemetery. A prisoner said if I got brushes and paint he could restore the cast iron family plot enclosure. I went home for wire and paint brushes, to Canadian Tire for paint, and he set to work. On the last day, I took ‘goodies’ and did my customary, officer approved tour to say ‘thank you’ to each man. He was just finishing. When I told him the elderly family member would be pleased, he looked up with a big grin and said, “You are very welcome. It’s OK, I had nothing else on at the moment.” One heavily disturbed cemetery over many years in Bolton is the Congregational on the east side of Regional Road 50, just north of the Humber River. Some interments were relocated when its little Church was closed and dismantled when Laurel Hill Cemetery opened, but not all. It was first impacted when the road was straightened and deeply graded onto the original road allowance (the Seventh Line) in the late 1950s. Recently the Region discovered there were even more interments present when the proposed water main route was selected (and since relocated). Several Caledon pioneer and early cemeteries and churches are designated under the Ontario Heritage Act —Salem United, St Andrew’s, Melville White Church, the former Anglican Church at Mono Mills, Claude Presbyterian and Laurel Hill among them. Laurel Hill, opened in 1891, is particularly interesting for some of its historic buildings —the octagonal Dead House, no longer used, and Waiting Room—plus its early notice board and the metal hooks on 60
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the outside retaining wall for mourners to tether their horses. When Boston Mills Cemetery Board feared they would run out of land, they purchased the abandoned schoolhouse property. For a while the building was used as a ‘deadhouse’, essential in earlier times when it was not possible to dig graves in the frozen ground. Interestingly the first interment there was 23 year old David Williams who was buried in a coffin constructed from the bark of the tree he was killed felling. One European practice, not popular here, was the use of underground tombs. To my knowledge Caledon only has one, built into the side of a tiny hill in Mono Mills. The Kidd family was very prominent in early Caledon history as owners of several stores and hotels. The tomb entrance is now bricked up after a despicable act of desecration to its last interment, resulting in a prison term for the offenders. A few years ago, Caledon did some restoration work on the sandstone front of the structure. My past employment included lots of events involving cemeteries. On one occasion I received a call after giving a talk in Schomberg which led to a series of coincidences, but principally in restoring the monument of an original Albion settler and his wife to the correct cemetery on Mount Pleasant Road. It had been missing for over 34 years and was found under hay in a long unused barn on the other side of King Township. It was two-sided, making placement in a cairn difficult, but the stone mason came up with an innovative solution to make the monument visible on both sides. Overgrown cemeteries in nearly inaccessible places also present difficulties. Sometimes adjoining land owners allow their cattle to graze there, causing more problems as well as desecration of a human burial place. Crawford Cemetery is accessible only by a right of way across a little Humber stream. Its early log church was often inaccessible during spring run off so it was relocated to a small lot across the concession road, but it is long gone. Prisoners helping to clear undergrowth built a tiny footbridge across the stream, but it eventually broke and was replaced. Caledon has about 40 places of human burial but, to date, no First Nations ossuaries have been identified, just single burials. A walk in a Caledon cemetery is a walk down memory lane, a doorway to information about those who lived here before us. They helped shape our community of communities and their resting places should be respected and honoured for that. Heather Ghey Broadbent is presently a Director of the Caledon Heritage Foundation, The Multicultural History Society of Ontario, the Albion-Bolton Historical Society and a member of the Humber Watershed Alliance and several of its committees. She is a past President of The Ontario Historical Society, a former Director of the Ontario Heritage Foundation, Vice Chair and member of the Ontario Conservation Review Board and served for several years as Caledon’s Heritage Resource Officer.
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people
Let the Bolton games begin! WORDS DAVID K. DORWARD
What entertainment industry earns over $20 billion a year, is still growing, and is being used in experiments to help people suffering from cerebral palsy because of its beneficial physical effects in improving hand and eye co-ordination? The correct answer is the video game industry, one of the largest, if not the single largest and still growing, forms of entertainment worldwide. For example, World of Warcraft is a Massive Multi Player (MMO) on-line game which, at its peak, had upwards of 12 million players subscribing to the game at approximately $17 a month times 12 months a year, plus the initial purchase price of the game and its three expansions for up to $60 each. Wow! This is not chump change, as my father used to say! To gain an insight into this industry I had the good fortune to interview Mathew “Matt” Polsinelli, a Bolton native. Matt graduated from Grade 12 at Humberview Secondary School in 2005 and took some different career paths, doing one year of Electronics Engineering followed by a half year of the Landscape Technician course, both at Humber College. With the passing of his father in 2006, Matt needed to rethink priorities and finances and he is now working for Fines Ford in Bolton as a Service Advisor and at their Retail Parts Counter. What many Fines Ford customers don’t know about Matt is that he is a hard core computer fan who enjoys video games. He started playing video games at the tender age of 4 with the original Nintendo game system in 1993 and grew into the Super Mario game, still a favourite, and Role Playing Games (RPG), The Elder Scrolls, and 5 Skyrim, a multi platform game which he has for his PC. Matt has progressed through every generation of gaming with Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 systems 62
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sitting in his living room beneath the television. Currently his favourite is an MMO, Star Wars The Old Republic. This game is played on-line for a subscription of $17 a month after your initial purchase of the game. Matt can play with gamers around the world but his most avid teammates are his cousins here in Bolton, who also participate in the comfort of their homes. This game allows players to form Guilds of limitless members to play together in order to progress through the game. Now, for all you techies out there, Matt uses the third highest Rogers Express Plus high speed internet service and has had no issues with speed or disconnection. To play Star Wars The Old Republic on high settings Matt used the official Quebec reseller of Sager, Reflex Notebook, who he notes took care of all duties and taxes for a flat fee and was cheaper than going directly to Sager, to have a Laptop/ Desknote custom built in California with a quad core Intel i7 CPU and 2 Nvivia graphics cards with 1.5 gigs of video memory on each. His computer weighs in at 21 pounds, with all gaming hardware components that are normally in a desktop computer tower packed into a portable lap top frame. This bad boy set Matt back $4,000 in January 2011 but, with computer hardware getting ever cheaper, he figures his computer would cost about $3,000 in 2012. Matt feels you need to go to the United States to get top quality computer technology, which is simply not readily available commercially in Canada. Proper hardware is the key to full enjoyment of video games and gaming consoles with a High Definition (HD) television and surround sound being essential. Matt favours the Sony PlayStation 3 with its built-in Blu-Ray player as better for all-round media entertainment, unlike the Xbox 360 which does not have Blu-Ray capabilities. Both systems are soon to be superseded by new models, Sony Play Station 4 and Xbox 720, according to industry rumours. Matt feels they will be a great leap forward in technology as every generation of computer and game consoles has proven to be.
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They are complex, in-depth, it’s like watching a movie but you are playing in it. Video games represent great entertainment value and are a great way to pass the time.
Avid gamer Matt Polsinelli
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Games Matt favours today—well that depends on what system is used. For PS3 he likes the quality of Uncharted 3 Drakes Deception and for Xbox 360 he favours Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 (which he readily admits playing “way too much”). Matt is not a big fan of Wii by Nintendo, which he feels has fallen behind graphically and whose computer system hardware is not up to the power of Sony PS3 or Microsoft Xbox 360. What does the future hold for video gaming? Growth for all ages is what I see. Matt, who once worked at EB Games (which has a Bolton store with a very friendly and knowledgeable Assistant Manager, Rose, and they didn’t pay me to say that!) has seen more people of all ages, including an increasing number of girls and women, getting into gaming. I know from researching this story just how enticing this hobby is with its access to ever more intricate and complicated fantasy worlds. Video games are best summed up by Matt, “They are complex, indepth, it’s like watching a movie but you are playing in it. Video games represent great entertainment value and are a great way to pass the time.”
If you’re really keen... Video Game and Computer Museum Brantford, Ontario
Syd Bolton has started a unique museum for video and computer lovers within easy driving distance of Caledon. Syd describes, “… at 16 I started collecting. I had 16 computers and vowed to have one computer for every year I was old. I really started because everybody at that time was very brand loyal...I was too, to Commodore, but was still curious about other computers. When the first round of ‘technology churn’ happened and people started throwing out machines, I scooped them up and rescued them. I still do today. In my early 20s, someone offered me an Atari 2600 with a bunch of games. I thought to myself, ‘Why would I want this?’ Then I remembered how much I loved playing the Atari at my friend’s house (I had a VIC-20 computer when he had the Atari...I was jealous at times!), and when I saw Pitfall! in the pile, I knew I had to have this Atari. I bought it, set it up and loved it! I was hooked. I put small ads in the newspaper offering to buy people’s old games and, before I knew it, I had a LOT! It is really hard to estimate how many games I have in the collection as I’m still cataloguing them. Conservatively I would say there are over 13,000 video and computer games in the collection.” The computer and video game museum is open every Monday evening from 6:30 to 9:00pm for visiting and drop offs. The museum is volunteer run and only open certain Saturdays (usually one per month) so check out website for details www.pcmuseum.ca The museum takes donations of old computers and video games; we make sure that nothing is thrown out.
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first impressions I motoring
Our intrepid auto expert Crash Corrigan takes a spin around the foothills of Marbella, southern Spain, to test the updated offering of the quintessential open-top roadster.
2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Roadster WORDS & PHOTOS KEVIN “CRASH” CORRIGAN
Janis Joplin said it all when she sang the words, “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz!“
Now I’m sure most of you have heard those famous lyrics, but how many of you have actually sat down and contemplated precisely which Mercedes model Janis was yearning after? Well I have. In fact, without directly contacting the lady herself to confirm this, which would be rather difficult as Janis sadly passed away back in 1970, I can almost guarantee that she was referring to the famous Mercedes-Benz SL convertible.
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motoring I first impressions
In 1954 Mercedes-Benz stunned the world with its 300SL (“Super Leicht” = Super Light), known fondly as the Gullwing because of its stylish upward-swinging doors. Billed as the fastest production car of its day, and based somewhat on a successful race car, the roadster version debuted in 1957 and the history of the drop-top SL began. For nearly 60 years, the SL has combined elegance and comfort with startling performance, and many famous names have enjoyed them—Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Princess Diana, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly, to name but a few. However, we must now zip forward to the present day launch of the 6th generation and pose the question, is the SL still the must-have dream convertible of its day? Well, having just returned from road-testing the vehicle, I’m going to answer that in the affirmative. The new SL550 (known as the SL500 in Europe) is everything plus what I expected it to be. Comfort and styling are as evident as ever and yet the new SL brings much more to the table. Obviously, with more and more manufacturers clamber-
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ing for a share in the prestige market, Mercedes-Benz must maintain its reputation for delivering innovation to stay ahead of the pack, and I believe this vehicle perfectly demonstrates the company’s commitment to this. The new SL, for the first time, is made almost entirely from aluminium and weighs 125kgs less than its predecessor. This, combined with MB’s new BlueDIRECT engines which are up to 29% more economical, yet more powerful, provides exhilarating performance while maintaining the comfort and smoothness which Mercedes-Benz customers have come to expect. Most companies claim to be innovative today, yet Mercedes-Benz can back this up with features like its unique Frontbass (Harman Kardon) sound system which provides concert hall quality regardless of whether the convertible top is up or down. Another impressive feature of this vehicle is its Magic Vision Control which supplies heated washer fluid from the wiper blades directly onto the windscreen. The latter is perhaps one of the simplest, yet smartest innovations I have witnessed from a manufacturer of late. After all, I’m sure I’m not the only driver who has
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cursed the wind as he attempted to clean his windscreen at highway speeds! The new 4.6L V8 in the SL550 provides 435hp (12% more power than its predecessor yet 0.8L smaller in size) and the torque is up by 32% while the fuel economy numbers drop by 22%. Now you must admit, those figures are impressive to say the least, yet it is in the drive where one gets to fully appreciate these improvements. The new SL feels like a vehicle which has just returned from several weeks at a premium health club. The car feels light and agile and supplies all types of driver modes from top-down cruising comfort to all out road/race exhilaration! It truly is a multifaceted automobile which, of course, is precisely how the SL has always been known! As the old saying goes, safety comes standard, and because the SL has always been known for this, the new generation steers the same course. It boasts Acceleration Skid Control (ASR), ESP, ABS, Brake Assist (BAS), Attention Assist, Dual-Stage Front Airbags, Torque Vectoring Brake, Neck-Pro Crash Responsive Head Restraints and, of course, its renowned Power-Deployed Rollover Bar. Canadian SLs will differ slightly from their European counterparts by sporting the attractive AMG styling kit as standard and there will only be two additional packages available. The Premium offers such niceties as Climate Comfort Seats with built-in Driver Dynamics, a Rear-view Camera, Hands-Free Access, Easy-pack Power Trunk Closer (you simply slide your foot underneath the rear bumper), and the famous AirScarf for those Spring-like mornings. Then, the Advanced Driving Assistance Package includes Distronic Plus, Blind Spot Assist, and Active Lane Keeping Assist. At present, we’re still waiting for final pricing to be announced. However, we expect figures to stay fairly close to the current pricing of around the $126K mark. Canada will also get the special Edition 1 model, albeit limited to just 10 vehicles and, again, no pricing thus far. This adds Crystal Silver metallic paint, exclusive red nappa leather upholstery and piano-black wood trim. I was rather fortunate to be able to drive one of these during the launch and can vouch for its attention drawing qualities. Apart from one or two minor irritations such as the slightly-less-than-perfect Sat Nav system and the stylish, yet somewhat faux, front fender air vents, I’m delighted to say that the new Mercedes-Benz SL lives up to its famed heritage. The new cars are expected to arrive at Canadian dealerships in the next few weeks so, if you’re in the market for the quintessential open-top roadster, you owe it to yourself to check one out!
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Read our online version of this magazine at
www.caledonliving.com
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The Directory
BARRISTER & SOLICITOR
DOG GROOMING
INTERIOR DESIGN
PAVING
COLLISION & TOWING
NURSERY
PEST CONTROL
PSYCHOLOGY
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