Great day for a skate...

Finally, the cold weather seems to have passed - at least for now - and today is a great day to be in Winnipeg. The temperature is low (-7 I think), the sky is overcast but that helps keep the temperature warmer so it's ok, there is a light snow falling and the river is cleared of snow on the skating path and a new cover of water has just frozen...it's skating time! Some people jog and that's fine for the summer, but the winter is for skating and since the longest skating path in Canada is just behind the River Gate Inn it just seems like the right thing to do.

Das Femme

Here's a further update to the 9 ladies who stayed with us this past weekend for a girlfriends getaway. They are the singing group Das Femme from Brandon, Manitoba and they are excellent. I had the pleasure of hearing them warm up for their event today at one of the local Winnipeg churches. I first thought it was the radio and then once I realized it was our guests I was blown away! It was simply fantastic and I highly recommend that if the opportunity should present itself to hear them sing live, take advantage of it and go! A special treat and one of the reasons we find owning and operating a Bed and Breakfast to be so rewarding. We can't wait for them to come back!

Das Femme

Here's a further update to the 9 ladies who stayed with us this past weekend for a girlfriends getaway. They are the singing group Das Femme from Brandon, Manitoba and they are excellent. I had the pleasure of hearing them warm up for their event today at one of the local Winnipeg churches. I first thought it was the radio and then once I realized it was our guests I was blown away! It was simply fantastic and I highly recommend that if the opportunity should present itself to hear them sing live, take advantage of it and go! A special treat and one of the reasons we find owning and operating a Bed and Breakfast to be so rewarding. We can't wait for them to come back!

Girlfriends Weekend?

This weekend the RGI B and B welcomed a group of nine ladies from Brandon who needed a welcomed getaway. From what I saw, they certainly enjoyed themselves spending time in the games room - a little celebrating went on I think! Since they are all involved with singing, music was part of the evening events. We were happy to have them choose our Inn and hope they come back.

Great Grey Owl

Recently, this past week we saw a Great Grey Owl sitting on one of the trees. This is the provincial bird of Manitoba and apparently quite rare. This is not the first sighting of the Great Grey Owl on our property and we really didn't know how lucky we were until it was pointed out that they are not normally seen in this area by friends of ours. I asked if the beavers, racoons, squirrels, rabbits, piliated woodpeckers and such were also out of place. Apparently, not as rare as the owl. Slowly our guests are educating us on some of the fantatstic things about our home and our location. It never fails to amaze us how much we learn from our guests' knowledge and how willing they are to share it with us.

Skating on the Assiniboine River

The Assiniboine River now is the home to the longest stretch of skating in Canada and we are excited. It extends from the historic Forks all the way to just before the Maryland bridge - around 4.5 kms long! It is well maintained, cleared and flooded with a skate changing station just behind the River Gate Inn at the Hugo Street Docks. In addition to the skating path, there is a walking path that is frequented by joggers, bikers and people walking their dogs! It is a fantastic use of the river during the winter and has been a real hit with some of our guests.

Festival Du Voyageur

The largest winter carnival in western Canada is well underway. Despite colder than normal temperatures, the Festival Du Voyageur is still as popular as ever. Ice sculptures, traditional French Canadian foods, music and culture as well as nightly festivities are in full swing. Various activities at Fort Gibraltar and the Forks provide plenty for visitors to do. My personal favorites are the ice sculptures. Every year they are different and there is no end to the creativity these artists have.