Mid-November Update (2 of 3) - O Canada!

We pulled into Hamilton late. 7 nights living with the parents may sound a bit frightening, but it turned out to be more like staying at a B&B. I mostly took Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday off, although I was on work e-mail (because I use the AT&T laptop to manage my Fantasy Hockey team, who have rallied from 11th to 4th)

It was great being back in the homeland. Monday we cruised out to Burlington. Below is one of the more dominant Hamilton images, the Cathedral of Christ the King (http://www.christthekingcathedral.org/main.htm)



Tuesday we cruised around the towns of Dundas & Ancaster and headed down to the Dundurn area where we got some good pics of Hamilton from across the Bay and a close up of the city's Steel mills





Wednesday I made my 2010 presentation via cell phone to a room of 20 Directors, Executive Directors and my EVP. I was very prepared and even did a dry run. I was set. Unfortunately, the folks in Atlanta were using a polycom and didn't mute it so I sounded quiet

"Speak up!"

So I screamed my 30-minute presentation and could barely hear what people were saying. I guess it went ok?

Thursday Maureen & I went down to Niagara Falls. In order, here is the American Falls, 2 of the Canadian Falls, and 2 of the Niagara River











After the Falls we headed to Niagara-on-the-Lake, cute town with a lighthouse



On the way home we were stopped at the Welland Canal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welland_canal)





Friday we ran around Dundas again and went for a run from the Dundas Conservation area along a rail trail that goes to Brantford (home of Wayne Gretzky). The run is beautiful through woods and farmland. This day a movie was going to be filmed there, being used - if I remember - for a plane crash in the forests around Strasbourg





Later in the day we went to "The Hermitage", my old underage (and legal) drinking spot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hermitage_(Hamilton,_Ontario))





Sunday we headed to Toronto for work. We stayed in The Beaches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beaches). Toronto is an outstanding city, based on our 3 nights





Sunday night we went to dinner & drinks with Paul Claveau, who I've worked with for 3 years, Alistair Elias & John Ross, who work for Orange in Paris & London respectively, and Mike Brewer, one of my best buddies who I played hockey with at Brown. We went to a cool Canadian pub with good food and local microbrews

Monday the four of us spent 9 hours negotiating in the basement of a Marriott (taking only a 15-minute break for lunch at Mr Sub). The same 6 met at the same pub Monday night

Tuesday we met again for negotiations in the morning before lunch at the CN Tower (Maureen joined, as obvious below). Great views and pics on a sunny day



The lakeshore



The Financial District, with some of Canada's very strong banks



Yonge Street, which is over 1,000 miles (or once was). Follow the tall building in the distance



The ACC - the Air Canada Centre, home to The Toronto Maple Leafs. It's the building with the red Maple Leaf (Air Canada's logo) and the massive tv screen with the hockey game on



And lastly...the HQ of the CBC (the red wall)



We headed back to Hamilton Wednesday for a final night before beginning the 1,800 drive to Taos, NM (the 3-days chronicled in the final of these 3 updates). Here is a final shot of the Hamilton skyline