The Women of Winter are a Toronto Women's shinny organization with some exciting plans underway.

There will be a shinny tournament in February, and registration for this is on November 25, 2009. Forms can be downloaded from The Women of Winter's website

Also, TWOW is organizing a road trip to a Canadian Women's Hockey League game at the Icelands Arena in Mississauga on Sunday, December 13, 2009, at 11 am. Go to the CWHL website for more details. If you want to possibly obtain free tix, email me at schodos@anduhyaun.org

Full-priced tickets are $7

Finally, look up skating at Dufferin Park for information on shinny and skills clinics. Or go to your neighbourhood rink, wherever that is. It does not look like Dufferin's page is updated yet but it surely will be soon.

happy shinnying!!

Meet Me in St. Louis

Turns out St. Louis, Missouri, is a family-friendly sort of place. You can travel up the Gateway Arch, go on a Riverboat cruise, or just walk down by the Mississipi River. On the other side, it's Illinois (wow)!!



The City Museum is brilliant, I was prepared to tell my daughter not to climb on the elaborate structures, as is usually the case with museums, but I noticed that other kids were climbing on the structures, which extended up several stories, wound around the outside of the building, and included more than one slide and a ball-pit.

The zoo is great, a bit smaller than the one in Toronto, but that makes it walkable, and, also, admission is free. However, there are extra things, like a dinosaur simulator ride, that cost a little extra money if you choose to do them.

Hammerstone's on Soulard is a great Blues joint, a little smoky, perhaps, as there is no Smoke-Free Ontario Act, but it would seem as though this may be happening in Missouri at some point down the road. In any case, the people are friendly and kids are welcome, as we learned.

If we had stayed longer, we might have checked out Flamingo Bowl, or taken in a hockey, baseball, or football game, depending on the season.

St. Louis is not too close and not too far in terms of a vacation from Southern Ontario, and it's very friendly. I look forward to returning sometime in the future.