Last of the holiday pictures

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: banyan trees & dolphin fountains

Tourists in Siesta Key & Sarasota: our beach & Ringling Circus Museum

Siesta Key, Florida...

The Checkout Girl gets another review

Prairie Fire has posted a review of The Checkout Girl. You can read it at:

http://www.prairiefire.ca/reviews/zettell_checkout.html

Toe Blake on the greatest hockey players ever: Bobby Orr and Howie Morenz

Here is a story I found online by David Johnston in The Gazette, about Fernand Cornellier overhearing Toe Blake speak on the greatest hockey players of all time.

Fernand Cornellier was a waiter at the old Toe Blake's Tavern on Ste. Catherine St. W. The tavern was named for owner Hector Blake, who played for the Canadiens from 1934-48, and coached the team from 1955-68. After the tavern closed in 1983, Cornellier worked at the old Monkland Tavern in Notre Dame de Grâce.

I have summarized Fernanad’s story, as told to David Johnston:

"Toe used to keep his office at the back of the tavern. There were supplies on the other side of his office, so if his door was open and we needed supplies, we went in.

So this one day, the door is open and I go in, and Toe is sitting at his desk with some former players and some other people. As I'm walking in, I hear one guy saying, 'Well, what about Gordie, Toe?' (meaning Gordie Howe), and another guy say: 'What about the Rocket? What about (Wayne) Gretzky?' It turned out they were talking about who Toe thought was the greatest player of all time.

Toe put up two fingers and said, 'They were all great players. But there were two who stood out above all the rest: Howie Morenz and Bobby Orr.' "

Spoke too soon...

I guess spring wants to wait a bit. Take a look at yesterday's photos.