Our annual celebration of communal exercising and eating began under a freezing drizzle at Mount Royal at 10 am. Despite the less than appealing conditions, 20 hardy members showed up at the Beaver Lake chalet. Eleven people set out for a walk on the mountain, seven donned their skates and took to the rink, and the remaining pair jumped on their mountain bikes(!) and took to the trails. For us skaters, there was a choice of the well-maintained rink adjacent to the chalet, or the just-opened wide-open ice surface of Beaver Lake. While it is always a pleasure to skate on such a large surface, the ice on Beaver Lake was bumpier. So after trying the lake ice for a few minutes, we moved to the rink, which was not very crowded anyway.
At 12 pm, people began arriving
at “Melrose Place” in NDG, where our gracious host, Monique Isler, was waiting for us. After a few years of doing this, Monique has the system all figured out. Upon entering, a series of signs directed people down to the basement to remove their boots and then through to the back staircase to emerge again on the main floor. You might not think that you could comfortably fit 47 hungry athletes, all bringing their own food, in this average-sized NDG flat, but with a bit of furniture re-org, it works out great. By 1 pm, the food was all unwrapped, heated up, and arranged on the main table. We began with a course of cheese tortellini soup, and then dove into the salads and mains. As usual, the variety and quality of the offerings was impressive, and the food was tasty!
After a short respite, we proceeded to the dessert table, which included Glenn K’s famous (at least within our club!) cheese cake. The calorie count of that and the other offerings was likely off the charts, and all dessert eaters were strongly advised to schedule some skiing or other activity the following day to work them off!
A new feature this year was the opportunity to get a free sample of the skills of our own in-house masso-therapist, Vivian! She had her massage table set up downstairs and offered 10 minute massages to anyone who wanted to try it out.
The day was a great success thanks to Monique and all the people who brought such wonderful food! Be sure to check the photos from the day on Photos page of the web site. Some of the shots are very creative and well-taken.