REUNION TOUR - PORT STANLEY - Stage Two

Port Stanley is a wonderful port town on Lake Erie and is in fact the largest north shore inland federal harbor.

It has an historic King George VI lift bridge which opens to allow leisure craft to come into Kettle Creek.

King George VI Lift Bridge

Christine’s brother Rob and our sister in law Glo are hosting us in their cottage, a quaint home on Hetty St.

We arrived yesterday and promptly walked the town, went to the beaches, looked into stores, and at ice cream at Brodericks, one of those best ever ice cream parlours.

Brodericks Ice Cream Parlour

We enjoyed a supper of blue cheese layer lamb chops prepared by Glo, which was an astounding flavour savoured outside in the garden.

We ate ice cream at Brodericks, one of those best ever ice cream parlours.

A fishing industry operates from here and today after swimming, we stopped at the Fishery to purchase some Perch for a meal of butter fried perch and home made fries.

Port Stanley Harbour with fishing boats

We walked for breakfast at the Buccaneer down at the beach this morning. Everything is in walking distance. Glo finished a career as a Presbyterian pastor and Rob is a professor of Manufacturing Sciences at Fanshaw College.

Port Stanley was occupied by the Neutral Indians until 1653, when they were expelled by the Iroquois. In the 1700s many explorers and travelers would portage across Long Point and voyage along the shore of Lake Erie to the Kettle Creek. This route gave access to a short portage to the Thames River and further inland exploring. A ferry service between Port Stanley and Buffalo was established in 1832, and by 1833 Port Stanley had become well known as one of the finest harbours on Lake Erie. In the early 1900s, Port Stanley was the main tourist attraction on the lake.

The cottage in which we stay is Rob's and Glo's home now, the one in which they intend to remain. And why not, since during the years that they have owned the place, Rob has come to know by name just about everyone in town and they return an hello using his name. The cottage sits on a small sliver of land fashioned after a old English garden with an eclectic assortment of plants that create solitude and privacy. Birds and butterflies frequent the foliage and colours. It's only a few hundred yards to the water of Kettle Creek where yachts are moored. Christine's mom and dad lived in Rob's and Glo's cottage during the closing years of their lives and enjoyed the amenities and friendships of this town. So we have visited here many times throughout the years and it is good for us to have come back again.