April 2009 - September 2009

Propane at $9.99 (plus tax)
There is no need for go to Costco to fill you propane tanks on the cheap. I just filled two 20 pound propane tanks at Loutec on St-Eustache street for $22.55. I think you better hurry because a reliable source tells me that this price won't last much longer than the Labour Day Weekend. 2mopaul.com, saving you money almost every day!

Legion Branch 185 Softball Tournament - Saturday September 12
The Legion Branch 185 Softball team is hosting its second annual mixed softball tournament at Olympia Park to raise money for the St-Anne's Hospital Recreation Services. Last year, the tournament raised $3,000 that was used for various projects for our war veterans residing at St-Anne's. This year, we are trying to get an 8th team as there will be 2 divisions vying for the championship. There is a call for volunteers as umpires, scorekeepers or other activities. Please contact Michael Neville at 450-491-0382. The tournament will be followed by a supper in the Legion Hall. The cost for players is $15 but tickets for the supper only are $12 and are available at the Legion bar. Currently, there are 6 teams officially registered for the tournament. They include the Verdun, Morin-Heights, Laval West Legions as well as Ye Olde Orchard Pub and Rosie's Raiders mostly from Kelly's on the west island. If interested in putting in a team, contact Mike before Saturday September 5th.

Team Canada Returns from New Hampshire With The Wyder Cup (Sunday August 23, 2009)
Actually we couldn't find the cup this morning so it is still in the US* (see update below), but the 28 men from Team Canada defeated Robert's Wall Team USA by a score of 42 to 25. Adryth's Women's Team USA won their cup on Saturday. Friday's first round was cut short by a severe light storm but we resumed play at 7:00am on Saturday morning and finished off all the matches within 75 minutes in order to squeeze in the the final round using an 8:30 shotgun start instead of the planned sequential start. Despite the rain delays, we managed to get all the golf in as well as all the planned activities including many unplanned ones like the Saturday fireworks in the pouring rain. As you will see by the pictures soon to be posted, a good time was had by all and the 9th annual Wyder Cup venue is sure to be a hot topic of discussion over the next year. Here is a sample some of the over 1000 pictures that I had to sort through with many more to come over the next few days or weeks. Thanks to Jacklyn, Christine and Casey for all the shots. For full results click here or use the Wyder link on the left. Click here to see all the 'showable' pictures from Mike and Christine.
UPDATE: On the cup's whereabouts - The cup was 'hijacked' by someone from the Canadian Team and is safely back in 2 mo. It will probably make an appearance at the Tartan Pub and perhaps a few other places around town. Canada now leads the USA 5 to 3 in championships.

Rocky Holt Memorial Mixed Softball Tournament Raises $6,000
The weather on the weekend of August 7 turned out to be great as 12 teams competed in the 19th Annual Mixed Softball Tournament. There were many great defensive plays as well as numerous homeruns. The final game pitted the Rocky Holt Committee (RHC) vs Smokey and the Bandits where the RHC prevailed 12-7 to win the tournament but the real winner was Cancer Research (MUHC) as over $6000.00 was raised. Thanks to The Committee consisting of Co-Ordinator Margie Lavallee, Diane Lavallee, Sandie Spackman, Terry Zwicker, Jason Zwicker, Steve Hodge, Robert Page Also to the many volunteers, umpires and sponsors (Giant Tiger, Poulet Dore, Jim Shields). Click here for a picture of finalists and the presentation of the cheque.
On the subject of softball, the Legion Br. 185 and the Tartan Pub played a friendly game in the heat on Sunday August 16. The Legion squeaked out an 8 to 5 victory an a good time was had by all. Click here for all the pictures.

Family Day and Night Painting - Saturday August 15.
This Saturday there 2 events are happening at central park and the pool area. The first is Family Day from 11am to 4pm and the second is a night painting event from 9pm to 1am. A lot of activities including lunch at noon are planned for Family Day but the one that intrigues me is the 3:00pm bubble bath in the municipal pool (free admission). I might have to drop by for pictures. The night painting's theme is "by the light of the moon".  Unfortunately, this event is a week late as the moon will only rise around midnight but I guess that's when the painting will be finished. The paintings will be directly done on the pavement by 30 artists. For all the info on both events, click here.

Are We Safe At Home In Two Mountains
Some of you may have read that there has been a rash of break-ins in our community in the last while. Many cars and houses have been broken into. Much of these have been since school is out, so you make the connection. I have two stories to write about. The first about what happened at my good friends' house and the second a first hand break and enter (almost) story at my abode.
The first involves a scam with people posing as Videotron installers. Two men in a van drove into my friend's driveway and said they were there to check the internet connection and needed to get into the house. They made reference to a service call (that was never made). They just wanted to get in the house but my friend's wife refused to let them in. That was a good thing because when they later checked with Videotron, they confirmed that they never send two people out on a call. Moral: You always have to be aware that there are crooked people around. Note: One day after posting this story, I was told of another attempt on 8th avenue by a single person impersonating a cable repair guy. He was on the roof and actually made his way into the living. The dog scared him away. The important thing is that the police must be informed of these suspicious people so they can be on the lookout for shady people in shady vans. Take the license numbers of the van and call the cable company to confirm. Videotron people id but I would trust that either. Bottom line, if you haven't phoned for service, don't let them near your place.
Now for my story which I have now told to numerous people. I will try to make it short but the ordeal lasted almost 90 minutes. Last Friday, I decided to have a little rest after a round of golf and a huge lunch. Normally I would crash in the living room but decided I was ready for a real nap since I was supposed to go out later. About 30 minutes into my nap at around 4:30pm, something woke me. After hearing noises for a while thinking it was the rowdy neighbors,  I realized that the noise was very close. As a matter of fact it was coming from my side door. I sneaked out of the house through the front door and went to the street to get a view of which animal was clawing at my door. To my surprise, it was 2 young people (I figured 15 or 16 years old) that had pried open the window of the side door almost enough to reach in and unlock the door. I started yelling at them and asking them what they thought they were doing. Since they saw me coming from the street, they assumed I was a neighbour so they started making up a story about it being their friend's house and that he told them to go their iPod and use the side door. After I told them, that I lived there and that there was no way that had a friend living there, they made a run for it. Like did they know that even at 53 years old and barefoot, the adrenaline rush you get from seeing an attempt of robbery on your own home will give you the extra boost that make you forget your age and limitations. I ran fast enough that one of them fell and one of them lost a shoe which I quickly picked up as evidence. I may as well tell you why I wasn't afraid to run after these two teenagers of 14 and 15 ( a fact I found out later). Click here to read the rest of the story.....

The Rocky Holt Memorial Softball Tournament
This weekend, August 7 thru 9th, the 19th annual fundraising softball tournament ,which is now known as the Rocky Holt Memorial, will be held with all games being played at Olympia park. The money raised will go to the Cedars Cancer Institute (MUHC). It is their 19th year =, they are looking forward to seeing new faces to make next year (the 20th) a good one. This year, 12 teams are attending,  2 of which are from 2mo soccer and they have been great supporters for the cause. One way to raise money will be selling tickets for a signed Saku Koivu hockey stick $5.00 each. Good luck to everyone in the tournament and may the weather be on your side.

8th Annual Wyder Cup Only 17 Days Away
Team Canada has 28 confirmed players including rookies Mike Curtis and Mike Hurlbert. The team has also claimed back Canadian players that have been 'lent' to the American team for the last few years. These include Ron Potter, Danny Kesseler and Glenn Hogan. The competition is going to be tough this year as the Americans will not be filtered out since they do not have to cross the border. For more info click on the Wyder link on the left.
 

Saturday August 1, 2009

Heritage Social Club's First Annual Golf Tournament
August 1st this year was at least two things. The first being that it was arguably the best day of weather of the year and the second it that the first annual Heritage Golf Open took place at St-Andrew's Golf Course. Of course, we don't mean the Royal and Ancient St- Andrew's, but rather the noble and ancient club de golf St-André. It was a humble beginning with 11 foursomes and over 60 people for the supper but a real fun day was had by all as you will see by the pictures posted here. Although everyone was a winner, the low score of the day was 80, posted by Donny Young, edging out Mike McKeown, Frank Bouchard and myself by one stroke. The most honest golf at a modest 154 will remain nameless in this article but will be identified in the pictures. Thanks to Bob Fordham, tournament organizer, and all the volunteers on the course and at the hall who whipped up a great supper. Also thanks to all the sponsors who provided prizes to all the participants.

Vacation Time in 2mo
By the lack of updates on my website, you would think I am on vacation. I am not, but everyone else is and that's why I have nothing to write about. I could go on about how July was the worst July in recorded history in terms of amount of sun but then everybody here is talking about that and everyone is tired of it. Tomorrow is August and somehow people think that it will be the day the sun starts smiling again. I hope they are right. One thing about these last two weeks, is that the traffic is non existent. With a combination of opening up the dam to traffic and the the construction holiday, last week I set a new record for going into work. I got all the green lights on des Bois and arrived at work in an amazing 25 minutes.
The dam, now open from 6:00am to 3:15pm in the Laval direction, immediately cuts 5 to 10 minutes of travel time for people living in south 2mo. The initial fear of overuse of the dam by St-Marthe and St-Eustache residents is gone making the dam is godsend for some of us. It's open through phase 2 of the St-Eustache bridge construction which is ending in December. A lot of people are going to wish it stayed open. Selfishly, it won't matter to me much longer as I will return to the train as I always do in September and who knows what the situation will be in the spring.
By the way, even when you don't see updates here, I often post new pictures on my Phanfare albums as in the case with last week's BBQ at the Debonis residence. To get there, simply click on the Phanfare logo above.

29th Annual Deux-Montagnes Golf Tournament
Being this year's Canada Day parade marshal came with an unexpected perk, an invitation to participate in the 29th edition of the Deux-Montagnes Golf tournament at the Deux-Montagnes golf course. The weather turned out to be fantastic and I will once again claim it was because I had my trusty umbrella as when I don't have it it rains. I had the honour of playing in the foursome with Mayor Marc Lauzon which became a fivesome when we were joined by honourary Tournament president Aimé Struthers long time Two Mountain resident and ex-city councilor. Also in our group, was the head of the Olympia René Fortin and the president of the administrative council of the Desjardins Caisse of Saint-Eustache/Deux-Montagnes. Since we were 5 people playing the best ball (Vegas), we took ourselves out of the competition and with a score of minus -7, we would have tied the 'real' winners, Mike Carpini, Rejean Martin and the Johnson's. I have posted a few pictures of the tournament here. Perhaps the highlight, or the lowlight for a certain person, of the day was the cart in the water trick. Someone, who shall remain nameless but that you saw in the slide show above (twice), drove their electric cart in the 10 foot deep lake that separates the 1st and 10th hole. In case you are wondering, the driver was male although the passenger who got the worst of it was a woman. The cart was eventually fished out of the lake as you can see here.

Since I mentioned the Caisse Desjardins earlier, I didn't realize how much the Desjardins helps our community. As pointed out in a speech by Roger Hamel, the Caisse Desjardins is contributing quite large sums of money to the city for different initiatives. For example, this year is the 4th year of a 5 year $50,000 commitment to the Mayor's Foundation which raises money for various youth charities through the golf tournament. They are in the 3 year of another 5 year 50 grand commitment to the Two Mountains Sports and Cultural Complex Corporation. In the past, they had also injected $10,000 in the rolling garbage bin program. They now are a major sponsor ($2,500) in the Jeudi Show that promotes local talent. They contributed another $2,500 to this year's Horticulture Days in May. All this to say that although the Caisse now basically only a bank of ATM's at IGA, their involvement in the community is quite extensive even though their branch is physically situated in Saint-Eustache. Thanks to the Caisse Desjardins as well as all the many other sponsors who made this a great day of golf and helped our town at the same time.
The 30th edition will be in 2010 on the Friday before the construction holiday as usual. Hope to see you there.

Water Tower Finally Getting a Facelift
The Two Mountains' water tower which has been an eyesore for years is finally getting the once over. It was a major piece of work just to prepare the surface to get painted and now the crew has started the arduous task of painting. The water tower is the highest point in the area and home to many cellular antennas. It is a point of reference for people on the lake as well as when you are flying within 30kms of it. I am glad that it will finally look good and be a source pride for our city. I seem to never have my camera when I am around it, so if you have any interesting pictures, I will be glad to give you credit and post them.

Two Mountains' Mayor Race Now Down to Two
Earlier in the year, I reported that Daniel Boivin had returned to politics and was in the race for the mayoralty of our town in November. At the time there were rumours of a third candidate that would try to defeat incumbent Mayor Marc Lauzon. That person was Robert Landry. Earlier this month Daniel Boivin announced that he was pulling out of the race, so for now it looks like it will remain a 2 horse race. So come next November, it looks like we will have to pick between Marc Lauzon and Robert Landry. Their complete final teams have not been announced yet but it will be an interesting race. I will keep you posted when the teams will be finalized.

There Hasn't Been Anything to Report Lately
Other than the worst summer weather in memory, there hasn't been much going on in the last few weeks. One thing you may have noticed is that there seems to be fewer mosquitoes hanging around this year. One cause could be the weather, meaning that the little buggers have migrated to a more southerly climate. The other is that the city has sprayed some of the mosquito prolific areas with some environmentally friendly substance. Drop me an e-mail if you have noticed a change this year and if so, do you think it is the weather or the city's effort to make sitting in your back yard a little more pleasant although those occasions are few and far between.

Legion Softball's Opening Game Against The Tartan Pub CANCELLED, Sorry
After being rained out a couple of weeks ago, the Legion Branch 185 team will finally get to play their first game of the year against a select few Tartans Pub patrons on Saturday July 11th. So far the weather looks like it should be good. The game will start at 1:00pm at Olympia Park and the teams (and fans) will be returning to the Legion for refreshments and hamburgers. Come out and cheer on you favorite team and/or players. While on the subject, Legion captain Mike Neville, will be an official 2 mo resident as of that day as he is moving from his NGD apartment to enjoy the 'country' life. Welcome Michael, to our little town and I am sure you are happy for no longer trying to catch the last train into town on Fridays or Saturdays.
For a full schedule of the Legion Team click on the Legion logo above and follow the Softball link.

Pedal For The Cure - Edition 2009
Last year, with your overwhelming and AWESOME support, we were able to raise just over $2000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Our bike ride fundraiser was obviously a huge success and so we thought to make this into an annual event in order to fund critical research linking diabetes closer to a cure. The “Pedal for a Cure 2009 Edition” is therefore just around the corner and we are back on our bikes training for this big event.
This year we thought we would get people to join us on our ride, as it was truly a ride to cherish forever. It looks like we will be 5 cyclists; Carla, Rick, Anthony Boyce, Earl MacDonald, and Chuch Chagnon. All current or retired teachers That are still in shape to tackle the grueling trek from Ottawa to Montreal. The ride will happen on Friday July 24 and the distance is approximately 180km. It takes about 7.5 hours of riding time to complete, and is just a smooth ride along the river of the old Highway 17.
Diabetes is one of the leading diseases needing support from stem cell research (thank you Obama!). There are over 200,000 Canadians living with Type 1 Diabetes and more people are being diagnosed each day. We need to stop its attack NOW! Insulin is not a cure; research is the key to a world rid of this chronic disease.
We are on the right track to raising funds. Thank you very much for all your generous support thus far. If you would still like to donate, feel free to send a cheque to Carla Hoger or you can bring cash to our BBQ (I don't suggest sending cash by mail). Make all cheques out to: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
We would love it if you could join us at the BBQ in Two Mountains as we roll into town at Rick and Nora's house (349-27th avenue, Deux-Montagnes, Qc, J7R 4J8). Come by on July 24 @ 5pm to greet us at the finish line. Bring your own beverages and lawn chair and we will supply the rest. We also will have some little presents for each guest, have a few door prizes, and have a 1/2-1/2 draw. Let us know if you will be able to join us as soon as possible so we can know how much food to get (if you haven't already RSVP'd). Send Carla an email at carla.hoger@gmail.com

Basketball Camp for ages 6 to 17
A Bilingual Basketball Camp that stresses the fundamentals of the game will be held at the Lake of Two Mountains High School from August 10th to 14th. The price for registration is $160 if paid before July 14th and $175 after that date.  The camp Director will be Paul Stephens who is Vice-President Basketball Laval/Coach Laval Cadet AAA and the Camp Coordinator is Glenda Esguerra who can be reached at these 2 numbers (514) 512-5600 /(450) 491-3495 or by e-mail at glendae@videotron.ca. For information on Two Mountains Basketball go to this website: http://basket2m.com/

Two Mountains Canada Day Celebrations Without Rain
On Wednesday July 1st, Central Park seemed to be under a huge glass dome as it avoided some major storms in the area. The result was only a couple of sprinkles of rain. There was even some heavy rains as close as the Odeon 14 in north 2mo.  As you will see in the pictures, the sun was our friend. As parade marshal, I had a great ride in Dave Dubeau's convertible and a great day on the field. Thanks to all the volunteers that pitched in as well Canada Day Committee president Rudolf Neumeyer for all his efforts.. Click here for the pictures
 

The End of a 40 Year Career for Lynne Mattson
Tuesday June 30th was a special day for Lynne Mattson as she stepped off the Deux-Montagnes train for one last time of commuting to work. She had been working at the Royal Bank for the last 40 years and now starts her well deserved retirement joining Murray who has been a retired schoolteacher for a few years now. Murray captured Lynne's last descent from the train and the smile tells it all. Congratulations Lynne on a great career and enjoy your free time. Click the thumbnail on the right to enlarge the picture.  

Danny Klimas' Drive for the Cure Golf Tournament Raises A Record Amount
On Tuesday June 30th, the weather somehow cooperated and we all had a great day on the Fontainebleau Golf Course. This year, despite the economy, the tournament was sold out and a new record was set for the money collected. Over $25,000, was raised for MUHC Cancer Research. This was the 9th year of this tournament and next year's 10th anniversary edition promises to be a good one also. With a maximum of 144 golfers, it is bound to be sold out again and tickets are on a first come first served basis. Thanks to everyone that played and all the volunteers on the course. You can check out our foursomes scorecard using the Latest Golf icon on the top right. You can also click here for pIctures.

Kenneth Bernard Hogan 1922 - 2009
Peacefully at home on June 29, 2009. Husband of the late Rita O'Rourke and devoted companion of Angela Casado. Survived by his children Wayne (Lillian), Glenn (Marlene), Donna and Neil (Debbie). Beloved grampy of Kim (David), Karen (Steve), Lea Anne, Shannon (Jay), Erin (Shawn), Shawn, Kevin and Lauren; and great-grampy to Riley, Ryan, Aidan and Kaitlyn. Also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and many friends who will dearly miss him. Visitations from White & Sons Funeral Home, Rawdon on Tuesday, June 30 from 4 to 6 p.m. and from the Armstrong Funeral Home, 1640 Cote Vertu, St. Laurent on Thursday, July 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A Celebration of his life will take place on Friday, July 3 at 11 a.m. at the Transfiguration of our Lord Church, corner of Dudemaine and Filion St. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Royal Canadian Legion - Branch 198, 3604 Albert St., Rawdon Qc, J0K 1S0 will be greatly appreciated. To view this announcement online click here and to view or sign his guestbook, click here.
My condolences to the Hogan family.

Ron Kesseler's Surprise Retirement Party a Huge Success
On Friday June 26th, a big gang gathered at the Tartan Pub to celibrate the career of Ron Kesseler as a Two Mountain policeman. Carole Kesseler who put this together was worried about 3 things. One, that his detective instincts wouldn't suspect something fishy going on and two, how to get him to stay in town and not go to the cottage and three, how to get him to the Tartan in the first place. She succeeded and unless Ron is a good actor, he was genuinely surprised to see all the people waiting for him as he entered the Tartan. Pictures tell most of the story, so here they are. Ron, you served your community really well and us many of us through a lot. Thanks for your dedication and good luck in your new life.....

Wyder Cup Less Than 2 Months Away
As self appointed Canadian Captain of the Wyder cup team for the last 8 years, I felt it was my duty to scout out the land (the golf course especially) for the 8th annual to be held in Bethlehem, New Hampshire at the Maplewood Golf Club. This is the first time the WC will be held on American soil. The golf course is over 90 years old so it is a little short by today's standards. What it lacks in length it makes up in other ways as it is not an easy course. The Thursday practice on the August 20th is highly recommended or at least trying to get there early on Friday to sneak a look around. The elevation of 1,500 feet over sea level helps the ball travel a little further than back home. We only went for one night as we also went to Knowlton to spend one night at the "auberge" Knowlton. This was a package I won at work which included a great meal with duck being their specialty. At night we were treated to and great display of Mother Nature's fireworks as a huge storm passed over us. Pictures of the each hole of the golf course, accommodations and much more are available here.

Check Out the Pictures of the Tartan Pub Lobster Supper here

Robert Wilkinson 1963-2009
WILKINSON, Robert After a five year battle, it is with a heavy heart that we all say goodbye to Robert at the age of forty-six, in the Hawkesbury District General Hospital, surrounded by family and friends on June 15, 2009. Bob leaves behind his beloved wife Tammy (Jerome) Wilkinson, daughters, Hannah and Fiona, his parents Bob and Barbara Wilkinson, sisters Deborah Pavey (Gordon) of Ottawa, Donna Mitchell (Liam) of British Columbia, his nieces, nephews, many other family members and close friends. Robert was proud to dedicate his final months by taking part in the research into finding a cure for cancer. A special thank you to Dr. Derek Jonker of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Center, Dr. Luc Chagnon of Hawkesbury and Laura Gunn of Bayshore Home Care. The family would like to thank Catherine Fortin and the entire Pharmacology team at the ORCC and the HGH for their excellent care. Service to be held at Christ United Church, 214 14th Avenue, Two Mountains, Qc., on Friday, June 19 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society would be greatly appreciated.
Click here to view the Gazette online obituary and sign the guest book.

Memorial Service for David Saliba
As reported earlier in the year, David Saliba passed away suddenly on March 26, his memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 25th at 11:00 AM at Complexe Funéraire Mt-Royal, 1297 Ch. De la Forêt, Montreal - Call for more info 514-279-6540.

Reminder - Rock and Roll Show On Saturday June 20 at St-Agapit Church
Click here for more info.

Canada Day Committee Announcement
July 1 is quickly approaching and the planning of Canada Day festivities is well on the way. We would like to take this moment to bring attention to some details that are of interest.

In recognition of his continued involvement in Two Mountains' activities, support of groups, and the documentation and dissemination of news of local interest, the Canada Day Committee is pleased to announce that this year's Parade Marshall will be Paul Goyetche. It is well deserved. I am honoured to have been chosen.

The Canada Day Committee is always looking for volunteers. It could be just for a few hours or even at the Committee level. Either way, many hands make light work and will help us continue to improve the festivities. Call 514-241-7180

In addition, on June 30th, there will be a Citizenship Ceremony ay 10:00am at the Two Mountains city hall. I was told that some people will be receiving their Canadian Citizenship at this ceremony. Welcome to a great country to the new Canadians.
 

June 5th Relay For Life Tops $100,000 Raised
The 12 hour Relay For Life held on Friday June 5th and end at 7:00am the next morning raised a total of over $107,000 to eclipse last years record. I was sent some pictures by Nancy Doucet and Shannon O'Neil which are posted here.  The team picture is The Dreaming Lamplighters. Last year, they were separate teams, the Dream Girls and the Lamplighters but they amalgamated into one team and raised close to $6,000. Thanks to everyone that participated and contributed and congratulations to the team for raising more than their share as almost 50 teams were in the walk.

Madeleine Galley (Harkin) 1927 - 2009

GALLEY, Madeleine (nee Harkin) Of Deux-Montagnes and Griffintown, at eighty-one, our precious Madeleine peacefully passed away on June 5, 2009. Madeleine is survived by Harold, her best friend and beloved husband of fifty-nine years, loving mother of Joan, (Larry), Bryan (Christine), Kevin (Roswitha), and Keith (Darlene). She will be greatly missed by her eight grandchildren and her great-grandchild. Madeleine also bids adieu to her brothers Jean-Paul (deceased), Robert (deceased), Roger (Fernande), Gerald (Joan, deceased), Bernard (Mary), Maurice (Patricia) and her sister Kathleen (Donald) and their families. The family will receive condolences on Saturday, June 13, 2009, from 10 a.m. at Holy Family Parish, 1001 Oka Road, Deux-Montagnes. The Mass will follow at 11 a.m., to be followed by a reception in the church hall. Contributions in her memory may be made to La Maison de soins palliatifs at St. Eustache, 50 rue Chenier, St. Eustache, Qc., J7R 5W6. To sign her online guestbook, click here. My sincere condolences to Harold and the entire Galley family, Paul

Published in the Montreal Gazette on 6/9/2009

Legion Branch 185 President Pat LeGresley 1945 - 2009
Patricia (Pat) LeGresley passed away suddenly on Friday June 5th. Funeral details are posted on the Legion Web Site.

3rd Annual Deux-Montagnes Challenge
Hot off the press - Here are the pictures of the part of the 10k run being held in Two Mountains today. Part of the 10k course goes in front of our house, so I got a few pictures of the runners whizzing by. They include our mayor Marc Lauzon who has shed 35 pounds training for this event. Click here for the some pictures that are downloading as I write this.
The Deux-Montagnes Challenge raised $8000 for charity last year as 430 runners took part. To get more info on the Defi Deux-Montagnes click on the logo on the right.

Stephane Chibok - 1970 - 2009

Tragically passed away on Monday June 1st, Stephane Chibok is survived by his mother Rita, his brother Patrice (Blanca), his sister Chantal (Gary) and his niece Kenya. He was preceded by the late George Chibok. He also leaves his many uncles, aunts, cousins, friends and co-workers at Bombardier.

Visitation will be held at the Guay Funeral home at 146 Saint-Louis Street in St-Eustache on Sunday June 7th from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 and starting at noon on Monday. Funeral services will be held on Monday June 8th at 2:00pm in the St-Agapit Church followed by the burial at the St-Agapit cemetery. A small reception will follow at the Heritage Social Club on Cedar street in Two-Mountains.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this difficult time.

Open House for Cancer Walk a Great Success
Message from Lea-Anne Hogan: Hello Friends and Family,
I just wanted to thank everyone who came out to support our fundraiser today. Mother Nature cooperated and managed to hold off the rain until the very end. Sunday's fundraiser raised $850 towards my walk. Over $1,100 was raised for both walkers.
Special thanks to Ron and Joan Fitzmorris for hosting the event.
Highlights: the various raffles, including guess the number of La Senza panties in the jar (thank you Shannon). Congrats to Dorian for being the lucky "winner". The bake sale made a lot of money. Mom, your fudge rocks! Thanks to everyone for contributing.
Remember donations can still be made on-line. All donations over $10 are tax deductible. Click here to visit my personal pledge page.

St-Eustache Bridge Headaches - Phase 2
Transport Qu?c did not have the decency to use the blank side of their communiqu?o print the English version of their announcement explaining bridge closures starting on Monday June 1st, so I will try to resume the situation. This could (and hopefully will) change when someone who actually lives in the area realizes the stupidity of some decisions.
From June 1st to December 2009, the St-Eustache bridge will be one way only. On Monday to Friday, between 5:30am and 10:30am, it will be one lane open towards Laval. At 10:30am it will reverse one way towards St-Eustache for the next 19 hours until 5:30am. On the weekend, the bridge is only open in the St-Eustache direction. To compensate for the Monday to Friday closure, the dam on 8th avenue will be open to traffic from 6:30am to 9:30am towards Laval and from 3:30pm to 6:30pm towards Two-Mountains. It will be closed on the weekends AND completely between July 7th and August 10th which is insane especially for someone who is noy planning any vacation at this time.
Did anybody think of maybe installing one way alternating lights from 11:00pm to 5:00am on the St-Eustache bridge?  I understand that you could not do that during the day, but in the middle of night , it could be an option. The bright people at TQ think that putting a temporary traffic light in front of the St-Eustache church will some somehow ease traffic flow. I have a hard time seeing that that will work since they are now keeping the stop sign at the Coq-o-Bec which was originally supposed to be removed.
You figure it out, but if you have to go to the Cardinal Golf Course for example, you are probably going to have to go to Highway 13. Last week, it took me 90 minutes to get home from just west of downtown on 3 of the 5 days. "This ain't gonna make things easier". I normally take the train from September to April but this year, I am seriously thinking of taking it throughout the summer.
On that topic, our train made the news once again last week for a reason other than being late. It seems that the farm adjacent to the place where the trains are kept overnight just past the Deux-Montagnes station decided to fertilize the fields with a heaping measure of manure. The trains absorbed much of this stench and made their way into town smelling quite bad. Yet another reason for the term cattle cars.

Mon Chez Moi Launches its Website
Mon Chez-Moi is a non-profit charitable organization whose aim is to establish a permanent home for intellectually challenged young adults. They now have a website (a work in progress) www.monchez-moi.org. On Saturday May 23rd they held a fundraiser at the Guzzo Cinemas raising an amount I will post here soon. As well, their upcoming bowling fundraiser is on Saturday June 20th. Their aim is to have a home open by September 2010, so they need help from our community. Here is their informational brochure inside outside.   

June 6th 2009 - A Day Going to the Dogs
The Dog Owners Association of Deux-Montagnes are happy to announce a conference and the opening of the dog park, all to happen in Saturday June 6th. The conference is being given by expert dog trainer Patrick Pacheco at the Municipal Library (200 Henri-Dunant) from 9am to 11:45. Following the conference at 12:30pm, the city will officially open the dog park on boulevard du Lac (right beside the Larry Cool Water Treatment Plant). Also the association is continuing their search for a name for their English newsletter. They have had excellent suggestions but have extended the contest for fun. I guess 2mopaws is not catchy enough, lol. To view their latest newsletter click here and to know more about the conference, here.

Kevin's Photo Safari
A few years ago, Kevin Deschamps mentioned to me that he wanted to do an activity that would involve taking pictures of a certain subject. After the picture taking session(s), we would get together and discuss our pictures and choose our favourites. In early April, he e-mailed a few of us avid and not so avid photographers and chose the subject. St-Eustache Street it was and in the last 6 weeks or so, many of us were busy clicking away. The results are quite impressive even from people who didn't think they had it in them. Today, we all gathered at Kevin and Dani's new Ste-Marthe-sur-le-lac home and showed off our skills. We each voted for one favourite from each person although we didn't make a overall pick. This first 'safari' was a lot of fun and we will probably repeat it later this year. The next subject, will probably the Riviere des Chenes between Industrial boulevard to Fresniere. This includes anything off either the South or North road as the river itself has limited beauty due to its colour and smell. Click here for the St-Eustache Street Album.

City Hall Then And Now
You may have noticed the postcard on my first page. This postcard was leant to me by Geoff Bliss. I have been meaning to take a now picture of the city hall but I could never get the proper lighting and clouds were always there when I tried to get it. I finally got it today. Unfortunately, the clock is no longer there (see bottom of this page) but at least the tree are full of leaves as in the postcard. Click here to see both pictures and you will see a couple of obvious differences between the two. Once you get there click on it again to get a panoramic view of the city hall as it stands today.

The Weekend to End Breast Cancer 2009
A message from Lea Anne Hogan. Hello Everyone,
Summer is just around the corner and my laces are all tied up and getting ready for Year #5 of the Cancer Walk
I can't believe it has been 5 years. With all of your help I have managed to raise an unbelievable $15,000 to help put an end to this awful disease.
So I need your help again. On Sunday May 31st , we are holding an open house fundraiser at my friend's Ron and Joan Fitzmorris' house...from 11am to 5pm. Everyone is welcome. There will be items for sale, food and drinks and entertainment...so come on by, bring the family, your friends and help to end breast cancer.
Don't forget you can still make an on-line donation through my personal by using this link.  All donations over $10 are tax deductible.
So thank you. thank you...for all of your continued support, Lea Anne. For more info on the Open House click here.

A Windy Day Out on the Lake
Last Thursday, was the warmest day in May so far. It was also the windiest lake in quite a while. It was blowing east with a constant speed of around 50 km per hour. By the late afternoon, the waves on the lake were quite high. Check out some of these pictures. There's one in particular that looks like an ocean shot.

Mildred Stephen 1915-2009
STEPHEN, Mildred (Milly) (nee Finn) Passed away peacefully at Residence Vigi Deux-Montagnes on May 14, 2009 in her ninety-fifth year. Milly Stephen, loving wife of the late John (Jack) Philip Stephen. Survived by five children Barbara (Colin Sangster), Sandra (the late Ross Nairn), Ron (Thelma), Gary (Ethel) and Jill (Michael McKeown). Also survived by one brother, Norman Finn, of Victoria, B.C., as well as thirteen grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. A celebration of Mum's life will be held on Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 11 a.m. at All Saint's Anglican Church in Deux-Montagnes, a reception will follow. Click here to view or sign her online guestbook at Remembering.ca.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in Mum's memory to Mon Chez-Moi c/o Ethel Stephen at 396 – 25th Avenue, Deux Montagnes, Quebec. J7R 4W7 would be greatly appreciated.
The Family of the late Mildred Stephen wish to thank Lola's for the superbly catered reception following the church service.

Less Than 100 Days to the 8th Annual Wyder Cup
This year's Wyder truly becomes an international event as we are all travelling to New Hampshire to try and pry the cup back to Canada. The venue is the Maplewood Golf club in Bethlehem, New Hampshire and is happening on the August 21st weekend. For all the news and the directions to the Wyder Cup, please click the Wyder link on the left.

Tartan Pub Spring Classic Makes a Comeback
The Tartan Spring Golf tournament made a comeback this year on the Cardinal Golf course after a 2 year absence. This tournament, which was started in the 1940's, is always slated for the Sunday on the Victoria Day weekend. With an early tee-off time before 8:00am, 28 golfers braved the cold and windy weather. For some, like myself, it was the first time out of the year, and the weather gave a great excuse for scoring badly. Mike McKeown shot the low round of the day by paring the 18th hole and shooting an 83. He edged out Mike O'Neil who bogeying 18 and Paul Goyetche who double bogeyed 18 (because of the wind ;-))) who both shot a respectable 84 for the second lowest rounds of the day. The scorecard is available here and pictures are available here. Due to the cold, most pictures were taken inside after the golf. 

Neil Diamond Tribute Coming to Veterans' Hall
On Friday June 5th, Singer/Entertainer Joey Purpura will be hitting the stage at the Veteran's Hall (Legion Branch 185). If you are a Neil Diamond fan, this show is for you. Tickets are now on sale at the Legion Bar for $20 and they will be $25 at the door. If you want to know more about this show, visit Joey's website at http://solitaryman.ca/.

Colleen Baxter Gets New Website
Published Two-Mountains author Colleen Baxter Sullivan has now got her own website. She is already working on a second novel and this is a great place to keep up with her work. Check it out at http://www.colleenbaxtersullivan.com/

Trouble Finding Parking in Downtown Montreal?
Check out this website that Kevin Deschamps told about. According to the website, it can save you money too.

2nd Annual Bowling Party for Mon Chez-Moi
On Saturday June 20th, a bowling day will be held to raise funds for a local cause. Here is a message from Ethel Stephen:

We are having our second annual bowling party to raise money for Mon Chez-Moi. I am asking you if you would like to participate again this year. If so please organize a team of 6 members, collect $12.00 from each member, and get back to me by June 5th with the money and the names of your team members.
We are getting closer to our goal and to date we have raised $25,525.00. We still have $16,475.00 to go. I have approached, so far about 14 foundations and corporations and I am still waiting to hear back from a few of them. Unfortunately the ones I have heard back from, are honoring, at the present time, their previous commitments to other non-profit charitable organizations.
Thank you for your help with our project and have a good day.
Sincerely, Ethel Stephen. For contact info click here.

Upcoming Golf Events
The 2009 golf season is well on it's way now and it's time to list some upcoming tournaments. The table below lists some of the tournaments that are on the way. To get more information on any tournament click on the tournament name. They are listed by date.

Hi There - Apologies for the lack of Updates and Action
Firstly, you may have noticed the lack of updates in the last couple of weeks. The main reason is the fact that we we're away on vacation and had limited access and tools to update these pages. The second reason is also that not much happened while we were gone. The fire at the d?nneur on 20th maybe would have cut it, but without pictures it wasn't worth mentioning. I did update the trip part of my site on an almost daily basis, so if your are interested, our trip travel log and pictures are posted. Simply click on the globe in the 2mopaul.com above and pick the 'new' trip.

I've got a lot of catching up to do on all fronts, so for now this update will have to do. Check the Calendar for upcoming events and I will be posting more updates later this week, including taking the Snowy Owl off my splash screen.

2MOPAUL.COM Exclusive
The following press release will be in tomorrow's l"Eveil (Saturday April 18). You can read it here first......

Mayoral candidate for next November: DANIEL BOIVIN RETURNS TO DEUX-MONTAGNES POLITICS

Following a four year absence from the local political scene, former municipal councilor Daniel Boivin has decided to return next fall as a mayoral candidate for Ville de Deux-Montagnes.
According to Mr. Boivin, he never thought of returning to municipal politics, however the obvious mismanagement of public funds by the present administration and the numerous phone calls and support from citizens of Ville de Deux-Montagnes prompted him over the past several weeks to re-think his position.
During the eleven years as Councilor of Ville de Deux-Montagnes in Mayor Forget’s team , Mr. Boivin for ten years held the position of President of the Inter-municipal Transport Committee (C.I.T.), was eight years responsible for the administration of the city (no tax increase) and for several years President of the regional water and waste water management committees as well as being actively involved in numerous other inter-municipal and regional committees.
Mr. Boivin now is recruiting serious and competent candidates who have the wish to give back to the community by devoting their time, energy and expertise to fully represent the constituents of their ward in the next municipal council and is extending an open invitation to anyone interested to communicate with him thru email at danielboivin@sympatico.ca or by phone at (450)472-2180, all calls will be kept strictly confidential.
 

Olympic Torch Relay Comes to 2 Mountains
Two Mountains has been chosen among the 1000 city / 45,000 kilometer Olympic torch tour before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler. I t will make its way through our little town on December 10th. I will keep you posted with more details as they are published.  To see the exact route of the torch you can click here for an interactive map. If you would like to be a torchbearer, click here for the info on how you can apply.

Monica Mae Hughes 1960-2009
After a courageous six-year battle with cancer (melanoma), died with family and friends at her side in Ottawa General Hospital on Monday, March 30th, 2009. She was in her 49th year. Monica is the beloved daughter of Thelma and the late Douglas Hughes; sister of John (Sheree); Kathy; Rick (Audrey) and Russell (Gail). She was dear aunt to Connor, Lindsay, Lee, Nicole and Rebecca. She will also be lovingly remembered by special friend Greg Beck.
Monica lived with a love of music and was a member of the Notre Dame Cathedral Choir, Cantata Singers and active in the Ottawa choral scene.
Heartfelt thanks to Drs. Verma and Eapen at the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Clinic for their care over the past few years.
Interment was Friday, April 3 at 11 a.m. at Cote Des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal .
Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society or the charity of your choice.
We invite you to share your thoughts and fond memories with our family at this link.

Third Unclaimed Luggage Sale @New location
Message from Tara: Please come and check out the great bargains at our 3rd Unclaimed Luggage Sale. We have a great new location on Jean Talon, just seconds from Metro Namur and right beside the SPCA. So come and shop til you drop then adopt a pooch to carry it all home for you!
Click here for more info or go the their new website: http://unclaimed-luggage.ca/

Time Stops at City Hall
On Friday April 3rd during the evening rush hour, a car careened out of control out of the I.G.A. parking lot. An elderly driver had apparently meant to back up, went forward and jumped the curb. As it crossed the street, it hit another car and ended crashing into the city hall steps. In its path, the city clock, Little Ben, as many of us fondly call it, and the plaque in memory of 9/11 were both toppled. The clock that has been a landmark for around 10 years was completely uprooted and the damage quite extensive. I have no word about its fate but it has been replaced by an orange cone for the moment. The cone does not tell time. I am sure that topic of bringing back thee clock came up today as the city held its plastic bag ban press conference.
Thanks to Geoffrey B. who happened to be driving by with his iPhone, this website can publish exclusive photo of the mishap. Simply click the picture to see his pictures. Thanks Geoff for the exclusive.

More Sad News - Dave Harding 1955-2009
I have just learned of the passing of Dave Harding. Here is the obituary listing: Dave Harding passed away on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at the age of 53. Predeceased by his brother Michael in 1974. Dave will be lovingly remembered by his wife Pierrette, his children Keith, Tracey (Justin) and grandson Damian. Always remembered by his parents Betty (the late Len) Harding and Bella Begin, his sister Linda (Bob) and their children Sean (Karine), Craig(Tanya), Ashley and many other nieces, nephews, family and friends. Dave’s family will receive visitors Monday, April 6th, 2009 from 2-4 and 6-8pm at Needham Funeral Service (520 Dundas St., London) with a celebration of his life taking place at the funeral home on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 1pm. In lieu of flowers donations to The Canadian Cancer Society or the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario Foundation would be appreciated.
My thoughts got out to Pierrette and the family. His full obit guest book and many pictures can be found here.

David Saliba Passes Away
Obituary from Montreal Gazette: It is with great sadness that the family announces the sudden passing of David Saliba, in Angola, Indiana at the age of sixty-two. Son of the late Joseph and Leona Saliba. Survived by his brother John (Carolyn), nephew Duane, nieces Lori (Titi) and Suzan (Scott). Memorial Service to be announced. Published in the Montreal Gazette from 3/27/2009 - 3/28/2009 View or Sign Guestbook here.

Finally got the St Paddy's day Parade Pictures Downloaded Here

Casino Night a Success at the Heritage Social Club
On Saturday March 28th, the Heritage Social Club (a long time ago, the Masonic Hall on Cedar) was transformed into a bustling casino for a fund raising evening. It was a great success thanks to the sponsors, volunteers and the guests who came to support the cause. The new Heritage Social Club (formerly know as the Senior Citizen's Social Club) is dedicated to make the hall a fun place to be and proved it last night. Over $2000 was raised and will be used to spruce up the premises, a work in progress. The hall is becoming great venue both for socializing for the community and as a place to rent for a party of any size. Thanks for all the support from everyone. There are pictures of the event posted here and more to come soon. The HSC is having a Karaoke night on Saturday April 4th for more info, click here for the HSC Calendar.

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