A Life That's Good

Today on the pod you’re going to hear the heart of an artist. Our imaginative, passionate, and sensitive friend Bethany Davidson is here to chat about her art and to paint us some word pictures of what it all means to be a creative human.   We’ll find out a little bit about who she is, how Polkaroo influenced her life ;) ... and we’ll discover the heart behind the very successful “Froggy Festival”...

We like to introduce you to places and landmarks in Midwestern Ontario but sometimes we also like to celebrate people and that's what we're going to do today! It's hard to imagine doing any job for 50 years let alone a back breaking, emotional roller coaster of a job like that of a paramedic. Our guest today though, has done just that! We have immeasurable admiration for people who mak...

Hi there, and welcome back to A Life That's Good, after a wonderful summer break. We're so grateful for the response to the podcast the past few months and so excited to bring you some brand new episodes. :) Nothing says Fall in Midwestern Ontario, quite like the Blyth Steam Show, now in it's 63rd year!! In this episode, we're going to chat about how it started, some of its storied...

A few weeks ago I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a post by a long time acquaintance of mine from Goderich, who shared the post with the words "Some hidden local talent that won't be hidden for long." I noticed his share was that of another old school friend of mine whose son had written and recently recorded a few songs. Naturally I wanted to hear it. Four minutes and a bunch...

I explain this in more detail in the podcast but I was ... am terrible at math. So, it shouldn't surprise you that this is episode 66 of 65 ... actually 66 1/2 but at this point who's really counting anymore. I've had Peter on my list as one of the people who has made (and makes) life good since the planning stages of the pod and I just couldn't let it go without having a quick cha...

What happens when five radio people walk into a studio? You get the longest episode of the series! A look this week at a most rewarding career. An hour of radio talk: how it was, where it is and where it's going. This is an episode I'll listen back to someday when I need a reminder of just how good life can be. We laughed, we cried, we were/are grateful. My heartfelt thanks to the four ver...

~ For Brianna Latimer (Marshall) ~ One of the things I've come to love about this podcast, is when we have people on who I think I know a bit about, only to discover that my understanding of their lives barely scratches the surface. Herb & Sherry Marshall are two such people and they join us this week to chat about a couple of places that we believe are an integral part of the fabric of Ca...

Thankfully, one of the things you could still do during the covid shutdown a few years ago was go for a drive and/or hike and that lent itself well to Milli's and my shared interest in nature photography. One of our earliest adventures was to Point Clark to watch a sunset from the historic lighthouse. We were really taken with the beauty of the lighthouse itself and of course, nothing beats a...

Golf is one of my favourite pastimes although I don't play nearly as often as I'd like too and maybe for that reason, I don't play nearly as well as I'd like to ;) It can be social or not, it's great low impact exercise and it's something you can do at almost any age. In this episode, a chat with Gary and Lynne Gravett who owned and operated Goderich Sunset Golf Course for...

"We are not makers of history. We are made by history." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. I've had a personal fascination with history most of my life and it was always a favourite subject in school so I'm pretty excited to chat with David Armstrong, President of the Huron County Historical Society. We will chat about the many ways that we, here in Midwestern Ontario, have been made by o...

It's that time of year again when most of us just can't wait to get outside and get all the pretty things growing again. As sometimes happens, a small labour of love can grow into a force to be reckoned with and such is the case with Greyhaven Gardens. It began more than 34 years ago as a small vegetable growing operation and greenhouse and has evolved into a MUCH larger and well loved ind...

It's been a popular spot for a very long time. People stopped at the corner of Queen Street and Dinsley in Blyth, as far back as 172 years ago! This week we're going to chat about some of the history of this iconic place, a place that's had a few official names over the years but few, if any of us, know or have ever used those names. Manager Ang Cullen joins us to talk past, present an...

We realize that we featured Blyth Festival in episode 2 of our 65 show adventure, but some things are so great you just have to go back and check in again. This time, artistic Director Gil Garratt tells us about the history of the theatre itself, it's mission and the new Harvest Stage. After that, a brief synopsis of 6 exciting plays coming to Blyth this summer as we all celebrate 50 seasons....

I've been very lucky in my career to meet and interview a lot of well known people, so why was I so nervous about this one? Perhaps it's because, as the bassist for Gordon Lightfoot for 55 years, Rick Haynes has been an integral part of the soundtrack of my life. In this episode: * Being a career musician was not the plan * An encounter with Duane Eddy * Who was Gordon Lightfoot to Rick? *...

Milli had an idea to create a few podcasts under the sub-heading of "Pockets of Peace." To seek out some hidden, peaceful gems in Midwestern Ontario and I loved the idea. I'm sure it's no coincidence that the first place we thought of was Bayfield Lavender. We'd set out on a bit of a photo adventure one day last summer and through a series of fortunate events, ended up at thi...

When we set out on this journey more than a year ago, we thought we would be focussing on a lot of places and things that we find amazing about Midwestern Ontario and we hope we're doing that to some extent. What it seems to have evolved into though, is a podcast that's more about people. We say often that everybody has a story and we've come to love the stories. In this episode, we ch...

Husband, father, farmer, mayor, author, writer, playwright, broadcaster, storyteller ... Just a few of the things our guest has been called in his life. Dave Scott is also known as a man who loves his hometown of Seaforth. In this episode, we will chat about the Scott family legacy in the Seaforth area, a couple of books he's written on his passion for hockey, old plowing matches, his friendsh...

This week, our sweetest adventure yet, as Milli and I hit the road for a few live "on location" chats. First we'll visit our friends Ben and Brianna at Coastal Coffee near Kintail then move to Cranston Farms Maple Syrup for a quick catch up with Ivan. After that a stop at Robinson Maple Products for a chat with Kevin Snider before returning to the studio meet up with Barry Mulvey fro...

Today were meeting up with an old high-school friend of mine, Marianne Hogan who has been a big part of the transformation of the former St. Joseph's Church into the Kingsbridge Centre. We'll get the story on how the historic church and rectory was purchased and turned into a spot that would host community gatherings, concerts and performances, rental options and a lot more. Also joining M...

As a boy, I was hockey obsessed and growing up in Goderich meant I had access every year to the grand-daddy of all hockey tournaments. Young Canada Week began in 1950 as a one-day, 12-team competition for peewee age players and over the years it grew into an exciting and important part of the fabric of Goderich and area. It would go on to draw players like: Paul Henderson, Darryl Sittler, Brad Par...

I have memories of Listowel Paddyfest that go back to the early 90's but of course it's been around a lot longer than that. This week, Paddyfest chairman Ben Zavitz tells us just how far back it goes, who started it all and some of the things we can look forward to this year. One of those things is a concert with an amazing singer/songwriter out of Mildmay who is currently taking the world...

If you understand the title of this week's podcast, you probably had a great childhood. We didn't really plan it this way, but today's episode is perfect for Family Day! From his days playing road hockey on King Street in Blyth to World Championship teams, Justin Peters is here to talk about the importance of the "families" he's been a part of on that journey: his birth f...

In 2015, her life was forever changed when, while biking, she was hit by a car as she trained for a triathlon. Her new life in a wheelchair meant relearning so much of what she and most of us take for granted. Everything from having a shower, to cooking, to tucking her kids in at night ... to putting on her socks. The journey through that, hard to imagine darkness, led her to a place where she mad...

Most of us have a teacher or two that's made a difference in our lives. Someone who met us where we were at the time and then helped us to become the best version of ourselves. I've told stories for much of my life about a select group of remarkable educators whom I owe, so very much too. In most cases it's a lot less to do with the actual content of the classes I was in and a lot more...

It's one of our favourite places to eat in Midwestern Ontario. Fancy enough that it can be a special occasion and casual enough that it can be just because, it's Part 2 Bistro, on the Square in Goderich. With beginnings in Blyth it has matured into a great place to seek a little refuge from the world and to just sit and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and first rate food. Peter Gusso is here...