The New Digs

Greetings Gentle Reader, I, your dutiful Prisoner of Culture, have finally worked out all the bugs and I'm back on-line (insert applause or boos, whichever the case, here). I'm currently in my new abode in Petawawa, Ontario, Canada. And before anyone wonders, no I have not joined the military. I do support our troops and the tough work they do, but a soldier, I definitely am not. I'd be the guy in the line with tears in my eyes sniffling, "Why did the sergeant have to yell at me?"

Look, if you dare, for my posts to return to all their mindless glory in the coming days. But first, a word about my new (for now) town.

Petawawa is located at the intersection of the Ottawa and Petawawa Rivers, approximately one and a half hours northwest of Ottawa, Ontario. With a population of about 15, 000 people, Petawawa is the home of Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa, one of the largest military bases in Canada.

The area was originally inhabited by the Algonquin First Nation prior to European contact. Petawawa is the anglicised form of an Algonquin word meaning, "where one hears a noise like this".

During the latter half of the 19th century, the area was settled by Scots, Irish and German immigrants. Logging became a primary industry due to the expansive forests in the area and the relatively poor land for farming.

A base was built by the Canadian military starting in 1905 and became an internment camp for German POWs during the Second World War. The village of Petawawa was incorporated in 1961, with the current Town of Petawawa being created in 1997.

Petawawa is truly a pretty area with a lot of outdoor adventure recreation close by such as hiking, camping and white-water rafting. Right now though, we are up to our frozen asses in snow, which is going to be nice for Christmas, but dear lord, when will it stop!