John and Maureen - Canadian Entrepreneurs in the Boonies
Hospitality Award Winners - Gold Key, American Express & Tripadvisor,
with a combined 73 Years in the Hopsitality Industry
John was born in Lethbridge AB, but grew up in Toronto. I was born and raised in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. We met in Edmonton - 1981 at the Convention Inn (now the Delta Edmonton South). What a GREAT Hotel! It truly was my dream job, and I worked there for 20 years. John was there for 16 years.
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The Dining Room Closed shortly after we left Edmonton. It's a Sign Of the Times. (Hotel Owners do not like the Restaurant Business.)
Here's John, the Executive Chef of the Hotel, in his Office (1993)
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| We loved Edmonton & the Oilers Dynasty! | ||
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Homemade "Oilers Jewelry", A Gretzky doll for Christmas.. lol! |
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Oh, the parades, parties.... Rockin Jasper Ave... Such fun! Look - such a cute shot of Wayne on Jasper Ave... |
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We LOVED Vegas in the 80's! We would drive from Edmonton to Vegas in 24 hours, gamble for the weekend and drive back. Oh, to be young and foolish again...
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Speaking of Foolish.. This picture makes me laugh. We were in the money!! We loved Road Trips & Casinos. Together, we drove through 9 Provinces and 46 States collecting Casino Chips along the way. |
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We were tired of being Happy, so we got Married in 1992. |
In the 90's I started my own Business drawing Custom Made Cartoons
| We spent 1998 in Regina. Dragon boating was a Blast! | |
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It saddened us to sell our home in Edmonton & leave all of our friends. But John, being the proactive guy that he is, quickly built a bar in our new home so we could party with our NEW Friends! |
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Before
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After
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We wanted our own Hospitality Business, but closer to Family, so we moved back to Ontario in 1999. We Gambled, and put everything we had on the NLmotel.
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Here we are in front of the Old Sign |
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12 years later, we've morphed with the times and LOVE our "home"!
8 times bigger than a B&B, 8 times smaller than a Best Western - we found what works for 2 People.It's a Challenge, being the last of a dying breed -
Mom & Pop Motel Owners. But isn't EVERYTHING in life a challenge?
Throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)
Life is like a Sandbox. You can either bury a turd or build a castle.Maureen Hutchinson - Parker
We enjoy renovating each winter, creating Comical Rooms that are so much different from all the Boring Hotels/Motels that fill the world. In 2010 we were honoured with an AWESOME Tripadvisor Award & Shirley Mills gave us a nice Write up in the Sault Star. How sweet is that? |
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John became quite the Plumber, Mechanic, Carpenter, Bed Maker & Towel folder over the years. I'm pretty handy myself, and tried my hand at painting Billboards. (You must learn how to do everything yourself in the Boonies) |
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In 2008, we gave John's Dad the Little House. He spent the last few years of his life here. Happy Jack on his deck, surrounded by all his flowers. He had such passion for gardening!
Jack with little Foxy Brown.
We became Seasonal in 2005, but I still stack my "Canadian Snow Gauge" photographing the snow for the Lovable Sledders! In November, I painted the "Groomer Guy", so he could have his own Snow Gauge in Dubreuilville, but I found my beer cases plain without him. So I painted a cute Bikini Babe to spruce up my Gauge! Join us on Facebook
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Here's the cutest Snow Gauge Photo EVER ~
Margarita Island, Venezuela 1992 |
Virginia City  |
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Crazy
Horse Memorial - 1996 |
John at Mount Rushmore 1996 |
| Jasper Alberta 1989
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The Boardwalk, Atlantic City 2001 |
Myrtle Beach, SC 2001 |
Our Bar in Edmonton |
The Kentucky Derby (with our Canadian Toques on) lol
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The Zion Gorge 2006
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| 24 hour Drive south of Wawa? Bourbon Street!! | |
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Island of Adventure, Orlando FL - the Hulk Ride - Wheeeeeeee
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Lake Louise - November 2011
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