Black Sheep Inn
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With February coming right up, the sacrosanct month of romance, I am taking full responsibility for my tacky side and suggesting we get back to what’s essential. Experience what’s essential. Share what’s essential.
Put away those cinnamon hearts, cupids with arrows and all the rest. What you need is that special someone and a little of what brings you close. For my boyfriend and I, this little something is music, it’s the road. We love taking in shows and the country. And if we have this, everything else is ours.
So here’s our supreme secret for Romance with a capital R: drive west into the arms of Wakefield, a village that breathes life into the Black Sheep Inn.
“Be Nice or Leave”
How would I describe the Black Sheep Inn… it’s a cosy show venue, with an unpretentious stature and décor, and the soul of an old rocker on the go. You will instantly feel right at home. The place even has its own resident dog that welcomes you and sniffs your toes during the show. The inn’s motto: “Be Nice or Leave.”
Musicians like Harry Manx, Martha Wainwright and Dan Mangan have treaded across the simple floors of this place where folk, blues, rock and its mellow sisters resonate. My boyfriend and I saw Kelly Joe Phelps here, by himself with his guitar. When we closed our eyes, we could almost believe he had four hands, with all the sound he made. This was our moment of romance; music and the road leading there.
Bohemian Wakefield
Gatineau Park, photo credit Canada’s Capital
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The village, surrounded by hills, takes root on the shores of Gatineau River, at the heart of a quiet bay with a Bohemian spirit. Downtown teems with trails that took us close to Wakefield Mill and its rapids (I am ever impressed by rapids) and then down a path that opened up a view of the horizon and Gatineau Park. We talked about coming back here in our old age to settle down. There are so many places we’d like stay in Quebec…
Indeed, it’s as simple as that: the essentials. I wish you much of it during this budding time of romance, and will set some aside for you to savour year round!
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